Let your miniatures speak for you, telling your stories of Glory, War, and Legend.
FROM FASHION TO THE BATTLEFIELD: THE STORY OF JOHANNA ACQUAH
NOT ALL BATTLES ARE FOUGHT ON THE FIELDS OF WAR. SOME BEGIN AMIDST LIGHTS AND CAMERAS, ON RUNWAYS AND TV STUDIOS, AND END IN A WORLD OF LEGENDARY HEROES.
A TURNING POINT: THE BEGINNING OF AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY
Before Avatars of War existed, my life was different. I had studied Audiovisual Communication and Marketing because I wanted a backup plan after fashion. I imagined myself on television, as a presenter or behind the scenes. But then, in 2005, under the full moon, I met Felix Paniagua.
A hilarious guy, freshly arrived from England, with a rather peculiar dream: to create his own line of miniatures, the most iconic ones on the battlefield. The first time he told me, it seemed the strangest thing in the world, I had never heard of miniatures. What I never imagined was that, soon after, those miniatures would change my life forever.
HAIL THE NEWLYWEDS!
Shortly after we met, we got married in Barcelona in a wedding that, like everything in our story, had its own epic touch. We toasted to the music of King Arthur, the waltz was an absolute disaster, and the party lasted until the morning of the next day, surrounded by family and friends.
That wedding not only sealed our love but also symbolized the beginning of something much greater. It was the moment when, without knowing it, we were embarking on the journey that would lead us to create Avatars of War.
THE CUSTOMS ODYSSEY AND THE BIRTH OF AVATARS OF WAR
In our newlywed apartment, while I was still working as a model, Felix sculpted his first miniature, the Berserker Dwarf, and uploaded it to a simple website with no store or anything. Then, the unexpected happened: overnight, hundreds of emails flooded in, asking how to buy it.
Without thinking twice, he ordered the first production run from the U.S., but the miniatures got stuck in customs. That’s when he asked for my help. As an artist, paperwork wasn’t his thing, so I dove in: calls, negotiations, certificates… until we finally freed the dwarves.
From our tiny apartment, we organized the shipments, and in the process, I discovered a fascinating world—forums, social networks, and a vibrant community praising that dwarf. Fans were thrilled that, for the first time in history, a dwarf had knees. Without realizing it, I was completely captivated—I knew this was my world.
Felix and I became a team and that’s how Avatars of War was born.
AVATARS OF WAR: MORE THAN A COMPANY
Working with Felix is an adventure in itself. He is demanding, a perfectionist, and takes every idea to the extreme. But at the same time, it’s easy because we share a life project, and we can talk about orcs over dinner.
Today, 19 years later, as Head of Communication at Avatars of War, my mission is to keep alive the essence with which Avatars of War was born. Because Avatars of War is more than a company—it is a community, a shared story with the thousands of people who proudly display an Avatars of War miniature in their collections or on the battlefield. From that first iconic dwarf sculpted in green stuff to the most legendary heroes sculpted with the latest 3D technology, everything we create has a purpose:
To bring back the greatness of the Golden Age and project it into the future.
And to think that it all started with a dwarf with knees…
