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When I was first getting my friend in Warmachine/Hordes, I was showing him the gallery on Privateer Press's website. We were looking at the Everblight Units when the following conversation took place:

"Cool, Everblight has Hobgoblins!"

"..."

"What?"

"They're Nyss, they're supposed to be winter elves."

"You're ****ing me right?"

With the release of the MK2 Hordes Field Test, I've started a Everblight army. So far I've avoided almost all the Nyss models. I have shepherds, forsaken, eLylyth, and Absylonia, but other than that it's all beasts and blighted ogrun.

So I figured I'd start a thread about good proxies from other companies.

A note on quantities: One of the challenges of buying from other companies is that things aren't necessarily sold in the same quantity as the privateer press item I'm trying to replace. There are several solutions for this. For GW products, eBay is totally the way to go. Sellers like Black Dagger Games and Hoard O Bits sell individual models as well as parts. Reaper miniatures largely sells their miniatures individually but also have 8 and 9 model packs in their Warlord line.

What about bases? Privateer Press sells their bases in blisters, but there are also other sources. EM4 miniatures is a very economical source with incredibly fast shipping and great service.
em4miniatures.com <-- scroll down and look for the ones called new style bases.

Blighted Archers
http://privateerpress.com/files/products/legion-of-everblight/units/blighted-archers-unit.png
http://privateerpress.com/files/products/legion-of-everblight/units/blighted-archers.png
Attachment
http://privateerpress.com/files/products/legion-of-everblight/units/blighted-archer-officer-and-ammo-porter.png

So basically we're looking at elves with bows, a couple leader types and an elf with bundles of arrows or something to represent bundles of arrows (sacks perhaps?).

Alternatives:
Mantic Games Elf Scouts
http://www.manticgames.com/Shop-Home/Elves/Scouts/Product/Elves-Scout-Patrol-Troop.html

Mantic Games elves are very thin and slight. They are thinner than almost any warmachine/hordes miniature, being thinner of limb than even Menoth Daughters of the Flame. They are inexpensive at 10 elves for 8 GBP. Maelstrom Games has them for 10% off with free shipping worldwide.

As for their appearance, they may not be blighted enough-- or rather they look a bit civilized. I think they'll work with a nice stark legion paint scheme, but they don't look as spiritually broken and malicious as they could.

Reaper Miniatures Warlord Vale Archers
http://www.reapermini.com/OnlineStore/vale%20archers/latest/06119

Pretty traditional elves with bows. I think they have the potential to look very alien and grim given the right paint scheme. They certainly don't look as "bouncy" as the Mantic ones. They are a pretty good match with Warmachine/Hordes stuff when it comes to scale and proportions. Price isn't wonderful. No real savings there.

Games Workshop Wood Elf Glade Guard
http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/catalog/productDetail.jsp?prodId=prod800866&rootCatGameStyle=

You get 16 in a box, so that's enough for two units at less than minimum size or enough for one unit at full size with figures for the leaders. I don't believe it comes with bundles of arrows as bits, so that's something to look for. They're also available individually from Black Dagger Games. The price is certainly right. A full unit with attachment with parts to spare. They have traditional elf faces and can likely be painted up to look rather sinister. A serious contender.

A simple change of paint scheme can completely change the mood/feel of these models:
http://www.games-workshop.com/gws/content/article.jsp?categoryId=cat50020&pIndex=1&aId=1800011&start=2

Thunderbolt Mountain Elf Archers
https://www.thunderboltmountain.com/product_info.php?cPath=25&products_id=98&osCsid=b5e222e8fcf25d5be7454baee59171e4
https://www.thunderboltmountain.com/product_info.php?cPath=34&products_id=139&osCsid=b5e222e8fcf25d5be7454baee59171e4

Astoundingly beautiful miniatures by arguably the best miniature sculptor in the world (Tom Meier). The price is great and individual figures are available as well as packs of 20. The style doesn't quite fit warmachine though. Tom's style is very much a realistic/historical approach.
https://www.thunderboltmountain.com/images/painted_figs/minigoddess/noblewoman1.jpg

Blighted Swordsmen
http://privateerpress.com/files/products/legion-of-everblight/units/blighted-swordsmen-unit.png
http://privateerpress.com/files/products/legion-of-everblight/units/blighted-swordsmen.png
Attachment:
http://privateerpress.com/files/products/legion-of-everblight/units/blighted-swordsmen-abbot-and-champion.png

Some of the most goblinoid miniatures to ever be passed off as elves. Basically lightly armoured elves with two handed swords. A leader type and one with two swords.

Reaper Vale Swordsmen
http://www.reapermini.com/OnlineStore/vale/sku-down/06120

Classic lightly armoured elves with two handed swords. 9 per box. Only one of the sculpts is available individually. Sculpted in Werner Klocke's excellent distinctive elven style. Price isn't wonderful, but the miniatures are nice. As well, there's enough various heroes and whatnot by the same sculptor that finding a substitute for the Abbot and Champion shouldn't be that hard.

More to follow...

If you're going to get something for the blighted, they should look, um, blighted.

http://www.reapermini.com/OnlineStore/isiri/sku-down/14385

http://www.reapermini.com/OnlineStore/isiri/sku-down/06194

Maybe it's far far from what you want, but it's what I thought of for blighted nyss.

I am using Rackham clones of dirz for my Everblight.

Then again I am using all rackham metals for my legion...

Karatis warriors are warmongers
clones of dirz as swordsmen or legionaires (still thinking on this...)
2 blisters with a shepherd lookalike (don't have a name)
a box with a few griblies for the lessers and 2 strider solos and a figure to be used as Ryas or Absylonia.
a nephilim soldier wannabe (big claw)
2 carniveans wannabes

I will try to take some pics tonight if you want. Models are for sale here and there (especially the clones) and IMHO they fit in nicely with PP-models..

The clones of dirz are excellent miniatures. I like them almost as much as I like the mid-nor.

It's been shelved while I work on everblight, but I'm in the process of building a Khador army with Wargods of Aegyptus miniatures and the plastic jacks from Grind.

The reaper miniatures are indeed very twisted/blighted/mutated. They aren't exactly what I'm looking for though as I'm basically trying to find elves. I think that other than maybe adding some spikes protruding here and there, the paint job should be sufficient to tie them into an everblight army.

I ended up ordering 3 individual GW WFB Wood Elf Glade Riders from Black Dagger to use as raptors. I thought about going with the dark elf cold one cavalry so the raptors would actually be raptors, but figured the lighter looking and appropriately armed glade riders would be a better way to go. Price was right-- 3 of them cost me less than one PP raptor costs locally even after shipping.

EDIT: Just wanted to add that I never would have guessed that I would ever be buying GW miniatures and saving money. While it's a shame their rules purposefully devalue their models so you need more and more of them, they are quite nice and a good price if you use them for more reasonable rules.

Well, I will stick to using them tho

I am still looking for sites that let me buy more similar minis, but I am curious if the wood elves will look ok as striders next to the clones (in appropriate colours naturaly) or that they might be to big (which is what i am fearing...)

anyone that can give a comparison of the two?? (not having woodelves myself that is...)

I have some woodelves that I converted for bloodbowl. I also have a bunch of Rackham stuff but not the clones.

I generally found that Rackham went with a thinner style than GW generally goes for.

The main concern is probably style. The clones of dirz are so unique looking with their awesome masks that regular bog standard fantasy elves might not fit well next to them.
http://homepage.mac.com/j.grant.hill/fangs/corp/files/More-clones.jpg
http://www.warpuppy.com/images/products/confrontation/legends/dirz_clones_l.jpg

The clones of dirz make fabulous everblight infantry though. They're amazing.