What is 1/30th scale? (and general scale discombobulation)

[Bundook]

I am a bit befuddled by scales. I have a box of old Airfix 1/32 scale multipose which I want to use for my first [no-doubt disastrous] forays into figure making. I see nice-looking addon head and hand sets offered by "Figurinitaly" in 1/30th scale. Would these be compatible with the Airfix bits or will I end up with big headed soldiers with creepily huge hands?

Also, is 54mm the same as 1/32 scale? What is it with these mm sizes anyway? Why don't they just stick to proper scales?

Mods: I wasn't sure where to post this. Please move as required.

 

[svt]

1/30, if 54 mm in the eyes, then this is 58 mm in the crown, which means that the character is actually 174 cm tall.
1/32, if 54 mm in the eyes, then all the same 58 mm in the crown, but the real height of the character would be 186 cm.

The fractional scale shows how many times the figurine is smaller than the original, and this is important for historical figurines. The size in millimeters at eye level or at the top of the head is just the size of the figurine, which can conditionally be equated to some fractional scale by different modellers, collectors or manufacturers of figurines.

With these scales and dimensions, everything is not so simple, also because the manufacturer can write on the box with the chasseur figure that this is 1/32, and in the box the figure will be 62 mm tall on top, i.e. literally this chasseur was under 2 meters tall. oO

 

[Bundook]

Thanks, svt. So that means, even allowing for the varying natural proportions of humans, that a 1/30 scale head on a 1/32 scale body will very likely look out of proportion. Oh, well, I'll just have to see what can be done with the Airfix Multipose heads. I'll post a vbench to give everyone a good laugh.

 

[elgreco]

Thanks, svt. So that means, even allowing for the varying natural proportions of humans, that a 1/30 scale head on a 1/32 scale body will very likely look out of proportion. Oh, well, I'll just have to see what can be done with the Airfix Multipose heads. I'll post a vbench to give everyone a good laugh.

Hi - we do offer 54mm heads and hands should you wish to take a look at our site here: El Greco Miniatures – El Greco Miniatures Ltd.
Thanks for looking.

 

[arj]

The 'mm' size is purely the height of the figure that you buy.
A little while ago I prepared a table of different scales related to persons of different height:-
https://www.planetfigure.com/threads/scale-sizes-in-terms-of-inches.274828/#post-1098149
Equipment, weapons etc, which are made to set sizes will remain constant and will look large next to a shorter person; and vice versa for a tall fella.
Hope this helps.

Cheers,
Andrew

 

[theBaron]

1/30 is closer to 65mm. It is too large for 54mm, whether we measure to the figure's eyes or to the top of his head.
If you look at the figures referred to as collector's toy soldiers, like King & Country, John Jenkins, Collector's Showcase, among others, their figures are 1/30 scale. The manufacturers themselves sell them as such. The are larger than 1/32 figures, consistently.

Prost!
Brad

 

[Bundook]

Hi - we do offer 54mm heads and hands should you wish to take a look at our site here: El Greco Miniatures – El Greco Miniatures Ltd.
Thanks for looking.

I like one of those head sets. The faces look like the sort of thing I was after.

 

[MCPWilk]

Traditionally figure sizes in mm related to height from bottom of feet to eyes, no doubt due to variations in head gear. Scale (1/32, 1/48, etc) relates to absolute size to enable figures to match inanimate objects. I have no idea why Tamiya went for 1/35 for their armoured vehicles, when all other manufacturers were producing kits in 1/32 (3/8":1'). Tamiya still produce their aircraft kits in 1/32. Is 120mm 1/15 or 1/16 assuming a 180cm full size person?

Mike

 

[Merryweather]

Hornet models do some 1/32 scale heads which are very good ( as used by the great Bill Horan)

 

[Babelfish]

Another thing to remember (and we've all been caught out at one time or another): Even if two figures from different manufacturers (or even from the same manufacturer but by different sculptors) are nominally the same size (e.g. 54mm or whatever), that doesn't necessarily mean that they will be compatible with each other as a pair.

I've had nominally "54mm" figures that actually measure around 65mm or even slightly more from the top of the head to the base of the feet (and 75mm that measure out at 85mm), while others just do what it says on the box i.e. they really are bang-on 54mm or 75mm. And others still can be anywhere in between. It's best to take the sizes stated as guidelines rather than absolute gospel.

- Steve

 

[Babelfish]

I'll post a vbench to give everyone a good laugh.

Rest assured, no-one will laugh at you. Not on here. We were all beginners once, everyone has to start somewhere, and in any case your first forays probably won't be as disastrous as you think. Plenty of guys on here ready & willing to give constructive critique, pointers and encouragement. Just enjoy what you're doing, stick at it and improvement will come.

- Steve

 

[ivopreda]

I am a bit befuddled by scales. I have a box of old Airfix 1/32 scale multipose which I want to use for my first [no-doubt disastrous] forays into figure making. I see nice-looking addon head and hand sets offered by "Figurinitaly" in 1/30th scale. Would these be compatible with the Airfix bits or will I end up with big headed soldiers with creepily huge hands?

Also, is 54mm the same as 1/32 scale? What is it with these mm sizes anyway? Why don't they just stick to proper scales?

Mods: I wasn't sure where to post this. Please move as required.

Many answers have been given... the right information is eye size, then 1/30 or 1/32 is a more theoretical discussion.

Airfix multipose are small 1/32 closer to some 1/35 available on the market.

When I decided to start Figurinitaly I decided to stay within a specific size ... closer to the dimensions of Historex and Metal Modeles.

I have always worked in that dimension and needed to improve my spare parts

if you want to fit your hands with the multipose size the Figurinitaly 1/35 range is probably closer than the 1/30 range. on the other hand the Figurinitaly heads are maybe a bit bigger

 

[Chrisr]

Try this scale (fractions) to mm (figure height) from Reedee - third post down in the thread.
https://www.planetfigure.com/threads/scales-fractions-to-mm.272254/#post-1096586
Cheers
Chris

 

[Nap]

Rest assured, no-one will laugh at you. Not on here. We were all beginners once, everyone has to start somewhere, and in any case your first forays probably won't be as disastrous as you think. Plenty of guys on here ready & willing to give constructive critique, pointers and encouragement. Just enjoy what you're doing, stick at it and improvement will come.

- Steve

Totally agree ...PF is for ALL modellers , we all learn something each time we model and paint

Look forward to seeing the V bench

Nap

 

[Billy Dickinson]

Case in point. Both sold as 54mm … to the left Metal Modeles,, measuring out at 54mm to the eye. To the right Andrea miniatures measuring out at 49mm to the eye.
Billy

 

[svt]

View attachment 454552
Case in point. Both sold as 54mm … to the left Metal Modeles,, measuring out at 54mm to the eye. To the right Andrea miniatures measuring out at 49mm to the eye.

And the scale in fractions is not specified? Maybe the figure from Andrea, according to the scale, will be more accurate. ))) After all, on the top of the head, the growth of the figurine is approximately 52.8-53 mm, which in 1/32 scale almost perfectly corresponds to the growth of Napoleon - 169 cm.

 

[Bundook]

Airfix multipose are small 1/32 closer to some 1/35 available on the market.

I have a collection of all of the 1/32 polythene figures ever made by Airfix. Their 1/32 scale "model figures" vary alarmingly in size between the sets. Some, like the "British Commandos" are all big beefy guys, while the "Modern NATO infantry" look like skinny little dweebs beside them.

I understand that 1/35 (which is a totally illogical scale when you think about it) came about because Tamiya made a kit of a Panther tank way back in the early 60s that just happened, accidentally to work out at about 1/35 scale. They then (intentionally this time) did the rest of their range to the same scale and the rest is history.

When I decided to start Figurinitaly I decided to stay within a specific size ... closer to the dimensions of Historex and Metal Modeles.

I'm starting to realize that worrying about scales and size compatibility for human figures is a dead end. I'll try a couple of the commercial addon sets but if they don't fit, they don't fit, and I get to practice scratch building. How could you, in any case, specify a size for this?

 

[Helm]

I have a collection of all of the 1/32 polythene figures ever made by Airfix. Their 1/32 scale "model figures" vary alarmingly in size between the sets. Some, like the "British Commandos" are all big beefy guys, while the "Modern NATO infantry" look like skinny little dweebs beside them.

I understand that 1/35 (which is a totally illogical scale when you think about it) came about because Tamiya made a kit of a Panther tank way back in the early 60s that just happened, accidentally to work out at about 1/35 scale. They then (intentionally this time) did the rest of their range to the same scale and the rest is history.



I'm starting to realize that worrying about scales and size compatibility for human figures is a dead end. I'll try a couple of the commercial addon sets but if they don't fit, they don't fit, and I get to practice scratch building. How could you, in any case, specify a size for this?

View attachment 454584

Quite simply, go by the scale of the rifle, people come in all sizes, a specific rifle doesn't.

 

[theBaron]

...I'm starting to realize that worrying about scales and size compatibility for human figures is a dead end. I'll try a couple of the commercial addon sets but if they don't fit, they don't fit, and I get to practice scratch building...

Exactly. I prefer 54mm figures, and as we've all noted, there are variations in interpreting what 54mm is, across various manufacturers and across the years. When I have two figures to use, I look at proportionality when I decide whether the two are compatible. For example, I paint Staddens and Tradition figures, and Imrie-Risley. Imrie-Risley are closer to a "true" 54mm (which they bill also as 1/32), while Stadden's figures are more robust (though some of his line were closer to 54mm than most of the others). If I can put the two figures side-by-side in a display, and despite differences in height, they look "normal", that is, the heads and hands appear to be within the normal variation we find in any population, if the legs and arms are normal (Kaiser Wilhelm's left arm notwithstanding), then I'll use them. If they're way off, then I don't. As I mentioned above, among today's collector's figures, 1/30 scale has become common, and popular. A figure from King & Country, for example, is just too big to be placed alongside a figure in 1/32 or 54mm. It's not just height, it's the proportions. They are noticeably bigger in proportion.

It's just a hazard of the hobby, if you will, if you want or need to mix and match items from different manufacturers. And there isn't really a "right" or "wrong", unless the manufacturer states explicitly that a figure is supposed to represent a person of a particular height (Seydlitz was tall, for example, around 6' 3"), and for the scale or size that manufacturer labels his figure, it's just off. It is easier to work out the accuracy with scale rather than size, in that case, since scale is expressed as a ratio. But you're right, it's a dead end. I eyeball the figures, and if they look right next to each other, then together they go.

Prost!
Brad