acctingman1869 | 31 Oct 2017 10:34 a.m. PST |
Hello folks So, I'm once again taking a look at WW2 aerial war gaming. I have my rules picked out (Blue Sky/Red Sun due to it being able to handle 20+ planes at one time) but I'm kind of struggling with the scale. I like 1/600 for cost mainly, but with a table no bigger than 3'x3' (maybe 4'4') I'm thinking I can get more on the table and that 1/300 might be to big a scale for that table size and the fact that I want so many planes on the table at once. I've done a google search to see what 1/300 & 1/600 games would look like on a 4'x4' table with a couple squadrons at a time. |
Yellow Admiral | 31 Oct 2017 12:59 p.m. PST |
On a table that small, I'd recommend 1/600 scale. Your table requirements are a multiplication problem: determine size of hex field you need, determine size of hexes to fit the planes, do the math. I no longer recall how big the Blue Sky scenario hex fields were, so you'll have to fill in that variable yourself. In my experience, 1/300 fighters fit comfortably in 2" hexes – most 1/300 fighters are 1.5-2" between wingtips. I've played on 1/5" hex fields, which is a bit cramped, but do-able. FWIW, bombers want bigger hexes, and tend to fall like dominoes with annoying frequency if they are interleaved like puzzle pieces into hexes too much smaller than the bomber models. I find that 1/300 4-engine bombers need at least 4" hexes, and 1/300 2-engine bombers generally fit into a 3" hex. If it helps: the total width of a hex field in the wavy direction is about 0.865 x (hex width between flats) x (number of hexes). - Ix |
boy wundyr x | 31 Oct 2017 1:20 p.m. PST |
Not sure if this is what you're looking for, and the photos tend to be close ups rather than perspective shots on a 1.5" mat, but Fat Wally has a lot of 1/600 gaming up: link |
acctingman1869 | 31 Oct 2017 1:45 p.m. PST |
Thanks I think this clearly tells me with my limited space it's 1/600 for me. 1/300 wouldn't work in a smaller table for large games. Thanks |
boy wundyr x | 31 Oct 2017 4:09 p.m. PST |
1/600 is my choice for Interwar onwards. Miscellaneous Miniatures has some great decals coming out for 1/600 (and the larger scales too) that let you do specific squadrons. shop.miscmini.com/products |
Allen57 | 31 Oct 2017 7:12 p.m. PST |
I like 1/600. Quick to paint, good price, good variety. They fit easily on my table. The only 1/300 I use are WWI. I would have gone with 1/600 but the variety of aircraft is limited. |
acctingman1869 | 01 Nov 2017 6:39 a.m. PST |
DAMN those 1/600 are TINY. I was able to pick some up at a local store. I'm not sure I want to game with this scale. I can't even tell what is what! Anyone on the off chance have a blog somewhere showing what 1/300 looks like on smaller tables? I'm willing to have less planes on the table if it means I can actually distinguish what is what! :) |
boy wundyr x | 01 Nov 2017 7:20 a.m. PST |
The GHQ forum might have some links to guys' games in 1/285. What were you trying to separate? The only ones I have trouble with are ones I have trouble with at 1:1 too! (e.g. late war Soviet fighters or 109 variants) But Spitfires and Hurricanes look distinct to me in 1/600, and my eyesight isn't what it used to be. |
acctingman1869 | 01 Nov 2017 7:57 a.m. PST |
Well, I found some images here of 1/300 being played on a 6x6 surface and even then it seems cramped (especially with bombers). Since I only have a 4x4 table space I think I'm going to have to stick with 1/600 for my games. However, for some smaller games I can use 1/300 and maybe I'll just buy the 1/300 planes that I like the most. My next hurdle is flight stands for both scales that allow banking/diving/climbing!! |
FightsOn | 01 Nov 2017 10:04 a.m. PST |
My company Fight's On! makes flight stands that work for 1/300 and 1/600 scales. There are also lots of photos of painted planes of both scales in our product pages. fightsonstore.com |
acctingman1869 | 01 Nov 2017 10:08 a.m. PST |
$26 USD for 4 stands? They look really nice, but I'm needing like 30+ stands so that cost leaves me out. I have to go the DIY route, but thanks. They do look nice. They allow for banking/diving thought right? |
Yellow Admiral | 02 Nov 2017 9:10 a.m. PST |
1/600 planes are indeed tiny. I can barely appreciate 1/300 fighters anymore, so 1/600 fighters are a non-starter for me. OTOH, 1/600 bombers might be the only affordable way to put a whole bomber box (or several!) on the table. I also balked at the cost of stands when I started, but in the long run they save the money & time & anguish wasted on failed experiments. I have a collection of 32 fighter stands and 15 bomber stands assembled from hardware store components and Corsec telescoping rods, but they cost more money and way more time than just buying products from Fight's On or AIM or Corsec. Since my requirements were unmet by off-the-shelf components I had little choice, but if you see stands that do what you want, I recommend just buying them. It's unlikely you can solve the problems better for less money. All that said: for the scale of game you're talking about, I suggest boardgaming. Maybe you can fit 4-6 dozen miniature planes into a 3x3 area, but I think the space limitation really constrains your scenario choices. Consider playing small games in the small space, and travelling to play larger games in a larger club/convention space. Dogfight games tend to sprawl in play, but pack up for travel pretty compactly. - Ix |
acctingman1869 | 02 Nov 2017 9:24 a.m. PST |
Good advice/comments Yellow Admiral I'm going with 1/300 for figher vs fighter action (My gaming table is actually going to be a bit larger than I anticipated….6'x4' now) As for bomber games, I'm going 1/600 minis. Think this is a good compromise. |
Yellow Admiral | 02 Nov 2017 11:20 a.m. PST |
Also consider just using one scale for fighters and a smaller scale for bombers, on the table together. My CY6 gaming group uses 1/144 scale fighters (& ground attack planes) with 1/200 scale multi-engine bombers, and my own growing collection of miniatures is based on 1/200 fighters and 1/300 bombers. This keeps the footprint of the game under control *and* prevents having the same aircraft in two scales, which is costly and feels redundant. You could also do this with 1/300 fighters and 1/600 bombers, though that's a bigger scale jump (2x scale difference instead of 1.5x or 1.38x). How acceptable it looks is up to you, the beholder. - Ix |
acctingman1869 | 02 Nov 2017 11:25 a.m. PST |
Yea, I'd think a 1/600 B-17 would just look off next to a 1/300 Me.109 :) |