Sculptor Juan Diaz Leaves GW for Zenit Miniatures

 One of Games Workshop’s best known and most senior miniature sculptors – Juan Diaz – has left the company after 16 years to return to his home in Spain. Apparently Juan Diaz will now work for Zenit Miniatures and, possibly, do some freelance work under the name of Tiny Tales Studio (I assume Kickstarter-hopeful miniature companies are already flooding his inbox).

Here’s a message Mr. Diaz left on a Spanish forum, translated and annotated by Dakkadakka.

Hello

Now it’s official, today I have stopped working for GW. After 16 years of hard struggle for the Emperor, I’ve decided to try new horizons.

Hatsetsut (nickname of his wife/girlfriend) and me will soldier on at Tiny Tales Studio (their own brand), and Zenit / Kensei gets a new sculptor. Thais (again, his w/GF) and me are thinking about giving sculpting courses in the future. (…)

There are still some of my Citadel models due to be released, the Games Day exclusive model being one of them. I hope you’ll like them.

Lots of love to all whom have followed my work in this company, especially to Hatsetsut for being an advisory/sculptor “behind the scene”, and without her help many of the models from recent years wouldn’t be what they have become.

The sculptor formerly known as “Juan Díaz”

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What Miniatures did Mr. Diaz Sculpt for GW?

Games Workshop can be a bit secretive on who sculpted what in their miniatures range. Having worked at Games Workshop as a sculptor for 16 years (!), it’s pretty certain that his impact on the miniatures we all know has been quite extensive.

From what I could gather, Mr. Diaz worked – as part of a team of sculptors – on the Dark Eldar Hellions and Scourges, for example.

He also is responsible for many character sculpts, including Lelith Hesperax and Urien Rakarth (see above), most of the newer Blood Angel characters such as Astorath the Grim, the Sanguinor and Gabriel Seth, as well as Gunnery Sergeant Harker and Colonel ‘Iron Hand’ Straken.

Older, more classic sculpts he did include the sadly short-lived 2002 “sexy” Daemonettes, as well as this firm fan favourite.

If his Games Day 2013 miniature is up there with his other classic sculpts, I can see his “farewell miniature” become quite popular.

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Thoughts?

Clearly a big catch there for Zenith Miniatures. They recently completed a highly successful Indiegogo, so it is likely that Mr. Diaz will start working on some of the yet-to-be-sculpted miniatures from this campaign.

Mr. Diaz obviously leave a huge hole in the sculpting line-up of Games Workshop, though this may also be a chance now for younger, up-and-coming sculptors to shine.

Let me know what you think. Leave a comment!

Z.

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Images: Dark Eldar sculpted by Juan Diaz: Lelith and Urien painted by Sorrowshard