It’s safe to say that I’m a bit of an easy sell when it comes to miniatures. Every time I go into a game store, I buy dice or miniatures from their bargain bin. The fantasy games I generally play call for odd or unique minis, so your standard knight in armor rarely works, especially when I need minis to represent the vast array of unique enemy personalities. I also like to use big miniatures when there are big enemies, but those get real expensive. So what do you do when you need minis that aren’t commonly made or would be incredibly expensive? Well, in those cases, you go looking for toys.

That’s right, you go looking for toys. Toys of all sorts can make great miniatures for your games. They are often bigger in scale, cheaper to purchase, and they provide incredibly unique options. Not really buying it, well a picture is worth a thousand words, so let’s get garrulous!

(Apologies for the quality on some of these pictures, they were taken with a cell phone with less than stellar quality.)

Ok, let’s make the case for why toys as miniatures are awesome. First off, they are frigging huge. Really. Check out this dragon toy I found at a local toy store. Not the prettiest….

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but . . .

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frigging huge. Yup, that’s a reference picture of some random guy’s leg next to the big dragon. Imagine an actual miniature facing off against that.

Ok, argument the second. Toys can be big, but the ones that make good miniatures are often cheap. Check the clearance aisle and you can find lots of good deals. These clearance aisle toys make great demons, satyrs, and monsters.

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The third argument I’ve got is in regards to sheer numbers. Ever want to drench the map in miniatures? Want to throw an army against the PCs or just populate the map with civilians about to die? Great miniature sized toys can be found en masse. They even come in sets with some landscape. Just check out these bulk packs of army men.

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Or go check out these packs of pirates and knights. A little bigger than your average miniature, but great fodder for the battlefield.

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Argument Vier, toys make great unique miniatures. Want a good robot or giant mechanical suit? Check out a toy like this. The size fits, it has firing parts, it has a grappling hook, and you can even slide miniatures into the cockpit and make some nifty challenges where taking out the pilot is the real objective of the very tactical oriented combat.

 

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Point five, toys can make great set pieces. This barbie castle from goodwill and a bit of model paint and you’ve got a great, cheap castle. A pirate ship makes a great pirate ship or the basis for a great airship.

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Hopefully I’ve showcased some of the nifty ways that toys can be repurposed into great miniatures. All it takes is a trip into a toy store or thrift store and a bit of imagination. Have you used toys as miniatures before? What other unique solutions do you use for fun miniatures?