More on ‘Figure Size’. This time from January 1966…

A Call to Reason:

OR

They Don’t Make Millimeters Like They Used to

By: Aram Bakshian Jr.

Table Top Talk, January 1966

The past several years have witnessed a mysterious change in the millimeter. Like some elderly matron with a taste for chocolates, the millimeter has lost its youthful figure and gradually expanded!

At least, that is the conclusion one draws when examining some of the model soldiers designated by their manufacturers as “20mm scale”. Some of them stand an inch high, some less than three-quarters of an inch. The effect, when they are viewed side by side, is that of a confrontation between Charles DeGaulle and Mickey Mouse!

Dr. DeGre’s recent proposal that wargamers and collectors band together and declare 20mm scale to equal l/8th of an inch to the foot may have come too late, but it is an excellent one.

Of course there has always been a great deal of variance in miniatures of all types. Anyone who has ever stood a Graham Farish or a Vertunni next to a Metayer or a Mignot knows what I mean. In addition, the same designer may unwittingly slip over the years, or change his “interpretation” of the millimeter.

Compare an early Bussler Revolutionary War Costume piece with his later Battle of Trenton series. In theory they are both “standard 54mm scale!”. In reality one is a short scare crow, the other is an over-stuffed giant! More than one outspoken critic of the magnificent Stadden line has been heard to remark that his remakes look considerably taller and better-fed than his initial models. I also heard one add that they seem to suffer from a strange glandular disorder which results in swollen heads lengthy arms and shrunken feet! This of course, is debatable, and the real issue does not concern any one maker alone.

For despite the myriad of individual preferences and prejudices, all collectors and wargamers can agree on the fact that 1 mm equals 1mm – never any more or less!

The simple table at the end of this article speaks for itself. A figure that is 1” high may be excellently crafted, but it simply is not 20mm!

In a way, while no fraud is intended, there is a great deal of “error” in manufacturers’ designation of scale.

1mm equals . 03937 inch – therefore:

20mm equals . 7874 Inches

30mm equals 1.181 inches

54mm equals 2.125 inches

Again on the subject of ‘Figure Size’ I have reread a 1958 article by A.W. Saunders. I this article Mr. Saunders tells us about his new 5/8 inch war game figures. Some quick math tells us that 5/6 inch come to about 15.875mm, so if we round up we arrive at 16mm. I do recall reading about other 16mm figures, but this is the earliest reference I can find. These were not commercial figures, but this is yet another indication that the figure size was chosen for its fit with model kits about the size of the TT railroad scale (TT scale is a model railroad scale; size of which falls in between HO and N scale.  Its actual scale measurement is 1/120, or 0.10 inch = one foot, or one inch = ten feet). Lastly we will also note the size designation is 5/8 rather than some millimeter designation.

Small Scale War Game Figures
By A.W. Saunders

The War Game Digest – December 1958

In recent years many war game players have gone down in scale as far as war games go, Not so many years ago the standard size 54 mm models were locked upon as ideal for the armchair general, but it will be remembered by most that H.G. Wells advocated the use of smaller figures, Not so very long ago came the 30 mm S.A.E. figures, and ideal size for the game and may collectors went over to this scale as one giving much more table room, New with the advent of the excellent Greenwood and Ball figures, produced by Jack Scruby at a reasonable price, many players seem to be going down to 3/4 inch figures which to my mind is a better size for realism? I myself have of recent months gone down to an even smaller figure one 5/8 of an inch tall, As a staunch advocate of the smaller figure for war games, my watchful eye saw not so long ago in the British Home stores some really fine little plastic kits at only 1/ each, roughly about l4 cents The series on sale included Civil War locomotives, prairie wagons, horse drawn fire pumps, coronation coach, stage coach and three types of aeroplanes all in about the TT railroad scale, which by my reckoning makes an infantryman 5/8ths of an inch. By the way I am sure that these kits originated from the Ideal Toy Corp, of the U.S.

I began to ponder on the whys and wherefores of these kits and decided to have a shot at using the excellent material available for moulding and casting, The supply wagons of course were cheap enough to buy and use as bought and for artillery wheels and cavalry horses the fire pump kit supplied three horses per kit and two wheels of just the right size for cannon and limbers. The coronation coach had the riders I wanted and a mould was soon made of these and the fire pump horses. Both came out of the mould very well and very soon two cavalry squadrons of twenty troopers each were made aid painted. I found the wheels almost impossible to cast so went out and bought up the entire stock if fire pumps in the stores, finishing up eventually something like 30 fire pumps which gave me a total of 60 wheels and 90 horses, then I came to the great snag, the infantrymen.

This little figure I made myself, but try as I might, I could not get out very good castings, I sent them to Jack Scruby for his inspection and back came the suggestion that solved the problem, if I never did thank you for this Jack, thanks a lot. The solution was simple, make a thicker base and fill from this base.

With the infantryman solved, I soon amassed a sizeable number in all, to date, I have made and painted 240 infantrymen, 40 cavalry and two cannon with 10 cannoneers Of course as homemade figures, the models are not in great detail, in fact this isn’t needed in such a small scale. Look at them singly and one doesn’t think much of them, but put them out enmasse on the table with colours flying and the effect of the whole is quite satisfying, almost as if one were in Professor Lowes’ balloon hovering over the battle field. The extra room gained for maneuvers makes the whole lot of hard work I have put in worth it and already I have mad moulds and cast some modern figures for a game of this period, (1939-45), In this case the infantryman is in exact scale with the Authenticast tanks.

I am finding too, that with this very small scale, I can become ambitious as far as the Civil war goes bring into the game much that would not be possible on my ten by five table with 30 mm figures. It is well known that the Civil War, as much if not more than most wars, brought into play the whole panoply of the art of war. This terrible conflict saw terrific land fighting in field warfare, sieges and far flung cavalry raids. A blockade was carried out by the north and some very fierce naval warfare took place on the rivers, submarines of great ingenuity were used, manned by crews of great courage. Partisan activity was rife. In fact their isn’t much in the art of war that cannot-be tried out on the war game table in period, no wonder the Civil War is such a favorite with so many war gamers.