Planes in 1/56

[CuorDiLeone]

I just wonder if/when someone will ever produce airplanes in 1/56.

[ripley]

Sarisa make some gliders in MDF , but as they are scale in size they do take up a lot of room . Hell even a 1/72 Horsa glider has a large foot print on the table , IMO more of a scenery item , broken gliders with disembarking  troops in a Normandy field kind of thing  . With planes rarely making more that one or two passes over the table , plus the availability of cheap 1/72 scale or the larger and more detailed and costly 1/48 , is there a real market for plastic 1/56 .We really are a very small group of buyers , in fact about half the guys in my area use 1/48 vehicles as you can get them in most hobby shops even in smaller towns  while 1/56 kits are hard to find except in game stores which are  usually in the bigger cities . I'ld buy a nicely detailed 1/56 plastic Stuka or fighter , but probably use it in a diorama as I'm really not interested in using planes in the game .

[Eclaireur]

There was a plan for Blitzkrieg to make a Stuka

https://www.perry-miniatures.com/product_info.php?cPath=23_74_77&products_id=3355

and I know there was a prototype. But not sure what happened to it...
EC

[Tracks]

The 1:56 (28mm) scale is predominately a gaming scale, and how it came about is an interesting story all on its own (mostly Scale-Creep).

Also, the 1:56 (28mm) scale for WW2 gaming is predominately used for skirmish level type of game like Bolt Action, Chain of Command, Battleground WW2 and several others. Can 1:56 (28mm) scale be used for games  like Flames of War or Blitzkrieg Commander? Yes, but I have yet to see this, and there are good reasons why. But certainly, that would be visually exciting.

Don't get my wrong, I think maybe 1:56 scale WW2 model aircraft can be fun and very unique to say the least! You can use these for air combat games! However, 1:200, 1:144 and 1:72 seem to have a strong hold on this type of gaming. Regardless, I would very much like to see Rubicon Models put the efforts into making a M3 Lee/Grant, Allied anti-tank guns, or even a Brumbar long before they worked on any 1:56 scale WW2 aircraft models, but that is just me.

But getting back to the 1:56 (28mm) scale and games like BA, CoC, and BWW2. How much interest will there be in 1:56 scale aircraft? Maybe a glider or two (these will be big models), but I am guessing not much interest. Even as a marker for calling in an air strike for Bolt Action, most players just use something simple. I have a friend that uses 1:72 scale models to note the direction and path of the airstrike, but not only did he already have these, but I do not think this is common among most gamers.

Side Story:
The one game I saw that had a true 1:56 scale aircraft was a scratch build - and really good one at that - of a crashed/wreckage Focke-Wulf 189, and it was being used as battlefield decoration/terrain. However, the guy who created it did tell me he originally made it for a Bolt Action scenario. In that scenario, the Fw189 was on a recon mission, and it was shot down near German lines. The German side had to try and recover the important intel from the Fw189, and the other side (British I think he said?) was not told of this, but instead was told the German mission was something else (blow up a bridge I think?). Anyway, it seems the game had a unique outcome with an unexpected ending. I like games that that.

[Orkoverde]

Very good quality 1/56 planes at https://www.shapeways.com/shops/raidover . I have the messersmitch Bf109E & Bf109G6. One Mustang and the pilots for all.
Are a really fantastic adquisition for my armies.
Rubicon Models could have a very good market oportunity ni this matter, plastic airplanes ni 1/56 scale.

[ripley]

Very nice looking planes . But at $170 Canadian  or so each    . that's just crazy . For that kind of money I could probably get 7 or 8 1/48 scale Monogram planes ( reboxed by Revell I think ) , or more than a dozen Airfix 1/72 planes .

[EarlyWarGamer]

Buildings and most other terrain is rarely (if ever) proper scale to the figures. They are almost always a representation of a thing, without being true to scale. Otherwise, we are talking a stream just a few inches deep no wider than a typical vehicle, one-lane bridges, and houses the size of medium sheds.

Other than as tabletop objectives (where having a properly scaled plane would be cooler), I think having a smaller scale plane serve as the indicator that a strafing run is in progress, or a fighter-bomber is lining up to drop a payload is fine for gaming. I cannot imagine shelling out a lot of money for a single model just so it was "in scale" the troops and vehicles on the ground.

Perhaps that is just me.

[Orkoverde]

I agree that the price is excessive , but it is due to the type of product, manufactured in high definition, on demand from the customer, by means of 3D printers. If they were made of injected plastic they would be much cheaper. That’s why I think Rubicon Models would really have a good product in a market waiting to open.

There are also cheaper ones, such as those of https://3dwargaming.com/product/1-56-28mm-hawker-typhoon/ but they only come in the flight position. If you want something more impressive, look at this B-29 at 1/56 scale, https://3dwargaming.com/product/1-56-28mm-b-29-superfortress/ is beautiful.
The advantage of Shapeways is that you can put them with the landing gear deployed or picked up, whenever you need it. You can also put them in and remove the bombs or fuel tanks.   

The 1/56 scale aircraft are used in Bolt Action games with friends, with a variation in the rules, which allow the use of planes on the dash (still in development), as well as tanks. Being in scale, you can also use them as scenery.

We apply the points method to balance forces on the battlefield, but we do not follow the detailed rules regarding the number of units to deploy. Being a confrontation between gentelmen, we can deploy tanks by platoon, but always respecting the limitations availability and armament of the selected date of confrontation. In this type of game, the confrontations with aviation give a new, and funny, perspective to the battlefield.

Rubicon Models could start developing small models. For example, similar in size to the Polikarpov Il16. It would be small, inexpensive and would allow players to start implementing them in their games. It’s still an idea, with maybe a good market opportunity.

[Orkoverde]

As miniatures and vehicles are under development for the Vietnam War, it is not a bad idea to see whether to develop helicopters as well. Bell UH-1 Huey, cobra, etc.     

[Ad]

Most wargames use 1/72 aircraft on tripods, as the plane is about 24 inches / 60cm above the battlefield you can not visually see the difference in scales. Looking from the perspective of the figures on the table the plane looks to have a virtual altitude.

Since any planes/choppers are a representation of air support and only appear on the table in one move then off again, it would not be with the cost of development.

I am not into the Vietnam war stuff but a downed Huey would be a good game objective.....similar to the ending of the Korean war film: The bridge at Toko Ri.

[Orkoverde]

The advantage of using 1/56 scale airplanes is not only aesthetic, maintaining the homogeneity of the collection between miniatures and vehicles. It is also the advantage that you can use the airplanes in an active way and also as scenography.