The Lazy Gamer and Miniature "Scales"

Last time I talked about the advantage of choosing smaller scale miniatures. Today, I want to elaborate upon the different scales used in miniature gaming and the pros and cons of each.

Let me begin with a note about the term “scale.” Technically, “scale” refers to a ratio between a model and the actual object it is modelling. Thus, if I have a 1/72 scale miniature of a 6’ (72”) man, then the miniature would be 1” tall. While scale is used for some miniatures (e.g. I have mentioned 1/72 multiple times in the Guide), more often miniatures are identified by a nominal size, such as 2mm, 6mm, 10mm. Even though these are technically not scales, the term scale is often used – e.g. 2mm scale. In today’s discussion, I will use the common (albeit technically incorrect) term of scale.

Note that in the miniatures world, the definition of scale is rather lax. Some manufacturers measure it from the top of the head to ground while others go from eyes to ground. Thus, there can be some variation between miniature lines of the same nominal scale. If you buy from different manufacturers, you may have to buy samples to see if they match up.

2mm
First up is my current preferred scale. 2mm figures are available from Irregular Miniatures and are cast in blocks of around 20 infantry, 6-8 cavalry, or a gun and crew. If you do 3D printing, Forward March Studios offers printable files.

My old 2mm Irregular horse & musket armies on action

I also have some sci-fi miniatures from Germy, although they seem more like 3mm to my eye.

My Germy 2mm sci-fi forces in action

There are a number of benefits to this size:

• They are quick to paint if you just go for main colors
• They create a mass army look. Instead of a few figures on a base you have a whole block of troops. En masse they look like an actual army (check out this TMP post for an example)
• They are inexpensive
• They take up very little room for storage
• You can buy individual blocks  so you can order the exact number you need

There are some drawbacks, however:

• They can be fiddly to paint if you want more detail on your miniatures
• Sometimes it can be difficult to distinguish troop types
• They can be hard to see in photographs (somewhat important to me)

3mm
A step up in size, 3mm miniatures are available from Magister Militum or Osmial 8 (I ordered from PicoArmor although Magister Militum now carries the line).

A 3mm bathtub Waterloo

Note that 3mm figures are 50% bigger than 2mm, so it is not possible to mix them together.

A comparison of 2mm vs 3mm

Benefits:

• Like 2mm, they can be quick to paint
• They can also create a mass army look
• Still affordable
• Easy to store
• Easier to distinguish troop types than 2mm

Drawbacks:

• More detail so there is the temptation to paint more
• The blocks are single ranked but bases look better with 2 ranks. This means more painting
• Magister Militum’s figures come in large packs. You may have to buy more than you need
• I had trouble fitting them into the slim Tuff boxes I bought for storage.

I prefer the MM over the PicoArmor. The individual soldiers are closer together, which makes it easier to speed paint.

5-6mm
There are a variety of manufacturers of 5 to 6mm miniatures. I have had experience with Heroics & Ros and Baccus.

Baccus 6mm ancients in action.

I haven’t done a side by side comparison, but my impression is that Baccus is somewhat larger than Heroics & Ros, to the extent that they are not usable together. Please correct me if I am wrong

Benefits:

• Individual soldiers are more distinguishable than 2mm/3mm

Drawbacks:

• Even more detail to paint
• Fewer men in the same space; less of a massed army look than small scales
• Requires more storage space

10mm
My experience with 10mm is limited, although I have a few figures (from Pendraken and Irregular) for dungeon crawls.

A dungeon crawl fight

Another option for horse & musket armies is to get replacement armies for the Risk board game. Check e-bay or Amazon for deals (search for Risk replacement pieces).

Risk figures in action

Benefits:

• Better for skirmish gaming than smaller scales
• Most distinguishable individuals
• Risk figures are easy and cheap to obtain
• If using Risk figures, they are already in different colors (if you don’t mind colorful horses)

Drawbacks:

• Battles look more like a skirmish than a massed battle (assuming a unit still occupies the same amount of space)
• Most detail to paint
• Most storage space required

I recently went big into 2mm, driven mostly by storage concerns. I was using slim Tiger brand Tuff Boxes, with the armies in small tins. My 3mm troops were too tall for the tins and the Tuff Boxes were too narrow for the Altoid tins that contained my 3mm.

If I had to start from scratch and choose one scale, I would go with 3mm and get deeper boxes for storage. The 3mm still have a massed army look and are quick and easy to build up, but I find that the troop types are easier to distinguish from a distance. If I wanted to do skirmishes with individually mounted soldiers I would go with 10mm instead. However, most of my gaming is with larger sized forces.

NEXT
Another option for the lazy gamer – block armies!