Grimstonefire:
Something random. Why does it seem to be the case across companies that models with helmets have heads the same size as those without helmets?
I.e. their heads are smaller inside helmets?
I’ve noticed this a lot with GW, but also AoW. Can’t say I’ve had any experience of other companies to compare.
Just sitting here resculpting the AoW chaos lord helmet to actually make it fit a head.
Sjoerdo:
Something random. Why does it seem to be the case across companies that models with helmets have heads the same size as those without helmets?I noticed this also. As someone who does some occasional sculpting the only reason I can think of is that a certain size of head (with or without helmet) just fits the figure best. If you want to match them either the helmeted head would look enormous or the helmless head would like tiny.
I.e. their heads are smaller inside helmets?
I've noticed this a lot with GW, but also AoW. Can't say I've had any experience of other companies to compare.
Just sitting here resculpting the AoW chaos lord helmet to actually make it fit a head.
Grimstonefire
Thommy H:
Yes, it’s aesthetic. Most companies follow GW’s lead and produce “heroic scale” figures with overly large heads, hands and weapons. When you see “true 28s” (such as the models made by the Perrys, Hasslefree and GW’s LOTR line) they actually look a little bit smaller than even the physical dimensions of the figure would suggest - part of that is what we’re used to seeing, but there’s also an element of fooling the human eye into thinking it’s looking at something that has the correct proportions. Just as exaggerated shading and highlighting make a small object look larger by mimicking the way light falls on the full-sized version, so too does heroic-scale look “more correct” to us, despite being demonstrably inaccurate.
So, models have heads (even helmeted ones) of a certain size simply because it “looks right” to us on an inch-high human figurine. Any bigger and we’d notice how grotesquely proportioned the model was and any smaller would make it look too delicate, even though everything would be scaled correctly to other models in the range. It’s a bit odd.
Sherlocko:
I think it is way more fun that the 6th edition skeletons from the Vampire Counts line would fit OUTSIDE pretty much any human head in the Games Workshops range… 
cornixt:
Obviously people were bigger back in the past!
About the helmets - for some reason, people think that a person in plate armour has the same proportions as a person not wearing any, but real armour is not quite human-shaped. It’s much bulkier is certain areas. This doesn’t stop the sculptors from making what looks right rather than what actually is. I’m pretty sure that a lot of them just sculpt from their mind rather than looking at images of what they are sculpting, which is why you sometimes get muscles in weird places
aka_mythos:
It’s everything to do with proportions. A real life person wearing that much armor and without a helmet doesn’t have the normal proportions of a person without armor. Heroic scale is partially defined by their proportions. So while a true scale proportionality has its own appeal it just isn’t what these companies are shooting for.
khedyarl:
About the helmets - for some reason, people think that a person in plate armour has the same proportions as a person not wearing any, but real armour is not quite human-shaped. It's much bulkier is certain areas. This doesn't stop the sculptors from making what looks right rather than what actually is. I'm pretty sure that a lot of them just sculpt from their mind rather than looking at images of what they are sculpting, which is why you sometimes get muscles in weird placesThat's not entirely true, Cornixt. In the case of historical harnesses, it's a pretty common misconception. Plate harnesses were very, very well made, and didn't require a massive amount of bulk to be useful. In fact, the Maximilian Gothic harness was form fitting, and virtually proof to harm.
cornixt:
That guy has a tiny waist then:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/roelipilami/2043858080/in/photostream/
khedyarl:
People weren’t quite as… large as they are now. I know I sure as hell couldn’t fit inside that. The very narrow waist is a pretty common theme, though. All the real-life examples I’ve been able to see, from globose-breastplates to full plate harnesses are all tiny-waisted. They make me feel bad. :P
Kera foehunter:
there men!!there ego doesn’t grow when they have a helmet on …
< snicker snicker>
snowblizz:
It all depends, keep in mind people were much shorter on average back then.
And then fashions impact. The appearance of armour would be inspired fom real clothing and vice versa. Peascod plate was inspired by “civilian” fashion but has this nice “gut space” at least in the less extreme versions.
Without seeing it in person it’s hard to tell exactly how large they can be. Ie the extremely narrow waste can be an artefact of design. Also that’s a parade armour so is not necessarily made for long-time comfort or wearing.
These are from the Met in NYC. I forget the below but it’s “parade armour”.
And armour used by Henry VIII, not exactly made for a small dude. That’s how you could look back then if you ate like a modern person…
The man would have been considered bulky even by our standards. Truly, he was a great king…
Fuggit Khan:
My first family visit to Europe was when I was 13 years old, and I was really excited to go see Medieval Armor in museums. I was stunned that pretty much ALL the armors were so small, I actually asked the curator at one museum “Where are the suits of armor for adults? All I see is armor for kids”. He gave me a real odd look, and explained these are in fact adult armors. So yeah, khedyarl is quite correct in his post that people were much smaller back then (genetics, diet, disease, etc).
cornixt:
I’m not talking about belly fat, a lot of armour seems to give the men a set of hips that a woman would die for.
I’d love to try on some original armour, I am average height for a man of that era, although my wide shoulders and barrel chest might cause a few issues, more so than my big gut.
khedyarl:
I was actually allowed to handle a roman gladius (gloved, mind you), and any illusions I had about roman warriors were absolutely shattered. I was actually unable to hold it properly in my grip. The grip was about three and a quarter inches in total length (little over 8 cm). No wonder the Romans described Germanic tribes as being gigantic monsters.
Snowblizz: Do you do any armouring? I made a thread a while ago, I should see if there’s any interest in getting it up and running again: http://www.chaos-dwarfs.com/forum/showthread.php?tid=11750
Kera foehunter:
I'm not talking about belly fat, a lot of armour seems to give the men a set of hips that a woman would die for.Must see a photo of you in a swim suit to see if your telling the truth sweetie..:P
I'd love to try on some original armour, I am average height for a man of that era, although my wide shoulders and barrel chest might cause a few issues, more so than my big gut.
cornixt