Question about model figures

[Anonymous]

I am modeling in HO scale. For those of you that also do H.O. regarding people, do you use H.O. scale people or N scale.

A friend of mine that is in H.O. uses N scale people because he says they seem more realistic in the overall layout but more specifically when used in cars and trucks seem to fit nicer. I am wondering who uses what and why are your reasons.
Thanks-J1

[Anonymous]

I use HO scale people in the foreground, but if you want to use a principle called "forced perspective" you can use N scale people in the background. Doing this makes the scene seem bigger, you can do the same with buildings, cars, and trees

[Anonymous]

Do you buy painted figures or do you paint them? J1`

[Anonymous]

Here's a site but I don't know about their inventory. http://www.rocousa.com/preiser.asp Scroll down to Preiser data base. I use a lot of sitting people in my Budd cars.

[CP5415]

When I get around to needing people for my layout, I intend on buying pre-painted ones.

I do like the idea of using N scale figures near the background though.

Gordon

[Anonymous]

Thank you for the link, Chuck.

[chutton01]

I tend to use HO scale figures everywhere on my HO scale dioramas, although in certain instances for forced perspective some layouts have N scale people, houses, cars, lightposts etc. (usually this is popular with roads, generally narrowing the road and adding a N scale vehicle in the very back, before the background) - to do this forced perspective really right, I guess you'd need TT scale stuff in the mid-background...

Normal Presier sitting figures do not fit well into most HO scale vehicles due to thickness of the molded windshields/side window plastic, shallowly molded seats, etc - the passenger interior space of a HO scale car is usually short in the vertical dimension, even if ample horizontal space exists. Several manufacturers including Presier do make figures that are smaller (and usually have no legs) specifically for vehicle usage (example, check out Presier's truck drivers http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/590-10038).
I often 'kitbash' sitting figures to fit into vehicle usually by sanding down everything below their thighs (their lap and horizontal upper thighs are the only thing remaining) to get them short enough to fit into the vehicles (N scale people are just too small looking, especially for front of layout areas). Sitting figures with posable arms (there are some in the unpainted assortments) are useful for modeling drivers.
You know, I remember (perhaps my imagination) that Merten HO figures seem a bit smaller on average than Presier - perhaps something like this http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/447-853 would be a better starting point (at least for passengers) - you'd still have to cut off the legs, but you may need to sand less...