Aside from using a figure painting company like paintedfigs.com, the only thing I could think of would be to use Axis and Allies miniatures. I'm pretty sure they are really close to the correct scale. You'd have to get the figures separately on eBay rather than buying boosters.
Of course you might find yourself excluded from some tournaments for not using Battlefront official minis. I thought about creating a Flames of War/Axis and Allies army, then decided a) I really enjoyed painting minis--it was like reconnecting to my model-building childhood, and b) I didn't enjoy Flames of War that much. So now I get boardgames with minis and paint them--I have a gorgeous Battles of Napoleon set fully painted, and I'm halfway through Wrath of Ashardalon, with Earth Reborn next.