From 3D Printing to Third Party Miniatures, there has been much talk about what is and what isn’t suitable for Warhammer 40k.
Some of our biggest posts of the year here on the site are our Black Friday and Cyber Monday posts, and this year’s one featuring Third Party miniature sales was no different.
Third-party miniatures and 3D printing alternatives are not ruining Warhammer 40k; something else entirely seems to be happening, and the source may be closer to the game than you think.
Check out our latest editorial below on the topic, along with our list of the 50 or so best third-party miniatures and alternatives to Warhammer 40k that may be worth a look for your next hobby project!
Are Third-Party Miniatures & 3d Printing Alternatives Really Ruining Warhammer 40k?
This is in response to an opinion piece about the state of Warhammer 40k and the idea that third-party miniatures and 3D printing are ruining the game’s competitive nature from another site.
Let’s look at some facts on what may actually be happening with the Warhammer 40k and if 3d printing and third-party miniatures alternatives are ruining the game.
Alternative Warboss miniature from Kromlech
What are Third Party Miniatures for Warhammer 40k?
Let’s start with some clarification of what exactly third-party miniatures are. A third-party miniature is anything you can buy not from Games Workshop that is similar enough to be used as an alternative on the tabletop (not something for another game, as they have rulesets of their own, but sometimes people will use them too).
3D Printing alternatives fall under the same category, but instead of buying the minis, you buy the STL file and print it out for yourself. This can range from full models to bits. Before we go any further, remember that one-to-one copies steal Games Workshop’s Intellectual Property, which could land you in hot water.
Why Do Players Use Third Party Miniatures for Warhammer 40k?
Puppets War 3d Prints Compared to a Games Workshop Primaris Marine (painted with Speedpaint).
Next, let’s look at the main fact and issues facing players. Pricing coupled with availability has always been a big thorn in the side of Warhammer players. Along with advances in 3d printing, this has created a giant rise in third-party alternative miniatures on the market. However, this doesn’t seem like the fault of players or 3rd party manufacturers.
Say a retailer creates their own demand by, for instance, putting out a new codex book with OP rules for certain models but immediately running out of stock of said models (like we saw with the 2022 Daemons release).
Or perhaps charge so much for their own alternatives, like we’re currently seeing with Horus Heresy models only being available from Forge World, that people can’t actually play the game.
It seems like that is an inter-department planning issue from that manufacturer and not the fault of people trying to come up with a way they can actually play the game that was marketed to them across all their social medias, and from their favorite influencers (who got the latest and greatest releases for free).
Out-of-Stock Items Are No Good
We did a big post on it, but for months after Horus Heresy dropped, they were out of tons of essential items that players needed for the game.
If you didn’t go the third-party route or use 3D printing, you couldn’t get these items for months (some even at the time of this writing still). Again, doesn’t seem like it’s the fault of hobbyists wanting to play the game. It seems ownership lies with Games Workshop for not having what people want while hyping them up to buy, buy, buy with thier marketing strategies.
However, is it bad that because hobbyists grabbed the minis from where they could, they were actually able to play the game? Instead of just sitting around for months without playing, people were learning a new game system and actually playing the game!
If you ask us, that sounds like a good thing for any game system, Horus Heresy, Warhammer 40k, or otherwise…
Recently so much of the Chaos Daemons release sold out that even the codex was out of stock (even as of this writing three months later).
If you can’t even get the rules or miniatures from Games Workshop, players will go elsewhere for them. So again, this seems more like GW hurting their own game by not having what people want when they could have their own downloadable solution or app that isn’t paywalled with a physical code that you physically can not get right now…
Why is There a Need For Bits Versus Full Warhammer Miniatures?
3d printed bits from Pop Goes the Monkey
It is no secret that Games Workshop does not provide enough weapon options in almost every kit they produce. For example, any heavy weapon or special weapon squad (i.e., Scourges, Devastators, Retributors, etc…) does not come with enough weapons to actually make a full squad with the same armament.
Over the years, this has led to a rise in companies and, recently, 3D artists making the bits for consumers. So again, it doesn’t seem like it’s the player’s fault that they don’t want to buy three boxes of something to make one squad with a certain optimal weapon loadout.
Can You Play Third-Party Miniatures In Tournaments?
Tournaments need players, plain and simple, as they want as many people to show up and play the game. The majority of non-Games Workshop tournaments allow 3rd party miniatures in some form. They have different guidelines you must follow (so be sure to look at the tournaments you’re competing in), but the majority really do not seem to care if you use alternative minis.
For the most part, as long as third-party minis are about the same size and have recognizable weapons, tournament organizers generally don’t care. Following those guidelines doesn’t seem to hurt the tournament experience or immersion.
Regardless of if they are third-party products or 3d prints, if your miniatures are painted, are approximately the right size, and on the correct bases, they will still look good on the tabletop.
Can Game Stores Sell Third Party Miniatures & Alternatives to Warhammer 40k?
Looking back at the allocations from not too long ago, game stores were being hurt by Games Workshop’s lack of availability as they seemed to reserve a giant portion of products for their online store and then gave the scraps to local game stores.
If a store cannot get products from Games Workshop to sell, they either have to transition to other games or stock up more on third-party miniatures and alternatives to survive.
Many third-party companies, such as Kromlech, Wargames Atlantic, Mantic, etc, sell wholesale to stores. If you own a game store, you can profit from plenty of third-party companies’ miniatures.
The majority are also available in distribution here in the states for easier access to their products even.
Editor’s note if you need pointers on which distributor carries which line, please email me.
A great example of this is Giga-Bites Cafe, which is an amazing local game store, and if you live anywhere near the Atlanta area, you need to check them out. Just a quick look through their Facebook, and you can find tons of updates of them stocking third-party miniatures and alternatives.
They are making money with third-party miniatures every day, and on our last visit, had had one of the biggest selections of them we have ever seen.
If you own a Local Game Store, there are many options to make money on third-party alternatives and miniatures. Plus, if you have a 3D printer, you can buy a retail license from almost any Patreon out there or even tons of Kickstarters, which gives stores the option to make money from them.
Did Third-party Miniatures and Alternatives Hurt the Imperial Guard?
How many codexes has it been since Games Workshop produced new models for Steel Legion, Mordians, Valhallan, or Tallarn? It’s been a really long time, and making a statement that saying the new Imperial Guard codex rules are in response to third-party miniatures and alternatives seems a little heavy-handed.
The new book may support third-party miniatures and alternatives like 3D printing more than ever! Now you can just take whatever doctrines you want and play with whatever suitable Imperial Guard miniatures you have.
Do Third-party Miniatures and Alternatives hurt Warhammer 40k?
Scitari Extension Kit by Wargame Exclusive
It seems like third-party miniatures and alternatives in no way hurt the Warhammer 40k meta or immersion, as they often can look just as cool, are much cheaper, and can still be very supportive of game stores. While they may hurt Games Workshop’s bottom line, that is due to GW’s own policies and has nothing to do with the rise of third-party miniatures and 3d printing Warhammer 40k alternatives.
If third-party miniatures and alternatives hurt the game of Warhammer 40k, what’s the next argument; that not using Citadel Color Paints on models ruins the look and immersion?
Click Here For a List of all the Sci-fi Alternative Miniatures To Games Workshop
There’s no doubt that plenty of awesome miniature companies are out there. And with all of these to choose from, take your time and explore what they offer to ensure you get exactly what you want for your next army or project.
What are your thoughts on third-party miniatures and 3d printing alternatives to games like Warhammer 40k?
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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.
