Question of scale

[Sardoo]

I want to get some model cars to put into a diorama I'm planning. Can anyone give me an idea of the scale of the cars I'd need to get to match them with 28mm? Suggestions on manufacturers would be really helpful too!

[Silent Invader]

Genre?  Assuming near Future....

Siku cars can be pretty good and I've a vehicles page on my website that goes into dimensions etc

http://www.scavengeskirmishsurvive.co.uk/

[Sardoo]

Genre? Good point. Zombie / post apocalyse diorama so present day or near future would be perfect!

[pacarat]

For regular cars and small trucks, 1/43 is what I have been using. For some of the larger vehicles I have bought 1/48 and 1/50... Variety is good, and standard sources are flea market, garage sales, thrift stores, and bargain/close out shops. And eBay of course.


Anything diecast is suitable, though I prefer models with doors that open, and don't have those large bulging under carriages (where they house the windup/ spring mechanism)

[Daeothar]

Exactly that.

Even though 28mm is supposed to be 1/56, when sitting next to based miniatures, vehicles in that scale tend to look too small.

Besides; many manufacturers tend to go with the size of their standard retail boxes when determining the scale of their products. So a Fiat 500 might be relatively bigger than a Range Rover of the same brand (and series).

In the end, you're best off eyeballing what will work. So when roving around toy- and discount stores, looking for cars, make sure you take a regular mini with you to check suitability.

Or, alternatively, use a scaletool like I made for myself. It's always in my wallet and has been very useful on many occasions when I was in doubt about the size of something...

[Momotaro]

An excellent, but long, article from Antenociti:

http://www.antenocitisworkshop.com/news/if-i-base-my-figures-how-big-should-my-vehicles-be/

Shortened version - it depends  A 5mm slottabase pretty much requires a 1/48 or 1/43 vehicle - not that the scale is in any way consistent between diecast vehicle manufacturers.

Then he throws in the Oshkosh M-ATV, which appears to be the wrong scale for figures (it has the outline of a jeep, but is much, much bigger).  So you can get away with larger vehicles (especially if you use 28mm-scale detailing), but probably not smaller ones.

See also: the "how can 10 space marines fit in a Rhino" problem.

[Cosmotiger]

1/43 is very common in diecast,  Heller also makes some 1/43 plastic car kits, which can be useful if you get into converting things Mad-Max PA style.