Some poor soul vented his opinions surrounding proxies on the Spikey Bits Hobby FB page, and 213 comments later he was torn to shreds. I really wanted to go back and read all the comments, but I can no longer find it.

If I were on a battlefield with a Forge World Warlord Titan, and its giant foot were about to crush me, I would be staring up with wonder and a smile on my face.

The poor fool that started that fire, felt that it came down to cost. People with proxies don't pay the same costs that people who purchase their models straight from the source do. So one day, the Forge World truck drives over a pothole and a Warlord falls off the back. I pick it up and paint it. You're facing off against it. I tell you about how fortunate I was and now, because it did not cost a thing, you are insulted.

This is more about looks. I want my (personal) models to look good. Part of the reason I want them to look good is because I spent a ton of money on them. Games Workshop (sometimes) makes good looking models. Playing a game of 40k brings with it (mostly) agreed upon rules. Scale being one of them. How well you paint is NOT one of the agreed upon rules. But under those dollar store paints applied with a crayola airbrush, I can see a piece of art sculpted by Jes Goodwin. The scale, style and detail of the miniatures helps with immersion into the world, regardless of how well its painted.

When someone takes it upon themselves to make a proxy, they are asking for it to be compared to the miniatures Games Workshop makes, because it is meant to be used within the 40k system of gaming. When the proxy does not fit with the design, scale or style of GW then you are affecting your opponents level of immersion into the 40k world.

When commenting on someone's painting skill, it should be discussed with grace. Painting is a huge mountain to climb, and there is no easy way to the top. On the other hand criticizing someone's proxy, based on ascetic merit is different, because they had the option of buying the model GW makes. One enters the hobby with the expectation that opponents' models will be the quality that the game company established. The company makes the models, the company makes the game, so therefor an expectation is established.

Not all proxies are created equal. Some look good, some don't. Some people feel very pleased with their work because they've never accomplished something as original before. That is great and wonderful. Sculpting is such a wonderful form of artistic expression, and should be appreciated, but if you want your sculpture to be appreciated within the scope of a table top wargame, you are bound to run into some problems.

The 'rule of cool' is where money comes into it. Some proxies are completely acceptable; I will delight having your Warlord titan, made of 80% seashells, stomp my army to bits if it is truly a splendid model that fits the style, scale and design established in this universe.

Ask yourself: "How much would it sell for?". Would someone want to own it ask much as they want the crack GW puts out? Then you will know if people would want to face off against it.

Think of your proxy as a temporary thing. You're gonna play it a few times, get a feel for the unit, but then its onto bigger and better things. Try making the exact same model again and you're bound to make improvements. If it is your 'Go-To' unit, perhaps consider buying the actual model if you like it so much.

What is the reason you're running a proxy? Is it cause you're too cheap? If the reason is something you'd rather not tell your opponent, then perhaps within a year that proxy should be replaced with something of a higher quality.

Ask your opponent "Hey, how much would you pay for this fully painted proxy?" It you've running an Imperial Knight Proxy and the response is $90; you're good! If the response is a hesitant $40, then in the eyes of your opponent you're running a Landspeeder and saying it is a Knight.

Does there need to be a line in the sand? I think so, or next time I'm bringing a dry-erase D&D mat, and that's my army. For line-of-sight purposes I can wave my hands around the space that my proxies occupy.