When playing miniatures games, it is only fair that your opponent can easily understand what your units are, what their capabilities are, and what they are armed with.  On the other hand, we recognize that new hobbyists or new armies may not yet have the desired range of models. As a compromise, The Whiz Store allows reasonable proxying. (“Proxying” means you are using one model to stand in for another.)

The Whiz Store will treat armies using proxies as unpainted armies, unless the proxies fall within the guidelines suggested below.   While the guidelines below use Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40K examples, common sense will allow these rules to apply to any miniatures game.

NOTE:  These rules and guidelines are The Whiz Store's house rules, only.  Models usable at The Whiz Store may not be legal for any other tournament or event.

To insure a model is legal, build it exactly as paid for in your roster!

Avoid the possibility of confusion.  Identical models MUST be identical with regards to their weaponry and capabilities.  Using proxies that are 'close' to each other should be approached with extreme caution.  IE:  A player with a unit of Tau fire warriors, all modeled with pulse rifles, wants to include two pulse carbines.  The player MUST pick two unique, easily identifiable models to carry the pulse carbines:  "Both of the guys kneeling in this unit are actually carrying pulse carbines, everyone else is standing up and has a pulse rifle."

Minimize the use of proxies.  Build your roster around the models you have.  While we do not want to set a hard and fast limit on maximum number of proxies, the number should be small for any particular battle.  Signs that you are proxying too much:

• Every tank has something proxied.

• You use lascannons in your army, but you don't actually have ANY models that carry a lascannon.

• Your opponent keeps asking you which model or unit is carrying which weapon.

• You can't answer your opponent's questions because you can't remember, either.

If a unit is capable of flight, there MUST be some form of aerial movement capability clearly visible on the model.  Any model without a representation of flight capabilities simply doesn’t fly, and you wasted the points you paid for flight.  Jet packs, wings, winged mounts and giant cans of Red Bull are just some of the legal ways to represent this.  (Converters, have fun!)  Further, either all models with visible flight capabilities can fly, or none of them can.  Example: If you have two Tyranid Hive Tyrants, both with wings, then either BOTH must fly, or neither.  Since Winged Hive Tyrants are 0-1 choices, neither Hive Tyrant can fly in that game.

If Warhammer 40K Vehicle Design Rules are allowed, you MUST completely and accurately model the designed vehicle. Be prepared to show how each vehicle capability is represented.  Any features not modeled are disallowed, and the roster points paid are wasted. If the resulting vehicle is not legal, then it self-destructs immediately upon deployment.  (Think of it as an experimental vehicle that didn't have all the bugs worked out.)  Yes, your opponent gets credit for the vehicle's points in that situation.

Bases must match, both in size and shape.  Giants cannot proxy for gnoblars, or vice versa, because of different base sizes.  Dwarf Thunderers cannot proxy as Space Marines because they have square bases instead of round bases.  Exception:  Chaos creature models can be used in either Warhammer or Warhammer 40K, regardless of the shape of the base, as long as the base size is legal in one of the systems.

Empty base proxies are always forbidden.

Models must be from the same army and game.  WH Fantasy and WH40K models generally cannot substitute for each other, even if similar in size or appearance.  (Chaos Creatures exception noted above.)  Fantasy Orc spearmen cannot be used either as Skeleton spearmen in a Vampire Counts army, nor as Boyz in a Space Ork army.

If you are playing a named special character, you must be using the correct model. IE – High Elf Teclis cannot be modeled by a random Elf Mage. 

Models for named special characters may be used as lower class heroes/leaders freely, as long as base sizes match.  IE:  The model for Chief Librarian Tigurius can be used as a normal Space Marine librarian, and High Elf Archmage Teclis can freely be used as a proxy for a normal elf mage.  However, High Elf Lord Tyrion is on a chariot base, and is too big to be a normal High Elf hero on a cavalry base.

Infantry models with a unit’s base weapon have a base weapon only.  (Base weapons are those weapons included with the unit, and have zero additional points cost.)  You may not proxy a model with a base weapon for a model with a weapon that has an additional point cost.  If a unit has multiple choices for base weapon, you may proxy models with one base weapon for the other, but the majority of the models in the unit must have the correct weapon.  Examples:  A Tau Fire Warrior with a pulse rifle can be proxied for a Fire Warrior with a pulse carbine, as both weapons choices are zero cost.  A Space Marine with a bolter may be proxied for a Space Marine with a bolt pistol and a close combat weapon in units that allow both choices.  A Space Marine with a bolter may NOT be used to proxy for a Space Marine with a lascannon. 

 Infantry models with extra cost weaponry may be substituted for each other within reason.  Generally, only one such substitution is allowed per unit, however, and proxied models must be unique. You may NOT proxy a special weapon into another one, if the model might be confused with a weapon actually being carried by the squad.  IE:  A unit of Space Marine Devastators may proxy one missile launcher into a lascannon, but ONLY if there is no other model in the unit that is actually armed with a missile launcher.  You may not proxy two missile launchers into two lascannons, only one special weapons proxy allowed per unit.

The previous rules for infantry units imply that if every model in a unit is upgraded to an additional point cost weapon, then every model in the unit must be modeled with the correct weapon.  We will relax this rule, such that the majority of the models in the unit must be armed with the upgraded weapon.  Your unit of Imperial Guard with hellguns SHOULD be visibly different than your Imperial Guard units armed with flashlights, so more than 50% of the models must have hellguns!  Note that casualties should be taken first from the models that are NOT accurate for the unit.  IE:  in a unit of Dwarf warriors armed with great weapons, remove the Dwarf warriors that are modeled with hand weapon and shield first.

Fantasy units that use command capabilities such as standards and musicians MUST model the standard bearer and musician.  Unit champions may be any visibly different model within the unit, but there cannot be two such models within the unit.  "All my units of High Elf Silver Helms have full command:  The standard is in the middle, the musicians have bugles, and the unit champion is the only guy in the unit with wings on his helmet and a sword instead of a lance."

Tanks may freely change their hull-, turret- and sponson-mounted weapons to any legal load-out.  The weapons on each tank must be clearly announced. Identical tanks must be identically armed.  Example:  A Space Marine Predator in Annihilator design may be announced to be a Destructor - but only if all Predators in the army built as Annihilators are also Destructors.   For this purpose, Tyranid large monsters fall under tank rules.  They may freely swap weaponry, as long as all identically armed models have the same armament.  "All my Carnifexes are modeled with venom cannons, but for this battle they are actually armed with crusher claws and mace tails."

Units where each model can use different weaponry (Tyranid Warriors, Tau battlesuits, Ogre Kingdom Maneaters, among others) have two choices:  Either each and every model is played as modeled, or every model in the unit is declared to have the same weaponry.  IE:  "This unit of Ogre Maneaters is played as shown:  The Ninja has a great weapon (two handed sword) and a sword-gnoblar, the Pirate has a Cathayan Longsword and a brace of pistols, and the Female has a great weapon (rolling pin)."  Alternatively:  "All members of this unit of Ogre Maneaters have Cathayan Longswords and a brace of pistols, even though the Ninja and Female look like they are carrying great weapons.  No one in the unit has a sword gnoblar, either."