OK... I found teh BT-13, in 1/72. What a TINY thing. So how is it so many of y'all swear by this scale? 1/32 seems TOO big for me... I like detailing, but maybe I am still just too affraid, or lack the shelf space. I will stick with God's choice, 1/48... were he to want something besides
1:1.
Let's not even get started on the oddball scales you tread heads and car guys go for. Why could they have never standardized a few for cross genre? For the first time I noticed a 1/48 armour vehicle from squadron the other day. This may not be the start, but a Jeep or something to sit next to my WWII aircraft would look amazing. Discuss.....
Someone.... tell me why I should get into 1/72 for other then cheap practice.
"Rich" carefully cut the following from his sprue and glued it together: news:d38Ub.12745$ snipped-for-privacy@newsread1.news.pas.earthlink.net...
One word says it all in 1/72nd - Revell
Treadhead
"Do not quench your inspiration and your imagination. Do not become the slave of your model" - Vincent Van Gogh Howard Freeman IPMS(UK) 9169 snipped-for-privacy@afvs.co.uk
You can get into any scale you want - if you don't like 1/72, then it sounds like a personal problem to me :)
As to why *I* model exclusively in 1/72, I model BIG aircraft (i.e., bombers) that aren't available in any other scale (although I must confess, my aging eyes are taking a beating on the details)
Also, I'm not interested in fighters (but a complete set of Century Series in 1/32 is intriguing).
From my standpoint, this scale debate is similar to the G/O/S/HO/HOn3/N/Z scale debate in model railroading. It all depends on your subject. I'm a bit anal, so I like all my models to be in the same scale. The Monogram B-36 defined my choice of scale.
My mode of thinking is Bombers/Tankers/Cargo: 1/72, Fighters 1/48.
Of course there's always exceptions, right? I'm also working on a
1/350 Dolittle Raid Hornet (I do like bombers). And I also have a couple 1/6 Screamin' Bettie Page kits (but that's an entirely different matter all together - although bombshells do come to mind!)
I have no problems with larger scales. But where's the 1/48 B-36, or the 1/48 B-52, or the 1/48 Zeppelin Staaken R.IV? If these were available, I'd jump right on it!
To me, a more interesting debate is the injection model vs resin vs vacform debate. I confess to despising vacform. But that's probably due to lack of (positive) experience. (Bad memories of supergluing my fingers to the vertical stabilizer of a space shuttle orbiter - argh!)
I agree with you 100% on this one Rich. Vehicles, more figures, structures. A plane hanging from the ceiling, or on the wall, or sitting on the table is okay, but ir would be REALLY nice to have other stuff to perk up the subject to make it more interesting.
One could create some humorous displays by mixing scales, but if you want to do some thing "serious," you're rather limited. I wonder - historically - how these (different) scales arose?
Another peeve of mine are detailed interiors that you can't see when the model is assembled. Why bother? (Speaking of which, every now and then this is where I like to inject humor - a naked copilot, a navigator with a beer, and odd "mascot..."
If god had meant us to use 1:48th, he would have have designed us to be 4 foot tall !!
It's obvious.
Seriously though - the scale to choose is the one you are happiest with.
I prefer 1:72 - because no-one is going to release an Antonov An-22 in 1:48,
1:32 or any other scale.
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Nor a Tu-95, nor a Tu-160 etc etc.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Ken Duffey - Flanker Freak & Russian Aviation Enthusiast Flankers Website -
1/72 is almost an exclusive scale for me. First, I can model the P-51 and Spitfire in 1/72 with as many good choices as there are in 1/48. Yes, the detail is down a bit, but you can still go for a fiddly cockpit and all kinds of exterior geegaws and gimcracks--it's not that tough. I'm impressed with anyone that can detail 1/144, but 1/72 has oodles of aftermarket for those not into scratch building the bits. Second, I can model the really big, relatively obscure stuff without having to resort to $100 resin kits--Martin Mariner, BV 138, Emily--and, for that matter, all the smaller stuff is out there too. Want to build a GAL Monospar ST
25 in 1/48? How about a Fw 187? Or a P-43? Maybe a Breguet 693? Good luck finding them. Easy as pie in 1/72, though.
If you don't have space issues, or only intend to do single-engine mainstream subjects, 1/48 might well be a better choice, and there is more kit variety all the time (loved that Minicraft XF5F, the Tamiya Do
335, and even the CA Whirlwind). I have about six 1/48 kits because the subjects are irresistable and high-quality, but I'm closer to 350 in
1/72. and that reflects my third preoccupation--scale fidelity. It's kind of cool to set the Payen Pa 22 next to the BV 138 in the same scale.
I agree with the larger bomber problem with 1/48. I do have the AM B-25B, but I have the 1/72 NKC-135... And it scares me. Even at that scale, what a huge beast. My only problem with fighters in that scale is the lack of good detail. I guess a debate might be ongoing that some go into modeling to be challenged by the miniature aspect. I like replicating. Any thoughts on that thinking?
I agree with that Ken.... and I love your work on the An-22. It is like the mythical 1/48 C-5, and as I had mentioned before, I only have so much room in the garage......
But even at the size you are delaing with, how much detail really are you able to have, without it just looking like a lump.
I love fidelity too.... In soe way I blame my friend at the hobby shop swho first sold me that Academy P-38... he chose 1/48, and kind of steered me into that... I have a couple 1/72, but the F-16 was for fun/practice and the 172 was just cheap and all that was available at the time.
I assume that there is not the demadn for the wide selection in 1/48, and being bigger would require more tooling/ development/ styrene. I will just have to use seperate displays.
Selection. Our quarterly magazine, ESM 72, has databased 12,548 aircraft kits and models in 1/72 scale. No other scale comes within a galaxy. The database includes only original molds, not repops by other firms, packaging changes, etc.
Then there are the other subjects available: 3,691 vehicles (including the vanishing 1/76 scale); 2,529 figures (including a good many sets with many poses); 363 artillery; 261 railway items; 205 ships and boats; 428 rockets, missiles and spacecraft.
Then there are the after market conversions and detail sets, which number in the thousands and the hundreds of ancillary things such as structures, dioramas and the like and the thousands of decals just in the aircraft catagory.
As to detailing, it depends on the modeler. You can get kits such as Roden and some of the new Revell kits with fantastic detail or you can access the thousands of detailing sets to your heart's delight.
Weakening eyes as we age leads a lot of modelers to go to larger scale while others get bigger magnifying lenses.
It's all up to the individual.
ESM 72 subscription information available by sending a request to our e-mail address.
I'm for 1/72. Less sanding, filling. Kits take less time. I don't lose interest. The cockpit doesn't have to have evey dial and switch to be reasonably convincing. I can put a Pitts Special and a B-17 and 8 P-47's on the same shelf.
I agree with Ron there. When you want one of everything like I did 1/72 is the way to go. There are kits for darn near everything in 1/72. Then too, since I 'seriously' started building model aircraft in the early '60s 1/72 was the scale of choice. Only Monogram was creating detailed 1/48th kits back then. Yes, Revell had some and Aurora had some so-so kits that were close but the famous Japanese makers were playing with 1/50 and many of their kits had electric motors which often compromised proportions. 1"=6' was an easy relationship to remember. I've tried various scales over the years but I keep coming back to
I can't tell you how much I've heard this! I'm in the same boat (luckily, my subjects are big enough in 1/72).
It seems that the "real" (i.e., serious) modelers are the aging folk -
40 yrs and beyond. (At least here in the US.) They're also the ones with more money. I think this drives demand in the larger scales more than the desire for detail (heck, with photoetch, you can get PLENTY of detail in 1/72 if your eyes can stand it!).
I don't see 1/72 going away, or even reducing - there is the rest of world, too. But 1/48 and larger are definitely growing!
Has anyone built the (reintroduced) Superfort yet?
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