"Multiple Scales - I surrender!" Topic

My first miniatures were some Ral Partha and RAFM 25mm ones. In the 90s, I also got into Warhammer 40k for a bit. Then I got into historicals and while I've dallied in 15mm, I found myself doing more and more 1/72 plastics. I got into 6mm sci-fi and modern microarmour. Khurasan's space demon and post apocalyptic lines sucked me into 15mm sci-fi and I've expanded that with Rebel Miniatures stuff. I've been playing Warmachine/Hordes for the last few years as well. Now I've decided to switch my Napoleonics from 1/72 to 10mm. I also am extending my 1/72 historicals into Victorian Science Fiction.

I used to think the way to go was to stick to one scale, but I'm finding much of my terrain works fine across multiple scales as long as I make little bits I can add to the table to give the impression of scale. Like a 6mm scale building or a 15mm post apocalyptic shanty.

I'm all in. 6mm, 10mm, 15mm, 1:72, 28mm. Now I'm even considering 1:32 figures. I used to live off of painting commissions so I can get through projects fast enough. I also tend not to make sprawling armies but instead buy what I need for a project and that's it. For example, I grabbed a bunch of the Warmachine 2 player starter menoth stuff off of eBay and with a few metal purchases like choir and vassals I have a full 35 point army that is now on my painting table. Hopefully that'll get cleared before my 10mm stuff arrives.

I've made peace with the fact that the majority of my hobby time is spent planning and painting rather than gaming. I no longer see regularly using something on a gaming table as being a necessariy justification for a new purchase. I'm starting to get glass display cabinets and am really liking the interesting variety of scales and subjects I have painted up.

So my original plan to pick a scale and consolidate into it is no more. Bring on the variety.

Pick the best scale for the level of game and circumstances in which you intend to play. 54mm – even 90mm – is a great scale for public presentations, 15mm does a good job of large battles (though these days 10mm makes a good case for the compromise between 'toy soldier presence' and 'massed effect') … an enthusiast collection will have something of everything I think.

Phil
btw (just before it starts), figures sizes expressed in mms are 'scales' for the purposes of standard wargame usage. I think most tmp users know the ratios to which they commonly refer – but they can easily and valuably be discussed

Then there are the size differences within "scales". These date back decades. Ral Partha are "small", GW are "huge" both have been marketed as 25mm.

I have to agree – while I started in 25mm and then had some 6mm I was an all-15 guy for a while – but then I got the 28mm bug – and then the Missus bought me some 54mm – so I am also all over the place and loving it

I think every gamer goes through a phase of thinking that just one scale is the way to go. They soon realize what foolishness this is.

And here was I thinking that my flip flopping from 15mm to 28mm and back again was indecisiveness – I was just being mature all along!

If my entire collection was suddenly gone, I'd tell myself *now* is the time to start over with a single scale. Then I'd go out and order more 10mm Napoleonics and some 28mm dark ages stuff.

It is kind of a disaster at times. I have stuff in all the scales mentioned (except 1:72) plus 1:1200, 1:900, 1:600 and 1:2400.

I had sci-fi stuff in 6mm, 15mm, 28mm and 54mm and now have it in 10mm too. Not includings space ship stuff, the scale of which I have no idea.

i have 15mm, 32 -25mm, space ships squadron scale but the 6mm sci fi stuff is my favourite and closest to my heart.

Nothing wrong with multiple scales -but you gotta have a favourite that you can put you all your energy into right?

I'll echo the 54mm comment made for demonstration games. A few years back, I played in a Seven Years War game that Mr. Chadwick presented for Volley and Bayonet rules. He used 54mm figs and they looked fantastic on the table and was very easy when describing units to new players.

54mm is very enticing!

Erik

I try to stick to 10mm and 28mm. With exceptions for naval and space vessels and the odd small project.

I decided I would shrink everything – 6mm for sci-fi, 10mm for fantasy and AWI, with a little 15mm for skirmish…

Then, someone on the Sky Galleons of Mars posts a link to the 32mm "Not John Carter of Mars" figs by Bronze Age. Now, I am wondering how many I would need for just a little skirmish gaming, and if my painting skills are up to such fine figures . . .

Actually, 25mm is quite well defined size-wise. As far as I am aware, the scale was 'invented' by Minifigs with their 'S' Range and the definitioinis 25mm = 6feet.

I had a bit of an epiphany recently. I am a Napoleonic fanatic, to say the least. My 15mm collection alone numbers ~10k, and I can put down units from just about every participant from 1798-1815!!!!

I came to the conclusion recently that I have far too many Napoleonics, in far too many scales. Therefore, I began divesting myself of many of the ranges/scales. To date:

5mm Irregular Minis – gone
6mm Adler – mostly gone, just found a dozen or so packs
10mm Old Glory – gone
15mm various – keeping these
20mm Hinton Hunt – gone
25mm Minifig – mostly gone
25mm Old Glory – now, French only
28mm Front Rank – replacing all 20mm and above
40mm Sash & Saber – tempted, but resisting….

My total count, for all ranges and scales was in the neighborhood of 25K. Is there a Napoleonics anonymous?

It's awesome that when you pair down, you decide to keep two scales.

Well done on the complete 15mm collection. That's worthy of something like a life time acheivemnt award.

As for the whole scale vs size thing, yeah, it's a bit of a mess where they get used interchangably. The structural limits of soft metal castings have meant that some parts of a model at a given size end up being in a slightly larger scale for strength purposes and this has become part of the style of miniatures.

Even in scale figure circles ther doesn't seem to be any real concensus about what is 1/72 or 1/32. You'd think they'd take the size of a real world item like a musket, a thompson SMG or something like that and atleast get the gear to 1/72, but alas, they don't always bother. Even within a single manufacturers range you have midgets and giants.