:o They're both great. How exactly does one go about making something like that?
It's "kitbashing". Your miniature models come on sprues just like your car models used to. However, instead of bits of doors, you have bits of dudes. Generally, you clip off the parts and put your Space Marines/Elves/etc together. However, to give players options and justify the $50 for 50 cents of plastic, they give you extra pieces. Since it's plastic, crazy glue will hold them together. There are companies out there that will sell bits for your guys. So, if you wanted to have your space marines to have llama heads, you'd buy a set of sculpted llama heads and put them on the minis.
For additional details, there's a two part epoxy called green stuff. It's like clay that cures in air over time. You can manipulate it, form, shape, and cut away at it to give you the look you want. They make materials that soften in hot water that allow you to press your own molds. Like a certain head or the eagle on a shield? Press it into the hot plastic and let it cool. You can then press green stuff into it, let it cure, and you have a copy.
If you get skilled with sculpting, a common technique is to build an armature out of metal wire and then build on top of it with a two part epoxy.
If the base minis are metal, you can still kit bash. Metal minis are usually some white metal, tin mixed in with other stuff. It's pretty soft for metal and can be cut with hand saws or even snips. Super glue doesn't hold those minis very well, so a you need to use pins. It involves drilling tiny holes into the metal bits, so if you want to attach a fist to an arm, you drill a hole on both pieces where you want them to meet. You then insert a metal rod and between the two of them along with some glue.
If you hop on ebay and look up warhammer bits, you'll find tons of little pieces. Since its all generally the same 28-30mm heroic scale, you can mix and match parts to make your own guys.
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