Make 3ds object smaller

I have a 3ds object , when i load it with the
barrel=LoadMesh("barrel.3ds") command

it seems too large on the screen

i was wondering what the right command is to make it
smaller

should i use ScaleEntity command for this or some other command

thanks

scaleentity barrel,0.5,0.5,0.5 /50% smaller/

sorry for this, but you should take a look at the docs first - then ask (if something still unclear)...