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Building size mismatching
Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 11:49 am
by WHM
This may be a subject touched on previously, but do you guys find it interesting how building sizes by various manufactures vary when they are supposed to be for the same 6mm/micro scale?
Recently I bought some of GHQ's buildings as I wanted to give them a try, but when compareed to Timecast's the size difference is way off.
GHQ used to sell models from one outfit called Mainly Military whuch I also bought. They do not go with other makers. I have some old castings of houses from way back in the day, I do not remember who the made them,. they fit with some of the resin ones I have, but certainly do not match with others.
I've made some paper buildings ala SFC Mike as well. I kind of have to "eyeball" the size to get the scale right. Have the kit from Paer Terrain but haven't put it together yet. When I asked him about the size difference basically he just shrugged.
Funny thing though, at least to me, if I place a model next to a building regardless of maker the size does seem to work. Just can't mix them together.
Any thoughts worth mentioning?
Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 5:05 pm
by jb
Scale creep ,again. You also might notice that the GHQ infantry is not to scale with the GHQ vehicles either. Take it from there...
Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 5:59 pm
by 1ComOpsCtr
If you travel the UK or Europe you will find the same thing in real life, in that many buildings from different eras of history appear to have been built using a different measuring scale...
There are several basic scales (sizes) you can easily document: 1/300, 1/288, 1/285, 1/250, 1/240, and 1/220, all of which are commercially viable for various reasons.
Will
Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 7:50 pm
by av8rmongo
Scale creep ,again. You also might notice that the GHQ infantry is not to scale with the GHQ vehicles either. Take it from there...
Tell me about it. I recently kitbashed some TPz-1 Fuchs with MILAN crews from the UK weapons pack. They look like Shriners in clown cars in a 4th of July parade. I wanted to have MILAN capability for the new VBLs I bought but I can't drill a hole big enough for the infantry figure to fit in a VBL.
GHQ I know you're committed to the 7mm or 8mm infantry you're making so could we at least get some scale appropriate weapons for the vehicles? I don't mind watching the Shriners on a sunny summer afternoon but I don't want to see them zipping around the table top.
Paul
Posted: Wed Jan 16, 2008 11:43 pm
by bejart7092
Not only do the sizes from different manufacturers vary, but their stylistic touches can be quite jarring. The same thing occurs when I mix cardboard buildings from different sources, even if they are the exact same size. Photographed reproductions don't mix well with computer generated images, which don't compliment structures using hand drawn pictures. My solution --- I've resorted to only using one type per game.
Combining solid resin or metal buildings with cardboard ones is another iffy propositon. I still don't know if I like the effect of mixing the resin Leva buildings ruins with the cardboard factory models in the picture below.
Ahh --- the dilemma of creating miniature worlds.
Bill
http://www.freewebs.com/gupiao
Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 1:06 am
by Timothy OConnor
Not only do the sizes from different manufacturers vary, but their stylistic touches can be quite jarring.
You got that right! I use JR Miniatures buildings since they're cheap (see below). The only problem is that they're so "lumpy" people think they're home-made!
But, that's why I call them bag-o-buildings! And there's no way they would mix with GHQ with respect to size OR style since GHQ's are so clean edged and "tidy".

Posted: Thu Jan 17, 2008 3:25 am
by jb
av8rmongo wrote:Scale creep ,again. You also might notice that the GHQ infantry is not to scale with the GHQ vehicles either. Take it from there...
Tell me about it. I recently kitbashed some TPz-1 Fuchs with MILAN crews from the UK weapons pack. They look like Shriners in clown cars in a 4th of July parade. I wanted to have MILAN capability for the new VBLs I bought but I can't drill a hole big enough for the infantry figure to fit in a VBL.
GHQ I know you're committed to the 7mm or 8mm infantry you're making so could we at least get some scale appropriate weapons for the vehicles? I don't mind watching the Shriners on a sunny summer afternoon but I don't want to see them zipping around the table top.
Paul
...you can get some "to scale" figs for your vehicles if you have some real old GHQ figs. I used some of those for my Panther crew members, i.e. diver and w/t operator. If you need some I can spare you a "few". You understand they are truly "rare".
Just PM me.
Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2008 7:22 pm
by Scott Washburn
Hmmm, I don't recall shrugging

But it's not an easy question to answer. Unlike a tank or a ship or an airplane, buildings don't have standard dimensions that can be put to a precise scale. When I create my paper buildings I start out at 15mm scale since that is what I do most of my gaming in. I ceate a building that is in reasonable proportion to 15mm figures. For the other scales I then just shrink or enlarge the image. For micro-scale I shrink the buildings to 35% of their original size and that would make them about 6mm scale. Considering that I've sold more of my micro-scale sets than all of my other scales put together, I must be doing something right

I'll add that making minor adjustments to the size would not be a problem if someone was trying to match some other line of buildings. I try to be accomodating.
Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 1:24 am
by Ritter
A good source for scale figures (for your vehicles) are the various artillery figures for all nations as well as the 250 halftrack kit. These fellows are much closer to the 1/285th scale of the minis and im a picky guy!
Troy
Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 3:05 am
by av8rmongo
Yes but none of them are firing MILAN
Paul
Scale Creep
Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2008 6:04 am
by pmskaar
I have to agree with Ritter here. When I need crews for vehicles I will use the old GHQ figures, especially those for the German and American halftracks as well as the artillery figures which are much closer to 1/285th scale than the new infantry. I have asked GHQ to do some new figures in scale for the open topped vehicles such as Russian tank crewmen, American tank crewmen for the TD's, as well as others that require them.
I use a mix of buildings for my games and generally the ones I use the most which are GHQ, Leva, and Timecast seem to mix reasonably well together. If GHQ made more buildings I would use them. I too consider myself a picky person when it comes to micro armor at least.
Pete - Binpicker, Out!