A Box of Oldhammer Treasure Found Its Way to Us
Wilini had one of those hobby moments we all secretly hope for: opening up a forgotten stash and realizing it might actually be treasure.
What turned up was a proper mixed old-school haul — definitely in “needs restoration” condition, with broken parts, loose bits, and plenty of things needing glue before paint ever becomes a question. But still: a lot of stuff, and the kind of stuff that immediately gets everyone leaning closer to the photos.
Among the finds were some very old Space Marines — four marines and a single Terminator from an older edition. That alone was enough to trigger the usual oldhammer nostalgia. Wilini decided straight away that the Terminator is staying with him for a fun side project, just to build and paint for the joy of it. And honestly, the comparison to modern kits was too good not to mention: this little veteran is apparently smaller than a regular Primaris Marine now.
The bigger excitement on our side, though, was the fantasy half of the stash. There were regiment movement trays, goblins on wolves, a bolt thrower with two crew, and then the moment every greenskin enjoyer loves: identifying random weird old parts from a blurry photo.
Stas immediately clocked one of them as a Doom Diver, which is exactly the kind of sentence that makes an old Warhammer Fantasy rescue box feel special.
Best part? This immediately turned from “what even is all this worth?” into the best kind of hobby exchange: take what you want, give what you feel is fair, and most importantly make sure it gets used. Stas was very quick to volunteer for adopting part of the pile — especially since he had literally been assembling goblins on wolves that very same day.
So the loose fantasy models and bits got packed up and set aside for him.
There were also a few extra curiosities in the box, including some old cardboard standee-style pieces with stickers, and at least one extremely charming old-school oddball that Wilini described as basically a guy on a snowboard. This is exactly the kind of archaeological layer you want in a decades-old collection.
Not everything survived the sorting process — some non-mini odds and ends were binned — but the important part did: the miniatures found a future. Some are going to get repaired, some will become bits donors, some will probably return to the table in one form or another, and one tiny Terminator is getting a well-earned solo painting project.
Also worth noting for future excavation reports: there is apparently a wyvern horn somewhere in the bits box.
We love this side of the hobby. Not every “purchase” is a pristine new box fresh from the shop. Sometimes it is a battered pile of old plastic and metal, half mystery, half memory, and somehow even more exciting because of that.
If nothing else, this was a reminder that one person’s forgotten box can be another person’s dream restoration project.