Here is our updated list of the best alternatives to GW miniatures to shop this Black Friday from some of the best independent companies out there!
Do you recognize any of these? They say competition breeds innovation and lower prices, and for this industry that seems to hold true, somewhat.
Once again it’s hard to deny that Games Workshop’s designs for miniatures have made a quantum leap in the last few years. Part of that is sure to stem from the new 3D computer design and printing technology out there. BUT, how much of it was also inspired by necessity?
They say competition breeds innovation and lower prices, and for this industry that seems to hold true, somewhat. It’s hard to deny that Games Workshop’s designs for miniatures have made a quantum leap in the last few years. Part of that is sure to stem from the new 3D computer design and printing technology out there.
With the growing hobby world, some talented artists have been bringing their big guns to the table with these alternate bits and kits.
If you want to see some of the best alternative games to Warhammer in general be sure to check our recent list of the games we love to play outside of Games Workshop.
Here is our latest list of the best alternatives to Games Workshop Miniatures
More Great Alternatives to GW Miniatures
Battle Bling Gaming Accessories:
The store is quite amazing and full of really sweet bits! They don’t just have AT stuff, but man, the bits for that are next level. They have everything from heads to weapons to bases.
Since you don’t need too many minis to play, each one might as well be as great as possible. So be sure to go check out what they have to offer.
Fallout Hobbies
Fallout Hobbies has a ton of great bits and accessories to make your army that much better! They have all kinds of great stuff like stencils, bits, LED kits, tons of paints, and scenic bases.
If you’ve been looking for a place filled with tons of fun accessories, you really need to check them out.
Troll Soup
Who doesn’t love the nostalgia that some of these old-style Warhammer minis bring? Troll Soup has some great versions of classic minis now!
Troll Soup Miniatures offers some great-looking alternate versions of some of the oldest minis made for Warhammer. With things like the old Ogre, some old Terminators, and even older power armor. While it would be crazy for someone to play with a bunch of these, they make a great little addition to your army to bring you back to the old days.
Check out their full offerings here.
Liber Daemonica
Liber Daemonica started out as a commission painting studio, but always made bits for both fantasy and sci-fi. Now, they have updated their website and really jumped headfirst into making amazing bits for so many factions! Their bits are some of the best on the market and have fit perfectly every time we’ve used them.
If you want to spruce up your army this year, they are definitely worth checking out here.
Pop Goes the Monkey
It’s worth mentioning that Pop Goes the Monkey is quickly moving into the miniatures scene overall with the release of a ton of new model kits outside of all their normal great bits!
From the Blightshrouds to Invader Termies, and Squigs they cranked out a prolific amount of new products each month so far.
You can browse them all right here on their webstore.
HeresyLab:
HeresyLab has some amazing alternatives miniatures for games like Warhammer 40k, Necromunda, and Mordheim!
Committed to creating high-quality affordable resin accessories, miniatures, and conversion kits for wargaming enthusiasts.
Looking for some dope miniatures for your armies? HeresyLab most definitely has something for you! You can browse them all right here on their webstore.
Buy one get one Free! Choose from hundreds of minis now!
Sci-fi Alternative Miniatures To Games Workshop
Let’s take a look at our updated list of some of the best independent company miniatures for alternatives for Games Workshop’s minis, and the tabletop hobby in general:
- Wargame Exclusive Alternate models for all factions of your favorite futuristic sci-fi factions
- Da-green-one Great alternate orc models.
- Cogmind Custom Bits
- Pop Goes the Monkey 3D Astartes Conversion Bits
- Gadgets Plus 3D Knight Upgrade Bits
- Hardcore Miniatures Fantastic Ork alternate models and more.
- Hexy Store: From bits to acrylic game aides for Sci-Fi and Fantasy games.
Scitari Extension Kit by Wargame Exclusive
- Zealot Miniatures awesome selection of fantasy minis and terrain.
- Anvil Industry Futuristic sci-fi soldiers and bit collections
- Deadly Print Studio has some of the best-looking 3D printable accessories for your models.
- Heresy Lab has amazing alternative designs for games like Warhammer 40k, Mordhiem, Necromunda, and more.
Raumjagers from Wargames Atlantic
- Wargames Atlantic They make some of the coolest minis on the market for insanely affordable prices
- Models & Minis They have such a wide variety of bits, it almost doesn’t make sense! If you need a crazy random bit, this is the place to go.
- Modiphius They offer some of the coolest games on the market, with a ton of great minis that are usable in so many game systems.
- Armorcast Terraform Terrain They have some amazing laser cut terrain that will set your tabletop apart.
Menos From Dark Place Miniatures
- Conversion World Just about any alternate weapon bits you can think of
- Soul Dark Sci-Fi Primarchs & more
- Zinge futuristic bits, monsters, vehicles & more
- DreamForge-Games More alternate sci-fi models
- Creature Caster Amazing Fantasy Models
- Vanguard Miniatures Huge selection of scaled-down minis. Tanks & weapons!
- Star Wars Legion (FFG) Great line of Star Wars models (rebel and Imperial factions)
- Anarchy Models Painting tools and conversion bits
- SciborMiniatures Fantasy models and busts
- Kromlech (Bits of war) bits and alternate models for just about any setting
- Maxmini Alternate minis and upgrade options for your models
- HiTech Miniatures futuristic sci-fi models
- Bitspudlo Huge selection of conversion bits
- Reptilian Overlords They’ve got a whole line of futuristically dark models to spice up your collections with as well as other great conversion bits.
Muzzle Effects & Jetpack Smoke Stands by Deadly Print Studio
- Nuclear Shrimp Games Titans of all sizes
- Dark Place Miniatures amazing Chaos-themed minis and demons.
- Ramshackle Games alternate mini selection for fantasy and futuristic games
- Puppetswar soldier and elite troops minis
- Raging Heroes (Also has fantasy minis listed below) insanely detailed female models of all shapes and sizes
- Forge Planet More conversion bits
- Pig-Iron-Productions futuristic soldier options
- Statuesque Miniatures great alternate character minis and more
Puppets War – Prime Battle Walker V1
- Blood and Skulls Industry More armor plates and alternate tank bits
- Mastercrafted Bits & Upgrades
- VictoriaMiniatures IG Male & Female Soldier models and bits
- Warlord Games Games, WWII, historical, and fantasy models
- Crooked-Dice historical/ futuristic sci-fi models and games
- mad robot miniatures Bits and accessories for all kinds of minis
- Legio Models Alternate kits for Knights
- Taro Modelmaker If you’re in the market for specific bits and one-off conversions for your Knight, these guys have an incredible selection.
- Iron Wolf Minis Keeping the focus on Knights a bit more, Iron Wolf Minis offers some very unique upgrades, especially for the helmet and weapons.
Legio Models Nuns of Battle Kit
- Heresy Miniatures Great fantasy minis!
- Copplestone Castings Soldier minis & more
- Hf minis Character alternatives!
- The Assault Group More character alternatives
- Mantic Games alternate army options. Great centerpiece models
- Infinity the Game Incredible futuristic sculpts perfect for characters/elites
- Taro Modelmaker amazing-quality resin alternate bits for futuristic/sci-fi mechanical walkers like Knights.
- Fox Box This company is awesome if you’re looking for a bunch of specific bits. If you’re in the market for the things that are harder to find, Fox Box probably has them.
- Mortian Incredible futuristic tank options that fit the bill for all kinds of battlefield roles in your games.
- Imperial Terrain Imperial Terrain has a huge variety of terrain options matching futuristic battlezones/town buildings as well as overgrown temples/ ancient ruins.
Kromlech Seraphim Knights Primary Conversion Bits
- Meridian Miniatures Historic Soldier options
- Blitzkrieg Miniatures WWII theme army options
- Secret Weapon Miniatures Great alternate bit options
- Tinker Turf Tinker Turf has some great options for tabletop terrain and even has some great options for some display board spice!
- Artel “W” Miniatures (Gothic Line pictured below)
Fantasy Alternative Miniatures To Games Workshop
- Tabletop Art Fantasy Figures
- Dark Sword Miniatures Fantastic options for D&D/fantasy characters
- Avatars-of-War
- Reaper Mini
- Spellcrow One pic doesn’t do Spellcrow justice. They’ve got alternate bits for fantasy and futuristic sci-fi games as well as their own line of models.
Heavily Armored Knights by Lost Kingdom
- Game Zone Miniatures Orcs, Goblins, Vampires, and more great fantasy options
- Norsgard
- Raging Heroes
- Fireforge-games
- Other World Miniatures
- Black Site Terrain These guys have the tech to fit all your terrain needs. From Sci-fi to nature, all the way to historical.
- Mini Monsters Alternate and themed Terrain
- Privateer Press Warmachine figures
- Lost Kingdom Miniatures (Fantasy Kickstarters & Direct Sales)
- Megalith-Games More Kickstarter fantasy factions
- Wyrd-Games
Angels All Stars, by Raging Heroes
- Mierce-Miniatures Fantastic alternate minis for fantasy games/ D&D groups
- Claymore Castings Medieval-themed Knight minis & more
- Victrix Limited Empire gunners in Napoleonic style, other historical models like Romans
Mierce Miniatures’ Maatmag, Gigantic Mammoth
There’s no doubt that there are plenty of awesome miniature companies out there. And with all of these to choose from, take your time and explore what they offer to make sure you get exactly what you want from the Best Alternatives to Games Workshop Miniatures in 2021.
Essential Hobby Products List
What do you think about these Alternatives to Games Workshop Miniatures? Do you have a “go-to”?
Editor’s Note: Since we published the first article of this series over six years ago, we have received a lot of messages asking us why “XYZ” company wasn’t on this list, either by hobbyists who had used their products OR by the folks who owned those companies. Just to be clear this is a list of folks I have personally worked with in the past or used their products so, for the most part, I can say without a doubt they “don’t suck”.
That being said feel free to email us (support AT Spikeybits.com) if you think we should take a look at a particular company or want to get your product into our hands for a promo or review.
Let us know in the comments of our Facebook Hobby Group, and make sure you enter the latest monthly giveaway for FREE today!
About the Author: Rob Baer
Rob Baer
Job Title: Managing Editor
Founded Spikey Bits in 2009
Socials: Rob Baer on Facebook and @catdaddymbg on X
About Rob Baer: Founder, Publisher, & Managing Editor of Spikey Bits, the leading tabletop gaming news website focused on the hobby side of wargaming and miniatures.
Rob also co-founded and currently hosts the Long War Podcast, which has over 350 episodes and focuses on tabletop miniatures gaming, specializing in Warhammer 40k. and spent six years writing for Bell of Lost Souls.
Every year, along with his co-hosts, he helps host the Long War 40k Doubles Tournament at Adepticon and the Long War 40k Doubles at Las Vegas Open, which attracts over 350 players from around the world.
Rob has won many Warhammer 40k Tournaments over the years, including multiple first-place finishes in Warhammer 40k Grand Tournaments over the years and even winning 1st place at the Adepticon 40k Team Tournament.
With over 30 years of experience in retail and distribution, Rob knows all the products and exactly which ones are the best. As a member of GAMA (Game Manufacturers Association), he advocates for gaming stores and manufacturers in these difficult times, always looking for the next big thing to feature for the miniatures hobby, helping everyone to provide the value consumers want.
While he’s played every edition of Warhammer 40k and Warhammer Fantasy (since 5th Edition) and has been hobbying on miniatures since the 1980s, Titans of all sizes will always be his favorite! It’s even rumored that his hobby vault rivals the Solemnance Galleries, containing rulebooks filled with lore from editions long past, ancient packs of black-bordered Magic Cards, and models made of both pewter and resin.
