Thursday, January 14, 2021

Mini of the Year 2020 Voting


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 2020!

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 2020!


Leena Stormspire by Javier García Mir


I always love a good non-metallic metal Stormcast and this model definitely qualifies as that. The reflections on the armor are spot on and I really like the colors used. While this looks to be a classic Hammers of Sigmar color scheme, they have chosen a darker shade of gold. It almost sits somewhere between a bronze and a gold, and in my opinion, gives the model a better sense of drama. The darker colors also contrast really with with the lighter areas, like the cloak, sword, base, and head. It's kind of framed in by these lighter areas. Everything is crisp and smooth, and the reflections are spot on. You can even see some gold getting reflected in the silver tabard armor.



Zoanathrope by Nguyen.S


This is just so cool! It's a completely scratch built Zoanathrope made to look like the old second edition model. I mean, this is pretty much perfect. It looks just like it with a slightly more dynamic look to it. The painting is great as well. The black, purple, and bone really compliment each other and give it a truly alien look. The addition of the green lightning is the perfect tough to finish it off and really gets across the psychic nature of it. I think the purple brain is the coolest part for me.



Sister of Battle by In The Middle


The new Sisters of Battle line is amazing and this paint job shows off how elegant the designs are. I really like the overall drab nature of this mini. It nails that grim dark John Blanch feel with the only colors really being black, white, and brown. Even the face is pale and desaturated, basically just a slightly pinker white. Everything has been pulled towards the grey side of things as well. Even the black is a bit more grey, giving it a washed out and gritty feel. The paint job is incredible as well, with really smooth blends and crisp highlights. It looks like they used the kind of pointillism method that's popular right now and it really works.

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Supreme Guardian of Souls by Tobi Luka


I actually just saw this model this morning on Facebook, but I loved it so much I knew I had to make it my Mini of the Week. This conversion is so clean and aesthetically pleasing that you could easily mistake it for an official GW variant. The Lord Executioner model that's the base for this has always seemed ripe for potential to me. I have thought about making a Knight of Shrouds out of it myself. The combination of bits here is just great. I think my favorite part if the use of the Necromancer's staff top to make a cool little hook for the lantern to hang off of. The candles on his back are excellent as well.



Keeper of Secrets by 2dorks1brush


The new Keeper of Secrets is definitely a painter's model. With all of the smooth surfaces it rewards careful blending and application of paint. Here we see that blending taken to all new level with plenty of colors blending into each other. I really like the teal and purple color scheme used here. It feels right for Slaanesh and also has a very cosmic feel to it. A bit of a late 80s/early 90s feel as well. Everything is perfectly smooth with nice crisp highlights. The reflections on the non-metallic metals is top notch too. 



Lost Wanderer by Aksel ”Axefacepaints” Olsson


What a cool conversion! This has all the aesthetics of a John Blanche drawing and I love it. You really get the feeling of a post apocalyptic wanderer, but in a 40k setting, which I guess is kind of a redundant statement. The use of bits on this is inspired. I can make out some parts from the Mechanicus range, Blackstone Fortress, Tau, and some skulls. I think also some stuff from the Kharadron Overlords as well. The way it's all assembled though really makes it feel like its own unique model.



Andria Azurebolt by Elf Guardian


What a stunning example of the 'Eavy Metal style! Everything on this is so crisp, smooth, and vibrant! The color choices really compliment each other, with the slightly blue armor standing in contrast to the warmer red and sepia of the robes. Speaking of the armor, that non-metallic metal is pretty much perfect. It has all of the reflections from the surrounding colors in it as well, such as the red robes. The glow blue coming from her eyes and staff are a nice final touch. 



Lazarus by Steve Garcia


This is such a smooth paint job. The transitions on the armor and the reflections is like butter. Not only that, but the colors are nice and saturated, but not overly so. There's not really anything done with the color scheme that is a unique take, but there doesn't have to be. The level of skill on display here really shows off the standard Dark Angels color scheme. There is a really nice bit of freehand on the back of the cloak (check it out on Putty and Paint). I think one thing that stands out to me is the subtle, yet significant difference in texture. The armor feels smooth, while the cloth has a bit of a rougher texture to it. The skin has a softness to is that makes it feel different than either of those too. The non-metallic metal work is great, without trying to be the center of attention. The face on this really is pretty amazing. His hair even has a bit of a slick feel to it, like it has hair gel in it. Which, just mentioning it, it's kind of funny imagining a Space Marine putting gel in their hair and styling it, but they must to get styles like this.



Stormcast Eternal by Olmo Castrillo Miniatures


This is one of the best non-metallic metal color schemes I've seen in awhile. The reflections are pretty stellar, especially the ones on the rounded pieces of armor, that's always trickier. I like how the colors around him are getting reflected in the gold as well. Everything is incredibly smooth and crisp but I think my favorite part of the model are the color choices.



Necrons Pandemonium by Max Richiero


This entry seemed very timely considering the Indomitus set will be hitting shelves in about a week. This diorama is very evocative of the classic piece of art of the Nightbringer from the first Necron codex. I love how he's looming over the Necrons in front of him with the Monolith framing him from behind. The colors are all very classic, but they look wonderful all together. I really love how the neon green is radiating out of the portal behind the Nightbringer, framing him with a cobweb of energy. The light blue of the C'tan just stands out so wonderfully against the green of the Monolith.


Cast your vote below! Just hit begin, you do not need to enter an email.


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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