"scale still confuses me." Topic

Assuming a typical man is 5ft 8" I assume 15mm scale is about 1/100 (technically 1/115) and 12mm about 1/144 scale (actually 143.93 approx). Is this correct?

Let's say "approximately correct".

There are still incompatibilities in size deriving from differing sculpting styles between manufacturers, even when the scales are purportedly the same.

This can be a minor issue when comparing human and animal figures, but gets to be a Really Big Deal™ with vehicles. There were a lot of variations of Sherman tank, but they didn't really differ in size…

- Ix

Scale confuses everyone one way or another.

Grimm

Does this help? TMP link

I use this, just plug in the numbers.
link

No confusion. You have to accept that when model scales were created (and it's from these that miniatures scales were created) the assumption was a man was 6 foot. Not that it was accurate but it was convenient.

You may not like it, it maybe politically incorrect today, but it's where this starts. you need a baseline to scale from and a man was the most common element to all kits. 6 foot is a lot closer to average than 5 foot. Anything in between was just to cumbersome.

So a 6ft man is apx 1800mm tall. Divide by the height of the man sized figure you want and you have a scale. so 6mm figures are 1/300. As Heroics and Ros always used to advertise them.
A 1 inch figure is apx 25mm or 1/72. Like Airfix and early gaming miniature.

A problem with miniature manufactures is they seldom stay with scale. Classic proportions for a human are 8 heads high. You'll be hard pressed to find a metal figure more than 5 or 6 heads high. It's why they look so chunky.

Not only incorrect anatomy. They are also "chunky" to hold up. That's why they all have legs like weightlifters and oh my God the cankles!

Ditto on bayonets, plumes, etc. etc.

I've always thought that 15mm to the eyes made more sense than 15mm to top of a head wearing a shako!

Yes.

15mm isn't a scale, nor is 6mm, 25mm etc.

1/100th is a scale. Sizes of humans vary, but sizes of weapons and vehicles don't, so trying to extrapolate scale from the height of a figure is well nigh impossible.

This is why I like collecting Dark Ages figures. No such thing as 'standard' anything! Weapons and shields and stuff was all individually made, so as long as the figures fall within the bounds of human variation you're good to go…

@ emckinny The 15mm is to where the top of the head would be if you weren't wearing the shako. What's difficult about that ? Since people are different sizes, it only needs to be approximate. If you are a sculptor, add on whatever the size of a scale shako is, or whatever looks right. Or do 14 mm to the eyes. Whatever. It's not that difficult !

I agree with Grimmnar

Martin Rapier has it:

15mm, 25mm, etc are figures "Sizes" not a scale.
Originally for sculptures, it was to be the distance between the sole of the feet and the eyes of a figure standing upright. Miniatures and molds tend to shrink so the final result was always a guess from the master sculpture.

One method to my madness is grabbing every manufacturer I ran across, making my figures vary in size, only shame they are not mixed up in units more than they are.

The distance from eyes to top of head is 10 cm. Even 1/72 scale that is less than 1.5mm.

I don't say I'm 1m65 because I'm wearing a hat.

No such thing as 'standard' anything! Weapons and shields and stuff was all individually made,

Shields and spear shafts, probably. For swords and tips, a village likely only had one blacksmith. Captured weapons, different molds, and people leaving and joining (warbands more than one village) would create some "chunks" of variety.

There is nothing confusing about scale. Unfortunately the incompertence of some sculptures is almost limitless. They clearly never understood simple engineering and manufactureing. Scale cannot creep only idiot sculptures cannot hold to a scale. Some sculpurs also understand little of human anatomy and physics and greate weapons that are impsooible to actualy wield in the real world. This is even bryond there inability to undetstand manufactureing limits which do require a minimum size for manuafacture.
The rise of resin printers (not a great fan personally, I am an FDM man myself) makes this even more inexcusible as the figures can be drawn to the correct scale and can produce much thinner minimum thicknesses.

Why this insanity has not corruoped vehicels less is unclear but greatly appreciated. There are bad examples but 3D print particularly are generally as close to scale as manufacturing allow.

Some sculpurs also understand little of human anatomy

I agree with this, there are so many dwarf 15/18mm manufacturers. I use to like the old Skytrex or Heritage napoleonic figures because there were reasonably close to reality. Mini-figs is ok, but there figures are 18mm and rather plain. I have recently discovered 15mm napoloenics figures very similar to the old Skytrex/heritage from Lancashire Games and i am impressed. Not as detailed as the best 18mm figures, but they are 15mm and there look like human's and there are very reasonably priced. I may try their ancients to see what they are like.