My take on GW's 2011

Here's my review of the GW year, in exactly the same format: 40k model, Fantasy Model, Scenery and Product

40k Model

Well, not too hard to pick here, given my bias.  The new range of Dark Eldar we saw earlier this year was fantastic, and by far the standout piece was the Dark Eldar Razorwing Jetfighter.  In my opinion one of the best vehicle kits GW have ever produced.  It's beautiful, sleek look really captures the feel of the army, and actually makes taking three Ravagers a hard choice, as good as they are!  I'm absolutely itching to paint mine.

Runner up here is the Venom (sense the theme?), which is just as beautiful as the Razorwing

In terms of the worst model, I have to give it to the dreadknight as well.  Just ridiculous.  Nothing more needs to be said.  Closely behind are the Stormraven, which looks just as silly (although the Chapterhouse kit makes it look much better than a flying brick), and the Grotesques, only because there is a single pose, and it's a bad one.

Fantasy Model

I too found this one hard to pick.  There were a lot of solid models put out this year, but nothing too draw-doppingly amazing.  In the end, I went for the plastic Vampire Counts Necromancer released as part of the Storm of Magic.  Partly because I love the model, in no small part due to the slayer sword-winning entry at GDUK this year (shown below), and also because I think the plastic character releases are a fantastic idea, and I hope they continue.

Not far behind is the Arachnarok, which I loved painting, and it looks really good on the table.  The Firebelly might also have been up there, but Charlie's now ruined that model for me forever ;)

I have three picks for the bottom.  The first is the finecast Cold One, released for SOM.  Seriously GW, $33 for something we already have in plastic?  Next up is the Necropolis Knights, just because I find the snake-surfing concept ridiculous.  It's a real shame the Stalkers are no good, because they look far, far better.  And my actual pick for the worst model is the SOM Manticore, which is just poor all around.

Scenery

Having not seen any of the kits released this year, I'm just going to have to go on pictures and hearsay, in which case the Skullvane Mansk is by far the most impressive.  It also looks like it will do a fair bit of LoS blocking too, which is awesome.

The Garden of Moor is the other headline piece, but not having seen it yet in person, it doesn't have the same wow factor as the Mansk.

Not any really poor pieces, bu the Fulcrums copped a bit of flak for big skulls everywhere, which I can understand.

Product

I'm going to go with Liquid Green Stuff here.  It really reduces the hassle of gap filling and allows the salvaging of awful finecast models with a bit of effort.  Also, when you're filing it back, it seems to stick to the model more than regular Green Stuff, which again saves hassle.

I also love the hardback books, but I want to see them for 40k too.  Also, I'm one of the monkeys that skips straight to the rules, so some of the beauty is lost on me.

Worst product of the year is Finecast, hands down.  I only needed a couple of hours to decide that it's far worse than metal or plastic. The detail may be slightly crisper, but that comes at the expense of overall quality and structural strength.  I hope they get their act together and start producing some models without flaws, because otherwise you're paying more for a lesser product made of cheaper material.