Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Simple question, no doubt be asked before, but I can't find answers.

What scales work well with 28/30mm minis games?

I want to throw some vehicles and terrain into my MERCS and INFINITY and Bolt Action games, and I want them to be at least vaguely close in scale.

For example, I have a German Panther Tank from Tamiya that I made years ago, and while I'm proud of it, its 1:65 scale is pretty damn big compared to a bunch of MERCs minis or any of my troops for 'Bolt Action'.

What scales work well? Got any experience with this?

1:56 is the "official" vehicle size for bolt action, but I always felt the vehicles looked a bit weedy compared to the more heroically scaled infantry, especially old models.

I have a 1:48 KV 2 that I'm building for example from Hobby Boss, and it looks perfect at tabletop height for the troops around it, whereas my Bolt Action 1:56 Panzer IV always looks like the hatches would be an unusually tight squeeze for all but the skinniest of crewmen.

If you're using more "weedy" or realistic looking figs, like Wargames factory WWII infantry, 1:56 will look really good with them and 1:48 will appear massive.

1:56 to 1:48 seems to be the guide. I prefer 1:48 myself.

1:36 scale can also work well work for battlefield accessories, things like crates, tarps, bags and terrain elements.

There seems to be some variation between 1/56 scale between manufacturers. I have several different 1/56 scale Tiger tanks from several different manufacturers, and none of them are the same size.
Pick something you like.

I like 1/48 scale vehicles with 1/56 scale figures.

There is a good range of 1/48 scale kits available now from Tamiya and some of the Korean or Chinese companies.

 EccentricOwl wrote:
Simple question, no doubt be asked before, but I can't find answers.

What scales work well with 28/30mm minis games?

I want to throw some vehicles and terrain into my MERCS and INFINITY and Bolt Action games, and I want them to be at least vaguely close in scale.

For example, I have a German Panther Tank from Tamiya that I made years ago, and while I'm proud of it, its 1:65 scale is pretty damn big compared to a bunch of MERCs minis or any of my troops for 'Bolt Action'.

What scales work well? Got any experience with this?

Are you sure you don't mean 1:35 scale Panther? 1:35 is a common scale for Tamiya tank, vehicle and figure kits, and is indeed too big for 28mm unless you're doing alot of converting. I've seen 1:64 scale tank kits and if you had one of those it would look far too small next to your Mercs.

As others have said, 1:56 through 1:48 are going to be your best bet. You can also often get away with 1:43 which is a common scale for toy cars. I use them alot for post apoc gaming. Though technically too big, the chunkyness of most minis plus the height of their base makes them look just fine on the tabletop. Of course it also helps if the subject matter is as over the top and pulpy as the Mad Max Falcon Interceptor.

(yes I realize it's a Camaro. Making do with what's at hand and all that...)

For ww2 vehicles, your best bet is probably to pick a brand that has a look you like and stick with it. Whether 1:56 or 1:48, if all the vehicles are the same size, then it's bound to look pretty good on the tabletop. Another thing to note is that tank's are often quite small in real life. I've seen a dozen or so different tanks in person and have been quite surprised at how small they are. If it looks cramped, it's probably realistic.

My only caution would be that the general styles of WW2 and Mercs/Infinity are so very different. None of the Tank kits you might buy for Bolt action are going to look good on a Merc/Infi tabletop, and there's not much that Tamiya makes for terrain that is all that great or a great deal. There's many other companies that make better, more playable and more affordable terrain for Merc/Inf or for 28mm WW2 gaming like Bolt Action.

I did a size comparison a while ago of a 1/48 Tamiya Sherman and 1/56 warlord Sherman with 28mm paratrooper for scale. I agree with some of the previous posts, for some reason the 1/56, 28mm scale tanks just look too small. I honestly can't see any of the 28mm bolt action troops I have fitting in and out of the hatches on the warlord Sherman (although they do sell tank crew that fit, it looks like an awful squeeze!). I spent the past weekend around loads of tanks, including panthers, shermans and even got to climb on a Tiger I, and imo 1/48 is the better scale to go with our 28mm soldiers.

 Hereticdave wrote:
I did a size comparison a while ago of a 1/48 Tamiya Sherman and 1/56 warlord Sherman with 28mm paratrooper for scale. I agree with some of the previous posts, for some reason the 1/56, 28mm scale tanks just look too small. I honestly can't see any of the 28mm bolt action troops I have fitting in and out of the hatches on the warlord Sherman (although they do sell tank crew that fit, it looks like an awful squeeze!). I spent the past weekend around loads of tanks, including panthers, shermans and even got to climb on a Tiger I, and imo 1/48 is the better scale to go with our 28mm soldiers.

I think the 1/56 tank looks just the right size, however you're right about the hatches seeming too small. The reason is that even non-heroic war-games minis (especially metal ones) are still a bit thicker in proportion than a truly properly scaled model would be. It simply has to be this way to keep wrists, ankles, guns, etc from breaking during wargaming use. Take a look at how skinny the barrels on 1/35 scale model guns are. They're thinner than 28mm (1/56) scale guns and would never hold up to the rigors of gaming.

Height wise, 28mm and 1/56 match up great. Width/Girth wise, 28mm war-games figures fit well in 1/48.

Of course there's also the issue of the base. Put a model on a slotta base (and sometimes figure a bit of scale creep) and suddenly it's almost at tall as a 1/48 scale model

Here's a 1/48 french civilian and a tau model. It's not perfect as the Frenchman is a bit further back and should look a bit taller, and a Tau figure is taller than most 28mm historicals. Howevwe, it gets the point across about girth and height. The 1/48 guy should be bigger, but the 28mm fig is just as thick, evenmoreso when you look at the hands.