Scale Rambles

I just read Mr. Nigel Higgins' rant regarding the "scale" of 28mm in Wargames Bloggers Quarterly and that got me thinking about the size or more accurately the sizes of "28mm", heroic, super heroic et all. Mr. Higgins like many people is rather put out by these bedeviling issues and rightly pointed out that there is no such thing as a "28mm scale". Now this was an enjoyable read and he knows the proper way to scale up or down objects mathematically but I don't see the point if its inclusion to this issue scale modeling has nothing to do with wargaming. Before you protest get your favorite wargames building and a standing 28mm figure, the Facade (front) of the building looks proportionally correct. Now lay the model down along the side of the building most likely the building's side wall is 1 1/2 model lengths long. Now think about the house you live how many person lengths is the side of that house? Wait?! Yes dear readers all wargames building as severally foreshortened. If you used the scale modeling approach to construct a wargames building (and I have) it will not look right. The objects on the wargames table are not scale representations but artistic approximations. Scale modeling math has its uses in wargaming but wargaming is not scale modeling.

I use the foot to eye measuring system to tell how "large" a "28mm" figure really is as the Legatus correctly pointed out toy soldiers "wear hats" and this is the only reliable measurement possible for figures. This is an issue that has plagued us wargamers for some time now I've recently decided to add the foot to eye measurements of every figure I post on the blog from now on. See this post for details on how I list the measurements. I have lots to say about this issue but I've run out of time until see you Wed.