Dwarf Hunt Mode: Old Finds, Plastic Plans, and a Tempting Grombrindal
We recently fell into one of our favorite hobby rabbit holes: random browsing, checking second-hand listings, comparing prices, and getting way too excited about old Dwarf kits.
This time the discussion was very clearly about building up a Dwarf force for Warhammer: The Old World, with a side trip into old Age of Sigmar packaging, metal miniatures, and the eternal question: buy now, proxy for a while, or keep hunting for the perfect deal?
The first hit: an old bargain from the marketplace
It started with end3r stumbling onto an older marketplace find and immediately sharing it with the rest of us. The reaction was instant: pure admiration for a proper old-school Dwarf relic.
There is just something about these older Dwarf releases. Even when we are trying to stay practical and focus on list-building, a nice vintage box or sculpt can derail the whole plan in seconds.
The practical problem: missing key units
Very quickly the conversation turned from admiration to army planning. end3r pointed out the real issue: Irondrakes and Longbeards were missing from the easier budget options he had been browsing, and those are the kinds of units that feel genuinely useful when putting together a list. If the proper models do not show up at the right price, proxies may have to do the job for a while.
That is a very familiar stage of army collecting for us. We all know the moment where the dream version of the army and the realistically affordable version of the army have a little argument.
Then came more old Dwarf eye candy
A second image landed in chat and, again, the response was immediate: these old models still have a lot of charm.
At this point the discussion split into two classic hobby camps:
- the “old metals are the essence of Warhammer” camp
- and the “yes, but we want affordable plastics that fit our transport and storage system” camp
Metals vs plastics: the real hobby debate
Michał tried very hard to sell end3r on metal Slayers. To be fair, he had some strong arguments. Once painted, good metal miniatures do not necessarily read as “metal” at all, and they absolutely bring that classic Warhammer energy.
He first dropped a Facebook video showing a whole batch of Dwarf Slayers:
Then he followed up with two specific examples:
The Dragonslayer got an immediate pass as a genuinely cool sculpt. The Doomseekers also scored points for being painted, ginger, and green, which apparently checked all the necessary boxes.
The main hesitation from end3r was not even visual. It was practical: metal models do not fit as neatly into the vision of magnetized storage boxes. Michał countered that this is manageable and promised an in-person demo with his own metal Chaos Dwarfs.
Honestly, this is the kind of deeply specific hobby logistics discussion we love. Nothing says “serious collecting phase” like debating whether a miniature matches the storage philosophy.
Golden Daemon bait
To make the case even stronger, Michał shared a screenshot of painted Doomseekers with the very convincing sales pitch: painted by a Golden Daemon winner.
And yes, the reaction was exactly what you would expect: a mix of laughter, skepticism, and genuine appreciation for the NMM on the axes.
Wilini also chimed in with a useful note from the painting side: older metal kits like the Green Knight can look fantastic when painted, even if the detail is a bit softer than newer plastics.
The marketplace hunt continues: Ironbreakers spotted
A few days later, Michał found a potentially interesting listing for Ironbreakers in old Age of Sigmar / Cities of Sigmar packaging.
This led to the kind of second-hand listing analysis that every Warhammer collector knows:
- how many models are actually in the box?
- which edition is it from?
- is the price really good, or just looks good?
- do we need the extra bundled stuff, or only one specific sprue?
Michał also shared the photo from the listing itself, which made it easier to judge what was actually on offer.
In the end, the verdict was very relatable: good price overall, but not necessarily a good buy for someone who already owns part of the bundle. If end3r had been starting from zero, the whole box probably would have been much more tempting. Since he already had the king and did not really need another gyrocopter, the value became much less clear.
That is one of the classic traps of bundle hunting. A bargain is only a bargain if you actually want the contents.
The real target: plastic Hammerers and Ironbreakers
The strongest theme running through the whole conversation was simple: end3r is still primarily hunting for plastic Hammerers and Ironbreakers, ideally cheaper than regular store prices.
Not because the old metals are bad. Quite the opposite. Some of them are beautiful. But for this project, the goal seems to be a practical, playable collection that fits the budget, works with magnetized transport, and fills real army list gaps.
That feels like a very grounded approach to The Old World collecting. We all love characterful old sculpts, but rank-and-file infantry still has to make sense in numbers.
Final boss of temptation: old Grombrindal
And then, because the hobby gods have a sense of humor, end3r found one more dangerous link: an old Grombrindal listing.
Michał’s response was immediate and entirely predictable: buy it.
And honestly? We get it. A classic Grombrindal is exactly the sort of model that can blow up an otherwise sensible purchasing plan. It is not about efficiency at that point. It is about style.
Where we landed
So, no final purchase confirmation yet from this particular round of Dwarf hunting, but we did get:
- admiration for some genuinely lovely old Dwarf kits,
- renewed debate over metals vs plastics,
- a practical look at second-hand Ironbreaker pricing,
- and one very dangerous Grombrindal temptation.
If there is a lesson here, it is probably this: collecting Dwarfs for Warhammer: The Old World is equal parts army planning, bargain hunting, nostalgia, and losing all self-control when an old sculpt appears.
And honestly, that sounds about right.