Daft question considering I have been playing these games for over 30 years but what scale do we mean by 10mm.
We regularly use the term 10mm for our scale in prefrence but when looking for vehicles or terrain "proper" scales are used like 1/200. The reason for the question is that while vehicles have actual constant sizes so all 1/200 shermans should be the same but people are frustratingly random in size. So is a 10mm figure supposed to be a 5'6" sort of average skinny bloke or a 6' idealised chap (because it makes our sums easier)?  I take it hats, boots and bases are not included in the 10mm.

There is also the added complication that on average, people have increased height over time particularly in the last centuary (and widith in the last few decades). Not helped by the definition of an inch varying from nation to nation.

Other scales  of course like 6, 15, 25 and 28mm are also available I beliive to add to the confusion.

Mike 
Currently with too much time on his hands waiting for some jobs to finish

And then there's a company like Kallistra producing what is sometimes called "large" 10 mm; very pretty they are, but there are those who say they just don't look right with those of other companies. Obelisk Miniatures are also a bit oversized. Some Magister Militum figures (e.g. their ancient Chinese) are closer to 9mm, I think.

IIRC Pendraken models are generally described as 1/160 scale.

1/200 is much smaller than current 10mm ranges - I think when Skytrex brought out their range many years ago, these were 1/200 scaled, but were also described as 10mm - but they are more like 8mm, and don't fit in at all with modern 10mm ranges such as Pendraken, Magister Militum, Old Glory etc

so at 1/160 a 10mm chap would be 1.6m or 5' 3"?

Well 12mm is N scale which technically is meant to be 1/144

10mm was never really a model railway scale which I believe all this started from

We scale the vehicles to 1/150th, which would put a foot figure (at 10mm to the eye/11.5mm to the top of the head) at 5' 8" in height or thereabouts.

Quote from: Leon on 02 March 2014, 12:52:44 AM
We scale the vehicles to 1/150th, which would put a foot figure (at 10mm to the eye/11.5mm to the top of the head) at 5' 8" in height or thereabouts.

It's that night shift clone again,  and very helpful he is 

I think of every 'scale' as 'x' mm to eye level.
So a 10mm figure is 10mm to the eyes, which as Leon says makes the height to the the head 11.5mm (as near as dammit. )
Cheers - Phil

I wonder if 3mm was an unintended result of the "scale creep" effect?

Ah the measurment to the eye does make my back of the envelope calcs look more sensible. For some reason I never thought to take a ruller to a figure but then how many WW1 or later figures are standing straight.

If it's of any use Mike.
When I'm making dollies......To start with, I make a number of wire frames that are simply standing up straight. (What I call the 'waiting at the bus stop' pose.)
Give those all a 'skin' of putty.....Mark the knees, hips and shoulders.....Then when the skin has set.....Bend them into different poses carefully, so that the skin doesn't come away from the wire.....Bulk out the dollies with, calves, thighs, chest....Give them a head and face, and push them into a base.
By starting with what are hopefully uniform dollies....Bending them around keeps them as consistent a size as poss. (Says he ! )
Cheers - Phil

Oddly enough, all the figures made for 1:200th I bought back in the day were true 10mm (and pretty ropey they were too). The fact is, you can get away with any model from 144th to 160th with Pendraken 10 mils. How many of our members use them with 6mm buildings?

If that's a real question, check out earlier threads. This matter has been discussed ere today.

Quote from: FierceKitty on 03 March 2014, 02:22:18 AM
If that's a real question, check out earlier threads. This matter has been discussed ere today.

It was rhetorical.

yeah, why is 10mm so random....isn`t it supposed to be 9mm plus 1?
But here again, some 15mm are nearly 18mm....