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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.
Unlike other showstopping Warhammer models, the Sylvaneth Grove Guardian was surprisingly easy to construct too. Despite a host of extra bits and branches, I whizzed through construction and had the whole thing done in less than half an hour. Maybe even a fraction of that – it was way more straightforward than expected.
Painting is obviously a different matter, but for the most part, it's all been plain sailing too. While you can put as much or as little into the exercise as you want (and I wouldn't say my chicken-scratchings are by any means "good"), it isn't a complex kit to navigate. There aren't loads of intricate patterns hidden in folds or freehand heraldry, and the extra bits that break up color – e.g, the bugs and flowers – stand very proud of the main structure, meaning you're far less likely to hit something you don't mean to in the process of applying paint. I would recommend adding a basing texture like Stirland Mud earlier than later if that's how you like doing things (it's a pain to work around the tight angles of roots), but that's the only real problem I've had.
Most importantly, it's great as a diorama piece in its own right too. Even if you don't collect Sylvaneth, it's cool enough – and tells enough of a story in its own right – that you could have it on a shelf as a display model. That's certainly what I'll be doing with mine.
Sure, we've got three-quarters of a year left before 2026 is done. But based on the Grove Guardian, I'm not sure how other new Warhammer models can beat it on looks.
What do you think? Sound off in the comments, particularly if you think there's something better already out there.
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