Editing Proxy (section)

==Proxy models==
In [[wargames]], "proxy" is used as a verb: to "proxy" a model means to use some other model to represent it.  For example, [[Jokaero]] look rather silly, but [[AT-43]] Karmans look way cool, and they're made to the same scale, so people can and do use them as substitutes.  Or, for another, Dark Eldar Mandrakes have awesome models, but crappy rules (as of 5e this has been fixed), so people like to use their models to represent other, better units. 

In tabletop terms there are a variety of different approaches to proxying stuff but they fall into three major schools of thought (presented in glorious technicolour and descending order of quality/respectability):

===Conversion===
This is the practice of using existing models and making modifications to create either a personalised version of the original, or a different vehicle entirely. In either case the reason is normally to make better looking minis than are officially offered. Very minor conversions are extremely common, as practically all players like to customise their dudes and tanks to some degree and most modern plastic kits are built to be flexible and interchangeable so that minor conversions are as simple as gluing on different bits. More aggressive conversions can involve jamming together bits from multiple kits (known as kitbashing) or using practically no official parts of models at all (known as scratch building). Conversions that build from a single kit are practically always acceptable, and kitbashed or scratchbuilt models are normally fine as long as it's clear what they are supposed to be, what things they have on them and they fit the aesthetic. Various companies make conversion kits and parts to work with/around 40k models and specifically to fill in the gaps in terms of weapon options which are either never officially offered or only available from forge world. Of course for Orks [[Looted|you can pretty much please yourself]].

===Other miniatures===
This is fairly simple approach where you buy models (either from the same game or another) that look better or are cheaper and use them to represent something else. The key to finding acceptance in this school is in finding models that actually work in context. Being in the right scale is critical, and matching the aesthetic of the army is fairly important, you may get away with a Gundam model in a [[Tau]] army (the Rick Dias is your best bet btw), but [[Space Marines]]? Not so much. Using single minis or a small group of them to represent specific things (characters or veteran units) is generally ok, they often look better or are way, way, WAY cheaper, and in friendly/unofficial games NOBODY is going to give a single fuck if you're not using Cadians, Catachan or the like to represent your Imperial Guardsmen. (Seriously, $45 for a box of ten Guardsmen?)

Also fun fact: GW licensed products also count for warhammer world at least: it's the rule's clause that also allows the old 2ed titans tanks GW did not technically make through armor cast and the like. Same goes for [[Space Crusade]] produced by Milton Bradley. It also let's means you can technically drop a Bandai's Warhammer 40,000 Chibi model and it be table (if not tournment) legal at a GW store.

===Random objects===
This is normally the go-to for young or poor (or cheap) gamers playing friendly games, and even for veteran grown-ups to test how expensive things play without having to buy the units in question. It's certainly not unheard of for big games like Apocalypse to be played with 95% of the forces as some kind of proxy simply because people want to play the game but it'll take thousands of pounds and months of diligent modeling and painting to make the forces most of which won't ever see the table again. Whole games can be played with proxies in this fashion (this gamer suggests using paper instead of random objects so you can write on them so you can't lose track of stuff) because we all get bored and since you're a gamer going outside or meeting attractive women is pretty unrealistic so you do what you gotta do. The absolute master of the random object stand-in is the paper warhound titan, plans of which can be found on google. Print it out, cut along the dots, fold and tuck in the flaps and boom; a to-scale titan.
[[Image:Coke_pods.jpg|thumb|right|Look at this. GW LOOK AT THIS.]]
The degree to which this practice is accepted officially depends on the company and setting.  Battlefront Miniatures (makers of [[Flames of War]]) is pretty chill about proxies, while [[Games Workshop]] forbids them from their official tournaments and stores.

The skill of the conversion can make or break the acceptance: a [[Land Raider]] masterfully built out of Lego bricks (or a whole army, like [https://secure.flickr.com/photos/jerac/sets/72157625354017872 this one]) will likely be accepted (and maybe even complimented), while a Land Raider represented by a juice box probably won't.

One of the most common things to do is to proxy Drop pods with soda cans, they're about the same size, don't ever move, functionally useless once they hit the board, and most hobby stores at least sell soda, so they're readily available for younger players.