"Which scale to choose?" Topic

Greetings! So I've fallen down this rabbit hole after a Bonaparte Binge (two biographies and several other related books over the past three months!), and now I want to start putting together some Napoleonic miniatures, primarily French for now. The main unknown though is what scale to start with. Money's tight so plastic 1/72 figures would definitely be more in my budget, but I'm a bit intimidated by how small the figures are. I used to paint a lot of Warhammer figures so I'm much more comfortable with the 28mm-30mm range, but I'm not so comfortable with the price of some of those! Any suggestions would be appreciated!

This is a real bargain in 1/72nd : link

You can get 25mm plastics at a reasonable price. Warlord has free shipping until the end of the month. Old Glory makes reasonably priced 25mm metal and, with their army card ($50 investment) you get 40% off your purchases for a year. They also carry Blue Moon 18mm, if you want to go smaller and cheaper per fig.

I have 15mms but have written often that if I was starting over would go the 1/72. There seems quite the variety in the range.

If you are looking for grand battles, 6mm paints up nice and gives a good amount of room on the table to play. Look at Baccus. He has some good painting tips.

You can't beet the price

I recommend 6mm. Painting them is more technique than art, and you can churn out a decent force in a decent amount of time, pay is a reasonable area and not go broke!

Here is a small Black Powder game I played with my 6mm troops on a 3' x 4' table" link

1/72 is a godo option as well, I am going that direction for colonials, cannot beat the price. Good luck with your project!

What scale is all your other terrain? I chose 15mm for all of my periods, Napoleonics in just one. I can use the same Buildings for FPW and WW-II

If you are on a budget then 6mm or 1/72 are your best bet. The 28mm plastic figures are much more expensive than 1/72 plastics.

Napoleonics tends to be about BIG battles and 6mm are perfect for this. They look great in quantity! Don't think that painting them will be too hard either. There is a saying in the 6mm world, 'paint the unit not the figure'. Once you get the hang of the 'impressionistic' style you can really crack on with them.

Have a look at the Baccus website for loads of helpful info about painting and stuff.

I have Baccus and Adler in my Napoleonic armies and would recommend these. Some people prefer H&R or Irregular….

As above, I'd go with 6mm. Although they may look scarily small, they are incredibly easy to paint and look fabulous end masse. Baccus have some excellent "how to do it" painting guides.

I dumped 20mm for 6mm Napoleonics back in the 1970s and haven't looked back.

20th Maine, thanks for that link ,that IS a good deal.
People, people, the man said he is uncomfortable with 20mm possibly being too small and you're advising 6mm?!?!?! Good lord, only on the Naps board…
20mm or 1/72 is a great scale. There is a lot available in it, there is a neat old tradition about them and the light weight and cost is a HUGE benefit. One thing that does not get mentioned a lot is that 1/72 plastics tend to have MUCH better realistic proportions. I am aghast at the hobbits carrying telephone poles that people accept as good Napoleonic miniatures. Go with 1/72. Next question…what rules are you considering??

Money's tight so plastic 1/72 figures would definitely be more in my budget, but I'm a bit intimidated by how small the figures are.

If you think 1/72 are small you should try 10mm or 6mm!!

And surf over to the Plastic Soldier Review site for everything in the world of 1/72.

I am a big fan of the 1/72 Naps. So welcome aboard

You can't beat 1/72nd…
Especially with the choice available nowadays and if your town is blessed with a decent model shop you can buy them on your lunch break and no need to pay P&P

I can see your indecision here, but I will naturally add my voice to those recommending taking a serious look at 6mm.

In terms of price, a basic all arms army pack containing nearly 400 figures comes in at less than £40.00 GBP.

Once you get past the psychological barrier of their size, painting the wee chaps is actually far easier and immensely quicker than doing the bigger scales. At an average pace, it is perfectly possible to get said army pack fully painted and on the table in two weeks.

Stepping outside your comfort zone can reap huge rewards.

If you like 25/28mm there are a number of plastics that are not so bad for price

I like 6mm for grand tactical for all the reasons listed above but as noted if you like bigger sizes then I would go for 28mm plastic

Mr. Bojangles! Welcome to the addictive world of 1/72's! Besides Plastic Soldier Review, which is holy scripture for most of us, also check out Benno's Figures Forum for great pics and tips.

1/72 scale is the inexpensive way to go. Figures are 25 cents each for infantry compared to about 60 cents for 15mm infantry. They are big enough to paint. You won't be painting eyes but otherwise, if you can paint 28mm figures well, you will not have a problem with 1/72 scale figures.

And a totally different look to your table than 6mm stuff. Much as I admire Pete's promotion of his Baccus range, I think they are not as easy for a newcomer to get into. Whereas 1/72 you can still see and enjoy the individual figure, which may match your experience of Warhammer etc.

The HaT forum and web site are good for Nap topics as well.

Having armies in 6mm, 15mm, 20mm, 25/28mm, 1/1200 & 1/2400 my advice is to choose the same scale you already have in other eras. Terrain takes up much more space than troops and you'll always end up wishing you had more. In Napoleonics there are very few armies not available in any scale.

I'd try 10mm for the mass appeal but Newline 20mm are great and they have some good bulk deals and regular sales. Having said all this I started in 28mm using DBN just for a Napoleonic dabble. I went for bigger bases (90mm) which gives me more toys on the table and you don't get stuck painting up huge units of 36 etc.

I'd get a few samples from different sizes and see what you enjoy painting the most. Your time is the biggest single investment in a Napoleonic project. 'Size X' might appeal but you might hate painting them so it's never going to be a successful project.

You also don't have to buy it all in one go, in fact your probably better off not buying much at all to start with until you are certain a going to stick with it. If you can only paint 30 figures in a month there's no point in buying 500 at once. Ignore any army deals and free postage – all there to lure the gamer into buying more than they need. Most projects fails because folks get bogged down and loose the will to finish. Avoid that trap.

Having decided what you like painting the most next find some suitable rules. If you want to do skirmish gaming, and you might, 6mm possibly isn't your best bet. If you want to fight big battles and need 2,000 figures but can only paint 30 'Size Y' figures a month that will take you 5 years+ to get a game with them. However, if you drop down a size/scale you might be able to paint 300 a month.

Sit down, work it out plan it all first. Do the test painting of samples. That will save you time and I suspect money in the long run. Good luck.

Excellent advice Timmo!

If you are planning on wargaming then it is very important in my mind to check with any local group to see what scale they are in. Also you have to consider, if you want to wargame, what kind of space you have. Limited space – then 6mm, lots of space 25mm. If you just want the fun of buying and putting together some units then you are wide open.

Coming from the Warhammer corner myself, in a way, I can assure you that scaling down to 1/72, or 18mm in my case, is no problem at all. Try it and you will quickly and instinctively realise what details to leave out at the smaller size. Start with some French infantry in greatcoats perhaps, they're fairly quick to do and will give you a first unit, as well as a sense of achievement. As others have said, the price and sculpting quality of current 1/72 plastic figures are hard to beat.

PS If you decide to go for that scale, grab some boxes from Zvezda while you still can!

Listen to Timmo UK, wisdom in those words. Welcome to Napoleonic wargaming.

Agree, Timmo UK nailed it.

The comments by Murvihill and Sabre6 about matching the scale of your terrain is also sage advice. It's really nice if every tree, road, field, river, swamp, bridge, etc. can be used in every battle, every period. I try to keep new periods in 15mm for exactly this reason.

I would only add that if you are ever going to add to your collection by buying painted miniatures, 15mm is by far the most common scale for sale, followed somewhat distantly by 28mm and 6mm. In years of watching I have rarely seen other scales for sale. My preference for starting new periods these days is to buy enough painted stuff to get me started, then supplement it as my mood and time allows. This lets me play with each new unit I finish as soon as it is done, instead of putting it aside to await the far off day when I "have enough".

- Ix

6mm lets you have those really big battles without the table looking like a boardgame. Although my 6mm figures aren't my greatest paints (I'm not a great painter full stop) they do certainly have a certain something en masse.

But I have to say I'm pretty much a 1/72nd guy all the way now.

@daler240D – I know : I couldn't believe it. The nine lots of figures would cost more without the farmhouse, the baseplate, the wagons and other accessories and the paints & brushes.

I do mostly 3mm and am a huge fan of the scale. it's not for everyone, of course. I do it mostly because no one else does it. That said, I recently got into 1/72s and am hooked. The sets that are out there are really quite interesting and they're cheap enough so that you can put together really big armies without much layout. Also, using dips you can paint up a huge amount of them pretty quickly. The other day I painted up 36 French infantry from the Italeri 6066 box. I just gave them basic colors, one layer, then dipped them in some Minwax and I was completely blown away. I need to blog about it, actually. And it only took about two hours, if that to do the basic painting. Anyways, I'll be doing 60+ figure battalions on 6 x 60mm square bases. The look is really pretty awesome, and you can get huge deals on 1/72 boxes. I'v also found that the figs are tougher than I had imagined. The other advantage is the ability to have all the caissons, limbers, ambulances, supply wagons, etc, on the table, to give it a complete look.

If you have other gamers around though, consult them, of course.

"PS If you decide to go for that scale, grab some boxes from Zvezda while you still can!"

Are they stopping some codes or something?

Another vote for Timmo !! Read all his advice – it is very relevant – also Esquire's advice on what other people play. If you are fortunate enough to find a group – get some games in with them before you spend big bucks

Painting several scales is what I did – getting back into Napoleonics after 30 year "break". I have painted 28, 15, 10, 6 and 3 – will get around to taking some pictures one day.

It is important to find the standard of painting that makes you happy. I am way too OCD to build 28mm armies – but I didn't realize that until I tried painting a few figures – I only finished 8 out of a Victrix box in the end

Before investing in a lot of figures – you want to understand the level at which you want to wargame. Few battalions or several Army Corps ? If you want to do huge battles, smaller scale is much more practical

The 15mm(really 18mm) AB Napoleonics are really good. I find them easier and more fun to paint than other scales.

Having just tried some 3mm, I am thinking this might be the solution for big battles. Could easily have 1500 figures in each army corps and not break the bank. 3mm painting is completely different from any other painting. Different as in Monty Python "and now for something different". Check out O8 miniatures (picoarmor is US distributor)

There are some downsides to Napoleonics. I know a number of people who refuse to play because they don't like a particular set of rules or had a big argument with someone. There seems to be a constant churn in new rule sets coming out. There is always someone that has done more research in uniforms than you and will tell you the buttons are the wrong colour.

If you want to see just how good Napoleonic 1/72 can be, look here

link

Good luck

John

Yes more converts to the "one True Scale".

Hmm… I shouldn't have said "no one" plays 3mm. It's rather, let's say, an up-and-coming scale.

1/72s are still pretty cool though. They're easier to paint than they look. Dips are your friend.

I started with 1/72nds ….. I always found that the boxes contained to many odd poses. Revell had some good ones.
I

I don't think that silly poses are much of a problem these days.

Check out PSR (as others have suggested) there's so much choice link

Of course, for skirmish games a variety of poses is a benefit – and that's also catered for by companies like Strelets who do boxes of ~45 figures, all individuals :

link

And you can get all sorts of other stuff :

Great stuff!

I second Saber6's recommendation: whatever scale will let you use the most terrain in your collection!

I started 1/72 many years ago, and then moved to 15mm because I had less playing space. In those days 15mm was 15mm. I'm sticking with tem (even though they are now 18mm) though I tend to think that the effort to look ratio isn't as good as for larger or smaller scales. You can't get away with fast painted 15mm, but they aren't much quicker to paint than 28mm, which look so much better. (though conversions are easier as bodged jobs aren't as conspicuous).

Starting again I would be tempted by 28mm, but much as I like the figures, they need a lot of table space to look good. Also the plastics take quite a bit of time to assemble, I gather, though the range of choices of heads, etc, has its advantages.

6mm look wonderful in bulk – and I really prefer small scale terrain – but you can't see the uniforms (even if you paint in the details, you miss them while playing). and the uniforms have become a big part of the hobby for me.

So starting out again I would probably go for 10mm as the right compromise for my smaller playing area.

If you like the larger figures 1/72 are a good bet.

I do 20mm myself and find it a great way to go..lots of detail not too small and the price is right win win..

I HAVE NOTED "1/72 TOO SMALL" – Bear with me.

If you are doing massed battles and want a massed battle look then 10mm. You can get 6 on a 20mm square base, which will cost 90p (About a $1.50 USD in the rebellious colony )

It does depend a little in the amount of detain you want to paint- if you are determined to show every button hole and you are not Nik Harwood (I have some of his, and they look like they are about to march on their own) then 10mm might not be for you. But if you are primarily a gamer you'd be surprised how easy and quick they are to paint.

With companies like Pendraken you'll be surprised at the amount of detail there is on them – under magnifying visor (the one with the flip down lenses) I saw apostles on my ECW, sounds a nightmare but easy (even for me) to pick out with a dry brush.

If, like me, you are one of those who looks at shared photos here of some photo realistic 28mm unit, and the poster saying "Sorry these aren't very good, I was in a hurry" and go 'I hate you' at your screen, I find 10s very forgiving. The smaller surface areas mean that you can't leave eyecatching chunks of undercoat, and errors don't leap out as they do with 1 large figure among a 12 man unit. Legs take two brush strokes – one front, one back.

Also in 10mm you get a lot more table- if your rules are in inches IGNORE all the rubbish the writers put in about if using this size multiply by [fraction] – you can just sub in cms for inches – effectively multiplying your table by 2.5 in each direction. Alternatively base as per the rules but use MORE – because the painting is a lot quicker it is quicker for me to paint 6 10mm rather than 1 28mm for the same footprint.

In 1976, 15mm was the best. Today, I'd say go with 28mm, using a mix of both plastic an white metal figures you can do just about any army, unit, campaign.

Moving coast to coast with work has taught me scale depends on where you are. I grew up playing Empire and Napoleon's Battles. Everyone had 15mm. But winters were cold in the Midwest and everyone had either garage or basement space suitable to host a game on something like a ping pong table.

Not so on either the East or West Coasts. Square footage for gaming space is pricey. Commuting to the game is longer and more of a hassle. I switched to smaller scales that were more portable, required less storage, and could be set up and played in 3-4 hours. I've never not played napoleonics, but I'm considering dropping the period for other periods covering linear warfare. One unit, one base in line formation for ether 6mm or 10mm.