[40k]What model train scale stuff will work w/ GW minis?

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.miniatures.warhammer (More info?)

I've googled this, and it seems like the prevailing wisdom is that while "S"
scale is a closer fit, "O" scale stuff is a lot cheaper and more widely
available. If it helps determine which I should use, I'm just wanting to
build a few simple terrain pieces, which will be themed to the Agri-world
I've mentioned a few times as background for my LatD army. I was wanting to
make something like a light-gauge rail terminal for shipping stuff from out
on the praries into the big planetary spaceport (which would be a much more
ambitious building project I'm nowhere near ready for yet). For now, all
I'd really be doing is coming up with one freight depot/loading dock type
building, which I might make from a pack of old west building .pdfs I got a
while ago, with one bit of track running by it and a few cheap traincars for
moveable scenery (or mission objectives, or whatever). Will O-scale tracks
and cars work for this type of thing? I know next to nothing about model
trains, but one of the hobby/gaming stores nearby has a decent train
selection with a few different gauges. I don't want to get into a whole
other hobby, but I figure I can spend a few bucks on track and cars and
it'll make my cardboard buildings and PVC-pipeline stuff look a lot better.

--
Ken Coble

I am just an aging drummer boy
And in the wars I used to play
And I've called the tune to many a torture session
Now they say I am a war criminal
And I'm fading away
Father, please hear my confession
-Dire Straits, "The Man's Too Strong"

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.miniatures.warhammer (More info?)

Hey, Ken


Measure from sole of shoe to eye level to determine scale 'height'

The 'what scale' question is pretty old, here. Old answers included:

"40k infantry figs are 1/64th scale(ish). But, to stay consistent -

Citadel uses1/35 scale for light tank/ ifv/ car equivalents. And -

MBTs use 1/48 scale hulls/ turrets with 1/35 scale hatches/ ramps.

Finally, Citadel 28mm 'heroic proportions' means :

Torsos are closer to 1/60, hands/ feet to 1/48 and heads are 1/35."

So, your choice is clear - avoid using scale models. :- )

If your financial commitment to The Hobby is anything like mine -

For wargaming terrain, look in toy stores for styrene plastic bits.

The scale modeller route is a slippery (and pricey) slope.

HTH.


Playa

--

"What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how
compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility."
- Leo Tolstoy

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.miniatures.warhammer (More info?)

Playa wrote:
> Hey, Ken
>
>
> Measure from sole of shoe to eye level to determine scale 'height'
>
> The 'what scale' question is pretty old, here. Old answers included:
>
> "40k infantry figs are 1/64th scale(ish). But, to stay consistent -
>
> Citadel uses1/35 scale for light tank/ ifv/ car equivalents. And -
>
> MBTs use 1/48 scale hulls/ turrets with 1/35 scale hatches/ ramps.
>
> Finally, Citadel 28mm 'heroic proportions' means :
>
> Torsos are closer to 1/60, hands/ feet to 1/48 and heads are 1/35."
>
> So, your choice is clear - avoid using scale models. :- )

It's also clear that GW "heroic proportions" are really bizzare! That's
interesting info, though, and I appreciate it. Based on that, I'm guessing
that O gauge ought to be an acceptable size?

>
> If your financial commitment to The Hobby is anything like mine -
>
> For wargaming terrain, look in toy stores for styrene plastic bits.
>
> The scale modeller route is a slippery (and pricey) slope.
>

Well, like I said, I'm not planning on buying more than 2-3 cheap train cars
and a few feet of track (any buildings I make will probably be cardstock).
I'm hoping I can snag the cars and track economically, either at the hobby
store or from eBay - but if not, I'm not going to sweat it. I can figure
out some other way to make interesting ag-world scenery. Grain silos would
be trivially easy to build, even for a novice like me; and I should be able
to find toy tractors and the like cheap, although I'm not sure what I could
do to them so they'd look appropriately 40k-ish. I would like to find some
cheap plastic beasties that I could rig up to look like crazy future
space-cows, but so far the dollar store has failed me. Still, any other
suggestions for agri-world scenery would be appreciated.

--
Ken Coble

I am just an aging drummer boy
And in the wars I used to play
And I've called the tune to many a torture session
Now they say I am a war criminal
And I'm fading away
Father, please hear my confession
-Dire Straits, "The Man's Too Strong"

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.miniatures.warhammer (More info?)

smithdoerr wrote:
> "Playa" <hurlgen40k@aol.com> wrote in message
> news:1111838777.607723.286770@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
>
> And most weapon are 1/35ish unless they happen to be a mace, hammer,
or some
> other blunt weapon in which case their scale is "ridiculously huge".
>
Ref: the new rotary magazine mortar. Ridiculous.

On the RR, just decide if you really want the Old West bldgs.

If so, you could model a feudal/steam agriworld w/ off-the-shelf bits.

For 'contemporary' 40k though, think different:

A Bullet/ maglev/ monorail? Easily (and cheaply) modelled, imo.

Those corrugated sleeves from packs of light bulbs are handy.

Prime black and drybrush silver for a galvanized Quonset effect.

They're great for shack, lean-to and 'carport' type structures.

You needn't be concerned with livestock scale, either -

Just paint puce and magenta, and they're obviously mutant stock. :- )

To summarize - If you're thinking diorama-level detail, go steampunk.

If it's going to be modified over time, go contemporary.


Playa

--

"Creative semantics is the key to contemporary government;
it consists of talking in strange tongues lest the public learn
the inevitable inconveniently early."
- George F. Will

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.miniatures.warhammer (More info?)

"Playa" <hurlgen40k@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1111838777.607723.286770@o13g2000cwo.googlegroups.com...
> Hey, Ken
>
>
> Measure from sole of shoe to eye level to determine scale 'height'
>
> The 'what scale' question is pretty old, here. Old answers included:
>
> "40k infantry figs are 1/64th scale(ish). But, to stay consistent -
>
> Citadel uses1/35 scale for light tank/ ifv/ car equivalents. And -
>
> MBTs use 1/48 scale hulls/ turrets with 1/35 scale hatches/ ramps.
>
> Finally, Citadel 28mm 'heroic proportions' means :
>
> Torsos are closer to 1/60, hands/ feet to 1/48 and heads are 1/35."

And most weapon are 1/35ish unless they happen to be a mace, hammer, or some
other blunt weapon in which case their scale is "ridiculously huge".


--

-smithdoerr

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.miniatures.warhammer (More info?)

Playa wrote:

<snip>
> On the RR, just decide if you really want the Old West bldgs.
>
> If so, you could model a feudal/steam agriworld w/ off-the-shelf bits.
>
> For 'contemporary' 40k though, think different:
>
> A Bullet/ maglev/ monorail? Easily (and cheaply) modelled, imo.
>

I'm thinking of a mix of styles. The idea is that out in the sticks, most
of the farmers are having to build/maintain their own stuff, so the
buildings will either be "old west" style timber buildings or stone/sod
houses. But the closer in to the capital and the spaceport you get, the
more you'll see "standard" 40k Imperial Gothic architecture. But I do like
your idea of a more modern monorail-style train system (particularly once I
priced O-gauge cars yesterday! eek!). When you said they were easy (and
cheap!) to model, could you give me some more specific ideas? I haven't
really thought about those options before, so I haven't been keeping my eyes
open for kits or stuff to convert one from.

> Those corrugated sleeves from packs of light bulbs are handy.
>
> Prime black and drybrush silver for a galvanized Quonset effect.
>
> They're great for shack, lean-to and 'carport' type structures.

Now this will be _very_ useful. Whatever kind of freight terminal I wind up
building, this will be good for making a nice rainshield/roof over the
platform, as well as trainsheds and small outbuildings for farms. Thanks
for the pointer!

> You needn't be concerned with livestock scale, either -
>
> Just paint puce and magenta, and they're obviously mutant stock. :- )

Heh... right now I'm trying to find cheap plastic sauropods (brachiosaurii,
diplodicii, etc) that are approximately cow- or buffalo- scaled when
compared to 40k minis. So far the one's I'm finding are either too small
(big dog/sheep sized) or too big (about the same as the mechanized units).
I remember getting bags full of ones that would be the right size as a
child, like the bags of green plastic army men I used to get. It's just a
matter of time until I stumble across them, I figure.

> To summarize - If you're thinking diorama-level detail, go steampunk.
>
> If it's going to be modified over time, go contemporary.

I'm _definitely_ not capable of diorama-styled detailing and authenticity,
but at the same time I don't want everything to look like a ruined
cathedral. So I figure I'll mix the two and see what happens.

--
Ken Coble

I am just an aging drummer boy
And in the wars I used to play
And I've called the tune to many a torture session
Now they say I am a war criminal
And I'm fading away
Father, please hear my confession
-Dire Straits, "The Man's Too Strong"

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.miniatures.warhammer (More info?)

Depends on what it is. If it's buildings, you can go slightly smaller,
like down to 25mm scale without too much trouble. Trains and large
buildings can even be smaller, as they're meant to be played around,
and not in.

1/43 to 1/60 works best, but you can go down to 1/48 for large things.

Your best bet is to take a figure with you and just buy what looks
good. You can buy N-scale tanks and smokestack pieces since they're
pretty generic-looking. Same with barrels and crates.

Also take a look at General Termorden's wargaming page and see how he
did his setup.

--Chris

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: rec.games.miniatures.warhammer (More info?)

Kenneth Coble wrote:
> Playa wrote:
>
> <snip>
When you said they were easy (and
> cheap!) to model, could you give me some more specific ideas?

[Dons patented Stuponitron Helmet]

1. Find a non-metallic tube for the body of your 'train'.

The tube diameter should be @ twice the desired *height*.

Cut it down, if necessary, to @ one half the desired *length*.

Epoxy a non-metallic ball into one end.

This should have an OD only a little larger than the tube's ID.

Prime White. Now the tricky bit -

Use a straight edge to mark 8 evenly-spaced longitudinal lines.

Cut (ie saw) in half lengthwise through any two opposed lines.

You'll end up with two pieces of semicircular cross-section.

Place them end-to-end, and there's the basis for a sleek monorail.

Put a strip of 1/4in masking tape on one edge of a piece of wax paper.

Mark it out at 1/2in intervals, and make perpendicular (scissor) cuts.

Apply these 'windows' at 1in intervals along the lateral guidelines.

The top guideline will ensure added details (aerials) align nicely.

Depending on the finish look of your cut, 'skirt' the bottom edge.

2. Find a scrap of 14ga Romex the length of your 'rail'.

Use needle nose pliers to pull out the bare 'ground' wire.

If you need the rail curved, slice the 'train' into equal segments.

Paint to suit.

Hmmm . . . it looks like a bit of a project when it's all typed out!

HTH


Playa

--

"If your project doesn't work, look for the part that
you didn't think was important"
- Arthur Bloch

 

[craftsmaster]

I think N Gauge is best suitable for GW. This model, with a scale of 1:160, has a gauge of 9 mm between the rails. It's preferred by hobbyists who don't have as much room as they'd like for their layouts. People who love expansive scenery also appreciate this gauge.

 

[Mousemonkey]

This topic has been closed by Mousemonkey