Editing Model Alternatives (section)

==Core Manufacturers==

===Roleplaying Games===
Generally speaking, no Roleplaying Game should or will require official models, allowing greater freedom of selection. Some games may have licensed products (like [[Dungeons and Dragons]]) but mandatory model ownership is unheard of.  That being said, many lines of models made for this purpose are single-part models which require no assembly.  That total lack of variety may encourage some players to use kit models instead, or to customize the cookie-cutter figures with [[green stuff]], spare [[bits]] from other model kits, or the aggressive application of a hack saw.

That said, many FLGS's will have generic terrain in stock for various pen-and-paper adventures.  You should feel free to get creative with these local resources!  Surely your command squad could use a planning table, or your pirate captain would want a cask of battlefield ale!

===Games Workshop===
Of most relevance to [[/tg/]] is the Warhammer games; [[Warhammer: Age of Sigmar]], [[Warhammer 40,000]], and the no-longer supported [[Warhammer Fantasy]]. 

Games Workshop (and their patrician minion, Citadel) has in the past utilized their status as a big company to enter into lawsuits against other companies in the time honored tradition of using international copyright law as a fulcrum to help you sit on a smaller competitor and crush them (infamously attempting to copyright "Space Marines").
This has done a great deal to remove sympathy for slumping sales that have progressively worsened in the third millennium, and the popularity of their games combined with price gouging have encouraged waves of alternative models, some inspired and some blatant. 

After an initial crackdown on external products (culminating both in instances of drilling into a finished model to verify it was not a recast after numerous instances of fraud or even non-GW models appearing at events (see; [[Golden Demon]]) and a policy of not allowing homemade terrain despite official literature from GW coming with instructions of how to make it) brought them a great deal of bad press, Games Workshop quietly released guidelines on how much of a non-GW product may be allowed in an army played at Games Workshop stores, as well as an official policy regarding [[Unit Filler]]. 
Of course, individual cases vary from store manager to event organizer for better or worse. 

Worth mentioning that out of production and non-supported Specialist Games like [[Mordheim]]/[[Necromunda]] and [[Blood Bowl]] are fully free to use proxies with due to unavailability of legit models. As a result, the market for "Medieval Football" minis is somewhat expansive.

===Corvus Belli===
Due to Infinity's smaller squad size, and greater focus on reacting to exact enemy equipment, the community prefers to be as WYSIWYG as possible with their models.  [[Corvus Belli]] makes mostly metal models, which are tougher to modify than plastic models.  Combine this with their distinctive futuristic style, monopose models with very few if any extra [[bits]], and many model profiles without actual models, and you have a perfect storm driving players to look for alternative models.

===Privateer Press===
They do Warmachine/Hordes, and several other things now.  Keep an eye out for [[Warcaster]] models, as they look like they'll make good Infinity proxies (and vice versa).

===Tamiya===
Now hear me out.  They may not have a great selection of futuristic 28mm toy soldiers, but they have plenty of other models to offer.  Plenty of WW2 and Cold War tanks for conversions, and tons of accessories kits and extra bits on the cheap.  For example: the Tamiya Jerry Cans set (item 35026) includes six 55-gal oil drums with *almost* same dimensions as the old 40K oil drums that came with the Battlefield Accessories kit.  Plus more than a dozen jerry cans, and four pails.  For less than $9 USD.

===Mantic===
An up-and-coming miniature wargames company.  Mantic has like, at least 7 different tabletop games involving miniatures.  They release all of the rules for these games digitally for free, but their minis are great for other games.  They appear to be chasing GW's tail, but their minis have a distinct style.  They also sell terrain made for D&D.  Check them out for their own games, or to pilfer models for use as proxies in other games.