There are enough new Warhammer models each year to make the numberless Ork hordes on Armageddon (AKA the focus of Warhammer 40K 11th Edition) seem small by comparison. While most of these are handsome enough in their own way, very few rise above to become the "best" miniatures of the bunch. And even though we're only a few months in, I think I've already found a frontrunner for 2026 – the Sylvaneth Grove Guardian.
Even if you were to paint it as a dark and gloomy swamp tree rather than the budding cherry blossom from promo shots, this thing is downright gorgeous. Much like my favorite kit of last year, the aura-farming Suboden Khan, the floral new Warhammer model is equal parts dynamism and elegance. Like all the best kits from fantasy-based Age of Sigmar (or its spin-off attempts to crack the best board games, such as Darkwater), it's bloody weird too. It's hiding a Sylvaneth pod person in the trunk, and that Grove Guardian seems to be growing from the boughs themselves (which are crawling with gribbly bug-thing stowaways, I might add). It's bizarre, offering a host of little secrets that can only be seen if you lift it up for a closer look. For me, that's the mark of a good kit.
