Miniature Heights in Warhammer 40k

I've been thinking about miniature heights and scales in Warhammer 40k, because the game uses an idealized representation of distance (rather than an actual scale). This is because, if we tried using a realistic scale, the height of a human being 2 meters but represented by a 1 inch model...well, we end up with Bolters having an effective range of 550 meters, which would be 275 inches (compared to, what, 24 inches in the game).

Working the other way around, suppose the 24 inch range is the correct scaled distance. Then a 2 meter tall human would be represented by an approximately 2.2 millimeter tall figure.

Suppose we accept the idealized distances for weapons, but want more realistically scaled figures. How tall should they be? First let us try to consolidate what we know about various heights.

• Adeptus Custodes are 9 feet tall, without their helmet on.
  • This is straight from the 7th edition Codex, They tower over mortal men; each has the statuesque physique of an ancient hero, close to nine feet in height even without his scarlet-crested helm.
  • Repeatedly in the book The Gate of Bones, the Custodes with helmet on is described as 10 feet tall and the helmet gives an extra foot of height.
  • Primaris Space Marines: First Impressions measures the Custodes miniature to be approximately 1.25 inches without a head, comparable to a Primaris miniature, but the Custodes has a wider stance.
• Space Marines are between 7 feet tall and 7.5 feet tall. (It seems to have settled on using 7 feet as their height.)
  • Blog post by "The Veteran Sergeant"
  • How tall is a Warhammer 40k Space Marine? measures the miniature to be 33mm or so, albeit slightly crouching (an Imperial Guardsmen is 30mm or so).
• Primaris Space Marines are 8 feet tall
  • Repeatedly in the book The Gate of Bones, the Primaris marines are referred to as standing 8 feet tall.
• Primarchs seem to be around 3 meters tall, give or take "a head".
  • Lion El'Johnson is described as slightly less than three meters tall in Descent of Angels: The Lion was a truly imposing physical specimen. A giant, standing at a little under three metres tall, it was impossible to escape the suspicion that he had been cut from a broader canvas than the majority of men. His body was perfectly proportioned and entirely in scale with his height. He was powerfully built, lithe yet muscular. (Emphasis added)
  • Ferrus Manus stood a head taller than his brothers, as stated in Fulgrim: Ferrus Manus, clad in his shimmering fuliginous armour, stood a head taller than his brothers, pacing like a caged Medusan snow lion as he awaited news of the rest of his Legion. (Emphasis added)
• The Emperor, people claim online, is 14 feet tall...which I find hard to believe, but whatever
• Warhound Scout Titan (apparently the model is 250mm tall)
  • 14 meters tall, at rest

Of course, these are fantastical sizes. I'm not sure if 1 foot in 40k corresponds to our notion of a foot, because people are apparently shorter (around 5 feet tall for the average human). If we scale things appropriately, one "40k-foot" is then 5/6 of a "normal foot", or "1 40k-foot = 10 inches". Then a space marine is about "6 normal feet" tall, but Custodes are about "7.5 normal feet" tall (slightly taller than Shaquille O'Neal). This may also be just my own rationalization.

HO Scale

If we stick to the prescribed heights using "normal feet", and if were using HO scale, where 3.5 millimeters represents 1 foot, then we would have figures of the following sizes:

• Adeptus Custodes would be 31.5mm tall figure without the helmet (and 35.0345mm with the helmet)
• Space Marine would be between 24.5mm and 26.25mm tall figure (we could round to make it an even 1 inch figure)
• Primarchs would be (3.5mm/foot) × 9.84252 feet = 34.44882mm tall figure, Ferrus Manus would be (9/8)×34.44882mm = 38.7549225mm; a primarch who is a head shorter than the Lion would be represented by a (3.5mm/foot) × (7/8) × 9.83252 feet = 30.1427175mm tall figure

The 10.3 meter long Land Raider would be represented by a 118.274mm long miniature (or approximately 4.65646 inches).

1:60.96 Scale

Continuing with the "normal feet" assumption, the scale Games Workshop appears to use is roughly 1:60.96 scale (5mm per foot, or 1cm per 2 feet). We can verify this by examining a Land Raider which is supposed to be 10.3m long, but the model is about 17cm long, gives us a scale of 1:60.5882 [if the model is 16.8963cm long, then it is indeed 1:60.96 scale].

• Adeptus Custodes would be 45mm tall figure without the helmet
• Space Marine would be about 35mm tall figure
• Primarchs would be (5mm/foot) × 9.84252 feet = 49.2126mm tall figure, Ferrus Manus would be (9/8)×49.2126mm = 55.364175mm; a primarch who is a head shorter than the Lion would be represented by a (5mm/foot) × (7/8) × 9.83252 feet = 43.061025mm tall figure

S Scale

If we use the S Scale (i.e., the 1:64 scale), then we would have 4.7625mm model 1 foot. The 10.3 meter long Land Raider would be represented by a 16.0938cm-long model.

• Adeptus Custodes would be 42.8625mm tall figure without the helmet
• Space Marine would be about 33.3375mm tall figure
• Primarchs would be (4.7625mm/foot) × 9.84252 feet = 46.875mm tall figure, Ferrus Manus would be (9/8)×46.875mm = 52.73mm; a primarch who is a head shorter than the Lion would be represented by a (4.7625mm/foot) × (7/8) × 9.83252 feet = 41.015mm tall figure