Citadel Miniatures, then Ral Partha used to offer three stage character miniatures. You'd get three models in the same blister package, supposedly the same character as a starting nobody, a mid-level character, and finally at high level. I still think it's a cool idea to play with, as drawings.
So here's a dwarf axeman, from his humble 1st level beginnings up through being a plate-armored high level powerhouse with Gauntlets of Ogre Strength and the Axe of the Dwarvish Lords.