Building a 28mm tabletop army – whether for 10th Edition Warhammer 40K, Horus Heresy, Grimdark Future, or narrative campaign play – frequently involves finding unique vehicle variants, resin alternatives, or thematic proxies to make your force stand out. Not to mention the cost of purchasing official kits! An excellent manufacturing method today is 3D printing. Without the huge demand that the large wargaming companies have it is not feasible to mould the vast selection of 28mm models that buyers need. 3D printing in either FDM or resin gives huge flexibility without sacrificing quality. In fact, many 3D printed proxies are better than the model they replace, with more imaginative designs, tougher denser materials, and easier assembly. The end result is often a premium-feeling weighted vehicle which is impressive on the tabletop.
This comprehensive guide breaks down the top 6 to 8 key vehicles/armour pieces for every major faction, their battlefield roles, and the top independent kit alternatives and proxy prints available across the hobby community.
If you know of another fantastic proxy, comment at the bottom and we’ll add it to the list!
What to Look For When Buying 3D Printed Proxies
- True Scale Compatibility: Ensure models match standard 28mm/32mm heroic dimensions so line-of-sight and base footprints remain accurate for tabletop play.
- Armament: The proxy model should carry weapons similar to the original for immersive tabletop gaming and accuracy.
- Visual Quality and Surface Detail: Look for suppliers who provide images of actual prints to give assurance of print quality and ensure that the surface detail on the CAD model hasn’t been lost in the printing process.
- Resin Quality & Wash Prep: Heavy vehicle hulls require high-impact resin blends to prevent barrel snaps, such as Siraya Tech or similar performance resins. Look for suppliers using multi-stage cleaning processes to eliminate tacky uncured surface resin.
- Magnetization Recesses: Models designed with built-in magnet sockets (typically 3mm x 2mm or 5mm x 2mm) make swapping turrets and sponson weapons seamless between game editions.
1. Imperial Guard / Astra Militarum Heavy Armor
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Leman Russ Battle Tank
Standard Line Armored Battle Tank
Footprint:
120mm × 80mm × 75mm (No Base)
Retail Anchor:
~£42.50
Loadout:
Battle Cannon / Plasma / Vanquisher, Hull Heavy Bolter, Optional Sponsons
Top Proxies:
Rogal Dorn Battle Tank
Heavy Breakthrough Tank
Footprint:
170mm × 125mm × 90mm (No Base)
Retail Anchor:
~£62.50
Loadout:
Oppressor Cannon & Coaxial Autocannon, Castigator Gatling, Sponsons
Top Proxies:
Baneblade & Variants
Super-Heavy Fortress Tank
Footprint:
225mm × 140mm × 110mm (No Base)
Retail Anchor:
~£120.00
Loadout:
Baneblade Cannon, Demolisher Cannon, Coaxial Autocannon, 2-4 Sponsons
Top Proxies:
Chimera APC
Infantry Fighting Vehicle
Footprint:
115mm × 90mm × 60mm (No Base)
Retail Anchor:
~£40.00
Loadout:
Multi-laser / Heavy Bolter Turret, Hull Heavy Bolter/Flamer, Lasgun Array
Top Proxies:
Basilisk / Wyvern
Self-Propelled Artillery
Footprint:
115mm × 90mm × 110mm (No Base)
Retail Anchor:
~£42.50
Loadout:
Earthshaker Cannon, Hull Heavy Bolter or Heavy Flamer
Top Proxies:
Rapier Heavy Weapon Carrier
Tracked Support Ordnance Platform
Footprint:
60mm Round Base (or Hull 50mm × 40mm)
Retail Anchor:
~£20.00 (2 for £42.50)
Loadout:
Quad Laser Destroyer, Laser Destroyer, or Mortar Array
Top Proxies:
Scout / Armoured Sentinel
Bipedal Light Recon Walker
Footprint:
80mm Round Base
Retail Anchor:
~£29.50
Loadout:
Multi-laser, Autocannon, Heavy Flamer, Lascannon, or Plasma Cannon
Top Proxies:
2. Space Marines & Horus Heresy
Rhino / Razorback
Standard Armored Personnel Transport
Footprint:
115mm × 75mm × 50mm (No Base)
Retail Anchor:
~£36.00
Loadout:
Storm Bolter (Rhino); Twin Lascannon / Twin Heavy Bolter (Razorback)
Top Proxies:
Predator Tank
Medium Fire Support Tank
Footprint:
115mm × 75mm × 65mm (No Base)
Retail Anchor:
~£47.50
Loadout:
Autocannon / Twin Lascannon, Optional Heavy Bolter or Lascannon Sponsons
Top Proxies:
Land Raider / Redeemer
Heavy Assault Siege Transport
Footprint:
170mm × 100mm × 70mm (No Base)
Retail Anchor:
~£67.50
Loadout:
Twin Heavy Bolter, 2x Twin Lascannons (or Flamestorm Cannons)
Top Proxies:
Repulsor Executioner
Heavy Grav-Tank Transport
Footprint:
100mm Round Base (Hull: 170mm × 115mm)
Retail Anchor:
~£71.50
Loadout:
Heavy Onslaught Gatling, Twin Heavy Bolter, Krakstorm Launchers
Top Proxies:
Dreadnought / Redemptor
Heavy Frontline Combat Walker
Footprint:
90mm Round Base
Retail Anchor:
~£47.50
Loadout:
Macro Plasma Incinerator / Heavy Onslaught Gatling, Redemptor Fist
Top Proxies:
3. Chaos Space Marines & Heretic Astartes
Venomcrawler / Defiler
Multi-Legged Daemon Engine
Footprint:
90mm × 52mm Oval Base (Defiler: 160mm)
Retail Anchor:
~£40.00 – £52.50
Loadout:
2x Soulflayer Cannons, Eviscerating Claws / Defiler Cannon
Top Proxies:
Forgefiend / Maulerfiend
Quadrupedal Heavy Beast Engine
Footprint:
120mm × 92mm Oval Base
Retail Anchor:
~£47.50
Loadout:
2x Hades Autocannons or 3x Ectoplasma Cannons / Magma Cutters
Top Proxies:
4. Orks (Green Tide Scrap-Tech)
Battlewagon / Bonebreaka
Scrap Super-Heavy Transport & Ram
Footprint:
165mm × 75mm × 75mm (No Base)
Retail Anchor:
~£62.50
Loadout:
Zzap Gun / Killcannon, Deff Rolla, Big Shootas, Lobba
Top Proxies:
Deff Dread / Killa Kans
Walking Brawling Scrap-Bots
Footprint:
60mm Round Base
Retail Anchor:
~£37.50
Loadout:
2x Dread Claws, 2x Big Shootas / Rokkit Launchas / Skorchas
Top Proxies:
5. Aeldari / Craftworld Eldar
Wave Serpent / Falcon
Antigrav Shielded Infantry Transport
Footprint:
Large Flying Base (Hull: 150mm × 110mm)
Retail Anchor:
~£37.50
Loadout:
Twin Bright Lance / Scatter Laser / Shuriken Cannon, Serpent Shield
Top Proxies:
Wraithknight
Titanic Bone-Construct Walker
Footprint:
120mm × 92mm Oval Base
Retail Anchor:
~£90.00
Loadout:
2x Heavy Wraithcannons (or Titanic Ghostglaive & Scattershield)
Top Proxies:
6. T’au Empire
Hammerhead / Devilfish
Main Anti-Armor Skimmer / Transport
Footprint:
Large Flying Base (Hull: 145mm × 110mm)
Retail Anchor:
~£32.50 – £42.50
Loadout:
Railgun or Ion Cannon, 2x Gun Drones / Smart Missile Systems
Top Proxies:
Riptide Battlesuit
Heavy Maneuvering Combat Suit
Footprint:
120mm × 92mm Oval Base
Retail Anchor:
~£70.00
Loadout:
Heavy Burst Cannon / Ion Accelerator, Shield Generator
Top Proxies:
7. Tyranids (Bio-Organisms)
Tyrannofex / Exocrine
Living Heavy Bio-Tank & Artillery
Footprint:
120mm × 92mm Oval Base
Retail Anchor:
~£37.50
Loadout:
Rupture Cannon / Acid Spray / Bio-plasmic Cannon
Top Proxies:
Carnifex / Screamer-Killer
Armored Shock-Trooper Organism
Footprint:
105mm × 70mm Oval Base
Retail Anchor:
~£55.00 (Set of 2)
Loadout:
Scything Talons, Crushing Claws, Heavy Venom Cannon
Top Proxies:
