What Scale is 15mm? This week on the Madaxeman Podcast

[madaxeman]

This week the podcast that recently triggered a discussion on some forums about how much 15mm wargame figures should cost shamelessly gives PP an honourable mention during it's attempt to trigger another discussion about the wild inconsistencies of wargames "scales", this time as part of our new regular weekly (tongue firmly in cheek) feature "I'm Sorry, I  Think You're an Ar**" featuring a fully motivated Adam who approaches the delicate subject of "wargames figure scales" with much the same finesse as a WW2-vintage quad 20mm AA half track might bring to the art of making an omlette.

There is also a whole slew of actual proper wargaming podcast-type content, including a discussion about how to cheat when painting tartan, Danish infantry coat colours, whether hobbits featured in the ACW, as well as a first look at the new O Group rules, a quick flirt with how to make money selling rats on eBay, what basing might look like in ADLG v4, the merits of waterslide vs LBMS transfers, and a chat about how big Victrix horses (and specifically their ar**s) actually are.

Normal service is resumed too as we get onto the topic of identifying suspicious badgers when they are in ambush, in a section in which Adam uses his newfound knowledge of honey badgers to make his pitch to replace David Attenborough in the BBC presenter roster. We also discuss gearing up for competitions again, how to buy cycle wheels succesfully, whether "Tirpitzness" is best as an adjective or an adverb, and how to paint eyes on small scale figures.

The aftermath of ISITYAA this week rather leaves Andy's Quiz somewhat floundering as a quivering wreck on the floor, with Andy barely capable of coming up with a subject matter for this week's question. Instead he simply mutters the gnomic phrase "Words" before sloping off back into his techno dungeon in the heart of the French undergound Le Disco scene once again.

Podbean Link: https://madaxeman.podbean.com/e/episode-69-1614855787/

Or, search for the Madaxeman Podcast anywhere you normally get your podcasts from

[martin goddard]

Good podcast Tim.
Enjoyed the variety of "voices".

martin
Do let this group know hen each new podcast is ready.

Thank you.

[pbeccas (Paul)]

I want to hear an interview with Martin. 👍

[Colonel Kilgore]

I want to hear an interview with Martin. 👍

You can hear him talking to himself on the PP rules videos 😄

Simon

[martin goddard]

The "15mm scale" discussion has a lot of potential without getting too personal, political or inflamed.

The following should not raise too much protest  (who knows?).

PP figures have slowly increased in height from 15mm to top of head toward 15mm to the eye. This has happened over 35 years. This gives about  0.06 mm per year height increase.

However, there is more to the figure appearance than just height.
PP figures have become slimmer.

It would be ill advised I think to make figures and equipment to an accurate scale such as 1/100th.
True scaling would give detail that is very hard to pick out with a brush. The thickness of a real life 4mm thick belt would be 0.04mm on a figure. A bayonet of 6mm thickness would be 0.06mm thick.
Thus, casting practicality, handling resilience, ease of painting and visual recognition compromise accurate representation.

This means I make a compromise between art and accuracy.
Others draw the compromise at different points.

I enjoy using "wargame"style  figures and  rather like the above attributes to enable enjoyment of the figures.
I cannot think of any wargames figures that are at the extremes of art or accuracy. i.e None are correct scale reproductions and none are unrecognisable as fighting men.
They are all somewhere in between.

Nearer the "accuracy" end would be many of the Airfix figures. Nearer the "art" end would be Dixon figures?  Both are great. The problem comes though, because of the incompatibility of various art/accuracy interpretations.

martin

[sukhe_bator (Neil)]

Couldn't have put it better myself, Martin!
People tend to forget that the figures are only representations of the troops they depict and often stand in for much larger formations. Hence the whole ground-scale vs figure-scale and figure/scenery size debate which have exercised the minds of wargamers for years.

[Leslie BT]

Tim you really do need to get Martin interviewed on your podcast!