You can play MechaStellar with figures and model kits big and small. For players who prefer to use larger scale figures and models for Gundam and various other Mecha series you will also want to use larger terrain. In this post we’ll look at N Scale buildings and a few different scales of Gundam figures.
N Scale can be traced back to the model train world and describes a scale that is 1:160, as a result it works well with HG Scale Gunpla (1:144) which are around 5-6″ tall as well as taller figures that are 4-6″ including Gundam Standart, FW Ultimate Operation, Assault Kingdom, Mobile Suit in Action (MSIA), Gundam Universe and Robot Damashii (or Robot Spirits if you prefer), Super Minipla and various Super Robot Chogokin.
In the photo above you can see a Mazinger Z from the Go Nagai collection (figures range from 5-6″). Next to him are a smaller Mazinger and Gundam Gashapon at the 1/400 scale. To the right of that is a 1/300 SOG Gundam and on the far right a bit out of focus is a battle damaged Shining Gundam from the MSIA range.
The buildings here are around 6″ tall, they are from the Outland Models company. On our left we now have the Sentinel Riobot Raideen figure closer to 8″ tall and on the right is the Super Minipla (SMP) of King J-Der from the GaoGaiGear Braves series which is around 12″ tall.
Here’s another photo showing how a 6″ building can be dwarfed by a 12″ or larger model which is perfect for a unit like King J-Der who is 101 meters tall.
Here’s another photo with the NECA Pacific Rim figure of Gipsy Danger (Hong Kong Brawl version). On our right is the 1/400 scale Neue Ziel next to the 1/400 RX-78-2 Gundam.
Here’s the 1/400 scale Big Zam on the left, and also the Zeta Gundam Standart which is roughly 1/200 scale (4″).
On our left we have the SMP of Getter-1 (4.25″) from the Getter Robo Armageddon OVA. On the right we have the Revoltech of Evangelion Unit 01 (6″) and then Mechagodzilla from the Monster Island series (7″).
Now we have the Super Robot Chogokin (SRC) of GaoGaiGar (6″) and the gashapon for King Exkizer (roughly 1/300 scale) on the left. On the right we have the Super 7 Ultimates Classic Chrome for Voltron (GoLion) around 8″.
Here’s an example of size comparing the N Scale buildings to 28mm terrain that you might use for a wargame like Warhammer 40k. The 1/400 and 1/300 scale mecha figures tend to work well with 28mm scale terrain.
Lastly here’s some buildings scattered around to show what it would be like using 4-5″ figures to battle on the tabletop.
As you can see large buildings like these do well blocking Line of Sight (LOS) with 4″ and larger figures.
We used three types of buildings for these photos from Outland Models. We selected these buildings since they are minimal fuss to setup and require no painting. Below are the three models we used. If you have a profession where you need to move every 2-3 years and ship your household goods somewhere else, be sure to use glue when assembling these.
Colored Modern City Business Building Tall Office N Scale Outland Models Railway
Colored Modern City Building Grand Apartment N Scale Outland Models Railway
Colored Modern City Building Tall Apartment N Scale Outland Models Railway
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