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2010 has been another great year for fantastic paint/conversion jobs across the world. The following selections are my favorites from the Golden Deamon Winners picked this year.

Best Forge World Model

Creative to scale. Vincent Biras has to put together an Ork machine of death. The yellows combined with the rust and weathering techniques make this gargant really impressive. The mobility in action displays an artist that really knows how to work a model to feel like it could move in the real world.

Best Vehicle

Moving on to best vehicle this Predator by Raffaele Picca takes mud on treds and water effects to the next level. While the painting community has been slowly moving away from dirty gritty realism to more hyper realism this piece is a testament to dirt, rust, and grime still have its place. Then to throw on the sketched figures on to the hull top  solidifies this work as a true masterpiece.

Best Diorama or Duel

To bring to life one of the most iconic pictures of 40k to life takes balls and skills– Rafael Garcia Marin has both in spades. Not only does he do the original justice he shows us all how amazing all hues of blue are. Add the right pop of pink in the right places focuses the eyes on the action Rafael wants us to see. This is truly one special piece of work and shows just how closely paint and model work is moving closer to the artwork we find in books.

Best Squad

I am sucker for a painter that chooses one color and then shows us its full spectrum. That is the case with this squad by Pedro Rufo and the color red. It is almost as if he took the html color wheel of red and went right through it. Then to blend it with pink and metallics is amazing. What is also impressive is the economy of color with flashes of blue and the use of greens on the base and weapons.

Best Large Model

Whimsical and colorful this playful model sings with personality. All the colors pop. With the grinning grot at the top: how can you not love it? This is one of the rare joyful pieces you rarely see. It makes you happy and glad that Space Orks are still in the 40k universe.

Best Single Model

You almost want to vomit with how great this looks. What is more shocking is that David Rodríguez Inquisitor was beaten out by two Bland Space Wolves models. David’s use of brown alone is better than anything I saw this year from the Golden Deamons. From the twisting banner in the wind to the servitor over-head this piece is filled with such action and drama makes you cry (after the vomiting). Not to mention, the Inquisitor pointing judgment as some infernal foe tells a story that few models do.

We will have more best of 2010 all this week. Some comment and tell us what you found to be the best of 2010!