3D printing has opened up a new world for me when it comes to collecting stuff I normally wouldn't. It's also pushed me more into finding games that don't require me to use their minis.

I'm gonna design a game where there aren't any miniatures. Call it a miniature atheistic game.

Historical minis- From Perry miniatures, Victrix, Gripping Beast etc are great places to get bits for fantasy kitbashing.

“Miniature agnostic” = the way things were everywhere before WH .
a.k.a. orthodoxy

Praise the Omnissiah and may it's holy presence appease and soothe the honourable algorithmic spirit of this page and grant Atom a great surge in traffic.

Victoria Miniatures has some cool figures, artillery and vehicles.  It's mostly alternative 40K stuff/steampunk-esque.  And just about everything has a male and female (non-spicy) version, which is where most companies fail.

I'm old enough to remember when all games were miniatures-agnostic

I did not know that North star military figures had so much honestly. I think I saw a couple of their frostgrave models and thought that was it. I may end up visiting them more often.

I'd say keep an eye out for anyone selling off models from board games as well, zombies from Zombicide for instance, to monsters or something sci-fi, especially for a skirmish game where you might only need 4-6 models.

Toyshops are a great resource for dinosaurs, giants, and 'giant' insects.

You may have to use a baby dino as an adult occasionally, but most players aren't going to care about minor issues in proportion, like that.

It sure beats paying premium price, they're usually hard-wearing plastic, and no-one's going to freak if you convert them with a howdah, or tailspikes.

Because such proxies are easy to find, it does my nut, when prepainted blister packs put a giant spider, dino, or easily proxyable generic monster like a zombie, instead of a more genre- or setting-specific creature.

For people looking for a friend with a 3D printed, don't forget to ask your local public library, it's not uncommon for libraries to have a 3D printer for their members these days. Also local "maker" spaces, there is some nerdy overlap and you may even find new folks to game with.

My new weekend homework: create an oyster people army for If Worlds Collide...

Rolls a Divine Intervention and calls it unfortunate. Must Be an Infernal.

A UK mom and pop firm called Hasslefree Miniatures (because they don't want any hassle with their minis). They are creating awesome minis: Fantasy, Sci-fi, Steampunk, modern, post-apocalyptic, you name it. They also have quite a few minis look-a-like of your favourite heroes from films. You can also order weapons or heads, all sorts of things. They do resin and metal. ^^

A lot of people really worry about scale. I try not to think about it very much. At the end of the day, we are still pushing our fun toys across a table. These are some great ways to find models. I'm checking out Wargames Atlantic now. By the way, love the dice shirt. I have the same problem.

Diehard Miniatures has a chunky old hammer feel

I have the hardest time finding empty hands for kitbashing Blood Bowl

Miniature Market clearance is a good place to look for cheap minis. They've been selling Song of Ice and Fire minis for $14 for a box of 12-13 minis. Runewars, Wrath of Kings, The Others, Zombicide, KaosBall - lots of cheap plastic out there!

While resin minis are great if you want individual figures, they can be expensive if you need to buy them in bulk. Good for skirmish level, not so great for mass army games. For this and other reasons, my go-to for "third party" models is plastic, like on a sprue.

Companies I can recommend that deal heavily in plastic:
-Wargames Atlantic (Historical, Fantasy, SF): Adam and I agree on this one, just a fantastic company. Constantly expanding range. Plenty of models per kit. Gives discounts for buying the same kit in bulk. Often covers under-represented subject matter, like WWII French Partizans, or the upcoming Landsneckt Ogres set. Have free international shipping over $50, and have warehouses in America, Europe, and Australia.

-Mantic Games (Fantasy, SF): Probably the big competitor for GW, and produces a lot of ranges that either stand in for them, or cover armies GW no longer makes.

-Warlord Games (Historical, Fantasy, SF): Makers of Bolt Action, Pike & Shotte, Gates of Anteres, etc.

-Fireforge Games (Historical, Fantasy): One of the better sources for plastic Knights (as in, the ones on horseback), for making a style-accurate Bretonnian army. Also probably one of the only sources of plastic peasants (for making an angry mob).

-Victrix Ltd (Historical): Classical era, Roman (and their enemies), Dark Ages, and Napoleonics. Have a lot of kits. The kits give you a lot of models.

-RGD Gaming (Historical, Fantasy): One of the companies that got its start with Wargames Atlantic's help. Best known for their Faun and Centaur kits (which, fun fact, have a bit of each other in their kits, so it's very easy to mix and match). As of this writing, they're expanding their range with a big (40 model) Satyr kit (so you can have the Beastmen Trifecta of Gors, Ungors, and Centigors), Scythians, Steppe Horsemen, and Amazons. They're a small company, but they fill a niche many do not, so I want to give them some attention. (For whatever reason, their site doesn't appear on Google searches, so you'll need to type rgdgaming dot com into your address bar directly).

-North Star Military Figures (Historical, Fantasy, SF): Adam went over them already, but I want to focus on their Oathmark line. They have plastic kits for both dwarves and elves, and indeed multiple kits of both that are very flexible. You wouldn't think it, given their ubiquity in the fantasy space, but elf and dwarf wargaming figures in regimental sizes are surprisingly uncommon in plastic. At least outside of GW and Mantic. It's very weird.

-Perry Miniatures (Historical): The Perry Brothers were among the sculptors that put Games Workshop on the map, years ago. They've been making a good selection of medieval, Napoleonic, and modern kits. Their medieval ones, for instance, are great for games like Frostgrave. And much of their range is mined extensively in the Turnip28 community for kitbashing parts (often mixing medieval and Napoleonic). Another helpful fact about Perry Miniatures is they sell certain sprues (usually command sprues) individually. So if you just need a couple guys, or a bunch of spare bits, you can order these sprues to bolster your collection.

-Great Escape Games (Westerns): Produce a rather stunning couple plastic kits for western gunfighters. Allowing you to customize a team of cowboys, outlaws, homesteaders, or lawmen. Have both male and female gunfighter kits.

Second-hand miniature heavy Kickstarter projects that people no longer want.