Understanding Hobby Scales in Tabletop Gaming
The world of hobbies encompasses a vast array of sizes, known as scales. These scales are crucial for modelers, gamers, and collectors to ensure compatibility and realism in their projects. Below is a comprehensive table of popular scales and their applications.
Comprehensive Hobby Scale Table
| Ratio | Inches per Foot | Millimetres per Foot | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:20000 | - | 0.015 mm | Arii produced injection-molded kits in this scale of the very large Zentradi spacecraft from the science fiction anime series Macross. |
| 1:4800 | - | 0.064 mm | Used for fictional spacecraft for the board game Star Cruiser. A small set of British and German WWII warships in this scale were produced by CnC. |
| 1:3900 | - | 0.078 mm | Star Trek toys and miniatures are available in this scale. |
| 1:3000 | - | 0.102 mm | Science fiction miniatures for Starmada and naval wargaming in Britain. |
| 1:2500 | - | 0.122 mm | Popular for large fictional spacecraft, especially Star Trek. |
| 1:2400 | - | 0.127 mm | British and American size for naval wargaming ship models. |
| 1:2000 | - | 0.152 mm | Used in Japan for plastic Naval models. |
| 1:1400 | - | - | Die cast ship models, Star Trek spaceships. |
| 1:1250 | - | 0.244 mm | Dominant European size for ship models. |
| 1:1200 | 0.01 | 0.254 mm | British and American size for ship and harbor models. |
| 1:1000 | - | 0.305 mm | Used in Germany for pre-finished airliner models. |
| 1:800 | - | 0.381 mm | Used for some aircraft carrier models. |
| 1:720 | - | 0.423 mm | Standard size for ship models by Revell and Italeri. |
| 1:700 | - | 0.435 mm | Scale for a large series of waterline plastic model ships. |
| 1:600 | - | 0.508 mm | Popular for ship models, especially liners and capital ships. |
| 1:570 | - | 0.535 mm | Used by Revell for some ship models. |
| 1:500 | - | 0.610 mm | Used by the military in WWII for ship models. |
| 1:480 | - | 0.635 mm | T scale for model railways. |
| 1:450 | - | 0.677 mm | Used for plastic ship models. |
| 1:432 | - | 0.706 mm | WWII U.S. Navy aircraft recognition scale. |
| 1:400 | - | 0.762 mm | European size for ship and submarine models. |
| 1:350 | - | 0.871 mm | Japanese size for detailed ship models. |
| 1:300 | - | 1.016 mm | Used for micro armor and 6 mm figure scale wargaming. |
| 1:288 | - | 1.058 mm | Scale for aircraft and rockets. |
| 1:285 | - | 1.069 mm | Known as "6 mm figure scale" for miniature wargaming. |
| 1:270 | - | 1.129 mm | Used by Fantasy Flight Games for Star Wars miniatures. |
| 1:250 | - | 1.219 mm | Used by Heller for model ships. |
| 1:200 | 0.06″ | 1.524 mm | Used for high-end model aircraft and paper model ships. |
| 1:160 | 1.905 mm | - | American and European model trains in N scale. |
| 1:144 | 0.083″ | 2.117 mm | Popular for ships, aircraft, and spacecraft models. |
| 1:100 | 3.048 mm | - | Used for aircraft, military vehicles, and ships. |
| 1:87 | 3.503 mm | - | Civilian and military vehicles, often used for HO scale. |
| 1:72 | 0.167″ | 4.233 mm | Prolific small scale for plastic model vehicles and aircraft. |
| 1:64 | 4.763 mm | - | Used for die-cast cars like Matchbox and Hot Wheels. |
| 1:56 | 5.442 mm | - | Common for 28 mm figure scale wargaming vehicles. |
| 1:48 | 0.25″ | 6.350 mm | Used for military aircraft and dollhouse applications. |
| 1:35 | 8.709 mm | - | Popular scale for military vehicles and figures. |
| 1:24 | 0.5″ | 12.70 mm | Common for cars and figures. |
| 1:12 | 1″ | 25.40 mm | Used for action figures, model cars, and dollhouses. |
| 1:6 | 2″ | 50.80 mm | Used for articulated figures like G.I. Joe. |
| 1:1 | 12″ | 304.80 mm | Full scale, life-size models. |
Why Scale Matters
Choosing the right scale ensures that your models and miniatures are compatible with your existing collection and gaming setup. It affects the level of detail you can achieve and the space required for display or gameplay.
Conclusion
Understanding these scales can greatly enhance your modeling and gaming experience, allowing you to create more realistic and immersive setups.