Earlier today I was putting some HE spearmen I'd just finished painting back on the shelf above my painting desk. On there I have the IoB SG and SM ready to paint when something caught my eye. I put one of the SM models next to the spearmen and they are huge! They are well out of scale, they are a good 3-4mm taller at the shoulders. I tried the SG and it was the same. Now its not a major problem as on the table they will be in seperate units but if you wanted to increase the size of your units using the metal GW ones then it would look seriously odd! I was going to use the IoB SM command with a load of the metal ones I have but decided against it as the IoB plastics are a lot more "fancy" and don't go with the metal ones but now I've discovered this even if I had decided to do it I wouldn't now.

GW have got form with this though as the 6th ed box with the Orcs and Empire was the same, the models in it where well out of scale with the existing ranges, although the Orcs in the box did make good Big 'Uns!

It would be interesting to see if the Skaven are the same.

Random and probably useless observation and proof I have far too much time on my hands!

I've not noticed with those specifically (I've not put them against my existing HEs yet) but scale creep is a definite issue. 28mm "heroic" scale is being stretched to breaking point I think...

Heres a photo showing what I mean, you can see how much bigger they are, I mean even the build of it, the Swordmasters built like a tank! (And yes I know thw spearman hasn't got any arms again!)

Its not muscle mass.. its super pauldrons and the greatest pointy hat that dictate rank
This is why the 80s were so much more awesome, they just straight outranked us with those shoulder pads.

I thought it was just a speaman and his 'mini-me'!

The models are becoming less miniature. Is this just sculptnig laziness or just a side effect of trying to cram detail into plastic figures (so the "fault" is due to the move to plastic)?

We've already seen bases sizes having to grow to accomodate the creep (think terminators).

At some point 20mm bases in WHFB will become too small.

Does the size of the model matter all that much?
Wouldn't having the bases the same size be more of an issue?

Timewizard, like I said I was just making an observation. It does become a bit of an issue if you want to use other models from the range with them, i.e the metal swordmasters and Sea Guard as they would be dwarfed by the IoB stuf and the unit would look stupid.

Matt, it could be a side effect of them trying to get more detail into the one piece models, never thought of it that way as like I said the 6th ed box set had the same issue.

@tw...What do you mean?

Matt, I know what you mean about the size creep as well. Comparing my Steel Legion IG to the new plastic Cadians there is a marked increase in size, especially the their weapons (fnar, fnar). It causes no end of problems for me as GW never finished the range so to get certain weapons I have to convert and the plastic stuff is just to big and makes the army look stupid.

mattjgilbert wrote:@tw...What do you mean?

I was just thinking that the different size and even scale of models would be secondary to the base size in game play terms.
If I have a grot on a 25mm base and a nob on a 25 mm base, they are different sized models but still on the same sized base.
I agree that the 2 models in mark's post look a bit odd side by side, but would it matter that much in a game if they were both mounted on the same sized base?
Or am I missing something here?

Could be that the simple moulds used for IOB mean cheaper moulds - to get detail into same space on a 1 piece moulds means that the model is slightly larger. It's a more modern version of the quality faults they had back in the days of space crusade and heroquest. Either that or they are moving toward a cheaper rank and file system - you know - eventually your unit of 20 spearmen will be a single 80mm by 80mm base with a single huge spearmen on it that costs a gazillion pounds 'per unit' from workshop that only consists of 1 model.

TW, I see what you mean. Don't supose it makes any odds so long as they are all mounted on 20mm base, its just the aesthetics of it.

And I was thinking about the size creep as well (told you I have too much time on my hands). Just look at the old 2nd ed anbd Gorkamoarka period Orks and compare them to now, they look like Grots in comparison. Same as Gahzgkull, the old on was the size of a normal Ork (ok with a BIG hat) but the new ones the size of a dread.

Size creep makes a mockery of your previous collection. It matters not just because the models look strange and out of place with others but with games now being all true LOS who knows what sort of nonsense could happen. It also drives prices (to play) up as you get less models. Integration with other manufacturers models becomes harder (not that GW care about that of course).

mattjgilbert wrote:Integration with other manufacturers models becomes harder

This is why this is happened.