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I just read the DakkaWiki article about scaling and it pretty much states that 1:60 is a good scale. Perhaps it's not important but I really like to be able to calculate things for proper scaling of architecture.

What scale would YOU use? And why?

There is no such thing as proper scaling with 40K, or many other miniature sizes.

Due to the malformed and mishapen nature, a door which is the proper scale for the height of the figure would be far too narrow looking to be used. A door that is the proper width would look as though it were 10 feet tall. If you attempted to just use 2 different scales, one for width and one for height, doors would be nearly square.

It is less problematic when dealing with industrial sites and huge city buildings then it is for things like frontier mining settlements and other buildings that would be built in a smaller package.

A lot of people just ignore the inconsistancies, but I never really could. As a result, I eventually moved entirely away from heroic scale figures. While that isnt exactly the answer you were looking for, the real answer becomes...it depends.

The scale in which to build is the scale which is least offensive to your eyes. 1/60 used to be a close approximation for height. Most figures now will be closer to 1/55 though. You can use that and ignore the width issue, or fudge the widths of doors a little. Width is pretty close to 1/48 or 1/43 scale (I have in the past taken O scale figures and hacked out portions of their legs, arms and torso to make various standins).

The other issue goes to ground scales. A refinery is a huge complex covering acres. On a table though, you will normally want to compress things to a few squre feet. Same goes for high rise buildings and what not. Of course, when you throw things like Baneblades into the mix, it becomes rather silly for a 3 story building to have a smaller footprint than a tank...super heavy or not.

So there you go. There i no proper scale. You will need to use what looks right and is least offensive to your eyes. A lot of the things which bother me are perfectly acceptable to others. You might be the same as them, or perhaps closer to me.

Hehe, yes I expected no "this is the way" answer, thus the emphasis on "you" in the title.

I know it problematic but still wanted to hear thoughts of others. Also, when you establish a scale viewpoint you can always do deliberate choices on a case to case basis to proper fit gaming or to be more pleasing to the eye. Still I would rather know where I do the tradeoffs.

When it comes to the sites I agree. The tabletop it but a small small slice of the battlefield and this creates a whole new set of scaling problems. I have been toying with the idea to make a cityboard but not in the regular sense. But rather make the board be the inside of a larger structure. Just to get back a bit to the awesome epic scaling of the imperial structures. It will still be off but give a hint of the size.

Thank you very much for a good answer!

I use 1:50 as 1. I find openings look better as most minis come with a thick base which makes them look too tall for a 1:56 door 2. models are generally much chunkier than a real scaled model & 3. as an architect (almost) I have scale rules with 1:50 on them & after years of university I'm used to working in that scale.


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I think it would be cool for an entire board to be in an Imperial cathedral with a nave, multiple annex, columns & pews etc.

That is also a very good point, close enough but established in architecture drafting and modelling. I think I have a scale ruler somewhere around here from the architecture classes I took in college.

Thank you!

Also you can get architectural modelling parts if you find the right retailer (eg 4D http://modelshop.co.uk/ in the UK) & 1:48 vehicles & accessories also fit well.