MJBurrage: Created page with "{{toc}} :Adapted from Tom Meier’s post on the subject.{{cite web |url=http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=266840 |title=Story so far, origin of figure scale |..."

2018-03-08T05:21:02Z

Created page with "{{toc}} :Adapted from Tom Meier’s post on the subject.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=266840 |title=Story so far, origin of figure scale |..."

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{{toc}}
:Adapted from Tom Meier’s post on the subject.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=266840 |title=Story so far, origin of figure scale |work= |pub={{abbr|TMP|The Miniatures Page}} |date=2012-05-06 |first=Tom |last=Meier}}</ref>

====Pre-1950====
Early war-gaming figures were a combination of model railroad scales—54mm is from ‘1 guage’ (1∶32)—and the mainly German tradition of making figures to a set height e.g. ‘30mm’. In both cases the millimeter designation refers to the figure’s stature (standing height, from sole to crown).

====1950s====
The stated height being stature is used by manufactures such as Greenwood, Thomas, SAE and Scruby. In particular, ''Jack Scruby’s Catalogue of Military Miniatures'' (1968) published a scale comparison illustration, making it clear that the mm height was understood be stature.<ref name="Scruby">{{cite web |url=http://www.tabletoptalk.com/?p=686 |title=Figure Size: Comparisons |work=HistoriFigs News |pub=Table Top Talk |date=2012-04-30 |first=Mike |last=Taber}}</ref>

====1960s====
Hinton Hunt markets “20mm” figures with a stature of ∼23.5mm. This cannot be explained as eye height which is 22mm for a 23.5mm stature. Tom Meier hypothesizes that they were meant for British HO gauge (aka OO scale, with 1∶76.2 trains running on 1∶87 track). Other manufactures contemporary 20mm figures were 1∶87 scale and were frequently marketed as“20mm/HO scale” so when Hinton Hunt marketed their figures they called them HO/20mm, meaning the British 1∶76.2 scale. Airfix plastic figures are also 1∶76.2 scale.

Early Minifigs follow Hinton Hunt’s lead making “20mm” figures with a stature of ∼1-inch. Jack Scruby responds by making similarly scaled figures and calling them “1 Inch”. According to the scale illustration in Scruby’s 1968 catalog his “1 Inch” figures have a stature of ∼27.5mm (halfway between 20mm and 30mm).<ref name="Scruby" />

====1970s====
Minifigs begins calling their 1-inch stature figures “25mm”. This is the origin of “25mm”, which later morphs into “28mm”.

Modeling in epoxy, as opposed to wax or solder becomes more common, increasing the tendency for production figures to be larger than the original sculpt. Fantasy figures become popular, and many fantasy races and creatures are larger or smaller than an average man further confusing the use #mm size scales.

====1980s====
The {{abbr|first documented case|found by TMP as of 2012}} describing figures where the #mm height is to the eye, in a Viking Miniatures ad from the April 1980 ''Military Modeling''.

Barrett Measurement system for describing figure compatibility published in ''The Courier'', using eye height as the #mm basis.<ref>“[http://theminiaturespage.com/periodicals/histmag.html#courier ''The Courier''] uses the Tobey Barrett Measurements System (BM) to simplify the comparison of figure sizes one to another. Briefly the number is the height in millimeters from the bottom of the figure’s foot (top of the base) to its eye. The letter refers to the ‘heft’ of the figure: L = Light; M = Medium; and H = Heavy. ‘H’ will fit well with other ‘H’ and somewhat with ‘M’ but not at all with ‘L’ even in the same scale. thus a ‘27 M’ is a larger 25mm figure of Medium Heft.”</ref>

“28mm” begins to replace “25mm”, and a new designation appears. “heroic #mm” meaning larger than other figures of that #mm-scale.

==Notes==
US adult averages in 1999, based on data from NASA and the {{abbr|SAE|Society of Automotive Engineers}}.<ref name="ErgoTMC">{{cite web |url=http://ergotmc.gtri.gatech.edu/dgt/Design_Guidelines/hndch703.htm |title=§7.2.2 Structural anthropometry |work=[http://ergotmc.gtri.gatech.edu/cgi-bin/frame_creator-dgt.cgi?page=Design_Guidelines/hndtoc.htm {{abbr|ErgoTMC|Ergonomic Traffic Management Centers}} Design Guidelines] |first=Michael J. |last=Kelly |pub={{abbr|GTRI|Georgia Tech Research Institute}} {{abbr|ELSYS|Electronic Systems Laboratory, Georgia Institute of Technology}} and {{abbr|FHWA|Federal Highway Administration, U.S. Department of Transportation}} |date=1999-07}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
! Standing !! Male !! Female
|-
|Stature {{small|(height)}} ||68.3″ 1735 ㎜ ||62.9″ 1598 ㎜
|-
|Eye Height ||64.7″ 1643 ㎜ ||60.3″ 1532 ㎜
|}

===References===
<references/>

===External links===
* {{abbr|1717㎜ head|1717㎜ ≈ 5′7.6″, TMP may use 1717 as an alliterative mnemonic.}} • {{cite web |url=http://theminiaturespage.com/ref/glossary.html |title=Glossary |work=The Hobby |pub={{abbr|TMP|The Miniatures Page}} |date=1999-02-11}}
* {{abbr|1776㎜ head|5′10″ ≡ 1778㎜, Croxall may use 1776 as a date-based mnemonic (American Revolution).}} • {{cite web |url=http://www.warflag.com/shadow/cast/figuresize/figures.htm |title=Metal Miniatures: Manufactures, Size and Scale Compatibility |first=Ian |last=Croxall |work=Red Shadow |date=2000-10}}
* {{abbr|1610㎜ eye|5′3″ ≡ 1600.2㎜, TMP may use 1610 as a date based mnemonic (King Louis XIII of France coronation).}} • {{cite web |url=http://theminiaturespage.com/ref/scales.html |title=All About Scales |work=The Hobby |pub={{abbr|TMP|The Miniatures Page}} |date=2009-07-25}}
* {{abbr|1580㎜ eye|5′2″ ≡ 1574.8㎜}} • {{cite web |url=http://mainly28s.com/how_to/measuring_scale.html |title=Vehicle Scale Compatability |work=Mainly 28s… |date=2014-05-27 |first=Olaf |last=Meys}}

* [http://www.elhiem.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/comparison.html Javascript brand comparison tool]
* {{cite web |aurl=http://rec.games.miniatures.historical.narkive.com/gAhc3EEb/20mm-napoleonics |title=20mm Napoleonic Figures – Size Does Matter |work={{abbr|[http://theminiaturespage.com/periodicals/mwan.html MWAN]|Midwest Wargamer’s Association Newsletter}} #93 |date=May/June 1998 |first=Robert |last=Burke |adate=2003-12-17}}
* {{cite web |url=http://wargaming.info/2005/20mm-176th-a-172nd-figure-comparison/ |title=20mm (1/76th & 1/72nd) Figure Comparison |work=Wargaming.info |date=2005-01-10}}
* {{cite web |url=http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=161883 |title=TMP Scale / Size |pub={{abbr|TMP|The Miniatures Page}} |date=2009-02-10 |first= |last=Burkhard}}
* {{cite web |url=http://www.oniriaminiatures.com/espanol-escalas-y-tamanos/ |title=Scales & Sizes |work=Oniria Miniatures |date=2013-06-25}}
* {{cite web |url=https://normanminiatures.wordpress.com/miniature-scales/ |title=Miniature Scales |work=Andrew’s Miniatures |date=2015 |first=Andrew |last=}}
* [[wikipedia:Miniature figure (gaming)|Miniature figure (gaming)]] (Wikipedia)
* [[wikipedia:Miniature wargaming|Miniature wargaming]] (Wikipedia)

[[category:scale models]]

Miniature figure scale - Revision history

MJBurrage: Created page with "{{toc}} :Adapted from Tom Meier’s post on the subject.{{cite web |url=http://theminiaturespage.com/boards/msg.mv?id=266840 |title=Story so far, origin of figure scale |..."