Question, hopefully not too stupid

The "first" scale used for aircraft was 1/72. That's best described as

1 inch on the model represents 72 inches (6 ft.) on the real aircraft. It is the most popular scale by far with 18,350 seperate kits and models produced in all mediums since the introducton of scale model display aircraft in the 1930s. It was picked because most peoploe can imagine a 6 ft. person standing next to an aircraft and transfer that image to the model. 1/72 scale models have ranged from the Canadair CL.227 RPV that is about the size of the last diget of the little finger to the massive Antonov An.124 Condor that would barely fit on a kitchen table.

The next most popular scale for aircraft is 1/48, 1 nch to 48 inches (4 ft.). People who want intense detail and don't mind being limited by space and selecton to single and twin engined aircraft (with a small selection of larger aircraft)find this a comfortable choice. No one has ever researched and databased the history of 1/48 scale aircraft, but the number over the years s most likely in the high hundreds, perhaps a bit more.

Vehicles have had a similar history. In the 1930s Skybirds and Frog Penguin both issued 1/72 scale vehicles (as well as buildings, accessories and figures). During WWII there were no standard scales. After the war the British kit industry picked 1/76 scale to match the common British OO Gauge railway subjects, OO Gauge being 1/76 scale. !/72 scale vehicles began predominating the field in the 1980s and to date there have been 4185 kits in 1/72-1/76.

1/48 scale vehicles have not been as popular as 1/35 scale vehicles, but both scales have large followings. Again, the ease of detailing in large scales such as 1/35 holds a great attraction, especially to those with hardening eyesight.

Hope ths hasn't been too confusing.

Tom

Mike G. wrote:

I beg to differ. I seem to recall a proliferation of 1/1 scale subjects during this time.

Seriously, didn't the 1/72 scale standard get a tremendous boost in the US as a result of recognition model production?

Thanks for a very informative post!

James __________________

James Duffy snipped-for-privacy@mac.com

For me, 1/32 is "standard"...

...but it really depends on the size of the full-scale subject. Guess when it comes to "standards", I don't really subscribe.

No it wasn't. Thanks, I get a better understanding now. I see now too that a plane modeled in my preffered scale (1/25th) would be pretty hard to find places to display! But Boy what detail you could put into it!...lol. Granted everything would have to be scratch built! Thanks again Tom.

Mike G.

Mike

There are few (if any) 1/25 scale aircraft models, but several in 1/24 scale.

As to recogniton models beefing up 1/72 in the US, quite likely. The Frog Penguin and earlier Skybird kits had little to no effect on the American market. American manufacturers such as Aurora, Revell, Monogram tended toward "box scale" kits, ie any scale that would fit a standard box. The later (early 1960s) Frog and Airfix kits had a major impact in the US as they had American distributors. When Revell jumped onto the 1/72 bandwagon it was off and running.

Sadly, there are no more aircraft kits (injection molded, that is) being manufactured in the US. Revellogram is not an American company any more, AMTech is, but they don't manufacture here. Even little Twelve Squared seems to be gone. Not too sure if Accurate Miniatues manufacturers here or in the Orient. We (MAI) had our first injection molded kit, the Payen Pa.22, made in Australia by High Planes. Couldn't afford the prices demanded by even short run injection molding companies here.

Cheers,

Tom

Mike G. wrote:

The actual value of "standard scale" depends only on a)your eyesight and b)available shelf space.

Since when? Its manufacturing may be done offshore but it most certainly is American-owned.

Scales like 1/12, 1/24, 1/48, 1/72 etc. are derived from architectural scales. Architects like to do drawings (and models) with so many inches per foot, so these scales are all divisible by 12. That is why I prefer to model cars in 1/24 rather than 1/25. I have a nice architect's scale, that has a number of these scales, the triangular scale has 6 different scales on it.

The An-124 'Ruslan' (Nato Condor) has been promised in 1:72 scale by Heavykits -

But that site no longer exists - so no Ruslan in 1:72 scale !!

Unless you know differently Tom ?? Please ! Pretty Please !!

Ken Duffey

Flanker Freak

Interesting question Mike. I have no idea how they decided on Sooo many subjects being made in 1/35 scale. Especially as there were Sooo many Aroura Military kits made in the '60's & 70's. I still wish there were a lot more of them produced in 1/48. But that could be just because most of the Aircraft I build are in 1/48 scale. It's just that my fingers are a little too fat for 1/72 scale you see. I have just started building in 1/400 scale , there are a few ships I am putting together in a Diorama. Talk about going from Big to Small , I look at some of the Tanks i'm still working on and then go and pick up one of those little "tiny" Ships and want to just about "scream" out loud.

I know I haven't answered you question at all , but I hope you liked part of what i've written anyway.

... Carl ..........

.

Rama-Lama-BIG-BORG ; BORG TEMPLE N.Y. Central-Park-West ; Master Builder of blessed temple KITS ; Keeper of Secret Temple Decoder Rings & Bracelets ; Fluent-in-1st--Degree--TALK-to-the-HAND

--TEMPLE-ETTE--Guards--SIX--&--SEVEN--

The----WORLD--WIDE--WEB----is totally jam packed with thousands of people who are Destined to be nothing more then a faded weatherbeaten

---CHALK--OUTLINE--- along the---INFORMATION--SUPER--HIGHWAY---

This is My Main Modeling Page and Web-Site

And Introducing "SPOT -the- CAT"

A brief look into what is really me Yessss , I'm the -real- "Bad Santa"

..."if you build it, they will come."

Yeah...the odd ones like 1/35 and 1/25 I really don't get.

But I think it's cool to see the recent releases of 1/48 armor.

"Rufus" wrote

Iforget/don't know the facts about 1/35 (think was a Tamiya idea) but 1/25 is "rational" scale like 1/50 or 1/100 - just a round number.

They're a waste. Beyond jeeps, light AA guns, and maybe a truck, how many vehicles are you going display with your aircraft? One? Maybe? The detail is poorer than a 1/35 kit but the price is damn near the same. I have no interest in making a 1/48 kit just for novelty's sake. If I want to make an M4 kit I'll build one of the 1/35 ones downstairs, not go out and buy a whole new 1/48 kit that has molded on tools like a 1965 Aurora kit.

KL

I dunno...there may be some more advanced cases of AMS out there that just plain build anything and everything (or at least collect them) what may want to stick to one scale. If 1/48 is their preference, they'll probably snap them up.

I probably won't buy any 1/48 scale armor either (except for the ocasional Ketten, Krubel, or Schwimmer) but I still think they're neat.

Ken

That's really sad. I was off line for a couple of months after aohell's dropping newsgroups. Used the time to really get into remodelling the house (as opposed to modelling instead of the house).

I guess that means no An-225 and Tu-26 as well. Their Hughes Spruce Goose was in preparation as well, with photos of the parts layout already shown.

Anybody have a snail mail contact?

Tom

"Rufus" wrote

You are far, far, more likely to see people stick to one _subject_ (like vehicles) than fixate on a scale. I build 1/35 tanks almost exclusively, and I don't care if they make the "World's Greatest" Me 109 or P-51D model in 1/35, I ain't buying it. (A 1/35 V-1, yes, a L-4, maybe.) I suspect that many people who primarily build 1/35 tanks will get a 1/48 kit, just to show "they are open-minded" as much as anything else. _A_ kit, not two.

GSE for aircraft - the only natural market, IMO.

KL

I'll build just about anything - mostly aircraft, but I do have fair collectins of armor and F1 race cars. And I'll blow off the scale factor if I can only get a subject I really want in only one scale.

I haven't done a ship in a good while, but I also have the 1/72 U-boat, an would SERIOUSLY like to scratch build a 1/32 Redstone rocket to go with that 1/32 Mercury capsule. Guess I'm atypical...I just like to build stuff.

Yup - that's what I was thinking. But I bet I'll start there and diverge.

1/25 scale cars came from the wooden masters being made to 1/10 scale, then being pantographed down by a factor of 2.5 to cut the steel molds.

You can build 1/400 scale ships but have problems with 1/72 scale airplanes?? I sense some kind of disconnect here... ;-p