The Dwarves are a race of miners and engineers and are found wherever there are natural resources for them to delve up. The lands of the Norse, may not be rich in fertile ground, but they have plenty of mountains and rocky formations for the Dwarves to carve their widespread nets of tunnels into.
The Dwarves are an adaptive race and over time they will often completely absorb the cultural traits of the place of their dwellings. This is probably even more the case for Norse dwarves than for others, as there already are numerous parallels in Norse and dwarf character. Both races share a profound stubborness, quick temper and a love for mead, preferrably in large barrels. Some historians even believe Norsca was the true birthplace of the Dwarven race and that both Norscan dwarves and human influenced eachother in the course of history. We may never know.
The purpose of this companion to the Norse Showcase is to direct the gamer's attention to those dwarven miniatures that display a strong Norscan background in their appearance. This list is in no way exhaustive as many dwarves exhibit a certain inclination towards the Norse to one degree or another. Therefore, we would also suggest that you visit Colonel Marbles' Dwarf Army Showcase
1. The Foundry
Manufacturer of high quality historical and
fantasy miniatures. They currently produce a range of Norse dwarves, that
are only available as "precasts" for the moment, but they *are* available.
The most distinctive characteristic for the Foundry style dwarves is that
they are all more or less rotund. You'll have to supply your own bases, as
with all Foundry models.
http://www.wargamesfoundry.com/main.asp
They also produce human Norse miniatures, which feature in the Norse Army Showcase You can also download a pdf-file with Norse flags from their website.
2. Black Tree
Former Icon, which was former Harlequin
miniatures. They produce a large range of dwarves, some of which are Norse
looking. The miniatures from their "Fantasy Armies" range come with
slotted plastic bases, those from "Harlequin Fantasy" don't.
http://www.black-tree-design.com/
As a historical manufacturer they also have some human Norse, which feature in the Norse Army Showcase
3. Vendel
Manufacturer of fantasy-historical miniatures from
the people behind Gripping Beast. They produce some Norse dwarves
called... well... "Norse Dwarves". Among the featured models are a dwarven
king, some command figures, some dwarves with handweapons, twohanded
weapons or spears. The armoured ones are superb. They will probbaly be
bigger than what you're used to though. Click on the image for a full
picture.
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/heinz.p/
4. Old Glory
Another manufacturer of mainly historical
miniatures, but with a fantasy line called Ghost
Miniatures . In the dwarf section of the range you will find some
dwarf shield maidens, with handweapon and shield or spear and shield. A
bit taller than the standard GW or Black Tree dwarves and with a solid
base.
http://www.oldgloryminiatures.com/
More Old Glory miniatures feature in the Norse Army Showcase and the Colonel's own Dwarf Army Showcase
5. Freebooter Miniatures
Werner Klocke's German company. He
also did a lot of the more recent Reaper miniatures. Only one dwarf at the
moment, but he's Norse, he's angry and he's having a pint. How not to
include him?
http://www.freebooterminiatures.com/
6. Reaper
Reaper has a some dwarves in their "Dark Heaven"
line. Many of those are balancing on the thin line between Norse and
regular dwarves, some actualy cross it. Most of the Reaper dwarves are
generally a bit too tall for my taste, but the bear riders are a must have
for any serious Norse dwarven general.
7. Ral Partha
They've been around for longer than most
youngsters can remember and yet, they don't have many Norse dwarf models
in their current ranges. The best ones I could find are these "Crucible"
Dwarf Shieldmen (Or should that be Shielddwarves?). Take note that the Ral
Partha dwarves are of the slim types and might look odd if mixed with say,
Foundry dwarves.
Many old and recent Ral Partha ranges are available through Ral Partha Europe , but in the US, Ral Partha models are produced by Ironwind Metals .There are notable differences in catalogue between Ral Partha Europe & Ironwind, so make sure to shop around.
8. West Wind Productions
The ever expanding range of this
relatively new company has entered the realm of generic fantasy with
"Dwarf Wars", a game of conquest set in a Norse world. I've been told
these miniatures are quite big (almost as tall as humans from some other
ranges), but just look at the beards and tell me if you really care about
size...
http://www.westwindproductions.co.uk/
9. War Crow
War Crow is a Spanish company from the makers of "Corvus Belli" historical miniatures. The range is fairly small at the moment, but the first releases include a few suitable dwarves.
Don't forget to visit the Norse Army Showcase
For more dwarves, go to Colonel Marbles' Dwarf Army Showcase
As Norse and bears seem to go well together, you should also take a look at Colonel Marbles' Bear Showcase
If you feel that I left out a company that should be listed or if you represent a company that was left out or whose products didn't get the credit and appreciation they deserve, feel free to contact me on the FU-UK! Froth Forums or directly by clicking here.
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