Scale Reference Pictures (1 Viewer)

Brad, I am confused as to why that you are even here again posting on a subject in which you have no interest?:confused:

Bill,

I'm sure you are hardly confused :rolleyes: Am I not allowed to comment or agree when I wish to or should I seek your prior written consent first? Rob expressed my views as to how this is "amusing" and I was merely agreeing with him. I hope that is ok with you :rolleyes:
 
Bill,

I'm sure you are hardly confused :rolleyes: Am I not allowed to comment or agree when I wish to or should I seek your prior written consent first? Rob expressed my views as to how this is "amusing" and I was merely agreeing with him. I hope that is ok with you :rolleyes:
I am merely observing that you post a lot on something you said you have no interest in mate. Consistency is a hobgoblin I suppose.:D BTW, Rob has clarified his "amusing" comment so since you seem to be taking it up, I have the same comment for you.;) Making light of the interest of others that you do not share could be considered somewhat less than polite, no?
 
First, of all I have not posted a lot on it. I make occasional comments about it. Regarding Rob's clarification, again, I agree with him. Although I have said that I find this subject less than scintillating that is my own view only and doesn't mean that others may not find it interesting or fascinating and so, no, I would not consider it impolite.

I hope the preceding meets with your approval :) ;)
 
OzDigger...

To clear this up for you. I stated that the 1st Kompanie LAH were nearly all over 6 feet tall when they joined they joined this unit when it was formed before the war. Then, after the outbreak of war... they were a fighting unit and, quite a few were very tall... which, when posters were talking about height in relation to the hull of a tiger tank should they have been standing next to the hull they would have towered over it. I do not know what you read but, height was not as important after the outbreak of war as it was before which, I thought I had clearly stated.
Mitch

Mitch you said "Once war began the height would not have been an issue even in the SS". This is incorrect based on what I have read.
 
IMO this is a very good picture to show the point.
Mitch

You didn't answer my question which was "Are you asserting that the figures whose eyes are at or above the top of the Tiger hull, 1.8 m (5' 11") are accurately scaled representations of mid-twentieth century Europeans?"

In resposnse to your points:

1) Photos can help affirm or refute assertions but they have obvious limitations. One of these is perspective. Take a look at the following picture that was taken from a crouched position with people at varying distance from the tank. Since the angles to objects in the foreground and background vary considerably a distorted view is created. I don't think even you would argue the Germans were this tall. Conversely if a picture is taken from above the opposite applies and the people would look shorter than expected. I made an effort in the pictures I selected to ensure the camera was at head height close to the top of the Tiger hull thus reducing the perspective problem. Ideally the picture should be on level ground as well.

Scale_22_small.jpg


2) I already acknowledged the Photoshopped photos were not scientific in any way. They rely on my eye to place the feet and since the placement of the head is fixed based on the original photos this can affect the final result, Foreshortening also comes into play as objects further away appear smaller. This was a fun experiment that I thought I would share.

3) Even if their average was 1.8 m (which is tall) they would still not account for what we are seeing in the original photoset. The height restrictions for the Waffen SS were relaxed as the war progressed due to lack of manpower.
 
jazzeum...

Thought you were going to stick to rounders?? lol
Mitch


First, of all I have not posted a lot on it. I make occasional comments about it. Regarding Rob's clarification, again, I agree with him. Although I have said that I find this subject less than scintillating that is my own view only and doesn't mean that others may not find it interesting or fascinating and so, no, I would not consider it impolite.

I hope the preceding meets with your approval :) ;)
 
Here is a picture I have just scanned of the height of 1st Kompanie LAH just a couple of them. Hope it shows OZ what I was saying

Top right is the Turkish cresent carrier Gerhard Struabel

Bottom right is the LAH tailor Fritz Kelling (who was 5 foot 8 inches tall and has to stand on a chair) with (left) Georg Klimkowski and right Hans Quassowski
Mitch
 

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First, of all I have not posted a lot on it. I make occasional comments about it. Regarding Rob's clarification, again, I agree with him. Although I have said that I find this subject less than scintillating that is my own view only and doesn't mean that others may not find it interesting or fascinating and so, no, I would not consider it impolite.

I hope the preceding meets with your approval :) ;)
If that makes sense to you, so be it. As to my approval, it is neither necessary or relevant.:p
 
It's not only a 'height' problem but more one of 'beef'

Let me explain : yes people do come in every 'size' possible, some are 5' some are 6' some are lean some are fat.

Now if we take the 'average' germain soldier during WWII, he was most probable between 5'6 and 6,2' and he was lean ...

which brings me to the 'beef' point..

Yes you can have soldiers that are taller than others, so this could and should be reprensented in our toy soldiers now that's with the 'beef' point I've a problem.. What looks weird to the eye is when you place one way too beef guy near a 60mm AFV.... which brings me to another point which I won't discuss since I'll get flamed :)

Cheers

ALex
 
Alex...

I don't think you should be concerned about being 'flamed' everyone has an opinion and each is as valid as the next. I think your concerns were on the whole ones which others have raised but, the Wallmart analogy was where it all began to unravel IMO.

About Beef what we have to remember is that on the whole troops in the european theatre were quite well fed as compared to say burma et al so, we would not expect skin and bones figures but, figures which are relatively fit and looking like that. I think that the very interesting info from this post has been of great benefit IMO.

I have critiqued every manufacturer and probably will again so, regardless of response say your piece or, it will be very boring as not everything is always rosy in the garden
Mitch


It's not only a 'height' problem but more one of 'beef'

Let me explain : yes people do come in every 'size' possible, some are 5' some are 6' some are lean some are fat.

Now if we take the 'average' germain soldier during WWII, he was most probable between 5'6 and 6,2' and he was lean ...

which brings me to the 'beef' point..

Yes you can have soldiers that are taller than others, so this could and should be reprensented in our toy soldiers now that's with the 'beef' point I've a problem.. What looks weird to the eye is when you place one way too beef guy near a 60mm AFV.... which brings me to another point which I won't discuss since I'll get flamed :)

Cheers

ALex
 
OzDigger...

To clear this up for you. I stated that the 1st Kompanie LAH were nearly all over 6 feet tall when they joined they joined this unit when it was formed before the war. Then, after the outbreak of war... they were a fighting unit and, quite a few were very tall... which, when posters were talking about height in relation to the hull of a tiger tank should they have been standing next to the hull they would have towered over it. I do not know what you read but, height was not as important after the outbreak of war as it was before which, I thought I had clearly stated.
Mitch

Arghh, you said "Once war began the height would not have been an issue even in the SS". I didn't comment on your specific LAH theory which does makes sense btw. I was pointing out that your above bolded statement is to general and not strictly correct because height requirements were still an issue after the war began.
 
Frank, I considered your specific question regarding the height of mid-twentietieth century Europeans to be irrelavant because were are discussing the height of German soldiers. Germans are the Fourth tallest people in the world by country/region and will obviously be taller than the average 'European' height.

Frank, you should know by now that the forum moderators regard scale as being far from a fun issue as it usually causes them to actually do some moderating ;)

As for toy soldiers, for the record I feel that the K & C figures are generally speaking, a bit to high and stocky, but imo the First Legion WWII figures have gone to far the other way. Although scales would seem to be a strictly scientific issue I have found that most collectors still base their buying decision on their own personal preference and that won't change no matter what is said.

You didn't answer my question which was "Are you asserting that the figures whose eyes are at or above the top of the Tiger hull, 1.8 m (5' 11") are accurately scaled representations of mid-twentieth century Europeans?"

In resposnse to your points:

1) Photos can help affirm or refute assertions but they have obvious limitations. One of these is perspective. Take a look at the following picture that was taken from a crouched position with people at varying distance from the tank. Since the angles to objects in the foreground and background vary considerably a distorted view is created. I don't think even you would argue the Germans were this tall. Conversely if a picture is taken from above the opposite applies and the people would look shorter than expected. I made an effort in the pictures I selected to ensure the camera was at head height close to the top of the Tiger hull thus reducing the perspective problem. Ideally the picture should be on level ground as well.

Scale_22_small.jpg


2) I already acknowledged the Photoshopped photos were not scientific in any way. They rely on my eye to place the feet and since the placement of the head is fixed based on the original photos this can affect the final result, Foreshortening also comes into play as objects further away appear smaller. This was a fun experiment that I thought I would share.

3) Even if their average was 1.8 m (which is tall) they would still not account for what we are seeing in the original photoset. The height restrictions for the Waffen SS were relaxed as the war progressed due to lack of manpower.
 
Frank, I considered your specific question regarding the height of mid-twentietieth century Europeans to be irrelavant because were are discussing the height of German soldiers. Germans are the Fourth tallest people in the world by country/region and will obviously be taller than the average 'European' height.

Frank, you should know by now that the forum moderators regard scale as being far from a fun issue as it usually causes them to actually do some moderating ;)

As for toy soldiers, for the record I feel that the K & C figures are generally speaking, a bit to high and stocky, but imo the First Legion WWII figures have gone to far the other way. Although scales would seem to be a strictly scientific issue I have found that most collectors still base their buying decision on their own personal preference and that won't change no matter what is said.

If you took issue with the wording of the question then you simply should have said so rather than dismissing it outright. In order for debate to work properly each person has to properly understand the position of the other.

You are absolutely correct in your observation that most collectors base their buying decisions on preference and there is nothing wrong with that. Preference is personal and IMO shouldn't be scrutinized. The intent of this thread was share my observations regarding scale and hopefully stimulate discussion, not to criticize anyones personal likes or dislikes.

This thread is intended to be manufacturer neutral so if you feel that the First Legion figures are under scale then you are welcome to present your reasoning and we can discuss it further. I don't think any manufacturer should be immune from critique. I've gone on the record in my FL Stug.III review to state that based on my measurements it is approximately 4% over scale.

As to this being a dangerous subject I ask the question why? This is a toy soldier forum and scale is an valid discussion point. This thread has managed to remain civil to this point.
 
If you took issue with the wording of the question then you simply should have said so rather than dismissing it outright. In order for debate to work properly each person has to properly understand the position of the other.

You are absolutely correct in your observation that most collectors base their buying decisions on preference and there is nothing wrong with that. Preference is personal and IMO shouldn't be scrutinized. The intent of this thread was share my observations regarding scale and hopefully stimulate discussion, not to criticize anyones personal likes or dislikes.

This thread is intended to be manufacturer neutral so if you feel that the First Legion figures are under scale then you are welcome to present your reasoning and we can discuss it further. I don't think any manufacturer should be immune from critique. I've gone on the record in my FL Stug.III review to state that based on my measurements it is approximately 4% over scale.

As to this being a dangerous subject I ask the question why? This is a toy soldier forum and scale is an valid discussion point. This thread has managed to remain civil to this point.
Well said Frank. If we say this often enough it may even eventually be appreciated.;) The issue of scale is an empirical, not an emotional subject. Like most subjects, it is a discussion that may be advanced by reason, explanation and example, not hyperbole or dismissive innuendo.
 
Well said Frank. If we say this often enough it may even eventually be appreciated.;) The issue of scale is an empirical, not an emotional subject. Like most subjects, it is a discussion that may be advanced by reason, explanation and example, not hyperbole or dismissive innuendo.

I agree, but based on past experience it is clear to me that there are some members, and moderators, that believe it is an emotional issue.
 
If you took issue with the wording of the question then you simply should have said so rather than dismissing it outright. In order for debate to work properly each person has to properly understand the position of the other.

You are absolutely correct in your observation that most collectors base their buying decisions on preference and there is nothing wrong with that. Preference is personal and IMO shouldn't be scrutinized. The intent of this thread was share my observations regarding scale and hopefully stimulate discussion, not to criticize anyones personal likes or dislikes.

This thread is intended to be manufacturer neutral so if you feel that the First Legion figures are under scale then you are welcome to present your reasoning and we can discuss it further. I don't think any manufacturer should be immune from critique. I've gone on the record in my FL Stug.III review to state that based on my measurements it is approximately 4% over scale.

As to this being a dangerous subject I ask the question why? This is a toy soldier forum and scale is an valid discussion point. This thread has managed to remain civil to this point.

I didn't take issue with your wording, nor did I dismiss it outright. I chose to concentrate on the Germans in my reponse as they seemed more relevant to the discussion. I did think you would see the point I was trying to make but it's not the first time that a members post has not been fully understood and won't be the last. For example I'm sure that I am not the only member that did not see your photoshopped images as an attempt at humor.

I am neutral about the manufacturers and have in the past attempted to discuss the scale issue rationally. However in most cases the thread has got out of hand because someone perceived comments as an attack on 'their' prefered TS manufacturer and resorted to personal attacks (directly or indirectly) rather than address what was actually said.

As a consequence of such problematic threads and the over reaction of certain Forum Members and Moderators I am no longer able to view the First Legion section of the Treefrog forum. Nor am I allowed to have a Signature in case I place something there which is likely to offend any of the more sensitive First Legion supporters.

This clearly places me at a disadvantage to discuss the pros and cons of First Legion figures regarding size etc. Suffice to say their earlier WWII issues looked smaller than 1/30 scale to me and I have seen nothing since to indicate that this has changed. I did hear a rumor that FL were increasing the size of their WWII figures and would appreciate some comparison shots to demonstrate this, if it is indeed true.
 
OZDigger...

No probs. Just adding a bit to the thread about height and in particular german troops. It depends what part of the war you refer to when you state height was an issue as many recruiting stations for SS had memos dropping specific previously used criteria after Barbarossa. Only, the LAH that I am aware of retained the strict admission policy as it was the fuhrers request/order and, even they had to ignore it
Mitch

QUOTE=OzDigger;320268]Arghh, you said "Once war began the height would not have been an issue even in the SS". I didn't comment on your specific LAH theory which does makes sense btw. I was pointing out that your above bolded statement is to general and not strictly correct because height requirements were still an issue after the war began.[/QUOTE]
 
I did hear a rumor that FL were increasing the size of their WWII figures and would appreciate some comparison shots to demonstrate this, if it is indeed true.

The change was so slight that to me it is irrelevant. Here is a picture mixing original and newer figures. Figure 1 and 3 are the original batch while figure 2 and 4 are newer figures. My understanding is that the change was about bulk more than height.


Scale_30_small.jpg
 
I found a couple good pictures of Tiger crews posing in front of their tanks.

Both of these pictures feature men of varying stature, both in height and bulk.

Scale_23_small.jpg


Scale_24_small.jpg
 

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