RT40K Death Ferret Background/Fluff?

[cheetor]

A 40K Death Ferret miniature was released by GW in the late eighties.  This is the image on Stuff of Legends.  The ferret is the one on the left:



There isnt any background on Death Ferrets in the Rogue Trader rulebook or any of the associated publications from that era that I have.  Were some sort of rules for the ferret published in White Dwarf or something or was it just mentioned in passing somewhere?

Does anyone have any more info?  Not the most pressing of concerns Ill admit, but some of you guys probably know

[Commander Vyper]

Probably Paul, I'll dig through the tomes at the weekend.

[cheetor]

Probably Paul, I'll dig through the tomes at the weekend.

That would be great Mark. Thanks.

[dijit]

I can't say I've ever seen any rules or fluff form it.

[Torben]

I am pretty certain that the ferret was a result of the GW policy of the time to make rules for all of their available miniatures. Seeing as to how anarchic and chaotic it was in those days, it is probably the result of someone sculpting a ferret, getting it cast and then they had to put it somewhere - so it ended up in the RT section, but without any rules attached to it, unlike the other two

[aliensurfer]

I've got from WD 94 onwards and all the RT era stuff, I've never seen it mentioned either.

[area23]

You might want to check all the scenario suggestions in RT. There was tons of the weirdest things, nerdy jokes and obscure references packages as background stories.  Maybe there's something about the ferrets there too.

[cheetor]

You might want to check all the scenario suggestions in RT.

The goofy fun stuff in the scenario section of the RT book usually references things that are already dealt with in the rules.  The scenarios mention things like Ambulls, Cthellean Cudbears and Grox for example, but I dont think that the Death Ferrets get a mention.

It is possible that the Death Ferrets are mentioned somewhere else in the RT book, but I dont think so.  I devoured that book as a boy and had a pretty encycopaedic knowledge of it for a few years (although much of that faded as I got older).  I could be wrong, but I dont think that Death Ferrets get a mention.

I've got from WD 94 onwards and all the RT era stuff, I've never seen it mentioned either.

I jumped on the 40k train around the same time and I struggle to remember anything about the Ferrets.  I am certain that I havent seen any rules and any background beyond a mention of the name.

it is probably the result of someone sculpting a ferret...

The Gyrinx and the Ferret look like early Jes Goodwin sculpts to me.  A bit like the old Wood Elf beasts in style maybe.

...getting it cast and then they had to put it somewhere - so it ended up in the RT section, but without any rules attached to it

This is what I strongly suspect too, but I hope to be proven wrong.

Thanks for the contributions so far.  Anyone else out there have any further info?

[Storm Wolf]

I suspect it may be a plains weasel

Possibly based on the story Deathwing featuring American Indian type Terminators making a recruitment visit to their homeworld, only to find that a space hulk containing Genestealers has crash landed there and destroyed the hunter-gatherer society that they came from.

One of the marines non-imperial name was Weasel fierce!

Glen

[joroas]

One of the marines non-imperial name was Weasel fierce!

Was he the lesser of two Weasels?   

[cheetor]

I suspect it may be a plains weasel

Thats an interesting idea (and I had forgotten all about Weasel Fierce, Two-Heads-Talking and co) but Deathwing was a 1990 release IIRC while the Death Ferret was released a few years before that.

It is a fun idea though. If it turns out that there isnt any actual Death Ferret background Im quite happy to adopt whatever line or two there is about weasels in the Deathwing story as 40k ferret canon

[Commander Vyper]

Death world creature I'm sure. I'm still diving through old wd's etc...

[Jonas]

On another note, is any companies making any suitable substitute for the real deal?

[cheetor]

On another note, is any companies making any suitable substitute for the real deal?

There is a titchy ferret as part of the Reaper Bones Familar pack. Its tiny. I got a familiar set as oart of a mates order and seeing as there was a ferret in it I figured it woyld do as a Death Ferret. Hence this thread


 http://www.reapermini.com/Miniatures/familiar/latest/77176

[Citizen Sade]

Otherworld's giant weasels would make any marine soil his power armour:



Plenty of other stuff with RT potential in the Otherworld range. Worth a browse.