When I started with dwarfs I started with the slayers. I still remember the impact when I first read about these guys, rejecting protection, looking for the greater death possible against the biggest enemy available. With an army being an Inn in the way of Karak Eight Peaks it was clear it would be always crammed with these orange soldiers, so the decission was clear.
I started painting these guys so long ago that I didn't even recorded the date. They are the very best, my first warhammer square, but the starting/finishing dates are completely lost. I suspect it was like 20 years ago, aroung 1995, but I will never be 100% sure
I started with slayers, beast slayer, daemon slayers, dragon slayer...all sorts of troops regardless troop choices or rules. Back in the days I was not into playing so I really didn't care much about other things rather than background. The final result was a chaotic group, not really playable, and with huge problems to assemble together, their poses being too dynamic. In other words: purely slayer style. Lovely.
These two guys are the very first two miniatures I ever painted. Well, of course I painted a few space crusade marines and so when I was a child, but these two were the very first I painting using all my skill back in the days and with the purpose of creating a whole army.
The funny thing is that I had no idea how to paint or create bases (o magazines, no internet), so I used clay, painted green, and pierced with a toothpick to create the holes. I thought that would create a nice grass effect, haha. I even kept them in the fridge for a couple days to harden the clay. Another details is the black line in the base of the left guy. Back in the days I intended to represent the importance of the characters by using these codes: green, black/green, black, black/red, red. The daemon slayer bases are red for that reason.
This is one of my favourites. Really simple, but the face, the pose...I've always loved it. Notice I had already improved the clay base (thank God)
These are the heavy hitters, the daemons slayer. The first one has a black axe, a disgraceful choice I've been repenting about my whole life but the rules are clear: once finished never retouched.
With the lesson of not using black metal learned, I moved into the next one. This I'm really proud of. I know the black lines in the hair and the plain metal are somehow clumsy but well, back in the days this guy was a huge step forward.
The command group was one of the latest to be painted and I think it shows the improvement: clothes are no longer plain, weapons have a decent scheme (although still plain colours), skin tones are not that brownish and, in general terms, there is no huge mistake in the figures. Not bad for a kid
A later addition is Gotrek. He came a few years later, while I was at the University and used to read his books in the train. I loved the character and this was my way of paying respect. Felix? Well I never intended to paint him anyway so I don't even know where would he be now.
Another of my early units was the gyrocopter. Finally realizing that with my slow painting pace it would take years to achieve something worth seeing, I switched into machines instead of big infantry units.
It was the bigger unit in the dwarf range back in the days, so it was the greatest display for my scarce force. It has a nice colour choice in the rotors, and the wood is plain but not bad either.
Once finished I created a small clay ball attached to the top of the bomb, painted red, mocking a burning fire. Tip: never put clay without glue, it falls off eventually.
The second incorporation to my army was the great cannon. With an extremely basic metal scheme and the crew painted in the yellow and blue of the Karak, it was not a really difficult project. Basic stuff but an always welcoming unit in any army.
Originally the cannon didn't have base, and the crew had simple brown ones, with the same material as the infantry, but in brown. Yeah I know, not really inspired.
The cannon base was added a few years later, trying to create a more compact unit. I simply glued a few standard bases and I even tried to name them. As you can see, it never happened and I just left it that was. One day...one day...
A gunner with a purple beard. It is a pity because the blue was quite nice for the time.
And finally this guy. One of my all-time favourites, just lovely.
Finally came the organ gun, the last of my artillery pieces. Horrible work except the wheels, which are quite funny, but the rest is just low quality. I am not very pleased with it.
The best part is this guy, Gunther. I've always loved his face, with his beard and teeth. It could had made a nice hero if having been sold separately. Now he stands back in the expo. Life is such a bitch...
