Some of the best alternatives to GW - miniatures
Having previously had a look at some of the best gaming alternatives to Games Workshop, today I wanted to have a look at some of the best alternative models to the biggest model company. After all, there's often a lot of talk in hobby circles of skipping GW for financial or ethical reasons - so let's see what the grass looks like on the other side.
Instead of suggesting anyone purchase cheap knock-offs of GW models*, though, I want to focus on some of the best third-party alternatives to GW ranges. There are some amazing creators out there, designing unique, expressive and high quality miniatures whose style correspond nicely to existing GW ranges.
There are an absolute plethora of options available online nowadays, but knowing where to start can be tricky. But never fear: I am here with a list of some of the best non-GW miniatures, available to gamers looking to create a unique 40k, AOS or Old World army, or to accentuate an existing one.
Even better, these picks are all available as physical models to buy, not just as STL files, so you can jump into them without having to appease the machine god to figure out how a 3d printer works...
Best for… 40k on a shoestring
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The quality isn’t quite up there with GW, but that is to be expected. A number of Mantic's Firefight factions make for interesting alternatives to GW 40k ranges, such as the Marauders (for Orks) or the GCPS (for Astra Millitarum/Guard). These are cheap, readily available minis, in plastic, for a fraction of the GW cost. Plus, they’ve got sci-fi Skaven (the very fun Veer-myn range). What’s not to love?
Best for… The Old World
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I absolutely love the vibe of Lost Kingdom's miniature range, which blends nicely between the tolkein-esque essence of the Old World with the more modern, high-fantasy style of Age of Sigmar. A lot of their ranges port nicely to Old World factions, with stand-outs being the Japanese-inspired Mori and Night Elves, perfect for Wood Elves and Dark Elves respectively, and their range of Infernal Dwarves, the Magmhorin, are a wonderful stand-in for Chaos Dwarfs.
I would also be remiss not to include Highland Miniatures in this category, who's own range of slightly more traditional fantasy miniatures make for an excellent alternative to the armies of the Old World. They have a strong range of Empire-style forces, the Vampire Counts and their Sons of Ymir, which fit very nicely alongside GW's existing Dwarfs range.
Best for... the dark and daemonicÂ
I have two picks in this category, Bestarium Miniatures and Creature Caster.
Both make an amazing range of dark and twisted daemonic proxies that fit very nicely with the themes of the Chaos Gods of Warhammer. These are much more horror-skinned than their slightly more PG Warhammer equivalents, but: if a Dark Souls, 80s metal album cover style is to your taste, then these make for incredible centre-pieces that won't look out of place on a 40k or AOS table. The level of detail on some of the larger demonic creatures from Creature Caster in particular pose a real painting challenge worthy of any collector's display shelves.
Plus, Beastarium in partciular has created some pretty awesome dark fantasy, rank and file and heroic miniatures, like the fantastic Knight of the Bell opposite. If you're considering getting into some Trench Crusade in the near future they might make an excellent addition to the forces of Heaven or Hell.
Best for… sheer variety
Two picks again for this one: ArtelW and Scribor Miniatures. Both have decent ranges for a number of 40k (and Age of Sigmar) factions. Scribor's slight focus on dwarves in both sci-fi and high-fantasy settings makes them a great shout for the bones of a brilliant alternative Votann army. Plus, they've got amazing boar-cavalry for fantasy which is less transferable, but undeniably cool.
ArtelW has nicely designed proxy ranges for everything from Orks to Guard to Chaos to Space Marines. They are well-known for their sci-fi elven ranges which until recently were a common stand-in for Aeldari aspects and continue to provide one of the better Drukhari alternatives available.** Their Nightbringer proxy, Noctae the Voidreaper is also fantastic way to scale up that most fearsome of C'tan shards while retaining a cohesive aesthetic with a 40k necron army.
A stand-out for me, though, is the Aquila Warriors range, modeled upon the Thunder Warriors. If you're looking for a really stand-out Custodes (or potentially even a World Eaters) army, this could be one for you.
That's your lot for this article, though i'm sure there are literally hundreds of other fantastic companies making incredible miniatures I've missed out. If there are some you think I should consider for a part 2 of this article, let me know in the comments below.
Until next time,
Alex
*Without resorting to rubbish knock-offs from China. Because that's tacky. And technically IP theft.
**I would say they are less egregious than some other elf alternatives with the slightly sad nudity-angle, but still a little... booby.