Picture the scene: It’s 1988 and a 14 year old boy is up on a shopping trip to Belfast with his folks. No such trip would have been conceivable without visiting that cathedral of toys, Leisureworld (long since gone, unfortunately).
The Star Wars figures on the ground floor were then the main attraction, with countless minutes spent covetously gazing at the Boba Fetts, Snow Troopers and Emperor’s Guards.
It was a chance visit to the third floor, to see the “big boys toys”, that started my now lifelong interest / love affair / obsession with miniatures, and fantasy miniatures in particular.
Even at that tender age I’d been a big fan of JRR Tolkein’s “The Hobbit” and “Lord of the Rings” for years, with Bakshi’s animated “Lord of the Rings” having a particularly lasting effect on me, but this was the first time I’d seen those monsters and wizards and heroes in the flesh (or the lead)!
From among the shelves of Grenadier, Ral Partha and Citadel miniatures – brand names that meant nothing to me then – one thing jumped out at my cash-strapped, how-much-can-I-get-for-a-tenner, teenage self:
The Warhammer Fantasy Regiments boxset.. 60 plastic miniatures at one go!
Thankfully, none of my early attempts at miniature painting survive to this day – but I’d taken my first step into the world of Warhammer!
A Return to Chaos 