Pendraken Miniatures Forum

Welcome => Intro's and Welcomes => Topic started by: Kelley on 16 December 2022, 07:59:29 AM

Title: Hi from Germany
Post by: Kelley on 16 December 2022, 07:59:29 AM
Hi. American in Germany here. I am not really into wargaming. Did some 1:1...So I am doing trains in 1/220. I am trying to find scale miniatures that would work. Waiting on so 6mm. Someone suggested 10 so here I am.
Title: Re: Hi from Germany
Post by: fred. on 16 December 2022, 08:17:28 AM
Hi Kelley

Welcome! 

1/220th isn't a scale that is much used in wargaming.  Probably also worth pointing out in wargaming terms 6mm relates to the nominal height of a figure - whereas in model railways I think it tends to refer to the track gauge. 

So 6mm figures are around 1/300 scale. And 10mm figures are around 1/160th scale. So both are probably a bit out for 1/220 trains. It might be worth a small sample order of Pendraken stuff to see what looks right by eye, as often its the overall bulk of figures that is more significant than just their height. 

Skytrex did (do?) produce a 1/200 scale range of military stuff, I think WWII and Moderns. It is fairly old, and not the most detailed. 

3d printing is the other option, as you can then scale up and scale down the files pretty well (there are limits to the amount of scaling, but there are a lot of 1/100 WWII vehicle files out there and they should print at 50%, but there may be some trial and error involved). 
Title: Re: Hi from Germany
Post by: Techno 3 on 16 December 2022, 08:34:42 AM
Welcome !  :)
Title: Re: Hi from Germany
Post by: fsn on 16 December 2022, 09:35:25 AM
Hi.

1/220 is what ... 8mm in wargames terms?

I suggest you ditch Z gauge and go for N Gauge. That's 1:148 which fits very well with the Pendraken range. I use N gauge scenery on my table and it's fine.

Good luck on your search.
Title: Re: Hi from Germany
Post by: Raider4 on 16 December 2022, 09:44:37 AM

QuoteI suggest you ditch Z gauge and go for N Gauge. That's 1:148 which fits very well with the Pendraken range. 
An American in Germany? He's far more likely to be modelling either US or continental, which will be N scale at 1/160.


To the OP, welcome. As others have said, Pendraken will be too big for you if you're doing 1/220 (Z scale?).
Title: Re: Hi from Germany
Post by: Lord Kermit of Birkenhead on 16 December 2022, 09:46:58 AM
First Hi..You might try the Adler 6mm which are rather large, Baccus also.
Title: Re: Hi from Germany
Post by: steve_holmes_11 on 16 December 2022, 11:04:28 AM
Lord Kermit replied while I was operating my calculator.

1/220 is what we call Z gauge here in the UK.
I falls in the gap between two of the smaller popular wargaming sizes (10mm and 6mm).
In Z Gauge an adult man would be about 8mm tall.

Fortunately (assuming you want soldiers on your train layout) not all 6mm manufacturers are equal.
Liberties are taken to accommodate more detail, and scale creep occurs.

A rough appraisal of the four manufacturers I know (and their person size):
Heroics and Ros - closer to a genuine 1/300 scale - men are about 5mm tall.
Irregular - closest to 6mm, figures cast in strips that are difficult to separate - men about 6mm tall.
Baccus - big range, good detail - men in the 7-8mm bracket.
Adler - excellent detail, but reservations about figure proportions - men from 8-9mm tall.

If you are looking for vehicles, then none of the above applies.
The scale creep in figures generally doesn't occur with vehicles, so your little cars and tanks will be tiny compared to your trains.
Title: Re: Hi from Germany
Post by: Lord Kermit of Birkenhead on 16 December 2022, 11:17:49 AM
Occurs that you might be able to find architectural  models that will suit. Be expensive though
Title: Re: Hi from Germany
Post by: Duke Speedy of Leighton on 16 December 2022, 12:41:17 PM
Hello and welcome
Timecast