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segersgia · 2 years ago

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Warhammer 2022 - My favourite miniatures from this year.

Warhammer Community is once again asking us our favourite miniatures of the year. And while I’ve made my vote, I thought it would be nice to post my favourite 10 releases of this year. And unlike the voting list that Games Workshop has given us, I’m also going to include releases from Forge World.

10. - Brôkhyr Thunderkyn:

The Leagues of Votann have been the most exciting revelation that Games Workshop has brought back from the dead. An abhuman society that retains some of the knowledge lost during the Dark Age of Technology, and living proof that humanity can survive without the Imperium.

Thunderkyn are those particular Votann engineers who head off into battle, armoured in repurposed void-rigs and carrying a variety of heavy weaponry; from heavy bolters to high-grade energy beams. The Imperium would definitely sacrifice a dozen worlds just to gain access to their gear.

While I really liked some of the Votann releases, and some others kind of missed the mark, the Brôkhyr are how I want to see the Leagues move forward; Cool advanced gear mixed with a heavy-industrial aesthetic. The goggles really make them so much cooler.

9. - Aeldari Rangers:

2022 finally saw the Eldar gain a heap of renewed kits, and almost all of them were a great update to... Truly ... ANCIENT... kits. While the new Guardians were very nice, the Rangers are one of my favourite units in the lore.

Eldar Snipers who live solitary lives away from their Craftworld. Rangers follow the Path of the Outcast, choosing a life of excitement and adventure. A dangerous life that can result in their worst nightmare; falling into the clutches of She Who Thirsts. Rangers are expert survivalists and amazing Marksmen.

The Ranger design is one of my favourite, with only the Shadow Spectres and Warp Spiders surpassing it. I love their cameleoline cloaks, especially when it covers their helmets. They encompass some of my favourite aspects of Elven aesthetics; mysterious, ethereal, and somewhat spooky. The “Aspect-Totem” to Kurnous is a detail that I’m glad they’re continuing from previous units.

8. - Boa Kon’ssstriktr:

This is something unheard of... a Snakeman from Lustria. Boa learned his skills from watching matches from high up in trees and eventually decided to participate himself. He is a very conniving player that also has a very special ability; he can hypnotise his adversaries.

Boa’s origins is an enigma, for Snakemen were something only heard of in the chaos-infested jungles of Khuresh. So might this be a Lizardman blessed by the Serpent-god Sotek, or perhaps a rare case of a non-chaos corrupted Naga?

The most interesting design for Blood Bowl this year. Fans have been speculating about Khuresh for decades now, and this little nod to the Naga from the earliest editions of Warhammer Fantasy is a welcome sight. Boa’s design offers so much. Not only is it a wonderful Star Player for Lizardmen and Amazons, it is also going to be a great conversion for almost every setting.

7. - Legion MKVI Tactical Squad:

No Warhammer list would be complete without the Space Marines making an appearance. The new Horus Heresy Plastic kit was probably the most anticipated release this year.

The Mark 6 “Corvus” pattern power armour is the iconic design from the early days of Rogue Trader, and during the Siege of Terra, it was the most used pattern by both loyalist and traitor forces. It is the lightest pattern of power armour to date, and favoured by the legions and chapters that preferred covert and stealth warfare.

I wasn’t expecting myself to like this unit. My favourite pattern of Power armour is Mark 5; Heresy Armour. It has the most “grim-looking” helmet design of all the patterns, while also looking haggard and worn out. I prefer my space marines grimy and battle-scarred. This unit however keeps some of my favourite design cues. I love the metal bonding studs on the Shoulder pads, and the new scaling of the miniatures is way better compared to their squatter predecessors. I hope Games Workshop re-releases the other patterns with the new proportions.

6. - Vartijan Exo-Driller:

What do you mean, Space Dwarves get two aesthetics? The Squats of Necromunda are little different compared to their core-ward kin. Instead of void suits and grav-trikes, the Necromundan Squats battle with mining gear and twin-linked weapons.

The Vartijan Exo-Driller is a piece of heavy gear utilized by the Squats to protect themselves from hazardous environments while mining. Of course, a massive suit that makes you the same height as an Ogryn, is also a perfect battle-mech to fight rival gangs.

While the Prospector gang is a great kit in and of itself, the Exo-driller was what everyone wanted. It keeps the egg-ish shape of the original Squat Exo-armour, and turns it into a beast of a mech. This is probably the model that will people go spend money on Forge World Minis.

5. - The Avatar of Khaine:

The most deserving of winning the Best Miniature of the Year is most definitely this monster of a sculpt.

When the God Khaine was shattered in a thousand pieces, his essence was scattered to the hearts within many of the Craftworlds across the galaxy. A Wraith Artefact was formed wherever these shards landed. When the Craftworlds go to battle, one Exarch is chosen to sacrifice themselves to awaken this Artefact and make Khaine walk reality again; to destroy the enemies of the Aeldari.

Another wonderful glow-up for the Aeldari; What can I say? It is an absolutely stunning miniature and actually made me start looking more into Eldar lore. What I like the most about this miniature is the options the kit has. Three choices of heads, including a bare headed option with luscious hair, and three choices of forms for his weapon; the Wailing Doom. My favourite form is the axe; a weapon more Eldar should carry.

4. - Cadian Shock Troopers:

Another one I wasn’t expecting to like as much as I did. Cadians have returned to the field and look better than ever.

The Cadian Shock Troopers are considered the best of the best. Trained from childhood to battle the enemies of the Imperium and hold the line. Even after the destruction of their home, their resolve remains unfaltering, and their Mantra “Cadia Stands!” is still proudly confessed by their ranks. With no planet to recruit from, Cadians now allow recruits from other worlds, as long as they endure their harsh training regiments. Still, with every campaign and every battle, the people of Cadia are slowly going extinct, but as long as a single member of them stands to fight, their culture and their world will survive.

The update that the Guard deserved, and I was really impressed with just how lovely they look. Better proportions, new gear and an updated look. Their design looks way more like “Normandy Landing American Soldiers, than their previous iteration did, and it really works wonderfully.

The only thing unaccounted for is gear that currently is lacking in the available kit. We’ve seen images, so they might be available in a Kill Team Box, or are just lacking to save on space in the Starter box.

3. - Ash Waste Nomads War Party:

I have been waiting for these to return since Necromunda got released and I actually have a kit of them.

The Nomads of Necromunda’s Ash Waste are a mysterious people that have existed on the planet since the vile Imperium claimed it as their own. Conducting lightning raids on trespassing gangs and convoys, they are one of the most dangerous thing to encounter in the toxic wastes of Necromunda.

Ash Waste Nomads are the closest you can get to a playable “good” rebel faction, outside of the Ogryn gangs. They are outlaws to the Imperium, and only have hate and malice to give to the Imperial House. This gang is a look at what non-chaos resistance forces can look like.

Such a cool concept that I hope is going to be expanded upon. The Nomads are awesome. It emphasizes everything I love in character design; long coats, gas masks, hoods, and a rugged appearance. I also believe this kit would work wonderfully as awesome conversions. I can already imagine conversions for a variety of guard regiments, including Death Korps and Tallarn Desert Raiders.

2. - Imperial Navy Breacher Squad:

Kill Team really kept on giving this year, from the Eldar Corsairs and Traitor Guard, to the Kroot and Kasrkin. However, my favourite Kill Team this year is the Imperial Navy.

The Imperial Navy employs a dedicated force of armed infantry to act as security personnel and defend their vessels from enemy boarders; The Voidsmen-at-Arms. Breacher Squads however, take the fight to the enemy. They are the elite branch of the Voidsmen and are deployed in boarding actions against enemy vessels. This also includes Space Hulks, and the Breachers are often the first soldiers to explore the outskirts of these massive shipwrecks.

These are my Space Marines. It is another look into a part of the lore that Kill Team has allowed for us to dive a little bit deeper in. Once again, this kit, like the other Kill Teams, has so much character to it, from the Armsman with a Breaching shield, to the one wearing a bombing vest. I do have some gripes though, mainly that the Axe-wielder carries an axe instead of the weird looking Pole-arm/ Boarding-hook that a lot of their artwork includes. I also wished that the helmets were a little bit more varied, instead of the plethora of bare heads this kit has (which is very weird for a unit that mostly deals with space-combat).

1. - Grinkrak’s Looncourt:

Of course my top-pick this year was something related to the Greenskins.

Grinkrak is a Loonboss that has gaslighted the rabble of Grots he has rule over, into thinking that they are a powerful group of noble knights instead of the ragtag team of cowardly Gobbos. Of course, a steady dose of fungal tinctures has helped him maintain that illusion. They live in the Gnarlwood, at the grand fungal monument known as the Great Stinkhorn. So far, the noble quests they have undertaken have been surprisingly successful, even though the Gnarlwood literally eats bigger opponents than them for breakfast.

The Gloomspite Gits are some of the most fun armies that Games Workshop has made. Even though this is the second Gloomspite warband for Warhammer: Underworlds, they are still such a creative bunch of fun characters. While I’ve noticed the two small Squigs are basically rescaled models from the Squig Herd set, everything else is just great.

I realised that the Gloomspite were given design notes that the Black Orcs originally had in Warhammer Fantasy; Fully armoured Orcs and Goblins with leering faces and the cool looking Iron Jaw. The New AoS Orruks lack this, which I find sad. I love Orcs in Fantasy, but Grots in AoS are way more superior to their Orruk kin.

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Yeah... a lot of love was given this year to a bunch of different things and I must say that I really liked the releases this year. The Votann were exciting, Necromunda brought us to the Wastes and the Aeldari finally were given the attention they deserved. I’m also glad that we still have so much in store next year, especially for the smaller gaming systems like Warcry and Kill Team.

Enjoy your holidays, peoples!!!

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