So i'm looking into getting into LOTR/Hobbit SBG and I wanted to get some advice on picking an army. Aesthetics are more important to me than competitiveness because I'll mainly be playing with friends. I've been looking for cheap places to buy miniatures but I can't seem to find any. At this moment, everything on Ebay seems to be as expensive as GW itself. So could someone recommend some alternative sources to buy miniatures? I know the ones that infringe copyright are banned to be discussed here but I mean the vague ones that can be converted. Right now, my #1 pick for a faction would be dwarves, followed by haradrim and elves. Rohan is cool too. Also, I live in NA if that matters for shipping. Also, I have had my eye on the only reasonably priced army on ebay. If someone would be willing to check it out in a PM from me, let me know.

It's possible to put together some armies relatively cheaply using new models if you pick the more cost-effective sets. For example, with Durins Folk, you can get 12 dwarves in plastic for £15 (or £1.50 each). You'd only get three Laketown militia for £15, and they're worse fighters than the dwarves too.

Durins Folk has two plastic sets, the basic dwarves and the rangers
https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Dw ... riors-LotR
https://www.games-workshop.com/en-GB/Dwarf-Rangers

There's sometimes bargains on ebay, or (in the UK) I've picked up models cheap at some game shows that had bring & buy sales.

Elves, because they are so expensive in points, are cheap to collect. Also, their heroes are often not available, so you use Rivendell Knights to convert them, or they are just on foot, which is still cheap. Getting a few sets of whatever elven faction you want and then either a few foot heroes or a box of Rivendell Knights works well. After that, you can get a box or two of elites.

The second hand market is pretty pricey these days with the resurgence of interest in the hobby. You can occasionally find deals on ebay, but check out craigslist or a local gaming group for better deals. If you are in Canada, PM me and I can let you know some details about some of the local groups. I can check out the ebay army you are looking at too, if you are looking for another opinion!

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There is a list of alternative miniatures (not counterfeits you understand) down in the 'help with minifigures' section. You could try there if you are interested in doing a human army that is not in line with the movies. There are some places to get dwarves, elves, and orcs but not as many. I have seen some pretty good Rohan armies done up without a single GW miniature.

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Is there a particular dwarf faction you're interested in? Durins Folk or Army of Thror dwarves? Either way I recommend watching the DC Hobbit League's How to Play/How to Buy videos for advice on building starter forces.

Durin's Folk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFEnoFK ... RW&index=5

Army of Thror: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZfLnfI ... W&index=19

Harad: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CflinD9 ... RW&index=4

The cheapest ways are to keep an eye out on the trade groups on Facebook and ebay and to be patient. Also the cheapest armies to collect are probably gondor, mordor, rohan and isengard as it seems like everyone back in the LotR hayday had those armies, so it's pretty easy to pick up the bulk troops on the cheap.

Agree with metalface13. But you can always start with the new Battle Games in Middle Earth book, which specializes in small forces. As your forces play games, they upgrade to other models, allowing you to purchase and paint more manageable quantities of minis.

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