AOW08 DARK ELF SORCERESS
TODAY WE PAY TRIBUTE TO THE DARK ELF SORCERESS, THE FIRST FEMALE MINIATURE IN AVATARS OF WAR'S HISTORY
It was 2007, and Avatars of War was still a very young company, with a small catalog and excellent early reviews.
Felix Paniagua has always preferred sculpting male characters—muscles, bones, veins… those anatomical challenges that allow him to push every detail to the limit.
But this time, I pushed back (Yes, I’m Johanna.)
And thanks to that little nudge, the first female miniature from Avatars of War was born: the legendary Dark Elf Sorceress.
Back then, our “studio” was just a single room in our tiny newlywed apartment. We had everything crammed in there: my desk, Felix’s desk, blisters, bases, metal stock, envelopes, bubble wrap… all piled up in boxes.
As soon as the Elf came out of the mold, we started receiving a flood of orders, so we moved as best we could through all the chaos—but we were exultant with happiness.
For me, it was a small personal victory: I had insisted that Felix sculpt her… and now everyone wanted her.
The original version of the Dark Elf Sorceress came with a metal bra, added to comply with censorship regulations in some countries.
But it didn’t really fit, and most players chose not to use it, so in the end we decided to remove it entirely and let the Elf appear just as we had imagined her:
A sorceress who fights with a bare chest—powerful, defiant, and free.
Yes, we got some complaints.
Yes, some said it was “too suggestive.”
But in the end, it became part of her identity.
18 years later, she remains one of my favorite miniatures—and for many, an unforgettable icon of the Old School.
Hopefully she’ll be resculpted in digital soon…
Felix, if you’re reading this after dinner, coffee in hand, like you always do when browsing hobby stuff… you know what to do.
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