I know there’s a lot of debate around the question “what is Oldhammer?“. I personally feel that it’s just one of those things where you know it when you see it. To me, it’s a certain aesthetic that reminds me of leafing through the pages of White Dwarf as a kid.
In fact, my first point of contact with the hobby back in the day was Citadel Combat Cards. The miniatures on those cards really captivated me. They had bags of character, and a subtle sense of humour. I don’t deny that modern-day GW miniatures are excellent from a technical point of view, but aesthetically, they do nothing for me.
Fortunately, there are more miniature companies out there these days than I’ll ever know of. Many of them create miniatures in what I’d consider as the “Oldhammer aesthetic”. Some even utilise the talents of some of the legendary sculptors who created old school Citadel Miniatures many moons ago.
My Favourite Oldhammer Miniature Companies
One of the first ones I discovered following my return to the hobby after a long exile, was Knightmare Miniatures.
Knightmare have 3 main ranges – Pantheon of Chaos, Green Skin Wars, and Space Raiders. Many of their miniatures are created by legendary sculptors like Kev “The Goblin King” Adams, and Tim Prow. I challenge you to browse their website and not rack up a shopping list in your head that runs into the 3 figures.
Another company I’ve bought a lot of miniatures from these past couple of years is Midlam.
There’s a diverse range of medieval and fantasy-style miniatures available on Midlam’s website. They too have a range of greenskins by Kev Adams, and I love the stuff created by Josef Ochmann too. The villagers and townsfolk really capture “the pathetic aesthetic” that’s often talked about with fondness in Oldhammer circles.
Here are 5 Chaos Foot Knights by Mirliton, I picked them up via Campaign Game Miniatures. Here’s more on my building of a retro Chaos Warrior warband.
Mushrooms are on the menu at CP Models. There’s loads of great stuff available there.
Warmonger Miniatures and The Wargames Foundry are two sister companies I’ll frequently buy from, too. They have a wide scope of figures available, including an ex-Citadel range featuring miniatures previously produced by… well, Citadel, naturally.
I recently made my first few purchases from Diehard Miniatures. Ex-GW painter Tim Prow is involved there, and their range is spectacular. I talk more about them in my Stargrave Miniatures With a Rogue Trader Feel post.
Shout out to Otherworld Miniatures for some recent first time buys too. I was looking for new miniatures for Rangers of Shadow Deep and I wasn’t disappointed.
Read all about my Oldhammer-esque Chaos warband and their adventures.
Oldhammer Miniature Companies Recommended to Me
I, like every other mortal, have a very finite amount of money and painting time available. I’m well aware that the Oldhammer miniature companies I’ve mentioned here are only the tip of a very large iceberg.
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I’ve been asking around for other recommendations so that I can try to list them all in one place. Here’s what’s come up so far. Obviously, I can’t vouch for anyone I haven’t bought from. But there’s a lot of fantastic looking miniatures here and it’s likely all of them will receive my custom at some point in the future.
- Old School Miniatures
- Star Hat Miniatures
- Hasslefree Miniatures
- eM4 Miniatures
- Fenris Games
- Ral Partha
- Dark Hollow
- Alternative Armies
- Lead Adventure
- Dunkeldorf Miniatures
- Midblight Miniatures
- Oakbound
- Tin Soldier
- Heresy Miniatures
- Morgue Miniatures
- Red Bard Games
- The Little Soldier Company
If you’ve got any suggestions for Oldhammer miniature companies to add to this list, just fire a comment down below!
Looking for ways to get your oldies on the tabletop? Check out my roundup of Miniature Agnostic Games.
Finally… be sure to check out the Tabletop Miniature Hobby Podcast for your audio content fix!
Great to see publicity for those selling great quality products with the classic vibe. Better browsing and value than the crazy prices on eBay!
Hey! Ive found this blog totally by chance, Diego here from Knightmare 😉
Very nice article and I’m so happy seeing you appreciating my models so much! Nice collection as well!