Disappointed with 1:18 vehicles...

[tmanthegreat]

Guys, all the comments on fitting drivers in the 21C vehicles please remember 1/1 soldiers in WW2 were smaller and alot of vehicles were sized for small guys.

Tankers (especially drivers and co-drivers) were smaller guys, as were ball turret gunners.

I am 6'1', not big by todays standards but I drove WW2 Jeeps with my knees up against my chest. Same with a half-track, it was very uncomfortable to drive. I tried a Stuart drivers hatch for size and just gave up. My 3/4 Command Car was a little tight but was easy to drive. It wasn't until I got my M-37 that I found real comfort. The Mutt also was comfortable to drive, as long as you didn't roll it. I rolled one onto it's side so that really doesn't count.

Well, I guess the fact that I'm 5'6" could have its advantages. While there may not have been as many people standing over 6' sixty years ago as there are today, its not like they were munchkins, there were plenty of tall guys. Further, real clothes tend to compress in a way plastic or rubber cannot.

However, if you want small, I've seen some surviving examples of ancient Roman & Greek armor... using the size of the armor to judge the size of the wearer, TTT at 6'1" could have squashed the guy

[Threetoughtrucks]

I have spent years in the 1/1 hobby and I have always gotten a uniform to match the vehicle I was using in a parade. WW2 for my Command Car and when I was crew in our half-track or WC-63, or whatever.

There are guys on this board that collect uniforms and they will verify how rare ANY WW2 uniform is in extra large and almost nothing in extra tall. Ask them about finding an Ike jacket in a large size. Sure there were tall and big guys in WW2 but they were few in number. I spent years and finaly found a set of HBT extra large top and trousers that happened to be brand new old stock. Haven't seen anything since, except reproductions. The reprocuction market has taken off in large sizes. My M-37 parade uniform is Korea & VN era and there is plenty of "original" large size uniforms around because modern guys are just bigger.

No disrespect meant to anybody smaller than me , some of my best friends and all my relatives are smaller than me. My wife is 5'2". , my boys are just under 6'. I always wanted to be 6'6" and never made it. Sometimes height is an advantage (in crowds, and I've always said my wifey married me to reach the high shelves) and sometimes it isn't like the day on the ferry with me standing in a crowd of little people and a seagull looking for a perch, landed on my head. The little people enjoyed that.....but oh well, what were we talking about?

TTT

[aferguson]

the average height of a roman legionarre at the peak of the empire was between 4'11" and 5'1" depending on what source you look at. The 'huge' barbarian hordes averaged about 5' 8" in height.

Interestingly, i read recently that it is believed now that during the middle ages average heights in europe were around 5'8", which is credited to good nutrition. By the 1700's average heights had decreased to around 5'4", blamed on poorer nutrition, disease etc.

So the myth of the 'puny' knights may not be true. That said, any suit of armour i have ever seen was pretty small (short but stocky) , no way i could get into it at 5' 10".

[digger]

like the day on the ferry with me standing in a crowd of little people and a seagull looking for a perch, landed on my head. The little people enjoyed that.....but oh well, what were we talking about?

[GooglyDoogly]

This could be easily solved with cloth pants, but you guys don't want it, so i guess you're stuck with molded pants too big too fit inside vehicles.

[STUKA]

Yes - we want the detail -

I'd have no problem with 21century packaging a driver with smaller legs than normal for an easier fit behind the wheel -
I mean what will we have the diver doing? driving?

It isnt like we want displays of Company A washing the truck or checking the oil on the way to Kursk.
We buy these things for the detail.

All I want them to add is little foot pegs near the machine guns so they can stand easier.

[Tinman]

I guess I just took it as part of the hobby that I have to, for instance, use just a helmeted head and torso to drive the M48. Not a big deal as far as I'm concerned. I'll take any accurate armor they want to produce.

[Threetoughtrucks]

I know, our 1/18 guys are difficult to custom into different sizes but that is what is happening on "the dark side" now. Guys are starting to take the standard 12" guy and shaving down the chests and filling resulting holes with putty, cuttung legs to shorten the guy and shaving off material to round the shoulders. Changing head sculpts and hands have been done for quite a while.

They really look good, but the key is using the cloth clothes to hide body putty and cut legs. They look good. The closest we can come is cutting the legs, removing a small section and gluing the legs together again. They wouldn't look good, but who can see?

TTT

[spect_spidey]

I believe a viable solution would be to have a slight variation in size for 1:18 figures. I mean, I could be wrong, but I don't believe a Japanese soldier on average was the same height and build as an American or German. I think a variation of maybe even just a 1/4" would make a world of difference in these figures. And since this is a military based line of figures, most figures from a certain battle or operation would be equipped fairly the same with only minor uniform variations, I think figures ranging from maybe 3 3/4" to 4 1/4" using maybe 3 bodies sizes within this size range would be feasible. And would alleviate some of the problems with figures fitting into vehicles.

[STUKA]

I guess I just took it as part of the hobby that I have to, for instance, use just a helmeted head and torso to drive the M48. Not a big deal as far as I'm concerned. I'll take any accurate armor they want to produce.

That is exactly what I do - In fact I figured 21st had this in mind when they made the figures with removable parts.

[holensock]

Are the 1:18 figures and the 1:18 vehicles INACURATE to the scale? Shouldn't a 1:18 figure be able to FIT inside a 1:18 vehicle? If you've got to 'shorten' the figure, than maybe the figure isn't a true 1:18 scaled figure. I've been told the 1:18 scaled vehicles cannot be made bigger for the 1:18 scaled figure to fit, otherwise it wouldn't look authentic. Then something's gotta be off-scale here...

[aferguson]

this has been answered a few times now. It's because the clothing on the figures doesn't compress and neither does the flesh of the figure....it's all hard plastic.

When you sit down your pants flatten against your butt and your butt flattens a bit too......but plastic figure's pants don't flatten they stay billowy...as does the figure's butt. So the figure sits too high.

They can't twist and turn and slink into a vehicle the way a human can.

And it's been stated, more than once, that tanks etc were not made for 6 foot tall people.....tanks especially.

Virtually all the figures available in 1/18 are big 6 foot tall men. Are they inaccurate to scale? No, there are plenty of big, six foot tall men, but they are bigger than a typical WWII sized tanker, pilot or soldier....and the don't flex the way a human and his clothing do

[holensock]

Thanks, Aferguson! You're probably thinking, 'Geeze, how many times do I have to explain this to this guy?!'
Not any more. I get it now. Your last post finally penitrated thru this thick skull!!

[corpbob]

What I think would work is, instead of (or in addition to) having the "extra arms", having an extra "lower torso" for figures either sitting or kneeling. With a little articulation at the knees and ankles, they could be fit more places and just maybe I could pose some riding on the back of my tanks! I know I'd pay an extra dollar or two for that flexability.

[aferguson]

that was an idea i proposed years ago, on GP's old board. Never seemed to catch on for some reason. I think it's a good one......regualar legs and sitting legs

[digger]

an extra "lower torso" for figures either sitting or kneeling

Kneeling would be awesome. No articulation can ever really get the "bend" you need on the knees, ankles and even feet.

[holensock]

This would be a GREAT idea!! Like you said, they do it already with the arms!
Now I know most here don't like PTE figures, but if you get a chance to find one (they had 'em for $1.00 each at Dollar General last year) take a good look at PTE's articulation! No kneeling problems here-or riding a motorcycle or horse! Those lucky enough to live by a KB, they have single sets with a soldier and a horse, or camel, or check out the jeep! The horse & camel sets are only around $4. You can buy those, check out the soldier's articulation, then email me and I'll buy the set off you!
They are amazing!

[aferguson]

that's why i like the Dragon figures....great for doing figures in a deep crouch.....unfortunately they don't come with a second pair of normal, articulated legs.

i thought the best thing about the original XD figures was the second set of pre-posed arms.