Alternative Mordheim Model Megalist

So, the Great Purge has finally begun. I think most of us had been expecting this for a while now, whether you liked AoS or not, but it's still a bit sad to see so many fantastic(and, admittedly, a few not so brilliant) models being dropped forever by GW. A lot of the Empire characters that are vanishing are ones I can remember drooling over back in the days where they were made of metal and I had to carefully choose which to spend my pocket money on, and even if the Bretonnian peasant plastic kits were really showing the age of their moulds, they remain some of the most characterful miniatures GW have ever made and formed the basis of many fantastic conversions.

That this is finally happening has spurred me to starting this post, which will by no means be completed when first published, I intend to keep adding to it over time, and suggestions in the comments are welcomed.

There are already a few "alternative models"-style blogposts and forum threads out there, for WHFB and Mordheim, and they can be great resources, but all the ones I've found tend to be quite all-encompassing, by which I mean they tend to include any model that could potentially be used for the game, whereas I am primarily concerned with finding models that fit the setting, ie they look like they belong in Mordheim/Warhammer's aesthetic. And that is what this list is intended as - as AoS proceeds we will doubtless lose more of the models that fit within Fantasy's traditional aesthetic in favour of the more bombastic modern style, so I intend to catalogue all the miniatures I can find which fit my own obviously subjective criteria for a "proper" Warhammer/Mordheim model. The list will be divided by faction and any visually-distinctive subfaction(models which require additional conversion work to meet the standard will be noted as such). It will eventually include every currently-sold model from whatever source(including GW/FW) that I can find which fits aforementioned subjective criteria. Obviously given the purging will likely continue, I would recommend you pick up any GW models on this list that haven't been repackaged for AoS sooner rather than later.

Before we begin a brief but sadly necessary aside which will not be discussed further; if you're reading this post and find yourself itching to inform everyone that third-party model makers who make miniatures which are visually compatible with GW's various IPs(which are themselves pastiches of historical peoples and events, folklore & mythology, and "borrowed" concepts from other creative works) are "leeches making a living from other people's ideas" or any variation on that theme, please don't, it's not a PoV I'm interested in hearing about and any such comments will be moderated.

A final special note; any models marked "AoW" are from the Avatars of War range - very nice models, but I would advise buying them from a third-party retailer rather than direct from the AoW website, as they can sometimes take an extremely long time to ship.

And so...

Human Mercenaries

Captain of the Empire - GW

Empire Officer - FW; Be aware that the models from this set are noticeably taller than GW plastics.

Malika von Ostwald - Hasslefree; Makes a fine female Hero character, or even an effeminate noble male Youngblood.

Altreich Engineer - Black Chapel

Altreich Captain - Black Chapel

Landsknecht 03 - Brother Vinni's

Reloading Landsknecht 01 - Brother Vinni's

Empire Greatswords - GW; A fantastic if pricey kit that can be mixed with arms & heads(avoid the bodies unless you have a specific conversion in mind IMO) from the State Troops plastics also from GW to make Averlanders or fancier Reiklanders warbands, or Heroes for other Human Mercs subfactions.

Middenheimers:

Kalyna - Hasslefree; A solid female Youngblood model, though myself I'd choose to make her top complete again.

Wulfland Captain - Black Chapel

Wulfland Veteran - Black Chapel

Wulfland Honour Guard - Black Chapel

Human Male Barbarian - Otherworld Miniatures; Give him a halberd and a more appropriate helmet and this chap makes a very fine Middenheimer.

Marienburgers:

Empire Huntsmen - GW; With some admittedly hefty conversion work to add breastplates and leg armour, many of the models from this plastic kit can be made into dead-ringers for the original metal Marienburger Hero models.

Manann's Blades & Command - FW; For a slightly different but still very thematic appearance these FW models work well, and require no conversion work.

Kislevites:

Tradkarl the Wanderer - Red Box Games; Note - very tall.

Tileans/Estalians:
In practice, these two groups are too politically fractured and aesthetically intermixed to be separated easily, especially in the Mordheim era - a model with combed morion helmet could as easily be a Tilean Condottieri as an Estalian Conquistador.

Major-General of Lusia - AoW

Don Pedro, Duellist - Brother Vinni's

Spanish Pikemen - Brother Vinni's; Note; spears not included.

Cathayans:

Human Female Monk - Otherworld Miniatures

Human Male Monk - Otherworld Miniatures

Arabyans:

Arabic Corsairs - Brother Vinni's

Arabian Infantry(1st Rank) - Brother Vinni's

Mganga - Brother Vinni's

Witch Hunters

Witch Hunter - GW

Vampire Hunter - Scibor

Warrior Priest(Hammer) - GW

Warrior Priest(Great Weapon) - GW

Altreich Warrior Priest - Black Chapel

Flagellants - GW; Can be used as-is, but can be made to better suit the starved/crazed look of the Mordheim art by covering the exposed chests with robe and by using arms from the plastic Ghoul kit also from GW.

Flagellant - FW; Be aware that the models from this set are noticeably taller than GW plastics.

Drune-Hounds - Mierce; By not gluing on the horns and using a touch of putty to smooth out the skin slightly these guys will make a fine set of Warhounds - can be bought individually or as a pack of 5(inc 2 repeat sculpts).

Sisters of Sigmar

Sisters of Serens - Completed IndieGoGo; The presence of these SoS models here may be temporary as the producer is only taking orders via email(details in the IGG update, scroll down for English) until present stock is run down. If they return later I'll put them back up here.

Dwarf Treasure Hunters

Dwarf Command Set - FW; A tad hunchbacked for my liking, but still very nice details.

Berzerker Lord - AoW

Bör Dragonbane - AoW

Thunderlord - AoW

Ducal Guard #3 - Scibor

Miner #7 - Scibor; I love these Scibor Dwarfs(many more on their website), the less-armoured look is perfect IMO for the kind of Dwarfen bands you'd see in Mordheim or out adventuring around the Old World. Some of the models, for my taste, need to be made a bit shorter, but in most cases that's easily achieved by simply amputating the feet and either sculpting new boots or reattaching the old ones with the ankles trimmed off if you're not comfortable with putty - bonus, the result looks more like the oldschool "kneeless" GW style of Dwarf.

Miner #5 - Scibor

Miner #3 - Scibor

Cult of the Possessed

Empire Huntsmen - GW; A second appearance for this kit, which can also, with a bit of work, be converted into very nice Brethren with a fair resemblance to the original Mordheim models.

Goliath - Simon Miniatures; This is a fantastic sculpt, and should you be brave enough to match your conversion skills against the original model can be made into a really awesome Possessed in the style of the recent Mordheim PC game. You can buy the models direct from the sculptor using the info on his blog.

Warper Alpha - Quantum Gothic; This one is for those who prefer something more akin to the original metal Possessed in style.

Beastmen Raiders

Beastlord - GW

Brunchaath the Vile - Mierce; Some mild work to remove iconography and he's good to go.

Great Bray-Shaman - GW

Aanchuth the Cursed - Mierce; Again, basic iconography removal.

Baagath - Mierce; Baagath and the rest of his unit would make solid Bestigor alternatives.

Gors - GW; Can also make Bestigors with a little conversion work, saving having to buy the 10-man kit for those when you only need 2, as well as a Centigor with the addition of a plastic horse and some conversion work, an even more efficient choice as you only need a single one of those.

Ungors - GW

Ckaarakk - Mierce; A really nice armoured Minotaur alternative.

Minotaur Lord - AoW

Chaos Marauders

Bloodbound Slaughterpriest - GW; Can be converted into a very imposing Leader or Hero model.

Volk the Bastard - Hasslefree

Marauder Warlord - AoW

Bloodbound Bloodreavers - GW; A typically overwrought name for a modern GW/AoS kit, the models themselves make a solid basis for converting Norse or Kurgan tribesmen(making the armour less ornate/more primitive and adding heads from the Marauder Horsemen kit in the former case, and removing unwanted Khornate iconography and using helmeted heads in the latter) - better Marauders than the actual Marauders kit.

Marauder Horsemen - GW

Chaos Warhounds - GW

Hounds of Xaphan - FW; For those not convinced by the plastic Warhounds, these Forgeworld models might be more to your liking. Ignore the Ogryn, they're supposed to be for 40K.

The Hung:


Black Dwarfs

Daemonsmiths - FW; You get more than you need, but the spares can do duty as regular Heroes, a driver for the Engine of Chaos and so forth.

Infernal Guard Command - FW; The masked chappies make a great basis for your two Gaolers, and the one with the pistol can be used for a TLGT Hero

Bull Centaur Renders - FW; These are pretty HUEG, especially relative to the old style Bull Centaurs, but they do look fantastic.

Dwarves of Fire Canyon - Russian Alternative; One for fans of the old Bighat look. Other unit types are also on their ebay store.

Goblin Sharpshooters - Russian Alternative; Lovely Hobgoblin-esque models, will make excellent Informers.

Fimir

Swamp Folk Warrior - Troll Outpost; Not a huge amount of choice out there right now for these gents, indeed this model is the only one I know of other than the FW ones.

Fimir Warriors - FW

Skaven

Skaven Warlord - GW

Skaven Warlord - GW; After a little toning down, this plastic model makes an admirable Adept or Black Skaven/Stormvermin.

Skaven Warlord - GW; Another model which would fit many roles after being made a touch less ostentatious.

Blunt-Claw - Mierce; He's a big fat hairless ratman, what more could you want?

Vermin Clan Lord - AoW

Skaven Clanrats - GW; A nice wee kit, with models inside that can fit multiple different Clan aesthetics. With some conversion work, will get you almost a complete warband.

Giant Rats - Otherworld Miniatures

Eshin:

Skaven Assassin - GW

Skaven Assassin - GW; One for those who prefer the oldschool Skaven look.

Grey Seer - GW; Can be made into an Eshin Sorcerer with some modest conversion work.

Skryre:

Arch-Warlock - GW

Moulder:

Packmaster - GW

Wolf Rats - FW; These are an option for Moulder warbands built using my homebrew rules.

Pestilens:

Plague Furnace - GW; A pricey option if you can't find the parts separately, but the character model is fantastic and makes a wonderful Plague Priest, and the 3 crew can be turned into Plague Monks with some effort.

Plague Monks - GW; Older models, but still fairly good, and you'll get most of a warband out of a single box.

The Undead

Vampire Lord - GW

Vampire Lord - GW

Female Vampire Lord - Russian Alternative; Note; wings optional.

Viktor cel Rău - Mierce

Wight King - GW; OK, Krell himself is maybe a bit much for Mordheim, but it's such a lovely model and you can just about get away with using him as a Grave Guard(Hero Wight) from the BTB supplement Restless Dead warband.

Wight King - GW

Necromancer - GW

Corpse Cart - GW; Double the price of the solo Necromancer gets you a nice alternative version, plus some zombie sculpts with a bit more life in them(aha, groan, boo, gerroff etc) than the GW boxed set, plus loadsabitz. Not bad.

Necromancer - AoW; His staff top could do with being toned down a touch, but otherwise a nice model.

Ghouls - Otherworld Miniatures; These older-style Ghouls are actually a better fit for the Grimm Fairy Tales-meets-Hammer Horror theme of the Sylvanian Undead than the new plastic kit IMO.

Ghouls - Heresy Miniatures; Available in the deal shown below or in smaller groups, another variation on the older style of Ghoul.

Skeleton Warriors - GW

Strigany:

Magda from Afar - Red Box Games; Note - Slighter build than GW figures, but possibly the best "Gypsy" style model out there.

Akos the Scorned - Hasslefree; Reworking the legs with putty to have trousers and rough leather boots would turn Akos here into an admirable Domnu.

Human Male Thief - Otherworld Miniatures

Pack-Bearer v2 - Otherworld Miniatures

Sea-Dog Rifleman - Privateer Press; Note - taller than GW-sized models.

Ghasts - Otherworld Miniatures; The chap on the left there would be a good way to represent a Hero who's been made a swain/get.

Tomb Kings:

Walking Mummy - Brother Vinni's

Orcs & Goblins

Orc Warboss - GW

Orc Command Set - FW

Orc Great Shaman - GW

Orc Shaman - AoW

Troll - GW

Orc Boyz - GW

Goblin Nasty Skulkers - GW

Goblins - Crooked Claw Miniatures; A really wonderful range of Kev Adams-sculpted Gobbos, in active development as well so even more variety should be available in the coming months.

Gnarly Cave Squigs - GW

Lizardmen

Skink Starpriest - GW

Skink Priest - GW

Skinks - GW

Saurus Guard - GW; Better to buy this than the normal Saurus kit as it lets you build Heroes as well.

Kroxigor - GW

Saurian Mauler - AoW

Amazons


Dark Elves

Black Ark Fleetmaster - GW; Makes a good Highborn.

Dark Elf Prince - AoW

Dark Elf Sorceress - GW

Dreadspears - GW; Can be built with spears, swords, or repeater crossbows, from one box you can build your Highborn, your two Fellblades, and the maximum 5 Shades.

Black Ark Corsairs - GW

Hired Swords

Ogre Maneaters - GW; GW make several different Maneaters in resin and a big selection of Ogres in plastic, but the change in aesthetic from your more classical fantasy Ogre to the newer near-East-inspired look put some people off, best to browse yourself and see which if any you like.

Monk with Shield - Black Chapel; An alternative, slightly less ornate Priest of Ulric, or perhaps a Priest of Taal after a weapon swap.

Altreich Alchemist - Black Chapel; A fine Merchant, or perhaps a substitute for a Witch or Warlock.

Kayazy Assassin Underboss - Privateer Press; Another Merchant, this time of a Kislevite persuasion.

Raven Clan Mystic - Blood Rage/CMoN; A brilliant Witch model, sadly only available as part of an expansion box for the boardgame.

Mule-handler v1 - Otherworld Miniatures; Perfect for a BTB Muleskinner.

Necromancer - Mad Puppet Miniatures; Contrary to the name, I'm recommending this for duty as a Warlock, it evokes the same kind of grimy-weirdness as the original miniature IMO.

Venerable Thaumaturge - Gamezone Miniatures; I love this model, so much character, perfect for a mounted Warlock or Merchant.

Cirlean Murmillo - AoW; A solid Tilean Pit Fighter model, could perhaps do with being made slightly less ostentatious.

Master Pathfinder - AoW; What it says on the tin.

Berserker Lord - AoW; Another alternative Troll Slayer from AoW, in case you'd prefer a different pose to the ones shown in the Dwarf section above.

More to come...

EDITS:

Removed Wulfhere and Cynemon - Models far too small relative to GW, both in stature and proportions.

Moved Drune-Hounds from Marauders to WH - Models too small for Chaos Hounds, but ideal size for Warhounds.

Added Crooked Claw Goblins.