Editing Scale model (section)

=== Tanks and wargaming ===
[[Image:Lancaster1.jpg|thumb|right|[[American Civil War]] miniature battle at the [[Historical Miniatures Gaming Society]] "Cold Wars" convention in [[Lancaster, Pennsylvania|Lancaster]], PA]]
[[File:Scale Model Abrams.jpg|thumb|Scale model tank]]
{{Main|Model military vehicle|Miniature wargaming}}
Early in the 20th century, the British historian and science fiction author [[H. G. Wells]] published a book, ''[[Little Wars]]'', on how to play at [[battle]]s in miniature. His books use 2" lead figures,<ref>{{cite book| first=H.G.|last=Wells|title=LittleWars|publisher= Frank Palmer|location=London|year= 1913| page= 61 "The soldiers used should all be of one size. The best British makers have standardized sizes, and sell infantry and cavalry in exactly proportioned dimension; the infantry being nearly two inches tall. There is a lighter, cheaper make of perhaps an inch and a half that is also available. Foreign-made soldiers are of variable sizes"}}</ref> particularly those manufactured by [[Britains (toy brand)|Britains]]. His fighting system employed spring-loaded [[model gun]]s that shot [[match]]sticks.

This use of physical mechanisms was echoed in the later games of Fred Jane, whose rules required throwing darts at ship silhouettes; his collection of data on the world's fleets was later published and became renowned. Dice have largely replaced this toy mayhem for consumers.

For over a century, toy soldiers were made of [[white metal]], a lead-based alloy, often in architect's scale-based ratios in the English-speaking countries, and called [[tin soldier]]s. After the Second World War, such toys were on the market for children but now made of a safe [[plastic]] softer than [[styrene]]. American children called these "[[army men]]". Many sets were made in the new scale of [[1:40 scale|1:40]]. A few styrene model kits of land equipment were offered in this and in 1:48 and 1:32 scales. However, these were swept away by the number of kits in the scale of [[1:35]].

Those who continued to develop [[miniature wargaming]] preferred smaller scale models, the soldiers still made of soft plastic. Airfix particularly wanted people to buy [[1:76 scale|1:76]] scale soldiers and tanks to go with "00" gauge train equipment. [[Roco (model railroads)|Roco]] offered [[1:87]] scale styrene military vehicles to go with "HO" gauge model houses. However, although there is no [[1:72 scale|1:72]] scale model railroad, more toy soldiers are now offered in this scale because it is the same as the popular aircraft scale. The number of fighting vehicles in this scale is also increasing, although the number of [[auxiliary vehicle]]s available is far fewer than in [[1:87 scale]].

A more recent development, especially in wargaming of land battles, is 15&nbsp;mm white metal miniatures, often referred to as 1:100. The use of 15&nbsp;mm scale metals has grown quickly since the early 1990s as they allow a more affordable option over 28&nbsp;mm if large battles are to be refought, or a large number of vehicles represented. The rapid rise in the detail and quality of castings at 15&nbsp;mm scale has also helped to fuel their uptake by the [[wargaming]] community.

Armies use smaller scales still. The US Army specifies models of the scale 1:285 for its [[sand table]] wargaming. There are metal ground vehicles and helicopters in this scale, which is a near "one-quarter-inch-to-six-feet" scale. The continental powers of [[NATO]] have developed the similar scale of 1:300, even though metric standardizers really don't like any divisors other than factors of 10, 5, and 2, so maps are not commonly offered in Europe in scales with a'' "3" ''in the denominator.

Consumer [[wargaming]] has since expanded into [[fantasy]] realms, employing scales large enough to be painted in imaginative detail - so called "heroic" 28&nbsp;mm figures, (roughly [[1:64 scale]]). Firms that produce these make small production lots of [[white metal]].

Alternatively to the commercial models, some [[modeler]]s also tend to use scraps to achieve home-made warfare models. While it doesn't always involve wargaming, some modelers insert realistic procedures, enabling a certain realism such as firing guns or shell deflection on small scale models.