Best Plastic Minis 2019 – The Nominees
2019 saw a wonderful explosion on miniatures from all the top dogs in the industry – here’s our short list of the Best of 2019!
We saw an explosion of amazing plastic miniatures hitting the market this year and honestly trying to distill a list down to just our top 5 is a pretty monumental task. There are so many amazing kits out there it can feel like you’re drowning in plastic. That said, we dove in and hand-picked our five favorite ones from this year’s pile. And remember – we’re sticking to just plastic. Metal and Resin are getting a nod in a category of their own. Here they are in no particular order.
Fantasy Flight Games – Star Wars: Armada – Super Star Destroyer
The Super Star Destroyer is just plain awesome. It’s two feet long, all plastic, and fully painted. And the details are pretty impressive at that. Any fan of Star Wars would be happy with one of these in their collection – not just Armada players. But for the players out there, this thing also happens to be legal in a standard game format because FFG created two “prototype” variants you can use in a standard game. This makes it one of the largest plastic miniatures out there that can be use in a REAL game!
Games Workshop – Warhammer 40,000 – Lord Discordant
The Lord Discordant is a really impressive model from Games Workshop. They had a ton of sweet kits this year but this one certainly stuck out in our collective consciousness. There is just something cool about this whole model – from the crazy mecha-tendrils to the sinister mount’s face, to the Chaos Lord riding it – the entire model is telling a story and has a ridiculous amount of detail to match. Plus Goatboy threatened to fight us if it wasn’t on the list…
Mantic Games – Kings of War – Nightstalker Shadowhulk
Okay this one might be cheating a *little* as the materials listed are plastic/resin. That said, we had to include it! This model from Mantic showcases how far they have come and how far Kings of War has travelled to get to its current state. If you haven’t checked out the KoW miniatures line in a while, you should give it a look – they’ve made a lot of progress in the 10 years since they first launched Kings of War and it shows. Plus, it’s a frikin’ Sharkhead with frikin’ sharks for hands!
Games Workshop – Warhammer: Age of Sigmar – Katakros, Mortarch of the Necropolis
Okay, just wow. This is one of those really technically impressive models, but man, is it a showstopper. This plastic kit looks more like a diorama than GW’s typical “big” plastic miniature. It’s not only a centerpiece model for an entire army, it’s one of those centerpiece models for your collection. It’s a challenge to get this all painted up but it’s well worth it once you finish climbing that mountain. Katakros salutes you!
Games Workshop – Warhammer 40,000 – Jain Zar
The Aeldari Phoenix Lords were all about due for a new sculpt and Jain Zar was the first one to actually get one. Her new model is just a fantastic sculpt all around. From the long, flowing hair to the aggressive gracefulness she holds in her pose – there is a deadliness and elegance to this model. Part ballet, part kabuki, and all deadly. Jan Zair looks like a whirlwind of death just like she should!
There are a TON more models out there that we could have listed – let us know what your favorite plastic models were from 2019 in the comments!
