The Ultimate Guide to Scale
For those of you who are new to the purchase and collecting of miniature figures,
as well as those of you who are thinking of trying a new scale, I offer this guide
to the various scales of miniatures which are available. It summaries the key points
for each of the various scales and so allows a quick appraisal of the merits and
disadvantages thereof. This guide also addresses the most important question related
to scale: How to hide the figures from your wife.
2mm Scale
Key points
- Better than an eye test for letting you know you are an old duffer
- You only need two armies total to cover all periods since its impossible to tell them apart
- No scope for fancy paint jobs
- Small, light, cheap, and easily hidden from your wife
6mm Scale
Key points
- Cheap
- Pretty in mass
- Easy to prepare
- Fairly easy to paint
10mm Scale
Key points
- Cheap when compared with 10mm
- Half way house between 6mm and 15mm
- Big armies possible with good detail and low cost
- Fewer opponents available due to less establish scale
15mm Scale
Key points
- Well established scale
- No shortage of opponents with armies
- Many manufacturers serving the market
- Big battles are possible in a relatively small area
20mm Scale
Key points
- Good amount of detail on figures
- Popular scale for skirmishes and especially in World War 2
1:72nd (Plastics) Scale
Key points
- Light
- Low cost
- Ranges for the various manufacturers expanding very quickly
28mm Scale
Key points
- Excellent detail possible on models
- Games can be conducted in the Grand Manner
- Lots of space is required for big battles
- Models are relatively expensive
- Can be difficult to hide from your wife
40mm Scale
Key points
- "Heroic" Scale
- Opportunity to create works of art with such large models
- Impractical for large battles
- Very attractive for diorama and show cases
- Models are relatively expensive (unless compared to rip off 28mms)
54mm Scale
Key points
- Toy soldier scale
- Suitable for show cases and dioramas
- Generally not used for massed armies
How to hide your figures from your wife
There are two basic techniques for hiding your war game figures from your wife.
The first is to hide figures in plain sight. The second, and most challenging technique, is to find a hiding place for your
miniatures. The three techniques are detailed below.
Hidden in plain sight
The art of hiding your war games figures in plain sight lies in distraction. You
may describe the figures as belonging to one of your friends. They could be
described as an 'investment', metals are appreciating after all. If you are able
to keep some figures inside a display cabinet don't be shy of calling them 'Art'
since this is a subjective judgment. Of course all of the great galleries and
museums have vastly more in store rooms than they have on display at any one time
and this can account for your spare room being filled with war game figures. Try
to cultivate a positive nomenclature in describing your war game figures;
'Investment', 'Art', 'Historical piece', 'Appreciating' are all positive terms
you want to link to your figures. All of this might make no impression
on your wife, in which case skip to the next section.
Hiding your figures
Your first consideration should be the size of the army you are trying to hide.
Small scale armies are more easily hidden and this is a pay off for choosing a
small scale.
The basic hiding places include attics, cellars, inside and on top of wardrobes,
or the bottom of trunks. These hiding places are easily penetrated by your wife.
You may want to consider cut out sections from books for smaller armies. There
is no way your wife is going to thumb through Winston Churchills multi volume
history of the second world war. Depending on how seriously your wife views your
'figure habbit' you might want to make your cut outs from porn, so that you get
a warning scream when she finds them and thereby have a chance to recover the
figures.
Other hiding places include space behind electrical outlets, fake pipe
sections running across your work shop or home, hollow sections of furniture
(including legs of furniture) and within fake tin cans. Avoid hiding your
figures under loose floor boards since these are probably also known to your
family. You may not have a wall safe, but you can get a small and easily
installed alternative a "safe" cut into a baseboard that looks just like
an electrical wall outlet and receptacle. It opens with a hidden hinge.
You should also consider any possible problem with moisture when looking for
a safe hiding place for your troops.
Your figures may be more easily hidden, and in larger numbers, at a friends
house. Circles of friends can hide large volumes of figures in this way. I
have one friend, who for the purposes of this article will be called Dr John of
Kemptown, Brighton, UK, who has figures hidden all over the city in friends
spare rooms and attics. When he brings bargain figures back from a war games
show 'bring and buy' stall he tells his wife that they belong to one of his
friends and that he just brought them back from the show on his friends
behalf.
Whatever your choice, bon chance! and rest assured that we will never inform the enemy.
This Guide brought to you courtesy of
| Reinforcements by Post miniatures painting service |
| Reinforcements delivered discretely to your door |
| The enemy will not be informed |
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