I have been asked many times about the cars I use when I play Fear of the Dark or any modern or ww2 wargame. The brands of the cars, scales and so on, so I have decided to make a post to answer a few questions.
I´ll start saying that I use 1/43 diecast models, although sometimes they are labeled 1/64 or 1/50, I´ll explain the differences later in this same post.
Diecast cars are cheap, a huge range of models is available, they are tough and don´t break easily and they are already painted... what else?
But let me explain why I use diecast models instead of the usual models available from different wargaming companies.
Without any kind of doubt, vehicles used as scenery make an amazing game table in WWII, pulp, modern, zombies... A table with a modern or 1920s setting should have a minimal selection of different vehicles to decorate. If you go for a walk what you will see in every street is a lot of cars, no matter the city in the world you are.
Now let´s face the main problems that we as wargamers usually have when dealing with vehicles in our games.
The companies that make miniatures usually use the 1/56 scale for vehicles, although they are obviously small next to the miniatures of standing people.
Why is this scale used then? It is merely for possibilities of use on a game table, if we use a tank in the appropriate scale it would have a considerable size, and we could hardly use more vehicles (armored or not), but think about it... a tank is f*****g huge in real life.
Let's see an example with some 1/56 scale vehicles, an allied jeep and a German kubelwagen from the Second World War from Warlord for the Bolt Action game together with miniatures of soldiers from the same brand.
In fact, there are manufacturers that directly set the scale as "fit in the box", which is basically that those models are sold in a cardboard box and the vehicles (regardless of the model) are sized to fit in the box ( it does not matter if it is a hummer or a mini ... The box is the same and the vehicles MUST be the size of the box).
Therefore, I personally advise buying diecast vehicles online as long as we can have the measurements and check their size. If we do not have the measurements, never trust if it is stated to be "1/50 scale" since what that manufacturer understands by 1/50 can be anything.
These ones below are from the British brand Corgi. The scale is usually quite inconsistent, so it is better to know their size in centimeters.
These are from Matchbox, in its "models of yesteryear" range, and they fit the 28mm miniatures range.
These are from the Spanish brand Guisval on a 1/64 scale, although they are a bit small, they look quite good for the quality and degree of detail.
These ones below are 1/43 scale vehicles from a collection of WWII military vehicles from the Atlas company published in France and a collection published in Spain, being heavy vehicles, although they are a bit large, it goes unnoticed too much once on the game table. They are easily found on eBay and similar applications.
For more pics of ww2 vehicles check the too much terrain blog, you'll find It really interesting and with a huge collection of pictures.
MODERN VEHICLES
Here we have the same problem as with the previous ones, only that of modern vehicles we have an impressive variety of makes, models... and scales...
I would recommend that you go directly to the 1/43 scale, of which there is a real immensity of possibilities (and cheaper than any option), and as there is also variation in size within that scale, I would look for vehicles that were smaller than 1/43 even if they were marked as that scale.
MODIFYNG VEHICLES
Sometimes, in the lots of vehicles that we find, some vehicles sre directly discarded, either because of the conditions they are, the model itself, the color...
In fact, when I buy second-hand cars, I usually ask the seller if he has damaged, worn out or vehicles in bad conditions, which he usually would not sell. Since we can use them as scenery, and in many cases they even include them in the lot for free.
Now I will show you how I solved some vehicles that for obvious reasons did not adapt to the game table.
The first was this mini Cooper that did not fit me on a table in a town in the Middle East, so I decided to turn it into a wrecked vehicle that would be perfect as a scenery and as a cover in case of combat.
I removed the wheels and the front glass. I mounted it on four pieces of foam cardboard simulating cement or brick blocks and painted it to make it look like it had suffered a fire ...
And this is the result, which hits the tables in the Middle East (and in Western settings as well), giving the table more detail.
The second example is this Mercedes... The model of the vehicle suited my purposes very well, but it needs a good painting to remove that horrendous orange colour and to be able to use that vehicle on the game table.
Another case was this Shelby Gt500, the problem was that it was from a promotion that was worth 2 euros, so I bought two of them, and of course, two cars like this the same did not fit my requirements.
So I decided to give one of them a radical change and turn it into a post apocalyptic vehicle to the purest essence of Mad Max. Matte black, some remnants of other cars and spare parts, mud and shots on the glass... and this was the result:
It must be said that vehicles are a perfect base to test painting and weathering techniques, since if we screw it up, the loss wont be regreted given the price of these cars.
Here are some of the modifications I made to the cars, and I have to admit that they look top on the gaming table. Left is the original car without any weathering and right is after they have been weathered.
I hope this post helps you and clarifies any doubts when selecting vehicles for your games.
Anyway, below you have the comments section in case you have any questions, any correction or whatever you want.
Nice run-down on the various issues with trying to find 'right-sized' vehicles for miniature gaming. I've been quite successful with finding some at various dollar stores & budget stores. As well Walmart often gets a small selection of 1/43 modern era vehicles in to. The biggest challenge is of course finding the 'normal' non-sport cars. I just did a post of what I got this past weekend & it can be seen here http://miniature-mayhem.blogspot.com/2021/03/construction-zone-some-more-scatter.html#comment-form
ReplyDeleteFinding common cars is a challenge, and let me tell you that you got a great find with those construction vehicles!!!
DeleteAs a model car collector and a gamer, I found this to be a very interesting read. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot!
DeleteI hope it is useful, as along all the time I have been wargaming and collecting vehicles it has been a problem to me.
And I see that when I post an AAR or pictures of miniatures, many times I'm asked about the manufacturer of the cars or the scale...
I'm always willing to help, and I hope this post helps with this problem
https://www.flickr.com/photos/69768863@N00/sets/72157604253869731/
ReplyDeleteThe models in this collection are 1/43 soft skins (mostly - a few 1/48) and 1/48-50 AFV (mostly - a few modern 1/56) plus a variety of 25-28mm and 1/48 (36mm) figures. I found that WESTWIND (an older company) figures use 1/64 scale vehicles and some heavy weapons (M2A1 105mm US Field Howitzer) which are under scale for 28mm figures. Their own figures won't fit EXCEPT all of their vehicle crew figures are under sized (1/64) as well. Please note the jeeps with mounted and dismounted crews. Mounted are 1/64, dismounted 28mm. Figures are on 1" plastic "GW" bases unless they are 1/48 in which case they are mounted on steel slugs. So if a figure looks proportioned correctly and it is on a flat base it is 1/48.
I was gaming when the 1/56 models first came out. 1/56 is 28mm I was told. I also though a 251/1 model shown me looked like a 250/1. BANDAI, TAMIYA, older MONOGRAM (Panther, Tiger II, IS-3, M-26, Centurion), HOBBY BOSS, Quarter-kit.com (in Paris) all have 1/48 model kits. Quarter-kit also has conversion kits. I have 5 M4 (76mm) Sherman tanks I converted from M4 (75mm) Shermans (with M4A3 marked on the bottom as the tank type). None made of course but nobody notices.
TRACTICS is available again. Check out AMAZON BOOKS and Lulu and Amazon, and plus a pdf via Wargame Vault. The PDF is low resolution but a nice reference hundred of hyperlinks. I lean towards the coil-bound Lulu version, lays flat. Amazon is fine, soft or hard cover.
https://www.combatrules.com/tracticsrules
Good article. I did several on the old 28mm web site (closed now) and THE COURIER magazine (also closed).
Mike Reese
Great article! I've found that as long as you keep "like with like," it looks good. For example, all of my Medium-sized tanks are 1/50 scale Solido and Corgi, and a few from the OOP "Classic Armor Depot" - but if I add a 1/56 Warlord or other source Sherman to my current 1/50 Shermans, it's noticeable and looks bad.
ReplyDelete*My light tanks are mostly 1/56 resin
*Medium tanks mostly 1/50 die cast
*Heavy tanks mostly 1/48 model kits
*Civilian vehicles are mostly 1/50-ish scale Matchbox "yesteryear"
Here's a picture of 28mm Blue Moon Cops and Robbers (and some 28mm Toy Soldier cultists) with Matchbox vehicles:
https://sbminisguy.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/gmen-and-mobsters-shoot-out.jpg
I agree with you, once you stick to a scale your motor pool has to be quite the same scale, and never mix the same kind of vehicles with different scales (imagine two sdkfz 222 with different scales, 1/56 and 1/43 side by side...)
DeleteI've got a couple sólido vehicles and the scale seems right in small vehicles, but bigger vehicles seem a bit small for me (I've got a US truck)