Old Revell 1/28 bipes. Why 1/28?

Sort of like the 1/24 vs 1/25 vehicles discussions & the 1/32 vs 1/35 combination in a diorama discussion. Any ideas on why Revell chose to do their WWI a/c in 1/28, instead of something like 1/32, or maybe even 1/24?

Reply to
frank may
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Frank:

It was a 1950's "box scale" thing. Bad habit Revell and some other manufacturers had back in those days. I think the habit re-surfaced at Williams Bros. with their Lockheed model 10.

Bill Shuey

Reply to
William H. Shuey

"frank may" wrote

It's halfway between 1/24 and 1/32? Perhaps they were trying to forge a compromise scale like 1/40, which was halfway between 1/48 aircraft and 1/32 scale tanks.

I wonder about this being a box scale because typically there was no commonality between kits. For example, if the SE.5a had a 26 ft wingspan and the box was 11 inches, it would come out as 1/28; while a Fokker DR-1 with a 22 ft wingspan could be 1/24 and fit in the same sized box. A constant scale model series is, by definition, not a box scale collection.

KL

Reply to
Kurt Laughlin

Bill,

Hardly a "bad habit" at the time. Think of it this way, the primary market (at least as perceived by mfr's and retailers, not to mention the marketing types) was the 8 or 9 to about 15-16 yr old American boy who wanted to build models.

Back then, most all of us weren't really all that concerned about any sort of constant scale (that came in I think, with the beginnings of the model car hobby--then spread fairly quickly to other subject matter), until the early

1960's, as they began to see some sort of at least basic interest in not only constant scale, but realism as well.

Box size, then as now, determined how many pieces a model kit maker could get onto a merchant's shelves, so kit boxes became really quite standardized at least across any particular mfr's line. This determined, rather quickly, the maximum size allowable for the largest parts of any model kit, just as it does today. The 1:28 scale WW-I kits from Revell probably did not tick off very many who bought them early on--I seem to recall these kits hitting the stores for the first time in what, 1958 (I was in the 8th grade, going into HS when they came out). At that time, there were but only a handful of aircraft model kits in general circulation/availability in the US (when you think of that, compare it with the plethora of releases in just the past 20 years!). A fully-stocked plastic model section in most all hobby shops in 1958 would have been not much more than 8' long, by about 5' high, all shelving, kits laid on them flat and stacked up--that was pretty much the merchandising "plan-o-gram" of the era (Plan-O-Gram is the term for laying out a merchandise section in any retail store--all vendors to retail stores deal with that daily).

In the early 1960's, when the first constant-scale 1:72 scale aircraft kits began arriving (Frog & Airfix imports, then the early offerings from Revell), there was a fair amount of resistance to them by both merchants and consumers, who didn't understand this scale, why some were so small (for the price) while others were plain huge. It took 2-3 years back then for 72nd to fully catch on across the country, although probably in the major cities along the east coast, and certainly in Chicago, they took hold much more quickly.

As for the Williams Brothers Lockheed Model 10, the only explanation I ever heard that made any sense at all (at least credible) was that Mrs. Williams and her brother-in-law (her husband was one of the Williams Brothers) determined that they wanted that kit to be in a size and scale that nobody had ever done before (and they surely succeeded in that!), and they didn't want anyone copying the plane or parts of it (guess they never understood the aftermarket--yet in flying scale model building--Williams has always been an aftermarket producer!). It didn't make any sense to anyone but them. Go figure! (call it a "marketing decision?).

Art

Reply to
Andrsn1

Could be worse. They could all have been different scales. As is they do have a relationship.

Bill Banaszak, MFE

Reply to
Mad-Modeller

That's a good one, going out of your way to alienate modellers from your kit! BTW, some of the old Revell kits were 1/54th, nominally.

When 1/72nd stuff started showing up here I jumped on the bandwagon and really haven't left it in 40 years. I've tried other scales but they just never caught on with me. The models usually ended up sold or traded off as they were 'oddballs' in the collection.

Bill Banaszak, MFE

Reply to
Mad-Modeller

With Williams Bros., I wondered if the 1/53 choice had to do with limitations of the mold machines. From a marketing perspective, bringing out a 1/48 Model 10 (especially with Earhart markings) could have been very successful. Even though I model almost exclusively in 1/72, there are certain signature types I would buy (and in fact have --Tamiya Do

335 and Classic Airframes Whirlwind, to name 2) in 1/48. The Electra certainly would have been right there. but at 1/53, I didn't figure to have parts or decal support if I needed to replace engines, do up the interior, etc. My brother (not a modeler for years) did buy it because his third-grade daughter was doing an Amelia Earhart project. They put it together and didn't have much trouble with it, though I'm sure they weren't too concerned about contest quality.

Mark Schynert

Reply to
Mark Schynert

Even when I was a kid box scale annoyed me. When I was edified by the Airfix instructions that explained "constant scale" to me I knew to stick to standard scales (for me 1/72 and 1/48.)

I had an opportunity to visit Bill A. in PA over the weekend. He and his wife live in a very neat, clean house; I was hesitant to walk in. As you can probably imagine the Crapatorium has never been featured in "Better Home and Gardens!"

Anyway, Bill has an enviable 1/72 scale collection totalling at least a thousand built kits meticulously organized and displayed in cabinets; most built to contest/museum standards. His builts outnumber his stash! I can only dream of reaching that level someday... Cheers,

The Keeper (of too much crap!)

Reply to
Keeper

He isn't in Quakertown is he? I've seen pictures of a fabulous collection displayed there. All the kits I bought over the years and haven't finished or started in that one - all to 1/72, IIRC.

Bill Banaszak, MFE

Reply to
Mad-Modeller

I'm not sure precisely where we were, around Erie. Quakertown doesn't ring a bell. Yeah, everything I wanted to build he's finished. Cheers,

The Keeper (of too much crap!)

Reply to
Keeper

those biplane kits of the 60's were some of my favorites. I always noticed that the boxes were thinner than other boxes and appeared to have thicker cardboard.

Was this line of kits one of the first to have a pic of the actual model on the box rather than an artistic interpretation?

Craig

Reply to
who me?

Quakertown is down in the opposite corner of the state in Bucks County. I've never gotten to Erie or seen the Lake, drat! Maybe if I win the lottery someday...

Bill Banaszak, MFE

Reply to
Mad-Modeller

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