Resin Sizing & Scale Guide
Welcome to the ultimate guide to resin scales! Whether you are a tabletop gamer, a miniature painter, or a high-end statue collector, understanding scale is the key to planning your display space and choosing the perfect piece.
Note on Measurements: Resin product sizes vary depending on the sculpt, pose, base, weapons, wings, and effects. The listed scale or size is a proportional standard, not a strict measurement of the total height of the finished model from the bottom of the base to the highest tip.
1. Tabletop Miniature Scales (Millimeter Scale)
Many tabletop gaming miniatures and hobby models are categorized by a millimeter (mm) scale. This historically represents the height of a standard human figure standing upright, measured either from the sole of the foot to the eyes, or to the top of the head. Because different creators use different baselines, models of the "same scale" can vary slightly in bulk and height.
- 28mm / 32mm Scale (Approx. 1:56 to 1:50): The reigning standard for tabletop RPGs, wargames (like Warhammer), and mass combat systems. Perfect for dense terrain layouts and massive armies.
- 54mm Scale (Approx. 1:32): A larger hobbyist scale that bridges the gap between gaming and display. It offers significantly more surface area for intricate armor patterns and facial details.
- 75mm Scale (Approx. 1:24): A premium display size favored by competitive miniature painters. These models rarely see actual gameplay and are instead treated as standalone art pieces.
- 100mm+ Scale: Typically reserved for massive tabletop centerpieces—such as towering demons, dragons, mech-suits, or oversized display busts.
Tabletop Base Sizes & Footprints
In gaming, a model's base diameter dictates its legal "footprint" on the map. Weapons, wings, and dynamic capes often overhang these dimensions:
| Base Size (Metric / Imperial) | Typical Game Equivalent |
|---|---|
| 25mm - 32mm (~1 inch) | Standard Infantry, Humanoids, Player Characters |
| 50mm (~2 inches) | Large Creatures, Cavalry, Trolls, Light Beasts |
| 75mm (~3 inches) | Huge Monsters, Giants, Heavy Vehicles |
| 100mm to 130mm+ (~4 to 5+ inches) | Gargantuan Dragons, Display Bosses, Cinematic Dioramas |
2. Collector Statue & Figure Scales (Fractional Scale)
When moving into display statues, busts, and pop-culture collectibles, sizes are represented as true fractions of real-world proportions (assuming a standard human height of roughly 6 feet / 180 cm). These pieces are highly detailed and designed for shelf display rather than gaming grids.
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1:10 Scale (Avg. Height: 7" to 9" / 18cm to 23cm)
The ultimate entry-level statue scale. Popularized by companies like Iron Studios and Kotobukiya, 1:10 scale allows collectors to build massive rosters of characters (like entire superhero teams) without running out of shelf space or breaking the bank. -
1:9 Scale (Avg. Height: 8" to 10" / 20cm to 25cm)
A slightly less common niche scale, occasionally used for specialized action figures or detailed garage kit resin statues. It provides a touch more presence than 1:10 while remaining highly compact. -
1:8 Scale (Avg. Height: 8.5" to 11" / 22cm to 28cm)
A very prominent standard in the Japanese anime and gaming figure industry. This scale strikes a fantastic sweet spot for capturing clean sculpt lines, expressive faces, and vibrant paint details without eating up an entire room. -
1:7 Scale (Avg. Height: 9.5" to 12" / 24cm to 30cm)
Rapidly becoming the preferred choice for modern high-end anime and video game figures. The step up from 1:8 allows for much more elaborate base designs, floating spell effects, and dynamic action poses. -
1:6 Scale (Avg. Height: 11" to 13" / 28cm to 33cm)
The industry standard for premium, high-fidelity statues. This is the traditional scale for highly detailed pop-culture icons, anime resins, and articulated figures (like Hot Toys). It allows for micro-textures like fabric weaves, armor weathering, and incredibly realistic portrait sculpts while still fitting on standard display shelves like the IKEA Detolf or Kallax. -
1:4 Scale (Avg. Height: 18" to 24" / 45cm to 60cm)
The "Gold Standard" for high-end, premium resin centerpieces (think Prime 1 Studio, Sideshow, or XM Studios). These statues are massive, incredibly heavy (often made of solid polystone/resin), and incredibly detailed—featuring realistic skin pores, mixed-media clothing, and massive diorama environments. Note: These pieces require deep, heavy-duty shelving.
3. Specialized Formats
- Resin Chibi Statues: Chibi sculpts are intentionally stylized with exaggerated proportions (massive heads, tiny bodies). Because they do not follow real-world human anatomy, their listed sizes (e.g., 50mm, 100mm) refer strictly to their approximate total height, not an anatomical scale.
- Resin Busts: Rather than a full figure, a bust focuses strictly on the head, shoulders, and torso mounted to a decorative pedestal. Busts can range anywhere from miniature 1:10 scale painter kits up to massive, life-sized 1:1 museum showpieces.
Why Physical Dimensions Can Vary
Resin manufacturing is an art form. Slight physical variations from the advertised measurements can happen due to a variety of factors:
- Dynamic Posing: A character crouching, flying, or lunging forward will measure physically shorter or wider than a character standing completely upright, even if they are in the exact same scale.
- Diorama Bases & Accoutrements: Elaborate bases, tactical rocks, outstretched wings, massive swords, or magical energy swirls can easily double the physical footprint and height of a statue.
- The Resin Process: Raw resin prints experience minor volumetric shrinkage during the printing and post-UV curing processes. Additionally, multi-part kits require manual assembly, sanding, gap-filling, and priming, which can introduce microscopic structural variances.
Need a Custom Size?
Many of our resin models can be custom-scaled larger or smaller to fit your exact tabletop army or display shelf! However, please keep in mind that models cannot always be safely resized infinitely. Shrinking a model too much can make structural elements (like ankles, weapons, or joints) brittle and prone to snapping, while scaling up too much can sometimes cause texture stretching.
If you have strict space requirements, need a specific base size for a tournament, or want a custom centerpiece scale, please contact us before ordering so we can verify the model's structural integrity for you!
