Scales again (was: RE: The GZG Digest V2 #289)

> The new CAV miniatures from Reaper are also in "N"scale. This seems to

BUT..... the discussion was originally about the Gropos minis, which have been
quoted as 10mm scale; "N" is NOT 10mm. N is, IIRC, normally taken as
around 1/120 scale. 10mm is approx 1/200; the nearest corresponding
model
railway scale is Z, at 1/220.

Okay, which one of youse guys has the alphabet scale to fractions scale
conversion chart? time to see the link to that chart..

[quoted original message omitted]

On Fri, 26 Jan 2001 19:42:30 -0600, "Jesse Casey"
<jessecasey@netzero.net> wrote:

> Okay, which one of youse guys has the alphabet scale to fractions

There's one on The Miniatures Page (in the Reference Corner, under The Hobby).
This page compares millimetre scale (20mm) to fractional scale (1/87),
but it also lists the "letter scale", which is actually model railroad gauge
(HO).
Here is the URL:

http://theminiaturespage.com/ref/scales.html

Bear in mind, though, that it's all rather subjective, depending on the
manufacturer. I was never able to see anything definitive, but I've heard
annecdotal evidence that at different times the millimetre scale measured from
the bottom of the feet to the figure's eyes, and at other times the figure was
measured from the bottom of the feet to the top of the head (approximated).

Due to the fact that you need a standardized gauge system so that one
manufacturer's trains will run on another's track, the letter scale is well
defined. By definition, the fractional scale is well defined as well. This is
not the case with the millimetre scale.

The problem is that it's actually in the interest of miniature manufacturers
to get people to buy their figures and not mix and match with their
competitors. Games Workshop has been the most blatant about this, and arguably
the most successful. However, the fact that historical miniatures
manufacturers have never been willing to agree to a formal standard (HMGS has
called for such a standard).

Of course, lead figure manufacturers aren't the only ones muddying the waters.
While railroad manufacturers are good at keeping to the gauge standard,
miniatures that claim to follow the railroad gauge are NOT good at keeping to
the standard. I have plastic figures from the 70s that are labelled HO scale.
One set is 1/72, the other is 1/76. Neither is what I've seen as the
"official" HO scale (1/87).

Roco minitanks are close to this scale, though. What's interesting is that a
post on the Battleground: World War II e-group suggests that most Roco
tanks are used with 15mm figures, not 20mm.

US N Gauge is 1:160

Michael Brown

[quoted original message omitted]

> US N Gauge is 1:160

Yes, I think you're quite right. 1/120 was a slip of the brain.....  ;-)
IIRC this equates to more like 12mm in wargame terms.

Jon (GZG)
> Michael Brown

From: "Michael Brown" <mwbrown@veriomail.com>

> US N Gauge is 1:160

> BUT..... the discussion was originally about the Gropos minis, which

> From: "Michael Brown" <mwbrown@veriomail.com>

Yes, their 10mm -1/200 stuff (WWII and Moderns) is very nice.
Conversions
of the modern vehicles would give some usable low-tech SF kit.