Bryan Ansell - The Mighty Dark Winged Avenging Lord of Chaos - BOYL edition

 

Hey there, here's a bot of a special one today !

People familiar with the Oldhammer scene will probably be familiar with Bryan Ansell who founded Citadel, bought Games workshop and propelled the whole warhammer universe into this compelling mammoth that's been part of my life and many others' for ages.

Well not only has all the corner of the g33kverse he's created been part of me for decades but when the Oldhammer thing was just nascent, Wargames Foundry, run by the Ansell family, hosted the Oldhammer  conventions, BOYL (Bring Out Your Lead) until last year.
Now I first attended in 2013 and last attended in 2019 but that event hasn't only had a huge impact on my hobby life, it's also had a huge impact on a personal level.
It is the event when I got to meet forum/blog buddies and turned them into real life buddies and into long time dear friends.

So in a sense, and totally unwillingly and maybe unlike some of  his colleagues, I can safely say Bryan Ansell has contributed to my mental sanity and well being by creating and expanding that niche I always felt good in and by creating the occasion for me to meet people who have had a tremendous positive impact on me.
Attending BOYL and getting Bryan to just sit next to us while we were playing non sense from 30 years ago, chatting with us, giving us stories, showing us unreleased models and keeping a genuine ennthusiasm for the whole thing, that was priceless. In a world of constant division, those little moments bringing people together really do mean something.

Now, BOYL, the oldhammer convention, has always had the tradition of having a limited edition model released for those participating. So in 2024, a rendition of Bryan as the mighty dark winged avenging lord of chaos (with Citadel staff) was commissioned to Gary Morley to celebrate Bryan after he passed in 2023.

I've painted every BOYL exclusive (actually still missing one at the moment) as a token of apreciation for the work people have put in in the shadows to make things happen, a little way of giving back a fraction of what I've received so here are all the fantasy BOYL exclusive miniatures who have all featured in this blog at some point.

And a huge thank you to Bryan, the Ansells, the people organising events for others and you dear readers, that bond is the mortar that holds the stones of our castle !
Happy painting !