Miniature WarGames Scales;
WHAT ARE THE SCALES FOR PLAYING MINIATURE WARGAMES?
Land Warfare:
Miniature soldiers are available in a variety of scales, generally
measured in millimeters (for traditional reasons) and ranging from 2mm to 54mm.
One of the minor problems with miniature wargaming is that it seems that no two manufacturers can agree on exactly what those numbers measure! As a result, trying to decide the exact scale as a numeric ratio for any given line of figures can be difficult or impossible. The only safe advice to give is to order samples of figures if it is necessary for them to mix in with figures from other manufacturers.
Available scales are:
2mm:
(approximately 1/600): used to represent large battles in very limited space.
6mm:
(approximately 1/300): also used for large battles in limited space. In the 1970s this scale was introduced for WWII, and manufacturers use both 1/300 scale and 1/285 scale.
8mm: GamesWork Shop, Epic 40,000
10mm;
(approximately 1/160): This scale never quite seems to catch on, but at present there are several manufacturers using it. The figures are generally compatible with N scale model railroad accessories.
15mm:
(approximately 1/120): Without a doubt, 15mm is the most widely used scale for historical miniatures games. Extensive ranges are available for many periods from numerous manufacturers. However, as mentioned above, there is a good deal of variation among the figures produced by different
companies, and ordering samples before planning to mix figures from different lines is advisable.
20mm:
(approximately 1/72): Many general purpose hobby shops carry soft plastic (usually injection molded polyethylene) miniature soldiers in a limited selection of periods in this scale. Due to the wide availability, many historical wargamers started out with these figures. Some metal figures are available, most commonly for World War II, to match the available plastic kits for vehicles.
25mm:
(approximately 1/64): 25mm figures were introduced as a lower priced alternative to the 30mm figures popular in the 1960s. This "scale" has more variation than any other, and the smallest old "25"s are dwarfed by the largest current "25"s. Most fantasy figures used for roleplaying games
and for fantasy wargaming are 25mm, and 25mm was the standard wargaming scale prior to the introduction of the 15mm figure. Currently, after a number of years of neglect, historical 25mm figures are starting to appear in large numbers again, but are closer to the 30mm figures of the 1960s in size than they are to their 25mm brethren of the 1970s.
Check samples before making large purchases of unfamiliar ranges.
From left to right: 15mm, 25mm, 28mm
28mm:
Games Workshop's enormously popular fantasy and science fiction figures are labeled 28mm, although it remains unclear just what this is suppose to measure. Some historical figures are following this labeling trend, and should probably just be called 30s.
30mm:
The 30 has a long and glorious tradition of wargaming. The earliest 30s were two-dimensional "flats" produced in Germany as early as the 18th century, and still manufacturers, and popular among collectors in Europe (and elsewhere, to a lesser extent) today. During the early years of "modern" wargaming (see article on history of miniature wargames
elsewhere), the gamer's choices were limited to 20mm plastics in very limited selections, 30mm figures, and large and expensive
The 30 was therefore the wargaming soldier of choice. Eventually the 30 was eclipsed by the introduction of the 25mm figure, but as mentioned above, the 25mm has grown over time, and typical current specimens would mix well with classic 30mm figures.
40mm:
(approximatley 1/48): The 40mm miniature has never been popular. In years gone by, 40s were available in plastic from Elastolin, and from Britains as their "B" range of less expensive figures. Today, there are a few very limited ranges of commercially produced 40mm figures, and a a couple of lines of molds of 40mm figures to allow you to cast your own at
home. (See, for example, the web page of Jacob Berger
, who carries the Nuernberger Meisterzinn line of 40mm molds --
54mm:
(approximately 1/32): The 54mm figure is the classic toy soldier scale. The first set of wargaming rules for home use, H.G. Wells' _Little Wars_ , was written for use with 54mm soldiers. While 54s are quite common among military modelers, and are avilable in plastic at most toy stores, they are only occasionally seen on the wargaming table these days, due to
the time needed to paint them, and the difficulty of storing and
transporting them.
Other scales:
Even larger figures (e.g. 90mm, 120mm) are collected and painted by military modelers, but not used for wargaming. At conventions one might see games played with stuffed animals, clay, G.I. Joe action figs and other toys, but these are strictly "novelty" games.
Naval Warfare:
Playing wargames with miniature ships has never been as popular as land wargaming. Nevertheless, model ships are available in numerous scales,
with the most common being 1/600, 1/1200, 1/2400, 1/3000, 1/4800, and 1/6000. Generally speaking, smaller scales are used for smaller ships or earlier ships (say 1/600 for the American Civil War, or for PT Boats in
World War II), and smaller scales are used for later and larger ships with long range weapons (say 1/6000 for WWI battleship actions).
From left to right: 15mm Cav. 25mm Knight, 28mm Chaos Knight
From left to right: 28mm Skeleton Cav., 15mm Chaos Knights, 25mm Mounted Knight, 28mm Chaos Knight.
DeathSkulls Main Page. A great Place to start and see what is avaiable and what can be done .
Back to The FAQ Main page
Mail me if you have any suggestions,comments, questions, answers etc....
colsten@pcpartner.net
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