Our sculptors are creative guys, and no matter how much guidance we give them about "do this first and that second" sometimes they get an idea that just won't go away until it reaches print.

Matt Lawson was "experimenting" and came up with these gorgeous 1/200 scale versions of some of our fighters. Jean and I like them, and the plan is to release 12-20 "big scale fighters" sometime this spring that is not the first day of a month. These would be a separate special release.

The 1/200 scale was picked for several reasons. It shows great detail. It is very impressive. It is a shapeways "standard" scale (270 is not). It is not impossible that we might be convinced to do 270 but we will not do both. Frankly, most of the "270" fighters are all kinds of scales in that general area and these are 1.7 inches which should work well enough with 270s (which would be 1.34 inches).

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Thursday, February 15, 2018 - 03:05 pm: Edit

The fighters:

By Shawn Hantke (Shantke) on Thursday, February 15, 2018 - 03:47 pm: Edit

1/285 is a standard gaming scale, I haven't heard of 1/200 or 1/270. Are these for a game system I am not aware of or are these intended as display pieces?

By Matthew G Lawson (Mglawson) on Thursday, February 15, 2018 - 04:03 pm: Edit

1/270 is the mainstay of the FFG X-Wing game, and people converting other space games to reflect it. So not quite the 6mm that 1/285 is.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Thursday, February 15, 2018 - 04:18 pm: Edit

These could be used for X-wing even if 200.

By Steve Zamboni (Szamboni) on Thursday, February 15, 2018 - 04:37 pm: Edit

1/200 is typical for airplane minis.

By Dal Downing (Rambler) on Thursday, February 15, 2018 - 05:32 pm: Edit

Once again I am going to push 6mm/285 because it would be scaled properly for a SFMarines minitures driven game.

Or do you want 1/200 scale Shuttles, ground troops and vehicales?

By Charles Chapel (Ctchapel) on Thursday, February 15, 2018 - 05:40 pm: Edit

House Lando Molarii!

Be careful, this might be the RPG scale.

By Garth L. Getgen (Sgt_G) on Thursday, February 15, 2018 - 06:00 pm: Edit

Just for reference, at 1:200 scale, the Fed CA "Enterprise" is 4'8-3/4" long with a 25" diameter saucer.


Garth L. Getgen

By Andrew E Schwenzer (Andrew_Cluetain) on Thursday, February 15, 2018 - 07:16 pm: Edit

Used to have a model enterprise 1/2 that size... Anyways, crazy excited for getting fed and kizinti fighters. While 6mm scale would fit some of my stuff better, 1/200 isn't bad!

By Shawn Hantke (Shantke) on Thursday, February 15, 2018 - 07:26 pm: Edit

I know 1/300 and 1/285 are so close in scale that they often fudge for each other. I am not sure if 1/270 would fudge down scale wise. I am less sure if 1/200 would look right either. Not to be a pain but could we get a comparison drawing of say an admin shuttle in those four scales with a ruler?

I know X-Wing is popular and I know we don't as yet have a Star Fleet Marines Miniatures ruleset but is something like that, based in the SFU coming down the pipeline? I'm all for more miniatures and I'll eventually buy whatever ADB sells, but I would be happier to buy them for a specific game. I for sure would use them at (1/300-1/285-6mm) or (15mm) as I already have a boatload of Traveller minis in that scale so they could be used for Prime Directive or a future Star Fleet Marines minis version. I am not into X-Wing or any other Dogfight games but I would be more on board with this in 1/270 or 1/200 if their was a "Star Fleet Universe Dogfighting Game" coming someday.

By Will McCammon (Djdood) on Thursday, February 15, 2018 - 07:34 pm: Edit

X-Wing (and Wings of War, which it derived its game mechanic from) are both hugely popular and have stayed that way for longer than licensed-games tend to.

They did a good job of having just enough crunch but still keeping the gameplay extremely streamlined. The turn templates do all the math and the vast majority of measuring, other than a few things marked-off with tokens. All specialization ("refits" in SFB terms) and customization ("commander's options" in SFB terms) is done by adding cards to the fighter.

A 2 to 1 duel can easily finish in less than 20 minutes, bigger skirmishes in well less than an hour.

By Jean Sexton (Jsexton) on Thursday, February 15, 2018 - 07:38 pm: Edit

I am beginning to think that 270 may be the way to go, especially if it can fudge for 285. Are there any arguments for 200 except that Shapeways lets you limit by that?

By Steve Zamboni (Szamboni) on Thursday, February 15, 2018 - 08:08 pm: Edit

Non-space fighter craft such as admin shuttles and ground attack shuttle could be set to match the ground combat scale if they're unlikely to be see much time in 1/270 games. (And by the same token, how many fighters are we going to see in ground combat scenarios so does it matter if they're not exact match?)

The two scales may still be close enough to allow slosh for the rare times they get caught in the other game. (I've always thought the cargo shuttles were kind of on the small side anyway, especially when they're bringing in armored vehicles.)

By Shawn Hantke (Shantke) on Thursday, February 15, 2018 - 08:20 pm: Edit

Could an article for Captain's Log be written to plug a Klingon and Federation Fighters into X-Wing/Wings of War?

Could an article be written for Captain's Log to convert Star Fleet Marines (Hex) to miniatures? As far as I understand Ogre miniatures replaces regular Ogre "hex" with "two inches."

By Shawn Hantke (Shantke) on Thursday, February 15, 2018 - 09:04 pm: Edit

Quick searches on Shapeways-
"1/200" 2966 Results
"1/270" 1449 Results
"1/285" 3428 Results
"1/300" 1829 Results

"6mm" 3424 Results
"15mm" 917 Results
"20mm" 1015 Results
"25mm" 590 Results
"28mm" 3554 Results
"30mm" 526 Results

"1/3125" 680 Results
"1/3788" 693 Results

By Garth L. Getgen (Sgt_G) on Thursday, February 15, 2018 - 10:22 pm: Edit

I'm of a mind that I don't care what scale they are, just so that they are all in-scale properly to each other.

The Gunboats / OFs / Skiffs are something like 30 to 36 meters long, yes? At 1:200 scale, they are 6-7 inches. At the smaller 1:270 scale, they are 4-5 inches. These could easily be done to-scale.

As to "real" ships, I think the Free Trader would be about the smallest thing that could be done to-scale, but it would be 12-15 inches long, if my quick math is close.


Garth L. Getgen

By Andrew E Schwenzer (Andrew_Cluetain) on Thursday, February 15, 2018 - 11:20 pm: Edit

Battletech alpha strike is also 1 hex is 2 inches, and uses 6mm scale, mostly... The minis suffer from no one set a true scale when the first models where made. That said my vote is for 6mm because it is close enough to 1/270 for x wing... Now to convert some stats... *mad scientist laughter follows*

As an edited add on, the large base sips in x wing I've always considered gun boats or interceptors ( the 2 shield gunboat prototypes)

By Jean Sexton (Jsexton) on Friday, February 16, 2018 - 12:05 am: Edit

Shawn, I need to know if those are in starships or what. Folks who buy WWII battleships or people may not be the target audience fo the fighters.

By Garth L. Getgen (Sgt_G) on Friday, February 16, 2018 - 12:55 am: Edit

Edits to my post above: I meant the Free Trader is the largest thing that could be done to-scale, not the smallest. It's the smallest ship that I can think of. The APT is about that size, but as it can't land (WHY NOT?!?!?) there doesn't seem to be any point in doing it.

And typo: Gunboats / OFs == s/b == Gunboats / PFs.


Garth L. Getgen

By Richard B. Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Friday, February 16, 2018 - 01:08 am: Edit

Nice.

By Will McCammon (Djdood) on Friday, February 16, 2018 - 01:43 am: Edit

Even hollow, a Free Trader at 1/270 would probably be upwards of $50 or more in S&F. In FUD it would be more than $80+. If you're serious, then more power to ya.

There is the slight issue that the Free Trader hasn't been modeled up yet, but it will come in-time.

By Garth L. Getgen (Sgt_G) on Friday, February 16, 2018 - 02:02 am: Edit

Not one that I would want to buy, but I have paid that (and more) for X-Wing ships.

Actually, for ground combat minis gaming, I could see just using a printed image on card-stock of the Tree Tanker, and then use minis for the troops and vehicles.


Garth L. Getgen

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Friday, February 16, 2018 - 02:07 am: Edit

If size-1 fighters at 1/200 scale were the above size, how large would that make size-2 (or size-3 or size-4) units?

In the case of the Federation, the A-20 is already available in Omni scale, so could potetially be converted to the 1:200 line. But in the long run, I'd wonder how large the likes of the F-111, or even the B-1 or B-2, might be here.

Speaking of the B-2, I'd wonder if it might be an option to offer a "clean" version (with weapons carried in the bay only), which more closely echoed the real craft it is inspired by...

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It would be interesting to see the Omega Shapeways project eventually make use of this scale also.

I could already picture certain units being able to show off particular details in this scale. Imagine a 1:200-scale Barb mini with a look emphasizing its use as a Hiver "frigate"; or some of the biological features of Alunda Remoras or Branthodon Wyverns; or even the dark energy circuit-board "veins" running throughout a Souldra Shard.

(I could picture a scenario in which a defending squadron had to protect a vulnerable colony from Black Shard vampirism.)

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On a side note, given that there are already a number of carrier, tender, and/or space control ship minis out there (or in the works), might there be a viable scale in which the likes of a planetary control base mini could be used to support atmospheric fighter (and/or gunboat) operations?

By Jean Sexton (Jsexton) on Friday, February 16, 2018 - 09:10 am: Edit

Okay, folks in the know. Is 1/270 close enough to 6 mm that it is fudgeable?