How Big is Big??

So how big is big?

My answer in short is: Perception is the key.
We all classify ourselves as to the scale(s) we prefer, but we are willing to step aside in some cases for convenience. We all want out miniatures to match in scale, but are willing to make compromises on items that "less" defined. A medium wooden crate in 1/72nd would be a large crate in 1/100th, or a small crate in 1/56th. It all depends on the individual as to what extreme they are willing to except. Many 15mm gamers are fine using HO (1/87) vehicles and many 28mm (I know its a size, not a scale) gamers are ok using 1/48th vehicles, but to me it looks odd. If you place a 15mm figure next to an HO scale car and his/her head barely reaches the roof, you might think "That looks right", until you go out and realize that the roof only comes up to mid chest level. In the movies a B-17 Bomber or a Sherman Tank looks big, so we are willing to except that in our games, when in reality they are much smaller than you might think. In many communities in the United States, a 1500 square foot home is considered to be comfortable, but not large. Reduced to 1/72nd and placed upon the gaming table, it would take up a square 6.5 inches on a side. When compared to a Sherman Tank, it might look large, when in reality it is not, in this case reality is much larger than we perceive. You can easily drop down or up a scale on buildings due to this perception as long as one element is correct or nearly so. Since building bricks, windows, shingles etc. come in many shapes and sizes in reality, as long as the doors are taller than your figures by a bit it will look "right". Forced perspective has been used for many years by modelers to depict thing that are "far away", and can be used in reverse to depict items that are closer to the wargamers eyes than the table top, such as helicopters on flight stands, although when placed on the table top, the size difference is noticeable. Trees and other scenic items are another items we tend to compress on the table top, a 60 foot tree (big, but not all that big, where I live in Alabama) would be a bit over 7 inches tall in 1/100th, 10 inches tall in 1/72nd, and almost 13 inches tall in 1/56th. There are some things we are willing to except larger than in reality, others if certain elements conform but not the whole, and others we will except if smaller than in real life.

So how big is big? How big do you it perceive to be? Use what looks right.....to you.

Cheers,

-BadMoon

This sounds spurred on by our email conversation this morning. It's definately something to ponder. I'm an aesthetics guy, so I go for what looks "right" AND is visually appealing. That can be trees, buildings, rocky outcrops. I don't over ponder symantics like "this OO scale house looks wrong compared to this 20mm figure, because in reality the floors of the house would be WAY bigger" etc.

But that's just me. If it looks right, go with it. After all, our hobby is part "art".

Another motivation is "I don't want to paint another bloody XXX so I'll just use this one."

Might be a hooch, a truck or a stone wall.