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I want to propose an exercise in creative spending.

Imagine you only had a budget of 50 USD (or about 31 British pounds) to spend on Warhammer 40k models. You wanted to build as big of an army as you could within that constrained budget.

How would you go about getting those models and how big of an army can you build with such little funds? Assume the following:

Ignore taxes. Let's say you can scrimp enough to afford the tax plus the $50 on the models.
Ignore costs of travel. You can hitch a ride with a generous friend to the local gaming store within reason (no five hour drives).
No hand outs. No pity army from anyone, but if you can realistically get a discount, explain how.
You have access to the codex of your army and the 40k rules, even if you don't own them.
You still pay internet costs for shipping (if you have a specific example, link it for viewing).
You can trade models for other models (realistic trades, no trades of one vanilla space marine model for a Leman Russ).
Counts-as models work (so long as we go by WYSIWYG, you can have a model count as another model).
Competitiveness is optional, but try to make the list functional (if you can make a razorspam army from $50, you must be the spend-thrift god!).

Once you've done all that, post the results here of your own attempts to build an army for as high a point cost as you can.

Nob Bikers:
Deffkoptas are about $3 each on Ebay. Dollar store wheels to convert to bikes. So $4/ea.
We'll say 8 so $32
AOBR Warboss is like $3, we'll take two. Up to $38
Big Choppas are a bunch for $3, so $41
3 PK from Ebay are about $10-12. So $51-53

That'll get you a 2x Warboss and 6 Nobs, which is pretty decent.

Big in terms of points or model count?

Once I got 180 really old plastic grots off ebay for about $20. So, model count, I'd just go after cheap auctions.

Necrons.

my FLGS has a box full of sprue take as you want...

If you check out ebay you can get 5 AoBR terms for $12 shipped buy four lots. Even less if you are willing to wait for badly painted models. Buy a AoBR chaptermaster for $3

Now get some plastic card and make some shields, hammers, and lighting claws.


Now you have a 1000pt DA army for next to no cash.

Big Mek Dattrukk wrote:Necrons.

my FLGS has a box full of sprue take as you want...

Umm, what? Can you head down there and grab the box, pack it into a flat rate box and ship it to me? I could use the models. I'll pay for shipping.

Wow that is a friendly gaming store!

Counts-as is always good.

Warzone or Void 1.1 plastics are RIDICULOUSLY cheap on ebay and make great IG counts-as - you can get 10 man squads for as little as £3.50, and I've picked up 60-man bags for about £12 before.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10-Man-Warzone-Bauhaus-Ducal-Militia-/370606756350?pt=UK_Toys_Wargames_RL&hash=item5649e251fe

The rest you could spend on 'real' special and heavy weapons from bits sites.

Not to long ago I saw someone selling 30 or 40 grey hunters (still on sprue) for ~50$

If you're willing to play Imperial Armour,

buy tank models from other ranges for about $15-20 each

one tank is the command tank, the other 2 are the troop choices

(go to Krieg armored battle group which is in IA7 I believe)

http://www.amazon.com/M1-a1-Abrams-Tank-1-35-Trumpeter/dp/B0017R092Y

Any terminator focused army, like deathwing or grey knights would be cheap as all to play. I would suggest deathwing though in this case, TH/SS for everyone!

juraigamer wrote:Any terminator focused army, like deathwing or grey knights would be cheap as all to play. I would suggest deathwing though in this case, TH/SS for everyone!

The only problem being that a Terminator squad costs $50 new. That's all the money you've got on about 200 points of dudes. I think your best bet would be to eBay up some old 2nd ed "I love my bolter" Marines and goofily posed static Orks from the starter set back then.

If I only had $50, I'd put it towards an education so I could get a damn job and stop being a waste of space.

AoBR Captain
10 AoBR marines
AoBR dreadnought

done.

Or...

GK terminators. One is Draigo, that leaves four left for two squads of two paladins.

Or

Save the money. It's $50, chances are you'll need that money for something that actually matters.

Go to Ebay.

Buy somebodies piss poor 1000 point Space Marine army for $25

Buy degreaser. $5 Let the models sit for a few days then strip them then repaint them as not so terribad Raven Guard.

Get $20 of paint. black,white,boltgun,fleshtone.

Omegus wrote:If I only had $50, I'd put it towards an education so I could get a damn job and stop being a waste of space.

So, what you're saying, is that you are uneducated, don't have a job, are a waste of space, and have less than $50? Ok

Phragonist wrote:

Omegus wrote:If I only had $50, I'd put it towards an education so I could get a damn job and stop being a waste of space.

So, what you're saying, is that you are uneducated, don't have a job, are a waste of space, and have less than $50? Ok

That's what I picked up from it

pretre wrote:

Big Mek Dattrukk wrote:Necrons.

my FLGS has a box full of sprue take as you want...

Umm, what? Can you head down there and grab the box, pack it into a flat rate box and ship it to me? I could use the models. I'll pay for shipping.

I think he was refering to this

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/256901.page

making a necron army out of sprues

tuiman wrote:

pretre wrote:

Big Mek Dattrukk wrote:Necrons.

my FLGS has a box full of sprue take as you want...

Umm, what? Can you head down there and grab the box, pack it into a flat rate box and ship it to me? I could use the models. I'll pay for shipping.

I think he was refering to this

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/256901.page

making a necron army out of sprues

LOL

Wave $50 on the Swap Shop or Bartertown to get a Chaos Space Marine Battleforce in "pre-loved" condition.

Strip the paint, and (if lucky) deconstruct the Possessed.

You can get 2 squads of CSM troopers and use the Possessed bits for Squad Champions.. saving enough to construct a Chaos Lord with various mutations.

Should net you..

2 complete 10 man squads, with Champions, Icon, special or heavy weapon
8 man (maybe 9, depending on bits) Khorne Berserkers with Champion
1 Chaos Lord

Rhino with Havoc Launcher and TL bolter.

2 gk terminator boxes. I can always ask my flgs to "lower" the price. Convert one into an inquisitor with spare sm legs, Now you have an army.

I'm not really sure, however, I might just go and buy a warmachine/hordes battlebox.

Look for some lovestruck young man who is auctioning off his "kiddie toys" to buy his first girlfriend some bling. You can get great deals that way. I recently got 2 dreads, a bloodthirster, and 3 rhinos from just such a deal. For not much more than 50 bucks!

If we're going on retail prices, rather than speculation on what you could get on ebay:

12 Khorne Berzerkers - $37.25. That makes two 5-man units and two HQ choices. That should be around 500 points.

Funny you should bring this topic up!

Recently, I was able to make a 'nilla marine list for a friend using the "used figure/parts bin" at a local hobby shop for a member of our club who had limited resources.

For only $60, I was able to buy everything I needed.

I of course stripped and painted the figures for him (and added one dreadnought from my personal collection), but things like this can be done!