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As someone that mostly does 40k and necromunda and just dabbling into AoS, I've been very surprised with how much less 3rd party bitz makers cater to this game. I realize there is a lot less in the way of weapon options, all of which are covered by the box sets, but in the very least I'd have imagined someone doing alternate head and shields, more variety and shapes of shields with different icons... or different swords and such. What % of AoS players do you know even convert their AoS minis?-It really doesn't seem to be as common.

Its b.c you don't need bits. The units only can take what is in their box. A example: 10man can have 1 banner and 1 Musician, optional 1 leader. So every box comes with enough for that, some boxes comes with extras as well (like 2 banners, 2 musicians). So there is no need for bits at all.

40/Necromunda you can mix and match, and you have units like Scourges/Devs/Havocs that can take 4 of the same weapon BUT only comes with 1 of each.

To add, a lot will still convert, but moreso to make it a set theme.

I am honestly looking for more conversion stuff too. Not so much the 40k special weapon stuff, but I want to get bits to add on just to add flavor. Like for my blood knights, I really want to get some winged hussar back mounts for them, but I cannot find stuff that sells them.

I’m thinking it could be more flavor stuff too, like Romanesque shields for freeguard or stormcasts more than straight weapon swaps, only problem is finding them.

Most models are designed in a way that makes swaps awkward. For example, Idoneth kits, especially the infantry, are designed for the arms to slot into specific positions, meaning the conversion kit would have to copy it 1:1
For more generic stuff, I mean, a shield is a shield, you can just use historical ones just fine for say, Freeguild.

A lot of the AOS models seems designed specifically in the style to prevent 3rd party bits, sadly. Which is a shame because the fact there are such limited options would be a goldmine for third party since it minimizes ambiguity if there isn't a plethora of options a weapon could be mistaken for.

I think the scale creep is part of it as well; you could sort of appropriate bits and pieces of historical wargames for old WHFB, but people just don't make as much stuff in the scale later WHFB minis and AoS minis are appearing in.

Fantasy was never big into conversion bits in my experience, and AoS is just a continuation of that trend. I don’t think it has anything to do with how AoS miniatures are specifically designed or the scale of some kits.

Its just that the market for them doesn’t exist, or that if it does, its nowhere near as lucrative as the 40K bits market.

GW created the demand for 3rd party bits by making a (as an example) Space Marine kit with 1 special weapon of a particular kind, then the rules would allow 3 of that special weapon, thereby creating that void to be filled by 3rd party bits makers. Fantasy/AoS never really seemed to have that problem, and if it did, the demand wasn’t/isn’t big enough for someone to invest a business around that demand. 3rd party bits were overwhelmingly 40K centric(and really just Space Marine centric, followed by Orks and Imperial Guard in my eye) and if it could find a use on a fantasy kit, it was unintentional and rarely marketed that way.

Come to think of it, (and correct me if I’m wrong) the only folks who invested in creating conversion kits specifically for Fantasy was Forgeworld, with their Empire State Troop upgrade packs.

So far after searching around in shape ways the only thing I came across is this conversion guy. It’s mostly flesh eater courts, but there is some anvil guard (krakenhammer) shields that are flavorful.

https://www.shapeways.com/shops/mad-cake