Harry the Hammer

Harald (aka Harry) was famed for killing the Daemon Mathrag Brainmangler during the Battle of Khorsvold, having smashed the Daemon Prince's head from his body with a single blow of his hammer. On a cold midwinter day, as he led his warband across the Chaos Wastes, Harry came across the outcrop of an old ruin jutting from beneath the snows. Upon investigation, he located an ancient gateway leading into a dark tunnel. Thinking that there might be treasure within, Harald and his warriors descended into the crumbling vaults.

Their intrusion awoke something long-dead in the darkness beneath the snow. Ancient warriors sworn to protect the secrets of the tomb-city were roused from their eternal slumber; with rusted blades, bony fingers and eyes aglow with witchfires, they fell upon the Northmen.

Stumbling out of the depths, Harald and his men were horrified to see the Skeletons pursuing them still. The tumbledown ruins now glowed with power and the melting snow revealed forbidding stones burning with magical energy. The Chaos warband found themselves in the middle of a great settlement from the dawn of time. Knowing that he had to fight his way free, Harald turned and faced the advancing legion, in what was known as the Battle of Vorshgar.

The favour of the gods fuelled Harry as he fought; his hammer rose and fell with monotonous destruction, smashing skulls and ribcages to powder. Harald's followers pressed in behind their leader and Harry formed the point of a wedge driving through the skeletal warriors. After a day and a night of fighting, as dawn rose the next day, the Undead were destroyed, piles of bones a storey high left in the wake of the Chaos Warriors.

Harald Hammerstorm was one of the very first characters ever created by Games Workshop for the Warhammer Fantasy universe, being featured in its first edition. He was considered the original holder of the Warhammer (due to the art) before the creation of Sigmar Heldenhammer. 

All the way back in 1983, a model representing the above art appeared in the first Citadel Compendium. It was not called Harry the Hammer at all. This guys name was Uthmog Elvenbane. He was one of the NEW warriors of Chaos in the "Speciality set 1: Warriors of Chaos", but since the art already had dubbed him Harry the Hammer, this was the name the model was left with.

Here's my take on it:

I painted him up for a friends birthday bash, a big 12 000 points per side battle, it would be Undead vs whatever the rest had, I figured a model such as Harry the Hammer would be perfect! In the game he was used as an Undivided Chaos Champion armed with a Flail of Skulls & actually managed to take out a Vampire count in a single round of combat.

The paintjob was a mix, first of all I tried to make him fit in with the rest of my models, while I at the same time I also tried to stay true to the original artwork, so armour is mostly bronze & some bright red details (gloves & gem), but then also gold, silver, green to match the artwork.