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Of course, any list of the coolest Warhammer models is going to be ripe for subjectivity. What is the coolest Warhammer model to me may be a model that you hate, and vice versa. Nonetheless, I have tried to pick the models that don’t just appeal to me, but that have broad appeal. Some of them are going to be old, even dating back to Warhammer Fantasy. Some of them are going to be the latest releases. Still, I’m going to try to make sure that these models are as universally beloved as I can. 

Coolest Warhammer Models from Grand Alliance Order

Steam Tank

I don’t think that this is a controversial pick at all. The Steam Tank is not only one of the most fun units to play with and paint, but it is also one of the most iconic units in the Cities of Sigmar (and dating back to Warhammer Fantasy). It is a star player in Total War: Warhammer III, and it just looks so darn good.

The sloping lines across its hull give the impression of medieval armor, and it is absolutely festooned with heraldry and iconography. It is a delight to paint (I’ve only painted one, but I loved it) and it is an excellent centerpiece for your tabletop game. Warhammer 40k only wishes that it had something as cool as the Steam Tank. Baneblade, eat your heart out. 

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Morathi

Now I am on the record as saying that I really, really dislike the Daughters of Khaine. In fact, in a recent article I said they should be discontinued. But there is no doubt that Morathi, in her larger snake-like winged version, is an incredible model. The way that they have arranged the base so that the snake tail can wrap its way around the pillar, giving it stability while also looking very much like a snake, is genius. And the wings do not look like the wings of any of their other dragon-like creatures. They even do a great job of keeping the upper body and torso to look as humanoid as possible, seamlessly fitting into the big creature. 

Morathi is one of Warhammer Age of Sigmar’s best miniatures. 

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Akhelian King

The Akhelian King is included here not only because he is great to look at, but because I had more fun painting this model than almost any other in the Age of Sigmar range. I took a deep dive into Idoneth Deepkin last year, nearly completing a full army, and this model just rewards you for painting it. The textures of the scales combined with the smoothness of the belly and the many details of the armor, gives the painter of this model the best return on investment. It can look good without being a very good painter–and I know he doesn’t look that way, but I certainly felt it.

And he’s just a really cool Warhammer model. The pose is terrific, very much playing off the horse (seahorse?) rearing back as if the Lone Ranger king is about to say “Hi Ho Silver, Away!” The tentacle/tails are complex but not complicated, and, well, it’s just one of the best Warhammer miniatures. 

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Akhelian Leviadon

How could I neglect to include one of the most amazing Warhammer miniatures and one of the most whimsical at the same time. I remember the first time I saw the release of the Idoneth Deepkin, and I knew that one day I would eventually build and paint the Akhelian Leviadon. The idea of swimming through the water-aether air is interesting enough, and riding on eels makes sense, but placing a whole fighting retinue on the back of a massive turtle is simply too good to pass up. 

The sculptors at Games Workshop really outdid themselves on this thing–and it’s not even that difficult of a model to assemble (and presumably design). It’s just a turtle with a couple misplaced fins to give it a fantasy vibe. But the pattern on his back gives so many opportunities for different color schemes, and he looks just so incredible on the tabletop. Hands down one of the best Age of Sigmar models. 

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Kharadron Overlords Admiral

Out of all the many Kharadron Overlords models, why did I pick the Admiral to be my pick as one of the best Warhammer miniatures? It’s just that, after weighing all the alternatives, the Admiral Is just so PERFECT. All of the Kharadron Overlords are steampunk personified, and the airships are incredible, but something about this Admiral, as opposed to other similar personalities, is so perfectly crafted–and, in this picture, perfectly painted.

Now, I will say, having tried in vain to paint a Kharadron Overlords army, that this model is NOT one that rewards the painter. You need to have a steady hand and a lot of patience. Yes, the picture looks incredible, but I was never able to achieve anywhere close to this amount of greatness. But does that mean that he’s not one of the best Age of Sigmar miniatures? Of course not. He’s well deserving of the title.

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Lyrior Uthralle

I have very mixed feelings about the Lumineth Realmlords. They have some of the very strangest miniatures that the entire Age of Sigmar line carries, but they also have some really gorgeous stuff, and there is none I like (I think) quite so well as the Lord Lyrior Uthralle. I have long loved the mounts that they have, that they are some form of pawed creatures, not horses, but horse-like. The grace that this gives the mount adds a lot, especially in the tail. And this is not to knock the grace of a regular horse, but these furry creatures are something else entirely.

Add on top of that one of the best armored knights (?) if that’s what he is. The entire ensemble looks regal and very very different from anything else out there. So while the Lumineth Realmlords may not stick the landing every time because they’re so unconventional, being unconventional is what gives this guy the edge as a cool Age of Sigmar miniature. And…

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Spirit of the Mountain

So when I said that they don’t always stick the landing, but when they do, they really do? This thing is part cow, part mountain, part giant, and he just… works. I don’t know what he is. I don’t know what his armor is, although I like the fact that his breastplate looks a lot like an ornate cow’s skull. I don’t know why he’s growing mountains out of his back. But he hits all the right notes for me. I would totally understand why someone wouldn’t put him in their list of favorite Warhammer miniatures, but for me he is a solid contender. 

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Lord Kroak

Lord Kroak is a model that I have loved since the first moment they teased him and I knew immediately that I would need to paint him. I already love me some Seraphon, because I love both the dinosaur and the Aztec aesthetic, but this big weird withered frog man took it to another level. I love the way that the chair he’s in appears to be floating and the stone circles surrounding it hover. And, when I finally got him and put him together I recognized some of the genius that went into creating him. 

He’s a joy to paint, as you get to play with all sorts of bright and vibrant colors of the jungle, along with the stone chair and of course his weird toad-like body. I sold Lord Kroak last year when we were doing our charity auction for the Save the Children fund, but he’s definitely one of the coolest Age of Sigmar models and one I’m going to get again. 

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Engine of the Gods

Now this is a Seraphon dinosaur that I still have. I got the Celestial Stampede and painted them alongside my son who is a massive dinosaur fan (as almost all little kids are). I let him choose the colors of the two Stegadons and the Bastilodon, and we had a grand time putting them all together. 

I love virtually everything in the Seraphon range, including the new reveals from the Las Vegas Open, and the Engine of the Gods is no different. Like Lord Kroak, half the fun is the Aztec-like stone that accompanies the dinosaur, but I really love the versatility of the models. They can really look like anything, take any color, and they’re very rewarding to paint. 

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Krondys, Son of Dracothian

I am not a Stormcast Eternals guy, but the dragon models that they have created are gorgeous (mostly–looking at you, Lord Celestant on Stardrake). In fact, I was so enamored by the Stormcast dragons that I figured out how to make an entirely all-dragon Stormcast Eternals army–something I fully intend to do at some point.

Both of these big dragon models, which are built from the same kit, are gorgeous, but I like Krondys the best. There is just something so fun about painting dragons. You have freedom to paint in any colors you want, any pattern you want. You can be detailed on every scale and bump or you can let washes and Contrast do the heavy lifting for you. They’re just great models.

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Lord Commander Bastian Carthalos

Okay, so I said I don’t like the Stormcast Eternals, but there is no eluding the fact that this guy has GRAVITAS. His pose is fantastic, his armor perfect. He looks like he’s ready to lead from the front, busting heads while being the most inspiring leader on the table. And he does all of that while being a regular Stormcast-sized model. That’s one of my favorite things about him: there’s no need to make him extra big like Guilliman among the Ultramarines. This guy is just a Stormcast Eternal, but he is the coolest, most badass Stormcast Eternal there is.

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Drycha Hamadreth

It was Drycha Hamadreth that drew me into painting Sylvaneth, even though I have always hated wood elves. These are just so different from the average wood elf army, and while the Treelord could be seen as leaning into Ent territory and not be AS original (though they’re still awesome Warhammer models) Drycha most assuredly does not look like an Ent. There is something ghostly about the being that is coming out of the center of the model, and that’s great, but the overall organic-ness of the model is terrific. The honeycomb is both awesome and… kinda icky? It’s a little disconcerting, but in a good way. Because Drycha doesn’t appear to be design to be a “good guy”. Drycha is a freaky tree thing ghost. And that makes it one of the coolest Age of Sigmar models.

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Coolest Models from the Grand Alliance of Chaos

The Changling

When I wrote about the Best Looking Models in Warhammer 40k, I included The Changling, but the fun of demons is that they can cross over.

The Changling is the spiritual ancestor of the Nighthaunt, a ghostly figure that is mostly cloak and arms. And it’s an older model. The Changling is one that I bought at least six or seven years ago, but he doesn’t appear to have aged at all. Even though the Nighthaunt have mastered the look of ghosts, his overall look is impressive nonetheless and doesn’t look too chonky or unrefined. Really a top-tier model.

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Kairos Fateweaver

I love almost all of the Greater Demons (and I’d like the Bloodthirster more if he just had a few tweaks to update an old sculpt). But Kairos Fateweaver is absolutely gorgeous, and it goes back to something I was saying about the dragons–Kairos has so many opportunities to paint him in new and different colors. The wings are a playground for painting, whether you paint inside the lines or you paint patterns and designs across his plumage. Because that’s the other fun thing about a demon–he can have any designs painted on him that you want.

Of course, there is all of the little details to take up your time, to spend hours and hours fawning over as you paint this weird bird-thing. (And honestly, you can assemble him as the Lord of Change and he’ll be just as much fun to paint.) At the risk of pointing to too many of the centerpiece models as the coolest models in Age of Sigmar, I have to add Kairos Fateweaver to the list. Definitely one of the best miniatures.

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Glutos Oscollion Lord of Gluttony

I admit that I don’t know the lore behind Glutos Oscollion. But I love him for many reasons, and the primary one is that it is SO NICE to see Slaanesh depicting their God of Excess as something more than just lust and sex. Gluttony is something that is totally Slaanesh, and often neglected, and I love to see it.

But the whole model, which again, is another centerpiece, is gorgeous. There is so much detail and so many interesting things to paint and look at. This miniature looks like he was created just to be a Golden Demon entry, and I am amazed that we haven’t seen more of him in those ranks. Definitely one of the best miniatures in the Chaos range.

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The Great Unclean One

Again, centerpiece. Again, greater demon. But I don’t think that anyone would argue with my that The Great Unclean one is one of the coolest Warhammer models. Whether you’re playing Warhammer 40k or Age of Sigmar, The Great Unclean One has such wonderful presence on the table, and is just such a perfect embodiment of what Nurgle is all about. I mean Mortarion is a good Nurgle model and the Beast of Nurgle is a really great Nurgle model, but neither of them can hold a candle to this bulbous, pockmarked, oozing, disgusting, loathsome–and grinning–ball of pestilence.

The Great Unclean One is a model that I have never painted, but one that I really want to. He doesn’t (seem) to have the same freedom to paint him however you want the way that Kairos Fateweaver does, or the dragons, but you can really go to town on his pustules and his gore. I really love him. One of the coolest models in Age of Sigmar or Warhammer 40k.

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Daemon Prince

So this is the newest model on my list, and one that I have had the pleasure to paint. I really got a kick out of this guy, being able to choose from a selection of heads to make him Khorne, Nurgle, Slaanesh or Tzeentch–or Slaves to Darkness, as I chose to build him. He’s not as big as the Greater Demons, and I wouldn’t call him a centerpiece, but that makes him even better in my book. He’s big enough to be a big menacing monster, but he’s not necessarily leading the troops. Leave that to the Chaos Lord. Let the Daemon Prince just be a big scary demon. (Is it demon or daemon? I go back and forth.)

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Be’lakor the Dark Master

It should be no surprise that he’s on the list of the coolest Warhammer models for Age of Sigmar. He literally won Games Workshop’s end of the year contest for which of their models was the best. And not without reason. It’s my understanding that Darren Latham has claimed some amount of responsibility for the creation of Be’lakor, and I wouldn’t doubt it. This is a demonic monster that was made to be intentionally massive and incredible, sadistic and evil. I love the chains that hang from his tattered wings, and I love all of the many, many ways that he has been painted online that don’t strictly follow the dark grey/black color scheme. I mean, clearly, he shouldn’t be fluorescent, but there’s a lot of opportunity in Slaves to Darkness to make this guy whatever you want him to be.

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Coolest Warhammer Models in the Grand Alliance of Death

Awlrach the Drowner

Again, one of the winners (or runners up) of Games Workshop’s end-of-the-year best miniature vote.

I love me some Nighthaunt. I have gotten *this* close to having complete Nighthaunt armies twice before I sold them, but I bought this guy a few months ago and it really has me itching to dive back into the ghosts. The thing I love most about Awlrach the Drowner is how he’s a little diorama. Not only does he have little ghosts that surround him–Lady Olynder and the Black Coach do too–but his ghosts are trying to do something, either stealing gold from his treasure chest or putting it back in. Not sure. The whole thing tells a story, and it does it in the beautifully complex way that Nighthaunt does, where the models are so delicate, so twisted and intertwined, and it looks effortless and ethereal. Definitely on of the coolest Warhammer models.

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The Black Coach

I have painted two Black Coaches, both as commissions, and I really need to paint one to keep for myself. It is such a beautiful kit–definitely a centerpiece–with so much going on. It’s honestly not that hard to paint, making it really rewarding by giving great results without a ton of skill. As long as you’ve nailed the color scheme that you want to use for the ghosts, then the Black Coach itself is very simple to nail.

Every time I look at this thing I think about how I need a new one. But I’m going to hold off until I decide to go all-in on building a Nighthaunt army, and that might not be this year. I already have my Age of Sigmar army picked for 2023. (It’s Skaven.)

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Katakros, Mortarch of the Necropolis

For a while there, Games Workshop was really into these diorama models–the Triumph of St. Katherine comes to mind as a great companion piece. But this one just is done so well. It may seem weird to move an entire plinth diorama around the table as your HQ, but it is so gorgeous that it’s easy to forgive. The Ossiarch Bonereapers don’t generally do it for me, but everything about this kit does. It hits all the right notes, and is one day destined to sit on my shelf. Super cool model.

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Lady Annika, The Thirsting Blade

I don’t generally like vampires–at least, I don’t like them in their grotesque forms, like the kind of Vampiric stuff you see in Flesh Eater Courts. But what I do love is the very creepy, almost-human vampires that look regal with just a smattering of creepy crawly evil, and that’s what Lady Annika delivers. She is evil and awful, but looks like a queen while she’s doing it. She doesn’t have to be raising a weapon to look menacing, you just know that she’s someone that you don’t want to encounter in the dark.

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Coolest Warhammer Models of the Grand Alliance of Destruction

Mangler Squigs

These things are just a delight, full stop. I love all squigs, in all their many varieties, but two massive squigs jumping one on top of the other? Completely out of control and full of wild, savage–and hilarious–abandon. That’s the kind of squig that is perfect. I don’t know what it is that made the Mangler Squigs so much bigger than their smaller counterparts, but for as cuckoo bananas as they are, they should strike fear into the heart of any opponent.

Man, I really want a Gloomspite Gitz army, too. I WANT TOO MANY ARMIES.

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Dankhold Troggoth

My Dankhold Troggoth that I painted last year is probably the miniature that I am most proud of. He is so much fun to paint as you can do absolutely anything with him, both his skin and then all the mushrooms and barnacles and who-knows-what-else is all over him. He is a great looking Age of Sigmar miniature.

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Gobsprakk, the Mouth of Mork

Now this is an interesting one because, unlike a lot of the others I’ve pointed to here that I’ve said are very rewarding to paint, I beat myself up trying to paint Gobsprakk for weeks before I finally gave up and sold him. I just could not get him to look right.

But in the hands of a better painter than me, this is one of the coolest models in Age of Sigmar. A giant (very giant) vulture with lots of detail and a Kruleboy sitting atop him (well, one of two options). He’s just impressive and gorgeous, and I wish I could have figured him out.

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King Brodd

I recently painted my first Sons of Behemat Mega-Gargant, not for Age of Sigmar, but to put on my model railroad layout. And while I was really enjoying painting him I was thinking about how much fun it would be to paint King Brodd. I am a little disappointed that all of the Mega-Gargants, including the king, all are on the same set of legs, but that’s a small thing, really. They look great, and King Brodd is a fitting king for them all.

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