THE LEGACY OF AVATARS OF WAR
FELIX PANIAGUA AND THE CREATION OF A LEGEND
“Because every battlefield deserves extraordinary heroes and elite regiments, sculpted to inspire legends”
Every great project begins with a dream…
I’m Felix Paniagua, a miniature enthusiast, sculptor, and gamer, and this is the story of how a dream became reality.
1983: The Encounter That Changed Everything
1983 was the year that changed everything.
I was 11 years old when I discovered a copy of Dungeons & Dragons. The illustrations instantly captivated me; they were a window to a world that seemed made for me.
One day, in Barcelona, Spain, I found a small store that sold the miniatures I had admired in that magazine. I’ll never forget how I felt when I walked in: it was as if everything I had dreamed of had come to life.
From that moment, I knew my life would be tied to miniatures.
Late 90s: the Creation of DragonRune
In the late 90s, the internet was beginning to change the world.
Along with my best friend Ignasi — who is still my partner to this day — we decided to create our own miniature game.
We had the rules, we had the story, but we didn’t have the miniatures. There was no one making them the way we wanted, so I thought,
"Well, I’ll do it myself."
That decision revealed my true vocation, and thus DragonRune, my first miniature company, was born. It was a new and exciting adventure that, unknowingly, would lay the foundation for everything that came after.
2003:The Experience at Games Workshop, An Unexpected Turn
The unexpected turn came when Games Workshop took notice of my work.
In a matter of months, I went from sculpting miniatures at home to working in Nottingham, England, side by side with the artists who had inspired me since I was a child.
It was a surreal, almost unreal experience: That was better than I could have ever imagined.
2006: FOUNDING AVATARS OF WAR AND A NEW BEGINNING
Returning to Barcelona marked a new chapter in my life.
At that time, I met Johanna, who would become my life partner, and in 2006, we founded Avatars of War with a clear goal:
To use all my learning to create the most Iconic and Legendary heroes in the miniature world.
Since then, Avatars of War has produced some of the most emblematic miniatures in the hobby.
Our first creation, the Berserker Dwarf (AoW01), became an instant icon, and today we’ve surpassed a million miniatures on gaming tables worldwide.
A JOURNEY OF CHALLENGES AND REWARDS
This journey has not been easy, but it has been worth it.
Looking back, from those early days of DragonRune, through Nottingham, and all the way to founding Avatars of War with Johanna, I know this has been the right path.
The 11-year-old boy who drew dragons in his notebook finally found his place, and with each miniature we create, I feel we’re reliving that same dream that began in 1983.
OUR LEGACY AND THE FUTURE OF AVATARS OF WAR
Far from feeling that my journey is over, today the challenge I face with Johanna and Ignasi is to help people relive and enjoy the Golden Age of miniatures, just as I experienced it.
To see the Old School move forward, now in digital form, and that, thanks to Avatars of War, it is more alive than ever.
Your army is your legacy. Make every miniature leave a mark.