Favorite Minis by Decade

Over on YouTube, Squidmar Miniatures posted an awesome collaboration video with Miscast and Midwinter Minis picking out their favorite minis from the past 5 decades.

I wanted in on the action so I picked my favorite minis by decade to share here. It was a lot harder than I thought...

80s - Bugman's Champion. He was released late in the decade and has a slight advantage over other models from that era. I love this characterful model so much and all of the implied narrative that's sculpted into his stout frame. With his missing eye, peg leg, and axe chained to his arm lest he lose it mid battle, he's ready to defend the dwarfen realms from any invader. This model has served as the general in my Dwarf army until Age of Sigmar dropped.

90s - Morgiana Le Fay. I've never actually owned or painted this model, but it's one of my favorites, among a field of excellent minis from the 90s. The entire Bretonnian line released in the mid-90s was fantastic, especially Morgiana and the Green Knight. This decade was one of the hardest for me to choose from because there were so many awesome figures to chose from, including the Wood Elf Waywatchers, nearly all of the Imperial Guard metal regiments, the Ratskin gang from Necromunda, and the Night Goblins, Forrest Goblins, and the 1991 metal giant. Bob Olley, the Perry brothers, and Ali Morrison (among others) were making the best minis in the business that still look great today.

2000s  - Aenur Sword of Twilight. This understated model from Mordheim also served as the general in many of my Wood Elf armies. The pose and posture really make this model look like he's ready to spring into deadly combat and kill his foes before they even know he's struck. I've recently stripped the old paint off mine and I'm going to repaint him soon.

2010s - Belisarius Cawl - As the centerpiece of the Admech (nay Mechanicum) army, Cawl is a fantastic figure in the era of models sculpted digitally. He's loaded down with all sorts of tiny detail that may make him feel a little busy, but I love, love, love the fact he's propped one foot on an book. His foundation is knowledge and he strides to battle armed with intelligence. 

2020s - The Triumph of Saint Katherine. I have no idea how this model is as a game piece but this model is so epic! This miniature escapes the boundaries of miniature game piece and becomes a sculpture; and this sculpture tells a grimdark story. I don't know of another model that clearly communicates the setting and fate of mankind in the 40k universe more than this figure. All of the details and individual pieces are well executed and when they are combined on this multi-level base, they shine! I don't own a Sisters of Battle Army but out of the current releases from Games Workshop, this models is one I wish I owned. I just want to paint it!

If you want to take a trip down memory lane, or just browse through catalogs of the olden days, check out: Stuff of Legends

SoL is probably the best resource for referencing old models on the entire web. I can't tell you how many times I've visited that site; it's like the Wikipedia of miniatures. For this blog entry, I looked through their pages to help guide my final choices and screen capped some pics to share here.