"Switching to a smaller scale to compress the collection" Topic

Hi everyone:

I had been purchasing may 28mm figures Ancient and Renaissance miniatures for use with Warhammer Ancient Battles. However, I realized that I'm not going to paint these all and they are a pain to store. I bought some Xyston and Old Glory 15s last year for Impetus and they are amazingly detailed. Because they are a lot smaller than 28mm but have prominent details, I can use the dip so they can be painted more quickly. Also, if I use DBX basing, I can use them with most systems. Finally, formations of 15mm figures looks more epic on the tabletop and take up less storage. Therefore, I may be dumping all of my 28 Ancient and Renaissnace armies in favor of 15mm figs.

Have you ever changed scales for any of the above reasons? If so, share what scale you switched to and why.

-Matt Beauchamp
Hydra Miniatures
hydraminiatures.com

Interestingly, I'm heading toward larger figs. Having collected and painted 15's all these years, I find my eyesight demands it. The beauty of detailed and well-painted figs is lost if you can't see them or even identify them on the table-top. Just my experience.

Started with 15's but soon switched to 6mm & 2mm for even larger battles in a smaller space. Now mostly 6mm & 10mm. Never even considered 25/28mm as I anticipated that I'd never have the storage space or gaming table to get more than a few armies at a time.

Don't do things by half measures … make the jump all the way to 6mm. Keep some 28s around for skirmish gaming, though.

Doug

From 28mm to 15mm but still have some 28mm for skirmishing.

From 28mm to 15mm for platoon-to-battalion-per-side. I still have some 28mm minis for skirmishing, and I'm planning on 3mm Napoleonics because I can use 4:3 actual:figures ratios and 1/600 ground scale.

I went from 25mm Napoleonics (1986) to 15mm Napoleonics and Colonials (1988) to 28mm AWI (2001) to 54mm WWII (2007).

Failing eyesight makes 54mm figure painting much more enjoyable.

I used to do 28mm but soon realized they weighed a lot when I took them to conventions. Got tired of dragging a handcart along just to carry them and the terrain. So now I do 15 mm and 10mm. What used to take me several containers now fit in one.

Never understood the failing eyesight needing bigger figures. I am 52 and wear trifocals. Find the smaller scales easier to paint. But I mainly paint for table battles not for entering my figures in painting contests.

I started and kept with 15mm for Ancients and Napoleonics. I do 28mm and 1/72 scale for skirmish style gaming. I have 6mm for WSS.

I also wanted to clarify since I also own Hydra Minatures. This is only for my personal collection. I'm only switching scales for most of my historical miniatures. I'll also keep my 30mm sci-fi,fantasy and old west. Don't worry--I'm still selling my 30mm Retro Raygun range, but I'll be adding to my 15mm sci-fi aliens soon.

Matt Beauchamp
Hydra Miniatures
hydraminiatures.com

I went to all 15mm and 6mm for those reasons. Storing armies is not that big a deal but the TERRAIN! I can store a 15mm village in the space of a 28mm barn…

Got back into ancients in 6mm, painted up Romans, Carthaginians and Romans, played a few games and realized they just didn't have the same visual appeal as the 15mm figs I used back in the 90's. So I dug out my old 15mm Macedonians(based for Tactica), rebased them and created two complete Basic Impetus Sucsessor armies. I've also bought Celts and Republican Romans on TMP's Marketplace and am back to enjoying the games along with the visual appeal.

I sold off all the minis I had smaller than 25/28mm and ket the latter.

The smaller ranges are too small for me to paint, and I still love the larger minis. If I had the funds available, I'd ditch the 25/28mm and go with 54mm all around.

I just can't see the attraction of tiny blobs of lead stuck en masse onto bases. That's my own opinion, mind you, but I figure it's as valid as anybody else's

if I want to play with scales smaller than 25/28mm then I'll get back into boardgaming.

V/R

I'm going up in scale also as I get older. Started almost exclusively in 6mm with Naps and WWII and Moderns. Still love them an add to them – but 28mm has got me for Naps and now Ancients and Renaissancxe. And 20mm has got me for WWII. More disposable income and the (different type of) spectacle from the larger figs have drawn me in.

Starting in the latre70's 25mm was the main options for ancients. Went to 6mm in the late 80's for Napoleonic and ECW but kept the 25mm ancients. Now buying 6mm ancients and renaissance the only 25mm I am buying is Early Achaemenids to complete that army. Storage space and ease of painting is the main reason. Remembering what is what with unfamiliar armies is another thing though.

At 35 my eyesight is starting to decline just a little bit, I can imagine the time when I switch to larger scales because they are easier to paint. I've also switched to 15mm a few years ago because of the expense and smaller boards and terrain.

I started collecting 6mm for the eye candy of large formations. The footprint of my units is the same as 28mm.

Started with 28mm, now plays almost only 15mm, but it's primarily a function of adopting what everyone else used when switching from fantasy to historicals.

Started with Airfix, went to 25mm metals, then to 15mm as that was all most could afford or play, did some 6mm and 10mm…finished all the 15mm I had. Found I could not see them well enough to do quality. Now 25/28mm, thinking about 30mm and 40mm. Mind you, I still have all the others after a great sell-off in 1989 when moving…

I just have to use my visor to see any details!

Switched to 6mm years ago for reasons of space and cost. I am also doing 2mm for ECW to be able to do 1:1 ratio figure scale to ground scale.

I don't understand the issue with people saying that their eyesight is forcing them into larger scales. I'm 60 next birthday (there I said it and it hardly hurt at all) I need glasses to do any close work but don't find smaller scales a problem. Yes there is a different technique required but the painting is for mass effect not painting competitions so it's not a problem.