I was eying the Avatars of War models for some time now, and I feel like sharing it with you guys so you will see what good models they could be for alternative models.
What is an alternative model? An alternative model is when you use a model of another company in replace of your less attractive option that you have or just want a more outstanding model.
I've always been hunting around for alternative models and I've already seen a lot, especially from Privateer Press. I'll talk more on Privateer Press' miniatures some other time.
I have yet to see any of these miniatures in real life, so I'm guessing that the scale is the same as our 40k/Fantasy world.
Let's start with the Barbarian Hero. Look at it, the dynamics of the sculpt already speaks for itself, having the wind blowing in his hair while waiting/watching. This model could be used for Fantasy, though I'm not sure which army you can use it into, but I believe that with a little bit of conversion, this could make a good hero.
The first thing that comes to my mind when looking at this Beastman Hero, I would think Khorne. Easy to replace the weedy looking Skulltaker anytime... I mean, come on, this guy here looks more muscular and has more veins popping out than the Hulk!
This Lord of Chaos here is rather interesting. It comes with 2 options, the Sword and Shield or the Hammer and Axe. They're both different sets, so you would have to choose wisely which you would want. I'm not sure if you can get both heads in the set, but I think they both look good. In the Avatars of War website, you're allowed to choose any set-up you wish and order!
Well, the name of the model already says so, Lord of Chaos, so you can use it for any Chaos Lords if you wish.
Looking at the one without the helmet, I think this would fit the Chaos Lord of
Tzeentch very well. Having a third eye there, it would resemble the
Primarch,
Magnus the Red. Both weapons on a model might be a fuss in the 40k world, so you can either treat is as a Daemon Weapon or just model on the
bolter on it, if your
bolter is big enough.
This guy here is the Dark Elf Hero, and seriously, this is one fine sculpt! I'll get this one day and paint it, I swear. Take a closer look behind him and you can see the helmeted head. I believe you will get the helmeted head in the same box. I'm not really interested in the Dark Elf lords that GW has provided, I will definitely settle for this anytime! Oooh, look at the amount of scales on this guy... :)
Serious looking, means business, and looking at this model here, you can already feel the direction of the wind. You might notice that Avatars of War have decided to make this Dark Elf Queen here less censored as compared to the ones in GW. I would say that this will challenge the painters more on painting flesh. A good choice to start practicing on that technique. This also means that the miniatures provided are more realistic with less attempts to cover up or so.
The Dark Elf Sorceress, the model that almost bears it all... But look at it closely, the facial expression and the little dragon rested on her arm means that this will be challenging to paint too. It's amazing how these guys sculpted such a good looking one.
This one here is the Dark Elf Shadow Witch. Yes, it is almost the same model as the Dark Elf Queen, but this means more variety if you want to look for sorceress'. Wait till Codex:Dark Eldar is released that I believe people will be hunting for these if GW doesn't keep up with their Dark Eldar sculpting.
For those who are interested in these little beardy men, this Dwarf Berserker here can be an alternative for a hero. Stepping on what seems like an Orc head while holding 2 axes, this guy here seems like a real bad ass. Note the amount of detail on the axe.
The Dwarf Thunderlord really hits spot on to dwarves that are more towards the mechanical side. The pose is just cool and steady as if ready to take a shot.
The Dwarf Lord of Chaos! Evil little squatty men aren't they? I think little Grimgor here is pissed that someone is sitting on his beer keg! *Note the amount of details especially the gloves.
One nice pose for one pretty boy. This Elf Hero already says "Pick me! Pick me" with his sword held high. Looks like a real fun to paint kind of miniature.
Waaaaagh! This 'ere is one tuff lookin' boss! Ya dun mess wiv da Orc Hero, ya betta lissen ta im befor he smash ya puny 'ead in.
For those who play the Snakebites, this is one Warboss you gotta have. Even if you don't, a Warboss this big and scary could really send dem 'umies runnin'!
The
Orc Shaman here could do good in replacing the
Weirdboyz. He could be
Ol Zogwort himself, but you still have to worry about the Nest of Vipers that
Ol Zogwort has.
For those who play the Goblins in Fantasy, this Goblin King can be errr, your new Goblin King, yup... He looks really brutal though... I wonder if he just yanked those 2 heads off at once. *pop pop*
Haha, this Goblin Hero just looks too mischievous with the tongue sticking out.
This Necromancer here could fit in as a sorcerer, doesn't matter whether you play 40k or Fantasy, he could be your Chaos Sorcerer with that evil looking theme he has.
Anybody wants a pet? Here ya go, a dire wolf, look at him smile! Anybody wants to pet him now?
Now this is what I'm talking about, a Netherhound for you Chaos Daemon players there. Having a tough time getting Karanak? Just use this, 3 heads are better than one right? Right?
I would really say that I hope to see more sculpts from Avatars of War so that wargamers like us will have more choices when it comes to choosing our armies. Sometimes we look at what our current games developer has to provide for us, we think, "Since some of those guys look ugly, I won't start that army.", now you can think again. Look for different alternative models. I'll post up more when the time comes and hopefully I find more.
If all else fails, you can always use Lego as your alternative model, be it in game, or in life...
Hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did...
"5 types of anti-biotics, 4 types of fever meds, 4 types of cough mixtures, 2 types of inflammation meds, 3 types of flu meds, 1 and a half months to get rid of the virus residing in me, 4 total visits to the doctors... I'm not even sure if it's totally gone or....."
