"How Badly Does Scale Creep Bother You?" Topic

On a scale from 0 (not at all) to 10 (enormously!).

It doesn't keep me up at night but I sure don't like it. Maybe an 8?

9 – genuinely bothers me.

Say an 8. Some of my 15mm forces are a mess and would be hard to fix, and the incompatibility of the various manufacturers really limits my options in 5/6mm.

Still, the problem diminishes as I keep shedding armies.

It's just wrong; it doesn't need a scale to quantify it. I am shocked to see what used to be regarded as 25mm figures back in the day re-categorized as 20mm or 1/72 because of the scale creep in what is labelled 25mm or 28mm.

Rick

0

2 people are different sizes.

8 But massed produce weapons and equipment ARE the same size.

10 all the way. I would be much happier if all my colonials would match RalPartha. As is, I have the Spanish American war collection from Old Glory and everything else is to small to match. All the Zulu war figures that could have been added to the collection that would never be compatible.

9-10

Here are some photos of Xyston Classical Indian swordsman vs Minifig, OG15, and Essex -

The Xyston figures would be Goliath to the Essex.

If I had them to hand, I am sure they would top my old Minifig 20s.

And then having Xyston psiloi that make the Theban hoplites look like adolescents really put me off Xyston.

It is one thing to have different lines with different definitions but when it occurs within a manufacturer's own products…

10.

4. Somewhat annoying, but I can cope.

Scale creep has never bothered me. They have good customer service and Mark seems like a very nice guy

3. There are some superb sculpts that I'd like to use but are way bigger than their nominal scale and just won't fit with some of my existing figs.

Not a problem if I know in advance and can avoid them.

db

4.

I tend to buy complete armies at one time for at least one set of opposing armies in any period I game.

I usually try to get them all from one manufacturer or those that are very similar to avoid compatibility issues.

After that I usually have no need to expand because I bought everything I needed.

8 I can put up with it but don't like it

x42

2 – not so much

10 I resist it and view it as a gimmick. Eg with my 15mm collections I absolutely refuse to purchase 18mm.

18mm are a bit much to me for 15mm, 8

Across the industry – 2
Within a Manufacturer – 10

Humans have a wide swath of different body morphologies. That doesn't mean that every figure labeled X Scale looks good with every other figure labeled X Scale. It means that humans have a wide swath of different body morphologies. Even within local groups.

7 for me, I just wish people would choose a scale and stick to it!!!

Zero

8… even figures by the same sculptor/manufacturer in the same figure line suffer from scale creep but I accept it because, well, what can you do about it?

9

5. It is just crass commercialism, showing a short term understanding of the hobby. It might also reflect an inability to measure?

9 no reason for it other than trying to prevent you from buying another manufacturer's figures. Or perhaps an indication that a sculptor or manufacturer doesn't believe their product is good enough to compete in the marketplace.

9 as DW says above.

1, although a 10 if I mistakenly buy figures that don't go.

Depends on the army … but I just do sci-fi these days. So it is generally not that big a deal save sometimes for humans …

There is no such thing as scale creep. 1:72, 1/48, 1/144 don't change. Plastic modelers and railroaders don't have this problem. Releases that are not to scale die off quickly.

SIZE creep, OTOH, bothers me some. It is a shame that in the early days of our hobby, 25mm was chosen as a standard size, instead of picking a real scale. Most of our problems stem from that decision.

10. I absolutely loath scale creep, and refuse to buy from any manufacturer which I believe to have engaged in it deliberately. I agree with those who think it's usually done deliberately to try to force customers not to buy anything from competing firms. Personally, I think that is short-sighted and stupid because of the number of people (like me) who will be permanently alienated.

Railroaders have a different problem, in that buildings and similar are often deliberately smaller than scale (to leave more room for the trains ?). That includes people AFAIKT, figures often look too small to me.

Scale creep may have originally been partly to put more detail into the figures. The best sculptors didn't need it, of course.

There is also a psychological aspect – larger figures look more powerful than their smaller opponents !

I've never had any problems with Scale Creep. I buy from Mark all the time. :)

Dan

+1 – Scum1234

+1 to Black Cavalier and Cacique Caribe!

Jim

10, I like my figures to be the "right" size. I get that people vary in size and shape, but helmets, canteens, rifles, bazookas are usually to a standard size and having as much as a 50% variation in figures the same scale is annoying.

I often don't buy figures that just don't match up with the rest. I don't understand at a time when we have 10mm and 12mm and 15mm and 18mm and 20mm and 22mm and 25mm figures why companies want to make something else.

Mike Bunkermeister Creek
Bunker Talk blog

11.

3. Different manufacturers have been making different size figures ostensibly in the same "scale" for at least 40 years. I have found that one the tabe top in the heat of game with painted figures, terrain, etc I don't even notice.

I played an F&IW game with Redoubt giants and Conquest mixed together and it was halfway through before I even noticed that a fair few of the Indians had been primed white and given a brown wash, not even fully painted. The figure size difference was not at all noticeable.

6 or 7. I bought some 15mm figures that don't match up well with the existing figures I have, they're noticeably too small. They look terrible next to the rest of my collection.

Haven't used them in a game. So maybe I am really at an 8 or 9.

Good one MiniMo!

7

9.

I am with Dave Crowell – on the table the size difference is not that noticeable for most figures. I am not bothered by it as I buy figures to play games with not photograph at eye level and show on the internet….

Mike

It bothers me – a lot – 9.5

Can I go above 10? It sends me into conniption fits on a daily basis. Yes, it's really so bad that I've turned to the bottle for comfort.

2