Lincombe Barn HOTT Tournament 2025 sponsored by Alternative Armies

We are delighted to announce our sponsorship and prizes given to Bristol Wargaming Club in England for their annual Hordes of the Things (HOTT) tournament. BarnHotT 2025! The event happens on Sunday 15th June 2025 and its a small 15mm scale friendly event with an entry free and free food for those playing too.  Read more and get involved on their WEBSITE.  Good luck to everyone on the day.

Alternative Armies has a huge array of suitable Fantasy miniatures in the HOT 15mm Range (HOT154 Skeleton Giant above) as well as the classic Tabletop Games 15mm Fantasy Range not to mention the mighty Sengoku 15mm Japanese Fantasy Range and our HOB 15mm Buildings.  

We also have over twenty different pre-made HOTT 2nd Edition 24AP Armies each of which comes with all needed element bases included for free.  Above is HOTT1001 High Elf Army.

Recently restored a true 1980’s classic monster F24 Seven Headed Hydra which is a very different take on this legendary foe to our own HOT35 Giant Hydra.

If you run an event and would like to ask about our sponsoring of it with prizes please contact us on sales@alternative-armies.com with its details and we will be in touch.

Thanks for your time.

HOT152 Savage Lizardmen War Altar new 15mm scale

We have been developing the Savage Lizardmen in the HOT 15mm Fantasy Range for a couple of years and now with this release we feel the army is completed.  Warriors on foot, warriors on Iguanosaurs, warriors on flying reptiles along with command, personalities, beast master and shield pack not to mention the Lizardman Behemoth and Lizard Ogres along with their artillery.  More than fifty poses.  We also have a Hordes of the Things HOTT 2nd Edition 24AP Army Pack with free element bases for them.

HOT152 Savage Lizardman War Altar:  This code contains one 15mm scale metal kit of three pieces which easily assemble into the War Altar and its four bearers.  It is 45mm tall and 50mm long and is shown on a 40mm by 60mm Element Base.

A Savage Lizardman on foot is about 16mm tall and muscular.  Once on our website you can use the ‘Filter By’ box on each Range page to narrow down what you see.  If you wish only to see ‘Elves’ or ‘Undead’ for instance.

There is an array of Monsters and Creatures in the HOT Range such as the magnificent HOT35 Giant Hydra.  Do not forget to check out the classic Tabletop 15mm Fantasy Range too as it has monsters as well as its own Lizardmen.

Thanks for your Time.

Adore a Monster FM24v2 The Silent Shambler returns at half price

Alternative Armies is working away. From Flintloque to The Ion Age to Erin and many other ranges and scales there are new creations a plenty from our wee team. Among these projects is one ongoing which is close to our hearts; the restoration of Asgard Miniatures. A titan of the 1980’s miniatures landscape its models are one by one, range by range; returning on our website. New molding means new life from legendary masters such as Nick Bibby, Jes Goodwin, John Blanche and others. 

While Asgard restoration has slowed down after Jes Goodwin’s Dwarfs and the epic undertaking of his entire massive Orc Range and we have been tending to our own 1990’s codes (see the DH Dwarven Hosts Range) there is still Asgard work going on. The first of the 2025 restored codes is ready and is here with a great Valentines Weekend Offer.  We invite you to Adore a Monster with 50% off regular price until 18th February on The Silent Shambler!

FM24v2 The Silent Shambler:  A one piece metal miniature which is 37mm tall to the top of the figure. Long arms ending in claws and a mouth full of teeth this creature never makes a sound.  Sculpted by Nick Bibby and our one painted by Studio Maxi to perfection.  It will function in 28mm scale but also 15mm and even 6mm as a monster.

Above you can see an Alternate Stars 28mm Sci-fi miniature facing off with the Silent Shambler perhaps in an alien hunt scenario?  A Dwarven Shield Maiden as well as a 15mm Elf Lancer on Horse show you its size in the fray with fantasy opponents.

The D5 Spike Tailed Dragon Lizard is 75mm long and 25mm in height and in two piece metal. Sculpted by Nick Bibby.  This was last years Love the Monster fun for Valentines Day and its 20% off too.  See all of Nick Bibby’s other restored work on the website in its own collection. 

Fancy something free for your miniature garden?  Every shipped order until March 10th 2025 automatically gets the brand new EH09 Flower of Evil included for free.  Yes totally free.  You need do nothing but order and it will be put in the package by us.

Keeping the fun in tabletop gaming and love of miniatures in your life.

Now 60 Base choices with HOTT element MDF sizes added

A venerable wargames rules set which is going strong and excellent play of an afternoon is Hordes of the Things (HOTT) of which our own Hordes of Things (HOT) 15mm Fantasy Range was named and begun as in 1991.  We are pleased to announce MDF element bases at great prices added to our Bases for Miniatures Range in the sizes for HOTT.

We have added a further five MDF bases to our array which covers wood, resin, metal and plastic in a great many shapes and sizes.  Great for any game and scale of miniature or monster or vehicle. The new codes are:

MDF012 40mm by 15mm – Buy More Save More (10, 50, 100)

MDF013 40mm by 20mm – Buy More Save More (10, 50, 100)

MDF014 40mm by 30mm – Buy More Save More (10, 50, 100)

MDF015 40mm by 40mm – Buy More Save More (1,5,10)

MDF016 40mm by 60mm – Buy More Save More (1,5,10)

For your blades, warbands, behemoths, dragons, heroes and all other Hordes of the Things uses.

While our HOT 15mm Fantasy Range and the classic TTF Tabletop 15mm Fantasy Range have loads of miniatures suitable for this game we have a dedicated page of ready made HOTT 24AP Armies all of which come with element bases included for free.  Over twenty different armies.

Dwarfish Hosts (DH Range) 28mm Fantasy
Pt1 of the Overhaul is now complete!  

New molds, new pictures and single mini choice with value packs too.  Part one the earliest codes DH1,2,3 all sculpted by Dave Gallagher originally for Rieder Designs in the late 1980’s.  Young Dwarfs, Gnomes and Halflings plus the mighty Fnorr the Big ‘Un.  DH is a big range and we will report each part completed as it happens across this month with a new release at the end. 

Thanks for your Time.

New HOT Savage Lizardmen 15mm and HOTT 24AP Army

Cold blooded but hot on your gaming table we have four more codes of our Savage Lizardmen now released into the HOT 15mm Fantasy Range. Our last 15mm fantasy releases of 2024.  All of the Lizardmen are metal and their riding beasts are resin.  Now over one hundred and sixty codes in the range...

These miniatures go excellently with the free any scale HOT159 Holt the Treeman in orders until 3rd December 2024.  Now let us see what is new...

HOT155 Savage Lizardmen Beastmaster:  This pack contains ten mixed miniatures that being two poses of Lizardman with whip and then six of the same creature.  You can choose the pack or sampler (one of each pose) or creature alone if you wish on the page.

HOT156 Savage Lizardmen Command:  Rule over your warriors on the field of battle with this pack of ten mixed miniatures giving you a High Lord on Foot, a Magician, Assassin, Female Magician and a Guard.  Evenly mixed poses in pack or choose from the sampler (one of each pose) on the page.

HOT157 Savage Lizardmen Elders:  The elders are those warriors given leadership of hosts in times of war.  This pack contains ten mixed miniatures of three poses a Banner Bearers, an Officer and a Musician.  Evenly mixed in pack or choose the sampler on the page.  This code leads your infantry such as HOT127 as well as HOT119 and HOT134 when forming units.

HOT158 Savage Lizardmen Mounted Elders: Iguanosaurs are the riding beasts of the Savage Lizardmen and this pack contains four mixed cavalry of three poses which are Banner Bearer, Officer and Musician.  Evenly mixed in the pack or choose the sampler on the page.  This code leads your cavalry such as HOT141 and HOT142 when forming units.

There are a total of twenty two different codes contains under the internal range tag of SAVAGE LIZARDMEN with a wide array of infantry, cavalry, flyers as well as a Behemoth and Lizard Ogres and artillery.  As with all codes it is pack and sampler within ideal for battle or skirmish.

HOTT1024 Savage Lizardman Army:  A complete 24AP Army Pack including all needed miniatures a free element bases for use in HOTT 2nd Edition.  This army pack joins our other two dozen armies for this wargame including High Elves, Undead, Orcs, Dwarves and much more.  All with a good saving too.

This is our last new release news for 15mm Fantasy in 2024 and we thank you for your continued support.  Have you seen our HIGH ELVES array of codes? Infantry, Cavalry, Creatures, Heroes, Chariot and more such as HOT117 above. 

Thanks for your Time.

Holt the Treeman new and free in all orders until 3rd December 2024

“The very woods themselves came to life and took their vengeance upon the Men who had felled their trunks. Our blood mingled with the loam laden soil that day.”

Wood’ent it be nice to have a brand new metal Treeman useful in any scale of gaming for free in your package?  Well it would be and it is!  Totally free automatically put in packages leaving Alternative Armies, at the rate of one per package, until 3rd December 2024.  Holt the Treeman will be added to your order as long as it is shipped order is shipped (no Digital Download orders only sorry) and as many orders as you wish and anywhere in the world.  When we say free we mean it; no catch. 

HOT159 Holt the Treeman:  This one piece metal miniature is 45mm total height and can be used in any scale of tabletop gaming for a fantasy setting.  An Ent in 28mm or a Treeman in 15mm or a titanic Treeman in 6mm.  Covered in tough bark with gnarled joints and growths of moss and fungi Holt is intent on joining the forces of the Elves or other good aligned armies.  A suitable Behemoth in HOTT 2nd Edition.  Joins the other monsters, creatures and dragons in the HOT 15mm Fantasy Range.

If you missed any of the Formerly Free Codes you can see them all on the website in one place.  Every one has a saving.

At the top of this article you can see the new free Treeman with a the bones of fallen giant behind him.  These bones are from the new VNT49 Fallen Giant Skeleton resin set.  This set comes free with VNT50 Giant Skeleton as well.  Fantastic!

Hobby Corner…. Potan's War channel

A great wee video on Youtube (link is to his channel) in which our HOB 15mm Buildings are put to the test against others for use in 17th Century Wargaming.  Have a watch to see who comes out on top.  Check out Furioso the English Civil War if you are keen on this period written by Steve Danes.

Thanks for your Time!

HOT154 Skeleton Giant released 15mm Fantasy Range

The mighty HOT 15mm Fantasy Range adds its one hundred and fiftieth fourth code and to give it its due it's an Undead release of some height.  A new Skeleton Giant with battleaxe; a behemoth to lead your horde of Skeletons, Zombies, Mummies and others in a game system of your choosing.

Under a blazing sun High Elves ready themselves to take on what was once flesh clothed and is now through necromancy given animation.  Will their cavalry and bows be a match for so much bleached bone?

HOT154 Skeleton Giant:  A single piece metal miniature of 40mm height to top of head.  Armed with a battleaxe and shown with Wraith Cavalry and Wraith Infantry for scale.  You can see all of the Undead in the range by refining the ‘filter by’ option on the website.

There are many Monsters in the HOT Range including Dragons but few are so terrifying to mortals as the HOT100 Ghoul Dragon which is 65mm tall and 95mm long.  We marked the event of the one hundredth code release with this hulk of rotting flesh and we do so again with a saving off the beast now.

This is our last 15mm scale release news before the massive Winter Mega Event commences 24th October.

Thanks for your Time!

HOTT at Colours 2024 the day plus results and sponsored prizes

It was our pleasure to sponsor the recent tournament with prizes and to give this account of the results of the day.  Enjoy the read and if you would like to approach us for sponsorship please send your details to sales@alternative-armies.com and we will see what can be done.  We have an array of HOTT 2nd Edition 24AP Armies which include all needed miniatures with saving and free element bases.  All miniatures taken from the HOT 15mm Fantasy Range and Tabletop Miniatures 15mm Range.

HOTT @ Colours

Fourteen players gathered (14th September) for a 15mm Hordes of the Things tournament at the annual Colours Wargames Show in the south of the UK, hosted by Newbury and Reading Wargames Society. Taking place in the Newbury Racecourse Grandstand, traders and historical demo games predominated. We were fortunate to be provided with an excellent, well lit area for our Hott competition, and the players graced this with some great looking armies and scenics.

Starting at 10 a.m., I organised a total of five rounds, and by the end of Round 4 there were four players in contention for the top spot.  After a tense Round 5 Mark Skelton emerged the winner, scoring four wins from his five games, using mean-looking Aliens of Acheron.

Alternative Armies had kindly sponsored the event, with some neat 15mm scale models, and NRWS chairman Colin assisted with the presentations. Honours went to 1st (Mark Skelton), 2nd (Martin Myers), 3rd (Pete Duckworth) and Last Place (Simon Finney, taking the much sought after ‘Thrower of Ones’ trophy). An additional prize for Best Presented Army, a tough choice with the great standard of armies brought along, went to Keith McGlynn’s colourful  ‘Dobbies Revenge’ force. Other armies spotted included everything from Don Quixote to Space Orks, Japanese Fantasy, Garden Gnomes and Riders of Rohan. In Hott, ‘anything goes’, so imagination and creativity can run riot.

Many thanks to Gavin at Alternative Armies for his kind sponsorship, which was much appreciated, to all at NRWS for the opportunity to play at such a superb venue, and to the great players for making the day a success. 

Further details can be found on this public Facebook group.

Here are the detailed results of the tournament:

The Newbury and Reading Wargames Society had provided an excellent, well lit space for the fourteen competitors to play, and the competitors graced this with some great looking armies (we used 40mm frontage / “15mm” scaled rules).

We were playing a total of five rounds, and by the end of Round 4 there were four players in contention for the top spot. A pseudo-Swiss Chess Round 5 followed, at the end of which Mark Skelton emerged the winner, acquiring 20 points for four wins out of five games.

NRWS’s family team of Colin Cockburn and granddaughter Bobbie kindly assisted with the presentations, trophies going to 1st, 2nd and Last (‘Thrower of Ones’) place. NWRS’s Robert helped out by judging the Best Presented Army, a difficult task due to the great standard of Hott armies brought along.

Prizes awarded were:

Winner : Mark Skelton, Alternative Armies 15mm Skeleton Hott Army.

2nd : Martin Myers, Alternative Armies 15mm Dwarf Command pack.

3rd : Pete Duckworth, Alternative Armies 15mm Sitting Dragon.

‘Thrower of Ones’ : Simon Finney, Alternative Armies 15mm Griffon.

Best Presented Army : Keith McGlynn, Alternative Armies 15mm Scenics.

Final points scores 

(based on 5pts win, 2pts winning draw, 1pt draw, 0 pts loss).

    Mark Skelton ……..20

    Martin Myers ……..19

    Pete Duckworth ….18

    Colin O’Shea ………15 (2 generals killed)

    Baldie (aka Lee).….15 (1 general killed)

    Neil Mason …………12

    Keith McGlynn …….11 (1 general killed)

    Connor Truby ………11 (0 generals killed)

    Mark Fry ……………..10

    Peter Card ……………9

    David Cox …………….6

    Pete James ………….5 (22 AP destroyed)

    Jane Williams ………5 (12 AP destroyed)

    Simon Finney ……….1

(Tie break = head-to-head, Strongholds, Generals, Army Points)

Armies Used :

Mark Skelton - Locals of LV-426 (‘Aliens’ of Acheron theme)

Martin Myers - Don Quixote de La Mancha

Pete Duckworth - Dorothy and Chums (Wizard of Oz)

Colin O’Shea - Early Bornu (African Sahel)

Baldie (aka Lee ) - Baldie’s Boyz, Space Orks

Neil Mason - Garden Gnomes

Keith McGlynn - Dobbie’s Revenge (Clark Ashton Smith inspired)

Connor Truby - Orcs and Dino’s

Mark Fry - Riders of Rohan

Peter Card - Ghost Dance (Native Americans)

David Cox - Barbarians (Copplestone)

Pete James - Japanese Fantasy

Jane Williams - Chess

Simon Finney - Orcs

F23 Wyvern 15mm Tabletop monster restored

A lesser Dragon the Wyvern has no arms and seldom breathes fire.  It is a flying snake with a bite of death.  This monster is common on Fantasy Battlefields and we are delighted to present back to the world a classic.  The 1980’s 15mm scale Tabletop Miniatures F23 Wyvern model. Now on the website.

F23 Wyvern:  A three piece metal miniature.  Body with separate wings.  It is 90mm total length and has an 80mm wing span when assembled.  Shown below alongside 501 Human Wizard and F24 Seven Headed Hydra to demonstrate its size.

This creature joins all of the other restored monsters and beasts in the Tabletop Miniatures 15mm Fantasy Range including Dragons and Arch Demon.  

If you like fantasy skirmish in 15mm scale this range has several super value packs of Human and Dwarf adventurers with many poses (they are as singles in their pack codes too).

Have you seen VNT33 Wyvern Kildane in our 28mm Monsters Range?  This much larger take on a Wyvern comes with a free Human Knight and has a 200mm wing span!

Thanks for Reading!

F22 Black Dragon 15mm Tabletop Miniatures 1980s returned

Following on to the remastered Red Dragon, the Seven Headed Hydra as well as the Dungeon Adventurers and others in 15mm scale for the classic Tabletop Miniatures Range we have another monster eagerly awaited by collectors. F22 Black Dragon is now on the website as we continue to bring back all the codes in this collection which predates not only our own HOT 15mm Fantasy Range but also most of the 28mm Asgard Fantasy as well. 

 

Every miniature in the Tabletop Miniatures Fantasy Range is either a single or a pack (within which you can select singles) or a value saver set. There are many monsters such as the Stone Giant and Rhinosaurs which go well with the Dwarves, Lizardmen and Undead in the range. 

 

F22 Black Dragon: This metal 15mm scale monster is made up of three parts (body and wings) and when built is 70mm in total length and 80mm wide to tips of wings. Supplied without a base (shown on a HOTT Base for Dragons) and unassembled. 

 

Giant Slugs! With posable eye stalks and great for any scale of gaming the 549 Giant Slug can be had as a single, a pack or a twenty strong value set. Slimy and super generic foes for your dungeon crawls and forest encounters. 

 

 

Have you ever wanted to field large fantasy armies with many blocks of infantry and cavalry with lots of monsters, artillery, heroes and magicians that looks great on the gaming table? Have you been put off by ever more complex rules and the need to spend many hours playing to get to the glory and thrill of victory? 

 

The Age of Might and Steel is the rules set for you! A 50 page digital download book with full generic easy to learn rules, armies, scenarios and more. Written by Steve Hazuka and on special offer. Extra free downloads on its page too.

 

Thanks for Reading.

Manticores restored in 28mm and 15mm high fantasy monsters

“They eat their victims whole leaving nothing but a few scrapes and not even any bones. I tell you this monster a hybrid of lion, scorpion and the and appalling face of a woman must be fought wherever it is found. Few survive to tell the tale but none the less from the hot sands to the forests bands of heroes seek them to make our world a safer place.” 

 

It is our pleasure to announce that two different scales of the Manticore are now on the website. New molds for the 15mm scale monster in the HOT Range and now after an absence of two decades the 28mm Manticore returns in our Monsters and Creatures Range. The larger monster was sculpted by Steve Trickett in the early 1990’s and is also in new molds. 

 

 VNT22 Manticore (55mm tall, 55mm wide with wings)

 

 

HOT28 Manticore (40mm tall, 40mm wide with wings) 

 

 

As you can see these metal models will be fine foes for your gaming table. Shown alongside other miniatures for scale comparison. From the 15mm Tabletop Fantasy Range and the 28mm Orc which comes free with our Giant Troll.  The smaller one will work as a youngling in 28mm should you so choose.

 

Every order shipped out from Alternative Armies until 10th June 2024 automatically gets F6 Large Rat included for free. You can see it above alongside the Manticores. Our Deals and Offers has new selections including the small rat at half price. We have further 28mm Asgard fantasy releases before the end of the free Rat period and also another remastered 15mm Dragon in the Tabletop Fantasy Range too. 

 

Thank you for Reading.

New 15mm Ogre Mercenaries packs and singles released

Now added to the massive array of our own HOT 15mm Fantasy Range are six new Ogres.  These join over one hundred and fifty other packs each of which offers the pack as well as a ‘sampler’ option on screen for skirmishing.  

Big and brutish these Ogres fit right in with the existing ones we have and give you armoured options as well as different weapons.  Taking us up to a total of fifteen different Ogres to choose from.  As with the others there are Value Packs giving a saving built in.  Look for HOT3O, HOT148O and HOT151O in the range.  Each is about 25mm total height.

HOT151 Ogre Mercenaries II (Pack or Sampler Single)

HOT152 Ogre Mercenaries III (Pack or Sampler Single)

HOT153 Ogre Mercenaries IV (Pack or Sampler Single)

There are a great many beasts, monsters and behemoths to choose from as well as High Elves, Dwarfs, Orcs and Goblins, the Undead, Dracci and Dragons plus...

Savage Lizardmen Stone age scaly cold blooded warriors for your table.  While this army is not quite complete with more codes still to come it does boast many different infantry as well as riders, flyers, Lizard Ogres a catapult with crew and the mighty Lizardman Behemoth.  Field them this season!

Thanks!