Necromunda packaging guide?

[Zenithfleet]

G'day all,

Just wondering if there's a guide somewhere to the different packaging of official GW Necromunda releases over the years. What did the blister packs, gang boxes and so on look like in 1995, 1998, the 2000s, etc?

I know the Underhive blisters had a distinctive red/black style (got my first precious Escheresses in these while in Canada circa 2005). And later Specialist Games stuff was direct only, so had plain white Citadel boxes/blisters.

I've seen blister packs with yellow-and-black warning stripes around the web, presumably from the 90s.

Were there any packaging changes between the original 1995 releases and the ORB hardback re-release in 1998? (I know the plastic Orlocks and Goliaths were released in gang boxes at that point, but I don't know if the packaging changed in appearance otherwise.)

I ask because it helps me identify white metal minis vs lead ones. I prefer the former for various reasons... some rational, some not

 

[Malo]

I ask because it helps me identify white metal minis vs lead ones. I prefer the former for various reasons... some rational, some not

Interesting question actually, given the fact that there are still original blisters out there for Necromunda in lead. I have some in my drawers still unopened

 

[Ben_S]

When they first rolled out lead-free white metal, a lot of boxes just got a circular 'white metal' badge on them, without otherwise changing the packaging. I can't say for sure whether this was the case for Necromunda gang boxes, but I suspect it was - so there could be original gang boxes like that.

 

[Zenithfleet]

A few further thoughts:

I'm pretty sure that the fine print on the back of the packaging always carried a health warning if the minis were lead ('they should not be chewed or swallowed'). Once white metal came in, the warning just referred to 'essential pointed components' and said 'they are not toys'. I don't know if they immediately changed the fine print or left it as is for a while, though. Unfortunately, who's going to photograph the back of a blister for eBay?

I also suspect that any Necromunda miniatures originally sold in the US would have been white metal, given that Citadel switched to lead-free several years earlier there due to regulations (around 1993 I believe, compared to 1997ish for the UK when 3rd edition Epic was released). So I would hazard a guess (boom tish) that any yellow-striped blister packs and boxes sold in the US were much more likely to be white metal, even those from the original release.

I'm pretty sure the Warhammer 40,000 blister packs slightly changed their artwork late in 2nd ed around the time white metal came in, but I don't know if Necromunda packaging showed similar minor variation.

Coincidentally, I was just given three Goliaths by a generous mate today--all original Gary Morley sculpts. Two look like lead (although I can't be sure until I strip them, since the weapons have been cut off, leaving me with nothing to test-bend). The third seems to be white metal.

Also... pedant alert... can anyone confirm whether the 'ESCHER' lettering on the original gang box was red, rather than white as for the other gang boxes? That's how it appeared in old White Dwarf ads. I always wondered if they doctored the photo to correct an error or something.

 

[Zenithfleet]

Just answered that last question of mine--spotted a few gang boxes on eBay and it seems each gang had a different colour scheme for its title. I've learned something today

 

[The Duke]

I ask because it helps me identify white metal minis vs lead ones. I prefer the former for various reasons... some rational, some not

Ahhhh, good ol' soft, malleable, cuttable, "heft-able" Lead minis!, golden days my boys, golden days, jackets for goal-posts, sixpence for a packet of broken biscuits.....*gets a glassy far-away look in his eyes* golden..... days......

.......


......


You make tears come to an old-mans eyes master @Zenithfleet ... *choke*, *splutter*


@Llewy @Ptrix .

 

[Zenithfleet]

You make tears come to an old-mans eyes master Zenithfleet ... *choke*, *splutter*

I expect that's the lead poisoning Back in the chem pit!

In all seriousness, I'm a bit wary of minis made of soft smooshable lead in a game that involves placing them a) on their backs, b) on their fronts and c) precariously on high ledges.

Paint also seems to go sticky and cling to old-metal minis after stripping rather than lifting off neatly. And you just know you've got a genuine Underhive sump of toxic liquid left in the Tupperware afterward...

I guess I'm just not oldhammery enough

A warning about those sealed blister packs - you might be better off liberating the minis and painting 'em up. Apparently lead rot can set in due to the chemicals exuded by the cardboard backing over time, or some such thing. Not sure if Necro minis are old enough for that to happen yet, though.

 

[Malo]

My blisters from 1996 indicate they're made of pewter, should not be swallowed and not considered a toy.

 

[ClockworkOrange]

Lead rot? Think I'd heard of it before but then forgotten about it. So there's a chance any lead Necro figures may rot away if you're not careful! Scary if true!

http://www.bugmansbrewery.com/topic/8397-some-aspects-of-leadrot/

 

[Zenithfleet]

Thanks Malo and Clockwork for the info

It occurred to me yesterday that unopened blister packs of Pit Slave Chiefs and Technos might be worth looking up on eBay. I'm pretty sure the Chiefs and Technos weren't released until the full Pit Slave Gang rules were presented in White Dwarf, around ish 220 or thereabouts. That would be just after the hardback ORB in 1998, which means all Chief and Techno minis should be lead-free.

Unfortunately I couldn't see any obvious differences in the art design for the blisters holding Chiefs and Technos compared to other blisters on eBay. There do seem to have been more than one style of hazard stripe, though. Maybe regional differences between the US and UK?

The Inquisitorial investigation continues...