Personally, I’m a fan of the works of Tolkien more than any other writer. Growing up the first book I ever read was The Hobbit and I’ve been absorbed ever since. It’s not to say that the stories are perfect, or that they are without their issues, but the worldbuilding and reality of character motivations always spoke to me. In 2001 when the Lord of the Rings came out I fell in love with the imagery and commitment to the story. This led me to the LotRSBG (Now MESBG). This tabletop skirmish game was engaging, coherent, and well thought. As my first entry into miniatures, there was a wide selection and good support. Over time as the player base has shrunk so has access to official models, many now only being available on an undisclosed rotation or through the second-hand market.
Blending In: Medbury Miniatures
Medbury offers a good selection of difficult to source miniatures. At time of writing their Arnor and Fiefdoms list stand out as they aren’t available from other sources and haven’t been for a long time. They are also minis that were only made available in high cost metal blisters, so having access to a printable version will make these an option for many who couldn’t previously afford it.
As a bonus, they have also put together a great playlist to help walk you through the creation of your own miniatures.
Great Style: The Printing Goes Ever On
We mentioned this same designer in our article on alternatives to Heroforge. But where they started was creating packages of minis with a consistant style that could be used as standins for tabletop miniture games. Over time they’ve found their neiche in middle earth and their rapid growth and completeness of releases is great to see. In addition you can customise the miniatures giving you a bit more variation amoung your hoards which great and takes advantage of the biggest difference between 3D printing and injection moulding.
Heros and Villains: RN Estudio
If you’re not sold on the heros available direct, then Against the Shadows from RN minatures is a great option. The style of figures is a little different, but not too far off to be included in a mixed force. Design wise these are fairly consistant with the Weta Workshop mini-epics, but at a table top wargame scale.
Something Different: Khurzluk Miniatures
Khurzluk miniatures have a great selection and decent style. The only issue I’ve found with them is the reproduction of components. I’m not talking about the normal “every warrior has the same shield style”, that’s exactly what you expect from a unified fighting force. The issue is that some of the assets with battle damage, or individual features like unarmoured heads, are used a bit too much. Some packs are better than others, but I’m a fan of adding battle damage with paint rather than sculpting it in so it’s up to your preference.
Generic: mz4250
mz4250 made headlines around the world for creating a model for every D&D monster in the monster manual. Since then this range has expanded even further with the release of subsequent D&D expansions. What this means for players of any tabletop game is that if there’s a particular creature that overlaps between the systems (I’m thinking werewolves) and never received an official stat block or miniature then this is the best place to start.
Some others, briefly updated as found:
The Mines: Small selection, released in batches through Kickstarter. Very distinct WFB style design.