M249 | Nebula Crusader (Factory New)

Skin overview

M249 | Nebula Crusader turns the machine gun into a retro arcade cabinet, with comic-style space art on a dark blue receiver, a bright red stock and a box magazine painted like a game cover. In Factory New every panel keeps its full saturation, so the yellow lettering, the green figure and the pilot portrait on the magazine read sharply. This is the grade for buyers who want the artwork exactly as it was painted.

Item type: machinegun. Restricted sits in the middle of the rarity scale: noticeably rarer than Mil-Spec, yet not truly rare.

Gunsmith: several techniques combined on one item; some parts rub off, others only dull.

How the skin looks in Factory New

The receiver is dark navy with a cabinet-style art panel carrying yellow title lettering, a green figure and a round orange emblem. The box magazine is the centrepiece, painted like a game cover with a red-haired pilot portrait, bold yellow and orange text and a glossy, slightly iridescent sheen. The stock and parts of the handguard are bright red with black details and a yellow butt end, while the barrel and bipod area stay in dark gunmetal. On worn copies the corners and edges of the magazine box, the top edges of the receiver and the red stock lose paint first, followed by the printed artwork on the larger flat panels.

The artwork is complete on every part, from the receiver panel to the magazine box and the red stock. Edges of the box and the receiver have no visible marks. In game the print reads crisp even in quick glances, and the glossy sheen on the magazine is fully intact.

Factory New quality — float range 0–0.07

The whole float range of M249 | Nebula Crusader is 0–1; Factory New takes the 0–0.07 segment (7% of the scale). Within the range, copies with a lower float look cleaner and are valued higher.

Origin of the skin

M249 | Nebula Crusader belongs to The Shadow Collection, which holds 16 skins.

The source is Shadow Case (on sale since Sep 15, 2015).

What it costs in each quality

Taking Factory New as the baseline:

• Minimal Wear — 2.9× cheaper
• Field-Tested — 5.9× cheaper
• Well-Worn — 6.4× cheaper
• Battle-Scarred — 6.4× cheaper

The comparison uses our cheapest listing of each quality; where there is none, the market reference.

Among 4 skins of the M249 in the Restricted grade and this quality, this skin is the dearest.

StatTrak™ and Souvenir

There is also a the StatTrak™ version: the counter on the weapon tracks kills. Right now it is 2.1× dearer than the regular one. There is also a the Souvenir version with tournament stickers.

Stickers and crafts

Retro, pixel-style or comic stickers fit the arcade cabinet theme best. Yellow, red and orange accents echo the title lettering, and placing them on the dark receiver area away from the art panel keeps the main graphic readable.

What to look at before you buy

• Check the magazine box in inspect, since its corners and printed cover show wear before other parts.
• Look at where the float sits within the wear grade, as copies near the cleaner end keep the lettering noticeably sharper.
• Make sure any applied stickers do not cover the receiver art panel if you want the arcade theme to stay visible.
• If a name tag or StatTrak counter matters to you, confirm it on the specific copy before buying.

Who the Factory New quality suits

• Collectors who want the arcade artwork without a single mark.
• Sticker crafters who need a clean base for colour matching.
• The choice for anyone who values the full, untouched print.