Just returned from the Tank Museum in Bovington. I fully agree with your assessment. Anything below a Tiger looks better in 1:48. Anything above is a tad too big. I was, however, impressed with the size of the Jagpanther and Jagtiger. They were scary and absolutely huge. I stand over 6ft tall and standing next to the Jagtiger my head was still below the turret.
I went to Aberdeen Proving Ground about ten or so years ago (about a year before they closed up shop). I agree with you, it's one thing to look at these beasts of war online... on tiny little screens. It's TOTALLY different to be standing along side the real thing. I went to get accurate measurements off of the Jagdpanther and the JS-III they had on display. Quite an afternoon.
@@Johnnie.Monnie I think he meant the bottom of the casemate, but I think you know what he meant. Most people going to tank museums kind of know a thing or three about military vehicles.
Excellent vid, thanks a mill, exactly the type I was looking for 👍 I saw what you meant when you came to the panther. Just looking at pictures of men standing beside the tanks you can see their heads coming over the tracks by about a head. Eyeballing from pictures it seems (at a guess) that the Tiger is close enough in scale. Maybe slightly larger. Perhaps I'll do research and take a chance on mixing and matching and see how it turns out on a case by case basis. Thanks again bud 👍
Awesome, thanks for the comparisons. I'm building an airfield table, so I needed a lot of Planes to populate it and finding them in 1/48 is waaay easier than any other scale around that size. I think the 1/48 look ok at the smaller scales because the bolt action models are on bases, which gives them more relative height the shorter the comparison model is ;)
Thanks for this - nice models too! I'm not wedded to either scale really, but it's probably worth bearing in mind that - height notwithstanding - when thinking about who would fit in what, the Warlord BA figures are quite chunky, in that '28mm heroic' sense...which is of course a practical consideration for modelling and manufacturing. Also, I wonder if our perceptions of vehicle size are themselves changing. Certainly here in the UK, people are getting more and more used to outsized vehicles becoming the 'norm' - something our lanes and parking spaces struggle to accommodate! If you look at some of those genuine vehicles (Jeep; Sherman) close up they really are pretty damned cramped! Thanks do much for doing this - especially for doing it in so level a way. :)
I recently bought a Tamiya "Easy Eight" Sherman and also had the problem with it looking too tall. On the other hand the Warlord Shermans look way too small. Im not sure what scale to use yet but 1/48 seem a bit cheaper and Tamiya models are always unmatched in detail and very fun to build!
Thanks this video was a great help I have a NZ Army in North Africa and am very happy with the 1/56 Blitzkrieg with Perry infantry My Konflikt'47 Germans were a bit of mixed bag, very happy with the WG/Italieri Panthers and Puma, Hanomag looked a little small but in scale. So along comes my latest project a Blitzkrieg army with Panzer II, Schwimmwagen etc. and all the 1/56 feels too small, after your video i think i'll take a second look at 1/48 Tamiya.
I am just getting into bolt action and my father has taken me to see several WW2 era tanks and half tracks when I was young I can say one thing neither is exactly to scale. The main problem I think is the infantry themselves are to thick and stocky making it seem as if they will not fit in the 1/56. I think the 1/56 is about the right height and some where between the two scales is the right over all fit for these miniatures. For looks I think the 1/48th is right compared to how the infantry looks if you use the bolt action ones. However if one goes for the right scale vs the infantry next to the tanks its hard to say. Height looks right but they would never be able to fit in them nor have infantry pile on top of a tank the way the miniatures look. I think I will be collecting the 1/48 just because it looks better although they may not be the right exact scale. Edit: I just read an article its not the vehicle scale that is off its the infantry miniatures. They seem to have the thickness for 1/48th but the height of 1/56 (1/150) scale. So again I guess it just goes down to how they look to you.
Ashlyn M it does come down to personnel preference. Neither scale is perfect. 1/50 would probably be the best scale to use but hard to find a lot of variety in that scale.
I think the main difficulty in this debate is people look at these tiny tanks/jeeps/trucks and think. 10 guys fit in the back of there? no way! or There is no way that tank could have a 4 man crew, its so small. However, we are used to seeing modern vehicles built for comfort and if we are honest people a bigger both taller and fatter than In the 1940s. Also 'Heroic' Scale models like Warlords have bulkier weapons and proportions. With these things in mind, let me assure you the 1:56 models are the correct size, wartime vehicles were not built for comfort, soldiers and tank operators were often crammed in. I think an argument could be made that because the men are 'heroic' and not true 1:56. Then so should the vehicles be 'heroic' and little bigger and scarier looking. But in terms of the models actually being the correct size in 1:56. They are.
parabot2 - Me Too, I agree I’ve stood next to most of the real life vehicles featured in this review and Panthers/Tigers are massive (remember most of the space is taken up by engine, running gear, fuel and ammo and you’ve still got to fit 5 crew in there too). The 1/56 vehicles look tiny and the 1/48th a fraction large maybe 1/50th scale would be an ideal size for heroic style figures.
The fact that the men are attached to a plinth around 6 inches high and somewhere between 5 and 6 feet wide does no favours-always put your vehicles on a base to compare sizes.
While you are right that the Panther and Tiger (JS-2 as well) in 1/48 are pretty big, their 1/56 counterparts are just as tiny as the 1/56 Sherman. Not optimal, but the 1/48 option just looks better just with the smaller vehicles. Most important thing in my opinion is to use cupola machine guns and other stowage parts from the "1:56" Warlord infantry kits to give the vehicles and the foot soldiers a uniform look.
I have a large collection of 1/43-1/50 scale models. Jeeps and trucks are in 1/43 made by SOLIDO, CORGI makes its models in 1/50 and 1/48 falls in between. You presented a good review. If I can figure out how to load pictures here I would. The problem with the 1/48 US and German tanks looking so BIG is they are BIG. Accenting that somewhat is the fact that all of your vehicles are sitting on a concrete platform. On all but the hardest ground or on rock a tank sinks into the ground so normally the track thickness isn't part of the height. 1/56 vs 1/50 isn't a big difference. At one time 1/64 scale was thought to be the same as 28mm (WEST WIND figures I believe). That scale is way off. 1/43 is probably a bit large but there is a wealth of civilian automobiles out there, and if all of your soft-skins are in either 1/43 or 1/48 they fit in. Let me see if I can pull some pictures up from the SAMUR French armor museum. Nope. Can't figure out how to do it. Try this link. www.flickr.com/photos/69768863@N00/sets/72157604253869731/ There are some good pictures here of some games with 28mm figures mixed with 1/43-1/50 vehicles. Try not to mix in the 15mm stuff. It can be hard to tell the difference. NOTE the 1/48 250/1 with the 1/48 Tamiya German infantry dismounting. 1/48 figures are 36mm tall and thin. Most of my 28mm are on GW type stands. Moderns are on metal slugs. www.flickr.com/photos/69768863@N00/albums/72157594505638249
Cheers for the insight, I quite like trucks and smaller to medium sized vehicles in 1/48, they just look like they can actually hold the amount of men they say they can in their profiles.
1/48 scale looks better. I have a 1/48 Tamiya JS 2 for my Soviets and it measures out pretty good. On the other hand a 1/56 Crusader for my 8th Army just looks wrong.
If i where to guess, the main problem is the extra height added by the bases and the chunky out of proportion infantry. Chunky infantry looks better at small scales because you can better see all the details and facial features, but when you put them in a appropriately sized vehicle the chunkiness makes them look too big. The extra few mm's of height from the base will also add to this wrong sense of scele. Meanwhile if you put them next to a big vehicle the opposite is true, the chunkiness is right but the mini is way too small for the larger vehicle, with the added base height being insignifigant. Just my guess anyway, might also be problems with scale but i wouldnt be the one to answer that
All we need to do is look at period photographs to compare size. For instance here is one of a Panther: www.militaryimages.net/media/panther-ausf-d-of-4th-panzer-regiment-number-112.113639/ Looks like a good match to the Tamiya 1/48 kit.
Best way is too compare the figures side by side boot to boot. I bought some 1/48 aircraft for a airfield scenario and the pilots side to side look the same as the 1/56 warlord figures.
Yea the bigger tanks really were that big. Panther V was 10 ft tall look as the guy sitting on the panther and remember the Sherman was between 9 and 9'9" depending on mod. the king tiger was 10'4" tall. These things were huge. This 2nd photo really shows off how big they were. .en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panther_tank#/media/File%3ABundesarchiv_Bild_183-H26258%2C_Panzer_V_"Panther".jpg en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panther_tank#/media/File:Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-296-1652-35,_Nordfrankreich,_Montage_am_Pantherlaufwerk.jpg
I can tell you something else - Tamiya infantry are also better detailed and more accurate than Italeri/Warlord. Thinking specifically of the grotesque faces and the ghoulishly long fingers (but undersized thumbs)
Patrick Sundell it’s personal preference really. 1/56 has more options but you can get 1/48 much cheaper, and the variety in 1/48 is growing all the time.
You forget to understand that as usual crew in tanks are low in their high, also when looking to passangers in wehicles usual they not have equipment on self so they can fit fine in their places. Yes, my respones is 7 years in future but when see this video I check hystoric photos of soldiers and tanks. There is photo of Tiger and tri British soldiers in front so you will see that 1:56 is just right and also for many other vehicles. Also, this is game so if you agree with your opponent you can use real tanks.
The problem is the heroic scale of the minis. Nothing on them is the scale (weapons, limbs and stature) and theyre also standing on bases which changes the height and compounds the problem. It also seems to change the bigger the vehicle you use. The warlord 1/56 panther and panzer iv look good and the 1/48 are too big. There is no correct answer - hence the endless debate
I have collection of tanks 1/43 scale , prepainted, with decals, etc. Is perfect for scale with soldiers of 28mm, my sherman of 1/56 is ridicullous near Tiger 1 or 2.
Honestly the 1/48th scale tanks dont look that tall. A tad perhaps but not completely unrealistic. Looking at photos and videos of tanks in museums you can see how big these things really tend to be. And considering most of the troops in the game arnt perfectly standing straight up like a post, but are rather hunched over , ducking in cover ect for example the tracks of a panther would probably almost hit your shoulders or so if you were hunched over so, 1/48th isnt off by far. Not to mention the actual human models for Bolt Action arnt in a real scale, but a heroic scale, meaning some of their proportions are off anyway, such as making their heads hands and feet larger and such.
The problem lies with the "heroic" scale. For the figures height 1/56 is perfect but they are bulked out. Loads of people claim 1/48 "looks right" but I think that comes from lack of exposure to ww2 vehicles, they are surprisingly compact by today's standards. I have a picture of my 6 year old son beside a sherman and he stands taller than that figure does beside the 1/48 sherman.
Looking at your first example the Kubelwagon you can see the smaller 1/56 scale is actually more correct. The top of the doors (belt line) should be about waist high on your average man. The larger 1/48 scale looks huge with the car door about neck high. Regardless of seat size, the smaller scale is more accurate. Also google men standing beside (fill in tank name) tank. This should give a better perspective.
Now, on the M-4 Sherman, Wikipedia reports its height from 9' to 9'9". I know, it's Wikipedia, before some of you start jumping all over this... But it's a starting point. Ha Ha. So, at 1/56th scale, the model Sherman should be 2.0892 inches tall. I went with the 9'9" height on the real tank. The 1/48th scale model should be 2.4375 inches tall. Again, not too much difference. Hey Bolt Action CP, it would be interesting if you could chime in about the actual height of your 1/48th scale Sherman, and your 1/56th one too, while you're at it. Get your calipers out!! Ha Ha. Thanks for the video.
I prefer 1/56th scale (Bolt Action/Chain of Command)... for two reasons... the models take up less space (both in storage and on the map/terrain) and they require less painting/detailing. Afterall, they're being used for tabletop wargaming not being shown for competition purposes.
You bring up two very good points. But the down side is the 1/56th scale does look too small for most vehicles, compared to the troop figures. Also, Tamiya doesn't make 1/56th scale, last time I looked. I would think you'd also get better detail going with 1/48th scale. And it's really not too much bigger. A Hanomag 251 in 1/56th would be 4.07 inches long. In 1/48th, it would be 4.75 inches long. It's a tough call.
But if you really want to throw a monkey wrench into this discussion, ponder this... Keep in mind, I'm a numbers guy. Bolt Action says they use 28mm models for the troops. If you work that out to inches, it comes to 1.10236 inches. Yeah, you want five places!! Now, let's say your average WWII American GI was 5'10". Bear with me here. So if you take that GI's height, in inches (70) and divide it by the 1.10236, you get .63500... Which basically translates to 1/64th scale!! So, based on this, the vehicles in Bolt Action should also be 1/64th scale, which would make them EVEN SMALLER!! How do you like them apples. So this hobby is full of inconsistencies.
