It's been another full year of Mini of the Week entries, which can only mean one thing, it's time to vote for the Mini of the Year from 2018!
I went through all 51 of the entries from the past year (one of the week's was last year's winner) and picked the top 10 most viewed. These were the 10 that you, the reader, decided you liked the most just by virtue of how popular it was. Now it's your chance to pick which one of these 10 deserves the top spot of Mini of the Year. Take a look at all of the entries below then vote for your favorite at the bottom. Next Friday I will reveal which one is taking home the honor of being everyone's favorite mini from 2018!
Primaris Captain by Anamnesis
Now that is one intimidating looking Primaris Captian. The conversion work on this is great, and to me looks mostly like bits swaps and a bit of cutting. The inclusion of the Sanguinary Guard wings on the back really helps reinforce the Blood Angels theme, as does the blood drop on the chest. The axe further helps that, but also makes this guy look suitably brutal. The head choice is awesome, and it's probably one of my favorite new heads from the Primaris Marines. The Reivers really show off the brutal, terror weapon side of the Space Marines.
The Blight Stalker by David Soper
Oh David Soper, the almost permanent winner of the Slayer Sword. It's not surprising to see another amazing mini from him, and from the forces of Nurgle again. His take on Gutrot Spume was amazing, and this Death Guard is right up there with it. While the model itself lacks any conversions like Gutrot had, the quality of the paint job is pretty stellar. He's effectively managed to convey the dirt and grime of the Plague Marines while still keeping it bright and sharp. Every surface on here has some sort of texture painted onto it, and some even have physical textures added, like the rust on the chains. It's subtle enough though that it doesn't overpower the detail on the model.
The Spawn by Max Richiero
The new Nighthaunt models are amazing sculpts. I love everything about them, and I knew it would only be a short time before we started seeing some amazing paint jobs from them. While they lend themselves to fairly quick and simple paint schemes (like my own) they are also a painter's dream, with a ton of flat surfaces for freehand and texture work. Here, on the Lord Executioner, one of my favorite models from the range, we see all of the utilized. First off, I love the color choices here. I know, it's fairly similar to the 'Eavy Metal scheme, but that's okay, because it's a great selection of colors. I would say this is a bit more "real world" and sinister feeling due to most of it being desaturated. Everything is crisp, and the paint seems to have a dappled pattern to it, lending everything a bit of texture.
Glory of Slaanesh by Karol Rudyk
Karol Rudyk is no stranger to this website, and in fact I have done a full interview with him in the past. This multiple Slayer Sword winner continues to turn out truly stunning models, like with this Slaanesh Chaos Lord. Anyone familiar with the artwork of Adrian Smith will instantly recognize this. I think it first appeared in the 6th edition Warriors of Chaos army book, albeit in a black and white format. The lengths that Karol has gone to reproduce this art in miniature form is really amazing. You can make out the "old" Archaon model beneath all the sculpting, but mostly just by the horse's pose. The sculpting on this is crazy good, with some super fine details add on. A lot of it is actually flat though, leaving him plenty of space for freehand.
Rotigus by Adam Elford
Wow, that about sums up this model. I had seen it as Adam was working on it, and the finished product certainly doesn't disappoint. Combining the Rotigus bits from the Great Unclean One with the Glottkin model was a genius move, and I think Adam was the first to do it. At the very least he was the first person I saw doing it. Since then many people have followed suit, and I admit, I'm tempted to as well. The pieced fit in pretty perfectly, and by just looking at this model you would think it was just some simple bit swaps, but there is actually a lot of sculpting work in this too. The left arm on the Glottkin is just a tentacle, so he had to rework it enough so it looked right with the hand, as well as his feet and his back. Even the movement in the Rotigus bits flows perfectly with the stride of the model. I can just imagine him slowly striding forward, towering over the other Great Unclean Ones. It's truly a model fit for a Greater Demon of his stature.
Constantin Valdor by Piotrek Czajka
When I first saw the Constantin Valdor model I thought it was a little too busy, but I think this paint job really makes it shine. The model already has so much going on, that by keeping the color scheme simpler it makes the mini easier to read. I really like the non-metallic gold used on him. It's very warm and the reflections ready realistically, but again the contrast and blends on it have been kept softer to make it more cohesive. By keeping all of the fur and feathers black it maintains the trio of colors of gold, black, and red. By using just these three colors it helps draw your attention to the face, which is the only area that stands out from the rest.
Skeleton Horde by KAHA
I have seen several models by this artist, and what else can I say besides they are amazing! The attention to detail she pays is beyond anything I could do. I really like the idea of mounting the Morghast on the Mortarch mount. It makes for a unique mini, and scale wise they're about right. This is more a diorama than a single model I really get the feeling that this guy is leading the hordes of death forth. The painting is crisp and smooth, and the contrast is out of this world. That has always been one of her strong suits. She can effortlessly blend from near total black to a bright saturated color and have the transition be smooth and seamless. By keeping all of the elements surrounding the Morghast blue, your eye is drawn to the stark red details on the rider and mount.
Lupus by Adam Nguyen
There certainly have been a lot of 40k (well, 30k in this case) models showing up for Mini of the Week lately, but you just can't ignore how good they've been. This guy in particular stands out to me. The conversion work is minimal, and the model is just a standard Heresy-era marine, but they've really captured the mood they were going for. The posturing of the model definitely conveys the very visible wound he's nurturing, but also his determination to see his job done. The most impressive thing though is the paint job. I've been a fan of the Luna Wolves since I read Horus Rising, which I think can be said about a lot of people considering the amount of converted Luna Wolves armies I saw before Forge World even had a Heresy game. Their color scheme is so striking, despite the face that there was another mostly white power armored legion already. They were the best of the best, and their armor designs were very no-nonsense.
Knight of Shrouds by wolfen
The Knight of Shrouds is my favorite of the new Harbinger models. Obviously, I have a preference for Nighthaunt, but it's still just such a cool model. This take on it follows pretty closely to the studio version, but pushes the saturation way up. It makes this model much brighter. Everything is smooth and crisp, with the blends on the ghostly bits being particularly smooth. I really like the blade on the sword. They've managed to work in some of the ghostly colors and give it a bit of an ethereal feel while still looking like a really blade.
Nighthaunt Hero by Tobi Luka
Today's Mini of the Week actually comes from the pages of the Nighthaunt Facebook page. The moment I saw this model I knew it was something special. It's such a simple conversion, but makes the model so much creepier. I love the sculpt for the Birthday model on it's own, but by switching out the masked face for the head from the Banshee it gains a real unsettling feel. Like I could picture this character haunting some woods, the ghost of a long dead witch or something along those lines. Switching out the sword for the scythe also changes it up a bit and by having the roses on there it ties itself nicely into the Briar Queen and Lady Olynder.
Cast your vote below!
Voting will be live through next Thursday, so be sure to get your vote in and tell all of your friends as well!
Until next time,
Tyler M.
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