"1/56 or 1/63 for 28mm figures?" Topic

I've always assumed that 28mm gaming is equivalent to 1/56th scale – based mostly on the number of times 1/56th has appeared on these forums.

But 1/56th makes a 5'10" man 32mm to the crown. Most of the historical figures I own are 28mm to the crown – which is 1/63rd scale for a 5'10" man.

So why is 1/56th commonly quoted as the right scale for 28mm?

The reason it concerns me is I have started sculpting a range of figures, 28mm to the crown on average (so 1/63rd). I have to do horses and artillery too – and here scale becomes an issue. A horse 15 hands high is nearly 4mm smaller at 1/63rd than 1/56th…

So is 1/56th actually correct – or is 1/63rd more accurate?

I guess the real question is are the majority of current figures 28mm to the crown, or 32mm to the crown? Most of the ones I own are 28mm, but maybe I'm in a minority…

Cheers
Michael

(Quick edit, here: A lot of the newer figures I have are actually 30mm to the crown, not 28mm – including the ones I sculpted, embarrassingly!)

This all works on the assumption that 5'10" is average height. Running with that though, do you then sculpt Napoleonic equipment in a different scale to modern or ancient, as average height back then is generally reckoned to have been about 5'4"…. How about different nationalities?

Basically it comes down to what you like.

Last I heard on the age old argument is the 1/56 is indeed the "correct" scale for 28mm. However all the 28mm figures are actually too large (heroic), making 1:56 look small. Especially when based.

I looked into 1/48, and 1/56.

I stay with 1/56 because there are excellent resin models being made and it seems as if there are more models hitting the market all the time.

I would switch to 1/48 model kits if there was the same variety as the 1/35 models.

1/63 seems small to me, but then again, it comes down to personal preference.

In my experience 28mm minis look well near 1/56 vehicles. Bigger scales and they get dwarved, smaller scales and the vehicles look like toys. I use paper vehicles at 1/56 and it seems okay.

Horses and other kind of objects should be seen individually, according with the type of miniature you want to use. I would go to 1/60 to horses, but the equipment the miniature is using will dictate smaller or bigger horses.

For vehicles:

link

For smaller horses:

link

28mm is 1:64, though 1:56 is pretty close. 1:48 is right out, unless all figures are supposed to be 4' and a few inches tall.

I think too many of us--I include myself--have convinced ourselves at least once that things "look right" when we don't want to face the paucity of properly scaled items, or their often higher expense.

TVAG

Yes! You're right. And that is a General Disaster!

Sorry. I couldn't help myself.
I hope I'm the first to play this joke…

Go with what you think looks good.
There is no definitive answer.
Although I think some people are wrong! :-)

Lovejoy/Michael, everyone here is right. Your visual interpretation of 28mm figures in relation to 1/56 or 1/63 scale vehicles is very much a personal choice.

In my case, I determined that anywhere between 1/55 to 1/60 scale would work for figures 25mm to 28mm, which I based on real life visual observation and research. First of all, determine how long your vehicle is, which you can do by finding it's wheelbase. The wheelbase is the measurement between the centerpoint of the car's wheels when you're looking at it from the side.

Also, a man 6' tall is going to obviously be taller than the roof of an average-sized American car, which usually measures out to anywhere around 3 1/2" to 5". Pickup trucks and vans will be a bit taller, up to 6' in height.

I hope this will help you out, Michael. We'd sure like to see your sculpts when you're finished with them. Good luck on your project!