I’m always delighted to feature people on the show who come from outside the rather narrow remit of historical wargaming and as a dyed-in-the-wool Oldhammer fan, Joshua van Zaane certainly qualifies on that count!
In fact, last week I was a guest on his own Crown of Command podcast, something we had been trying to arrange for a very long time, and he took that opportunity to quiz me in great detail about my own journey in the hobby and not-so-secret love of the Skaven ratmen race that Games Workshop created back in those misty days when Warhammer Fantasy games were pure, brightly-coloured fun.
Well, Josh now has the chance to show off his own heritage and what a wild journey he’s been on, both physically, involving travel between his native Australia, the UK and Japan, and metaphorically, as someone whose love of the hobby led him to become a GW store manager here in the UK, followed by a stint in the elite ‘Eavy Metal painting team at GWHQ in Nottingham, before he ventured further afield.
Surprisingly for someone who confesses to having hated his time at school, he later graduated from an online university course with a degree in Fine Arts and went on to teach English as a Foreign Language in Japan! And it was here that he rediscovered his love of all things Oldhammer, Advanced Heroquest and eventually set up his own business as a professional figure painter with ‘Eavy Lead Painting Studios.
Josh also runs a YouTube channel, a Discord chat channel, a Facebook page, an Instagram account and even fronted a remarkable fanzine called HeroHammer, which bore a remarkable resemblance to old issues of White Dwarf. He also runs his own Herohammer Patreon gig.
Whether you enjoy fantasy Warhammer gaming or not, you will be swept up in Josh’s remarkable story, told in a completely candid fashion, and his sheer enthusiasm for gaming and painting. So sit back and enjoy the listen, perhaps whilst painting some of your own lead pile!
Henry
Be the first to comment