Oldhammer is back, baby.Warhammer: The Old Worldenjoyed an incredibly successful launch and thousands of players are digging out their old Fantasy armies for some new action. Whether we’re blowing the dust off old figures, rebasing those units we changed to circular bases forAge of Sigmar, or are buying a new army from scratch, everyone’s eyeing up new toys.
I think that a Wood Elf range refresh for The Old World might be when I truly take the plunge, but an upcoming auction of rare oldWarhammerboxes is almost too tempting to resist. Classic Land Raiders, the originalMordheim(all complete in shrink wrap), Epic Titan Legions, the 4th Edition box set of Warhammer Fantasy Battles and more are among the host of classic modelsgoing under the hammer on February 15th.
To make it even more exciting for collectors, this haul once belonged to Colin Dixon, who is widely recognised as one of the most iconic painters, illustrators, and sculptors during his 17-year tenure atGames Workshop. After winning a banner-designing competition in The Citadel Journal, he was approached by none other thanJohn Blanche, who offered the youngster a job at Games Workshop. The subsequent artwork that Dixon produced filled, among others, WHFB 3rd Edition and Blood Bowl.
Dixon then became the first full-time painter at Workshop, pioneering the ‘Eavy Metal style that still adorns box art and fills the pages of White Dwarf today. However, his work as a sculptor is probably his most iconic addition to Warhammer canon. From the Dwarf Miners and Norse Dwarfs, to practically an entire range of Skaven, and the incomparable Long Drong’s Slayer Pirates, Dixon contributed a massive amount to the aesthetic of Warhammer today. Post-Workshop, Dixon formed a dream team with Nigel Stillman and Di Eaton at Perry Miniatures, working on historicals.
Sadly, Dixon died suddenly in late 2023. For a thorough rundown of Dixon’s incredible body of work, check out this touching blog fromRambling Longbeard.
What I’m saying is, next week’s auction isn’t just a chance to get your hands on a load of classic models in pristine condition, it’s a chance to own a piece of Games Workshop history. How often do you find a copy of Mordheim in its original cellophane? And how often was that iconic game owned by an equally iconic Games Workshop legend? Exactly.
While anyone who has read my articles will know that I have a particular affection for Mordheim (there’s a reason this is the third time it’s been mentioned in this article), there are some other gems in this listing, too. The aforementioned WHFB 4th Edition box set will likely reach as high a price as Mordheim, and the box of two old school Land Raiders is a classic.
If you may’t afford to splurge on the bigger boxes, Epic Titan Legions may be a more affordable option to get your hands on some classic miniatures, while the Warhammer Fantasy Regiments box gives you a squad each of Dark Elves, Dwarfs, Skaven, Orcs, Goblins, and Elves. Of course, most people won’t be buying these to open and paint, but you’ll have to show incredible levels of restraint to avoid cracking open the boxes and getting to work with your brush.
If you’re all-in on the collecting side of things, I’ll point you towards the listing of “three Warhammer box sets”, which includes Warhammer Battle Magic and the Grudge of Drong and Idol of Gork campaign packs. The latter two boxes are labelled with stickers reading, “Trish Dave Colin Do Not Remove”, in reference to Colin Dixon and his Games Workshop colleagues Trish Morrison and Dave Andrews. If you want a piece of history, this is it.
Colin Dixon was a legend of Warhammer, who influenced the game’s style in more ways than you remember. Browse his artwork and sculpts, remind yourself of how iconic his miniatures are, and reminisce about the old school cool of Warhammer past. Then try to stop yourself from bidding far too much money on one of the kits from his personal collection. Whether you want to display it on a shelf or paint it up in Dixon’s memory, this auction isn’t to be missed.
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