"When did WEG stop producing Star Wars minis in box sets?" Topic
12 Posts
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| Green Gang | 24 Jul 2009 3:49 a.m. PST |
I ask since I recently started to collect the 25mm WEG Grenadier figures. Most of them seem particularly prone to lead rot – especially those from the box sets that have been sealed up between that evil foam they used. At some point in the early 1990s (1993?) WEG changed to a lead free material, which turns a pretty gold or oily brass colour, which appears to be a thin layer that can easily be removed. I've been diligently cleaning the minis (preserving them for the good of mankind, if you will, as they really are excellent sculpts). My methods involve files, knives, scrubbing sponges, washing up liquid and a dremel with a nylon brush. It's very satisfying to see the dark patches come away to reveal nice shiny silvery metal beneath. A few figures had gone beyond dark patches to blue powdery encrustations – Jabba and the Rancor had suffered this indignity. But after working on them for a long time they both came back to shiny metal. I immediately undercoated them in my paranoid attempt at preserving them. The Rancor is now fully painted and you wouldn't be able to tell now the state he was once in. Back to my initial question: I had been under the impression that all the box sets were produced early on, and therefore contained lead. However, I've just started cleaning a Mos Eisley cantina box set and the figures shine up very quickly, and some even display a faint gold colour, indicating that they are possibly non-lead. Spending so long up close and personal with these minis at least makes you realize just how good they are. In my opinion most of them are far better sculpted than a lot of miniatures produced by other companies at that time. Realistically proportioned and intricately detailed, they're up there with Chub's Denizens, and a perfect scale match as well. I haven't bothered going for the vehicles in the series, as the Action Fleet ones will do for me. All I need, then, to complete the figures are the Stormtroopers box set; Zero-G troopers (though I'm not really fussed about these funny-looking guys); the Darkstryder blister packs; Mos Eisley Cantina blister 2 (Evazan, Ponda & Abyssin) and the Tauntaun. Matt |
 John the OFM  | 24 Jul 2009 6:27 a.m. PST |
Sean at Adventure Games in Scranton bought the overstock when WEG's license expired.
He still has a lot of stuff left, including boxed sets.
adventuregamespa.com |
| Green Gang | 24 Jul 2009 7:19 a.m. PST |
Thanks, John I just finished cleaning up the Imperial Forces box set, and was pleased to find that these also seemed to be non-lead. They weren't dark and they shone up in no time. The lead ones were taking an average of 15 minutes each to clean. Jabba took 30 minutes and the Rancor well over an hour. Glad I'm getting to the end of them now, another 38 to go and I'll have 245 of the little guys (hopefully) preserved. Matt |
| Lou from BSM | 24 Jul 2009 7:35 a.m. PST |
SimTac, or what was originally SimTac, produced the miniatures for WEG back in the 90's. I know, because I was working for them at the time (SimTac). When they went under (WEG), SimTac only received a very small portion of the money owed. With hundreds of packs of miniatures remaining, and tons more still to be packaged, I know they were selling them off. You can contact Marty Fenelon at his MSD Games website, or Kryomek USA website. I don't have the links readily available but you can find them on the manufacturers listings. He may be available to provide whatever you are looking for . |
| Green Gang | 24 Jul 2009 7:55 a.m. PST |
Thanks for the information, Lou. So SimTac were producing them in the US and Grenadier in the UK? All the boxed figures I have are UK issue, as the photocopy leaflets that contain the details about the figures all have 'U.K.' handwritten after the typed 'MADE IN THE'. Makes them sort of look like a cottage industry: tippex out US and hand write 'UK' then photocopy! My question wasn't so much about current supply (which is also very useful to know), but about when the boxes stopped being sold. I had the impression that box sets gave way to blister packs. Therefore, I was surprised to find what looked like later non-lead miniatures in box sets. I have no idea why I let the WEG figures slip under my rader back in the day. I bought the original RPG hardback books in 1987, but completely ignored the minis for some reason. Matt |
| AzSteven | 24 Jul 2009 9:27 a.m. PST |
Man, that Adventure Games site is about the prettiest and most unusable website design I have seen in a long time. |
| John the OFM | 24 Jul 2009 12:36 p.m. PST |
Isn't it though? I take you there, then you are on your own. Good luck!
Best to just fine the email address and contact them, because I do not think they sell from the site. |
| jhonpog | 24 Jul 2009 3:20 p.m. PST |
can we see some pics of your work?I really like the weg scuplts too |
| StarfuryXL5 | 24 Jul 2009 5:51 p.m. PST |
Grenadier produced 14 boxed sets in a little less than two years from 1988-1990. The boxed set format was Grenadier's choice, based on their experience. They felt it would sell better than blister packs. The first year's schedule was ten boxed sets. The second year's schedule was to include five boxed sets. By the time the fourth was ready to release, though, Grenadier wanted out of the contract and the fifth box (Alien Races) was never produced. After Grenadier backed out, WEG eventually contracted with Simtac to produce the figures. There was some problem with missing or defective molds and/or masters from Grenadier, so new molds had to be produced from production figures. That's why some of Simtac's figures aren't the best quality. This is also when the figures were released in blister packs. Most of the figures were boxed set figures remixed into blister assortments. It wasn't until most of the box figures had been reused that a few new figures were finally produced. There's a rundown of the boxed sets, with pictures, on Jake's Virtual Tabletop: link |
| Green Gang | 25 Jul 2009 1:44 a.m. PST |
Thanks, Starfury. I have a pretty comprehensive list of the figures (and RPG material) from the Star Wars Collectors Bible: link Your reference to Simtac producing molds from production figures might explain another oddity – several Stormtroopers I have out of blister packs that are a little squashed or misaligned. I have now found three Grenadier boxes which seem to contain lead-free figures. If Grenadier finished supplying the figures around 1990, this is surely before Simtac introduced the 'lead free' versions, which I think would have been around 1992-1993. It's hard to say, as Starfury explains, Simtac was using up old figures already produced. I wonder if Grenadier saw the writing on the wall? The Star Wars flame needed reigniting in this period. The action figure line had ended in 1985, and I think the expanded universe novels hadn't yet gone into full flow. It's a shame it ended so badly for WEG – just think what might have been if someone had continued the 25mm series. By now there would be thousands of figures to collect. Instead we have Wizards of the Coast, which are a very mixed bunch. It was after receiving a collection of WOTC that made me look again at WEG. There was such a low proportion of the plastic minis that appealed to me with regards to their quality (and their ever-bent lightsabers!) jhonpog, my 'work' so far has consisted of mostly cleaning, and the full painting of the Rancor, and a simple job on an Imperial Droid. I've added a Star Wars album to my Photobucket account with some pictures: link Matt |
| StarfuryXL5 | 25 Jul 2009 7:58 a.m. PST |
several Stormtroopers I have out of blister packs that are a little squashed or misaligned. I was going to mention that, but I'm not sure that that was necessarily a problem with the molds. From what I've read here, it could also mean too much pressure holding the mold halves together when casting. When SW figures changed over to lead-free would be when NY State considered banning toys that contained lead. Minis companies wouldn't have been able to sell their figures in NY. There was a big hullabaloo and gnashing of teeth when NY was bandying that about. Eventually the industry switched over to lead-free alloys just in case. If NY did it, what other states might? Eventually, I think, NY never passed that legislation. But then we had new alloys (like Ralidium), minis that were harder to convert, and manufacturers had an excuse to raise prices. |
| Green Gang | 25 Jul 2009 8:50 a.m. PST |
Starfury, to add to your information about New York, it is odd that none of the Grenadier boxes, or their included paperwork mention that the figures contain lead. They are merely described as 'metal' and 'Contains small pieces not suitable for young children.' Well, we know they contained lead, and it was well known by 1988 that lead was dangerous if chewed or swallowed. I'm sure that Citadel/Games Workshop were putting lead warnings on their packets in the early 1980s. When Simtac started producing the Star Wars figures they had to print a prominent warning on the blister card: 'WARNING This product contains a chemical (lead) known to the State of California to cause birth defects or other reproductive harm. Contents may be hazardous to your health, and should not be placed in the mouth, chewed or swallowed.' (!) |
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goes beyond the straight line.