Scale of minifigs

[danim]

Hi

I am hoping to eventually build a true to minifig scale Royal Navy Type 45 Destroyer but I have a couple of questions

1. If the ship was 154m long in real life what lenght would it be in minifig scale

2. how would you build the bow of a ship in lego

Any help would be greatly appreciated

P.S sorry mods if this is in the wrong section

Edited January 19, 2010 by danim

[prateek]

1) According to Ralph_S, the minifig scale is 1:45. That means your ship will have to be 3.42m long (I think)

2) I would just use inverted slopes or just plain bricks. Here's a good example of a big minifig scale ship

Edited January 19, 2010 by prateek

[danim]

would bricklink be a good source of parts or would lego provide large quantatys of parts , I am trying not to spend too much on this model. Also what do you guys find easier when builting models of ships, waterline models or full hull models

[mikey]

At 3.5m long (427 studs), I don't think there is a cheap option (unless you already have a vast collection, and a very big room!). I admire your ambition, but I think realistically you need to downsize your plans a bit (and forget the MiniFigs). You could perhaps try some mini scale, that would be an achievable and intresting project I think.

Edited January 19, 2010 by mikey

[Ralph_S]

Actually, I may use 1/45 most of the time (and so does Merlin for their LEGO discovery centres), but since minifigs are such weirdly shaped little things, there is quite a bit of freedom. Obviously, for a large ship I'd opt for the smaller end of the scale. The aircraft carrier that prateek linked to is compressed quite a bit and probably closer to 1/60 in terms of its length.

A good friend of mine has built two excellent minifig scale ships (probably close to 1/43): HMS Edinburgh (a Royal Navy type 42 destroyer) and HMS Hood (a WW-II battlecruiser). A type 45 destroyer would be somewhere between those two in size. I've got a collection of parts going into the hundreds of thousands and I couldn't do it. My friend has been collecting and buying LEGO for most of his life and Hood wiped out most of his collection. The only way he can go bigger is by enlisting me to help him out

Mikey is right. Forget it. A much smaller scale is definitely the way forward. Check out the wonderful ships by Mark Rodrigues for inspiration. He does both waterline and full hull models.

Cheers,

Ralph

Edited January 20, 2010 by Ralph_S

[danim]

Hi Ralph, your friend has wonderfull models, I may use elements of the design of HMS Edinburgh with mine, for the 114mm gun on HMS Edinburgh do you know what he used for the barrel as I am unsure what to do for it

I have already built a smaller scale version a few days before the real HMS daring was launched here

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?...c=31442&hl=

The only way he can go bigger is by enlisting me to help him out

is that some sort of offer

also do you have a link to Mark Rodrigues models as I would love to see them

For the size I have worked out that total length will be 3.38m and approximate hight from floor to top of radar will be 74cm as I plan to do a waterline model as that would cut down about 16cm hight wise

Also for the storage issue I have already though about that. I will build the model in 50cm sections which will mean that there will be about 7 sections

Edited January 19, 2010 by danim

[Ralph_S]

Hi Ralph, your friend has wonderfull models, I may use elements of the design of HMS Edinburgh with mine, for the 114mm gun on HMS Edinburgh do you know what he used for the barrel as I am unsure what to do for it

I have already built a smaller scale version a few days before the real HMS daring was launched here

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?...c=31442&hl=

is that some sort of offer

also do you have a link to Mark Rodrigues models as I would love to see them

For the size I have worked out that total length will be 3.38m and approximate hight from floor to top of radar will be 74cm as I plan to do a waterline model as that would cut down about 16cm hight wise

Also for the storage issue I have already though about that. I will build the model in 50cm sections which will mean that there will be about 7 sections

Sorry, something went wrong with the link to Rodrigues' pictures. The gun barrel on my friend's Edinburgh was made with a technic axle and technic pin connectors. I wasn't making an offer, he has asked me to collaborate with him on his latest project and my comment was supposed to be a link to a thread on flickr about it, but I messed up there as well. I'm having little luck with my BBcode tonight I fixed both links in my original post. Anyway, we are building a minifig scale model of USS Intrepid, a WW-II Essex class aircraft carrier. It ought to be more than 6m long when finished. He'll build the ship. I'll build the planes it'll carry.

I think you are seriously underestimating the amount of parts and time that building something like a type 45 destroyer to minifig scale will take.

Cheers,

Ralph

[prateek]

I think you are seriously underestimating the amount of parts and time that building something like a type 45 destroyer to minifig scale will take.

I think so too. Realistcally, this will probably take at least 6 months, and you will need +100000 parts just for the ship.

[user]

I think so too. Realistcally, this will probably take at least 6 months, and you will need +100000 parts just for the ship.

Yeah that would be over $10,000.00 in lego! Do you know of any millionaires that could help you with the project?

[danim]

I realise how many bricks and approx how much it would cost, I already have about £3,000 worth of lego, also this would be one of my most expensive models however I spent about £70 on an airfix kit one and I also spent about £900 on an radio controled car so this may be expensive but if I buy it in bits and build it over a period of time, say 1 year the cost will not seem as much

[danim]

I have now started aa topic for the atual model which you can see here

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?...mp;#entry666264

[Captain Green Hair]

I'm building the Prins Willim in a 1:39 scale, that would mean a minifig is then about 1.70 meters in real life.

I can also add that it takes a lot of bricks, sweat and patience to do such a project.

Good luck!

[Capn Frank]

Gambort recently posted a picture of minifigs scales next to a person in his Old Holdens Topic, and I thought it was very relevant to this discussion.

Minifig Scale? by gambort, on Flickr

I personally would prefer around the 40:1 scale. It's a little shorter than a real person, and compensates a little for the extra width of a mini-fig.

[davee123]

1:60? Who's building at that scale? That would assume a minifig is 8'3" tall (2.5 meters)!

Typically, I find that people use approximations of:

1) 1 stud = 1 foot (roughly 1:38.1)

2) 3 studs = 1 meter (roughly 1:41.7)

3) Minifig = 6 feet (roughly 1:43.5)

4) Train rails = 1435mm apart (unsure of the exact scale, but between 1:38 and 1:45)

Where do the scales on the image come from that are "commonly used"? I can see anything between 1:38 and 1:44, but what's the basis for using a scale of 1:35, 1:48, or 1:60? They seem like they're out of line with "normal", and the 1:60 is GROSSLY out of scale.

[edit]Never mind, on the image comments, I see that he's suggesting that it's based on 6-wide trains, and some trains in the range of 9-10 feet wide. Wow. I never realized how terribly wrong 6-wide actually was![/edit]

DaveE

Edited October 20, 2010 by davee123

[Legoist]

Actually, I may use 1/45 most of the time (and so does Merlin for their LEGO discovery centres), but since minifigs are such weirdly shaped little things, there is quite a bit of freedom.

Definitely. I suppose 1/45 was calculated by the height of the minifig, but then their width doesn't match. If you go viceversa, you have the same problem. If you try to average all the dimensions (height, width, head circumference...) you just get another out-of-scale result. But ultimately this does give you freedom of doing it the way you want (if you want to be funky, try a scale by weight), because there is no "right" way.

The truth is, minifigs don't have the proportions of humans, at least not the adults: they have the proportions of human toddlers, which is why by the way everyone finds them cute

[Aanchir]

I use 1:36 scale most of the time when I'm actually paying attention to the scale of a real-world vehicle or building. It works well for me since I'm an American and use inches rather than metric. Thus, a minifig who's about 1.5 inches tall equates to a person who's 4.5 feet tall. It's a dubious measurement, but it works well with vehicles on modern LEGO road plates, 4-wide door frames, and many other things.

Most of the time if I'm designing something larger, I'll use metric so that I'm not doing as much rounding. But then, I'm also usually using a specialized scale based around things like jumbo jets and space shuttles not looking utterly ridiculous next to other LEGO sets and MOCs.

[gambort]

By the way the diagram on the previous page also has an accompanying diagram

Minifig Scale 2: The big behind is not a good measure by gambort, on Flickr

EDIT: I find the 'swear' filters correction so hilarious I'll change the original title.

1:60? Who's building at that scale? That would assume a minifig is 8'3" tall (2.5 meters)!

[edit]Never mind, on the image comments, I see that he's suggesting that it's based on 6-wide trains, and some trains in the range of 9-10 feet wide. Wow. I never realized how terribly wrong 6-wide actually was![/edit]

DaveE

I suspect a lot of buildings are about 1:60 too. I think I build mine at about 1:70. My system is that the bigger things are in real life, the smaller they're scaled. Works surprisingly well.

Tim

Edited October 20, 2010 by gambort

[gambort]

1:60? Who's building at that scale? That would assume a minifig is 8'3" tall (2.5 meters)!

Typically, I find that people use approximations of:

1) 1 stud = 1 foot (roughly 1:38.1)

2) 3 studs = 1 meter (roughly 1:41.7)

3) Minifig = 6 feet (roughly 1:43.5)

4) Train rails = 1435mm apart (unsure of the exact scale, but between 1:38 and 1:45)

Where do the scales on the image come from that are "commonly used"? I can see anything between 1:38 and 1:44, but what's the basis for using a scale of 1:35, 1:48, or 1:60? They seem like they're out of line with "normal", and the 1:60 is GROSSLY out of scale.

[edit]Never mind, on the image comments, I see that he's suggesting that it's based on 6-wide trains, and some trains in the range of 9-10 feet wide. Wow. I never realized how terribly wrong 6-wide actually was![/edit]

DaveE

I just read this a little more comprehensively and I find the tone rude and condscending. I realise you've been around a while, Dave, but not so much longer than me and you've obviously been less observant than I have so consider being less pompous.

Around 1:35 is quite common. Have you never seen a LEGO car with a 7 or 8 wide bonnet to fit two minifigs side by side? I've seen heaps all the way back from the LUGNET days right through to present day Flickr.

As discussed in the very first comment it is not unusual for people to make 4 or 5 wide cars too. A landcruiser at 1:48 is 5 wide while a smaller car is 4 wide. Again a very common scale.

Now I could have padded it out with more pictures of figs but that would just be stupid. I assume people can interpolate the scales between the ones I added.

Maybe consider thinking more before posting in future...

Tim

Edited October 22, 2010 by gambort

[blueandwhite]

Ignoring any needless or unfriendly debate, I personally feel that there is a great deal of flexibility when it comes to minifig scale simply because the figures themselves are uniquely proportioned. For me, anything from 50:1 to 35:1 does a reasonably good job representing human proportions; the smaller 1:50 models treating the figure as being as tall as the average human while the larger 1:35 models would be more in line with a human being's width.

60:1 models are too small, however when building larger structures building in 1:50 let alone 1:35 scale may simply not be feasible. It makes perfect sense to build a skyscraper or large train station at a slightly smaller scale. Castles and other structures are frequently built at smaller scales simply because building at true minifig scale is cost (and space) prohibitive. Many large buildings can stand to be 1:80 without being overly detrimental to a display.

Moreover, models of different sizes can certainly co-exist within a single layout. It's not the end of the world to have a set of six, seven and eight-wide trains running around a town layout that features 5, 6, 7, and 8 wide cars and trucks. I personally try to stick to a scale of 1:40 (approx 3 studs per metre), but I'm not going to hold it against anybody for choosing to build in a different scale. Heck, with some models I'll throw scale to the wind for detailing. It's just not that important.

[davee123]

I just read this a little more comprehensively and I find the tone rude and condscending.

If that's how you read it, I'm sorry-- it wasn't intended to be condescending, but more of a... jokingly surprised tone. Ahh, the medium of internet posting.

Honestly, I like the image, I just wish there were a little more accompanying information-- IE what each is based on. Hmmm. Makes me wonder if you could make a dynamically sized image that would resize elements to show scale based on input.

DaveE

[gambort]

If that's how you read it, I'm sorry-- it wasn't intended to be condescending, but more of a... jokingly surprised tone. Ahh, the medium of internet posting.

Honestly, I like the image, I just wish there were a little more accompanying information-- IE what each is based on. Hmmm. Makes me wonder if you could make a dynamically sized image that would resize elements to show scale based on input.

DaveE

Sorry from me too. I was a bit (a lot!) touchy that day for some reason and took it badly. The image came out of a discussion just like this over in the LEGO Trains group on flickr. I merely assembled a few of the scales that had been mentioned and used the ones that appeared useful.

A dynamic image would be great and fairly easy to generate too I imagine. Could probably be done in pure HTML/javascript.

Again, sorry for the rant.

Tim

Edited October 24, 2010 by gambort

[Aanchir]

As I said before, I use 1:36 scale for vehicles, and it's almost exclusively the scale I work at vertically. However, recently I did a MOC of my dorm on LDD, where for lateral/horizontal scale I used 1:28 instead. It helped me cram in a lot of detail without making the place too cramped. At the same time, it made the otherwise-awkward 12.5 by 18.5 dimensions of the room into a more manageable 16x24.

I hope to post this MOC as soon as I have managed to make my brother's bookshelf-- the one major detail I'm still having trouble with at this scale.

[The Soup Nazi]

Yes, I know if you want to get the proportions right and etc., but I think this is going a bit too far. I always thought minifig scale was if the vehicle, building, or whatever, could 'fit' a minifigure.

[Aanchir]

Yes, I know if you want to get the proportions right and etc., but I think this is going a bit too far. I always thought minifig scale was if the vehicle, building, or whatever, could 'fit' a minifigure.

Well, for one-person vehicles that typically is what the scale involves. For buildings, however, it's best to be a bit stricter, especially if you plan to have an interior. Otherwise, the interior will likely feel cramped. And even with vehicles or other structures where the interior is not important, working at a particular scale helps make sure that your buildings, vehicles, etc. all look OK in comparison with one another.

Admittedly, of course, the stricter you are with yourself the harder it is to get stuff done. I rarely complete a MOC to my satisfaction, partly because I'm very strict with myself about scale and other factors (my lack of creativity could also have something to do with it). The "looser" you are with yourself the more you can get done.

[gambort]

A dynamic image would be great and fairly easy to generate too I imagine. Could probably be done in pure HTML/javascript.

Tim

Quite easy.

Presenting the online minifig scaler.

Tim