Pike Lengths

[The Gray Ghost]

what is a good length for a 28mm pike?

[Dr. The Viking]

Urm... in 28mm scale you mean I guess?!    

Sorry I'll get my hat now.

[has.been]

As a (very) rough guide, the pike should be 16 foot. If you assume your pikeman to be 6 foot tall (they were the biggest and beefiest of the infantry) your pike in 28mm scale should be about 70mm long. It is worth noting that soldiers were prone to cutting of 3 or 4 foot off the end (no not the pointy end) to make it more managable, this practice was frowned on by the officers (who did not have to carry it around the country side). If memory serves their was at least one battle against Irish rebels where they had the advantage as they had not shortened their pikes. If you are looking for a 'campaign' feel you could include a few broken (therefore shortened) pikes. I hope this helps you.

[Faust23]

3" is the shortest I would go and 4" is the longest I would go.

You can see pics of my TYW pikemen here www.brinkofbattle.blogspot.com

[Condottiere]

Depends on the period and who's wielding it: Renaissance Pikes

A twelve foot pike with a ground scale of 1 ft = 5 inches is about 61mm.