Necromunda - Old vs. New Goliath Models

When I was taking the pictures of my Necomunda Underhive Goliath models I thought it might be cool to do some comparison pictures between the old and new models.  People are always asking if new models match up with older stuff so take a look.

On the left we have the original 12 plastic Goliath models that were included in the original Necromunda box set and were later released on their own.  In my opinion, these are some of the worst models GW ever produced.  They are bad.  As a bit of a disclaimer, I painted these models somewhere around 20 years ago and they are some of my first paint jobs.  On the right are the new plastic Goliath models included in the new Necromunda Underhive box set.  The difference is night and day.

On the left is one of two metal Goliath leader models from the the original release of the game.  I named this Chain-head for obvious reasons.  This is not a bad model and generally speaking the old metals are much better than the old plastics.  Compared to the new Goliath leader on the right he is kind of tiny. 

The Heavy Stubber guy on the left is a really cool model from the original game.  This guy was all about long range suppresive fire.  Sadly, Underhive does not have Heavies any more so I am not sure you will ever get to use a guy like this in your Goliath gangs.  The Rivet gunner on the right is as close as you will get now.

Another old metal Goliath figure on the left.  This guy has the trusty Lasgun which Goliath can no longer take.  On the right the new Goliath ganger has the Stub Cannon which is the current standard weapon for Goliath gangs.  It is a pretty cool gun in game turns but I am not sure how I feel about the model.

Where oh where have my hand flamers gone?  What a cool weapon as a back-up.  I must admit that the old sculpt on the left leave a lot to be desired but in the game this guys was really good.  On the right we have a new Goliath with the 'Combat Shotgun.'  I must admit I did not know this was a shotgun until the first time I used the model in the game.  This looks more like a Bolter or a Bolt pistol to me.

In the basic rules for Necromunda Underhive there are no Juves (these are introduced as a character class in Gang War I).  As such there are no models specifically called Juves, you just identify them based on how they are equipped or painted.  The old Goliath Juve figure on the left really demonstrates the fetish nature of the old sculpts in a dramatic way.  This little guy is kind of creepy to be honest.  The modern equivalent on the right just looks like a bad-ass.

Here we have another Juve(ish) comparison.  The dual CCW weapons on the right really illustrate the theme of Goliath gangs in the current game - Close Combat.  The only real complaint I have about the new models (and and area where I think the old models are better) is the grenades.  The new Goliath models are quipped with very Orkish stick grenades that are ridiculously long.  The old model on the left has more reasonable 'pineapple' grenades.  If I build any more of the new Goliath models i will dig out some old plastic Space Marine or IG grenades and save these for my Orks.

There you have it.  In my opinion the old and new models are not just different in size and style but also in game equipment and use.  These differences really make the old models quite useless for thew current version of the game.  Having said that, I still have some gaps in my Goliath collection so I will be keeping my eye out for the old models.