science

Micro armour

Micro armour is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Micro armour rather than just read about it. In short: Micro armour (or micro armor) refers to scale models made of lead, pewter, die cast metal or plastic, usually used for wargaming purposes. Variations of the name include: mini armour, microscale, mini tanks, miniature armour, miniature tanks, micro tanks, minitanks, minifigs, armour figurines, tank figurines, etc. are also used.

Key takeaways

Micro armour belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Micro armour to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Micro armour from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Micro armour (or micro armor) refers to scale models made of lead, pewter, die cast metal or plastic, usually used for wargaming purposes. Variations of the name include: mini armour, microscale, mini tanks, miniature armour, miniature tanks, micro tanks, minitanks, minifigs, armour figurines, tank figurines, etc. are also used. Micro armour is a sub-category of model military vehicle miniature figures used for military simulation, miniature wargaming, scale models, dioramas and collecting.

History The specific term "micro armour" originated and was trademarked by GHQ founder Gregory Dean Scott in 1967 for a line of metal 1:285 scale armour miniatures. GHQ also published Micro Armour: The Game - WWII in 2001 some 34 years after founding the company. Early on, a competing company called C in C offered 1:285 scale micro armour starting in 1974. Currently, games such as Flames of War and Axis & Allies Miniatures are widely popular and use 1:100 scale mini armour figurines and 15 mm infantry.

Scale Micro and mini armour consists primarily of the following scales, from smallest to largest:

Beyond squad-level scale there is half-platoon scale, platoon scale, company scale, battalion scale and division scale.

Armour skirmish vs. infantry skirmish scale Micro armour is usually differentiated from tabletop games based on human shaped heroic scale / infantry skirmish game scale figures (even if the high and low ends of each respective category overlap) because the scales used by most micro armour games are smaller (armour skirmish game scale) and the represented playing field larger - though it is not nearly as large as in naval wargaming. In typical micro armour based games (such as Micro Armour: The Game - WWII) a single tank would represent a typical military unit. Contrast to larger scaled games, such as those using 20 mm - 54 mm heroic scale / infantry skirmish game scale miniatures, (such as MechWarrior, Warhammer 40,000, Warhammer, AT-43, Warmachine or Dungeons & Dragons), a tank would be unusually large and more akin to units like dragons or large catapults which human sized units must gang-up against to defeat. Infantry skirmish games such as The Face of Battle and I Ain't Been Shot, Mum! demonstrate this very well as they are designed to be played with 15mm, 20mm and 25/28mm scale figures, as contrasted with 6mm - 12.5mm armour skirmish figures.

Early games Early (pre-1990) games using lead or pewter miniature armour (for World War II and modern battle simulation) included Angriff! by Z&M Publishing Enterprises (1968) and (1972), Fast Rules by Armored Operations Society (1970) published later by Guidon Games (1972), Tractics by Guidon Games (1971) later by TSR, Inc. (1975), War Games Rules Armour & Infantry 1925-1950 by Wargames Research Group (WRG) (1973), Panzer Warfare by TSR, Inc. (1975), Kampfgruppe by Historical Alternatives Game Co. (1979), Corps Commander: OMG & Korps Commander by Table Top Games (1986) and Command Decision by Game Designers' Workshop (1986). There were also some science fiction-based games that used micro armour, such as Starguard by Reviresco (1974), Ogre by Steve Jackson Games (1977), Striker by Game Designers' Workshop (1981), Classic BattleTech by FASA (1984) and Space Marine by Games Workshop (1989).

Recent games Recent (1990 and later) games include Tide of Iron, Flames of War, Axis & Allies Miniatures, Micro Armour: The Game - WWII, Heavy Gear, Blitzkrieg Commander, Dirtside II, Crossfire, I Ain't Been Shot, Mum!, Cold War Commander, Megablitz, Panzer War, Panzertruppe Panzer Miniatures, Panzer Marsch, First Watch. Jagdpanzer, Command Decision - Test of Battle 4th Edition, World Tank Campaigns, BGMR Modern Rules.

Manufacturers

Game pieces Metal (and some plastic) gaming pieces are traditionally manufactured by companies such as:

Collectables Recent plastic and diecast metal series intended for collecting and made in the 1:144 scale are manufactured by companies such as:

Notes

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Micro armour

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Micro armour claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Micro armour before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Micro armour ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Micro armour

In research: Micro armour appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Micro armour in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Micro armour is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Miniature figures, Miniature wargames, Scale model scales, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Micro armour outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Micro armour in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Micro armour means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Micro armour out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Micro armour in simple terms?

Why does Micro armour matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Micro armour?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Micro armour.