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Hey guys, I wanted to know what other people thought about using third party models in friendly games. (As I don't play tournaments). I have about 4k space marines and little over 3k imperial guard. And the question I have is how would people view the use of warlord games WW2 US army line in a game as imperial guard. I love world war two and I love the models from that line, but do not want to play historical miniatures. The only models used would be the infantry and maybe half-tracks. All other tanks and special weapons would be GW. I'd keep the normal m1 rifles as autoguns. The theme would be airborne, thought about using them as elysian drop troops rules. They would fluff wise be from a lower tech world that focus on combat drops.

As long as your 3rd party model isn't a Tonka truck I say bring it on. If they fit the scale and the look I could care less where or who made it.

skycapt44 wrote:
As long as your 3rd party model isn't a Tonka truck I say bring it on.

And, even then, throw some ramshackle armor plating on there and BAM, instant Ork battlewagon.

As long as it easy to distinguish between different troop types and equipment I personally wouldn't have a problem with it. Though I also use 3rd party pieces so i may be a bit bias.

Our rule is ... as long as you are using it because its actually cooler or better Representative of what you are doing with your army ... then of course use them. Which reading your post seems like this may be the case.

if its to make a cheap proxy then save up to get a decent model.

Yeah it doesn't have anything to do with money as to why I want them. I just love the look of WWII US military. My imperial guard list was going to be themed as it, but I'm horrible with greenstuff. And I would buy the elysian models, but I honestly don't like them. Now once I start my artillery company, it's all death korps of krieg. But anyways, yeah warlord games makes some nice models and it fits the theme I want. Just wanted to get a feel of what people thought. As currently no one plays 40k at my college.

We are good with them in my group as long as they are WYSIWYG.
My Guard is about 90% 3rd Party and sometimes 100% 3rd Party.
My Space Wolves are 90% GW.
Other than my T3 HK (Counts as most of my Flying Transports) and Rocket's Fighter (Counts as most of my Fighters)
99% of my Space Marines are GW [Some from the RT Days]

I love 3rd party minis.

Halftracks could be... Salamanders? Yeah, Salamander Recon tanks to set them apart rules-wise. An Open-topped Chimera if you're unfamiliar with them in IA-1. And since an Autogun has the same stats as a Lasgun, I don't see how people would complain.

Infantry is very commonly replaced with 3rd party minis because of how many people HATE the Cadian line. Vehicles, as said already, just have to be the same size. But the Imperial Guard has so many types of vehicles that finding the right 'type' or use for a 3rd party tank-type shouldn't be difficult.

Throw Imperial aquilas on everything where there would be US emblems, and you're good.

Some people object when models used in 40k break from the grimdark themes. US troops can easily be made to look less-US, and half-tracks as Chimerae or something of that ilk. Elysians have all sorts of odd stuff, so people probably won't even notice.

But, expect some resistance, as you're using FW rules, and not using official models. People object to FW models, and FW rules even more so. You're doing both, with variationss.

Rule of cool as usual. If it looks good or you have a cool idea to it then go ahead. If it's like some plastic $2 soldiers as IG then no.

 n0t_u wrote:
Rule of cool as usual. If it looks good or you have a cool idea to it then go ahead. If it's like some plastic $2 soldiers as IG then no.

That goes around here.
I have been using M3 Lee/Grant Tanks for my Russes and I picked up bucket load of $1 Store HMMWVs to uses as Taurex's.

As long as it looks cool, it's clear what the models are and what they are armed with I would have 0 problems with your idea.

I see no problem with it, then again I only play friendly games now days. I have seen in the past, plastic monster trucks used as ork battle wagons and it looked pretty dang cool, he had grots riding in the rims, a lot of green stuff and armor plating plus really good paint jobs. He did it for theme and looks back in the days when the only battlewagon model was the ugly FW monstrosity and GW encouraged cool things like this when they didn't make the model.

There are a lot of really nice third party armies out there now days that look great and aren't near as costly as GW/FW. Dreamforge makes stormtroopers which would be amazing carapace armored imperial guard. Halftracks would make perfect Taurus, taurox, whatever those newer semi-wheeled but tracked boxy looking transports IG gets are called.

http://1d4chan.org/wiki/Your_dudes this article changed my life.

I'm a Model purist. I only really enjoy the models that are made for their respective units.

Dalymiddleboro wrote:I'm a Model purist. I only really enjoy the models that are made for their respective units.

You've really changed your mind on this subject.

http://www.dakkadakka.com/dakkaforum/posts/list/569642.page

What happened?

Rule of cool applies here for sure, if you're using them to fit a theme or because you think they look better than whatever GW model you're using it for, then definitely go for it!

I myself use a Tyranid Prime that's a third party model because the GW one doesn't look big or intimidating enough to warrant an HQ slot

Don'T mid 3rd party, personally I stick with Kriegsmen models because there's no other company making all the different choices avaiable for the Krieg special units.

First instincts I thought, yes 3rd party is fine. Anything goes. Then for a split second I had to stop and think. I guess the only thing not acceptable would be dollar store army men as counts as IG/AM. Then again why not.

So yes 3rd party is perfectly fine. Hell even the Tonka truck is acceptable. If I can get my sons Lego pieces found again to make the AT-ST again, it will be an Imperial Titan.