BIGGER new models?

For me its more a matter of my stash already being in 1/35th armor and 1/48th air craft plus the shelf space a 1/32nd aircraft would take up .

The first scale I ever built in was 1/72, and for some reason it's just always looked right to my eye. Since then, I've had scale preferences for subjects: 1/72 for aircraft, 1/35 for armor, 1/24 and 1/25 for autos, and 1/350 for the odd ship I'd build. The only exception is 1/20, that for the Tamiya F1 race cars- I prefer that size over their 1/12.

That said, I think it's cool that manufacturers cater to a variety of interests, as we're obviously a very diverse group. I'm thankful my eyesight allows me to still do 1/72, and I like the fact that in that scale I can realistically build anything from a Fokker Dr.1 to a B-36. I like the size comparison. I do remember seeing the MPC 1/24 Bf-109E and Spitfire (Airfix repops?) and thinking that they'd be physically impressive on the shelf, but simply too damn big for the rest of the collection. However, I absolutely freaked out when I saw the 1/72 B-36, B-52, and C-130 in the store and couldn't wait until I got them on my workbench.

DoogsATX talks about 'epic' builds (as I take it, defined as a big scale with cutting-edge engineering), and along those lines Wingnut Wings does intrigue me. The one kit I'd seriously consider if money and time were no object would be their Hansa-Brandenburg W.29, because of the subject but also just to try out a WnW to experience their engineering quality (I have the Pegasus 1/72 issue).

At the end of the day, though, the 'new big ultra kit' isn't compelling to me in general simply for it's 'new big ultra kit-ness.'

96Daksport

Thats something I never understood..  1/32nd aircraft and 1/35th armor?  1/24 AND 1/25 cars?  Why couldnt they all just stick to a few common sizes?  Cant put a front line airstrip with a plane and a piece of artillery, because its hard to sync up the sizes.

I think the 1/24 scale comes from our use of the imperial measuring system; 1 inch equals 24 inches or 2 feet. 1/48 is based along the same principle of 1 inch equaling 4 feet. The 1/25 probably originates from metric measuring systems. I believe 1/72 scale came from a six foot tall man being 1 inch in height at that scale.

Monogram began with the 1/35 scale armor, probably something based off of box scale. Their kits were often copied by Japanese manufacturers and eventually became the norm for armor.

Monogram did switch to 1/32 scale armor for some of their later 1970s kits to match Airfix's really nice 1/32 scale armor, but by then the Japanese armor modeling companies had taken off and it became the standard. That's why Monogram has some kits in 1/35 scale (M48 Patton, M34 truck, Weasel, Halftracks) and then some of their later kits (panzers, M3 Lee/Grant, M4 Shermans, armored cars) end up in 1/32.

Revell's 1/40 scale and Tamiya's 1/50 scale virtually disappeared.

DoogsATX

The comment a few posts back about Wingnut Wings got me thinking...to me there's a very definite "sweet spot", size-wise, for kits. Namely a 9-12" wingspan. This encompasses most non-tiny WWII fighters in 1/48, and the tiny ones in 1/32. It also encompasses a good many 1/32 WWI kits and a large number of 1/72 bombers and other large craft.

Much smaller than that and you start verging into tininess, much larger and you get into the big honkers (a 1/32 P-47 has a 15" wingspan). To me, the decision to venture above that 12" wingspan is reserved for flat-out awesome aircraft. If I'm going to chew up that kind of space, I want to do it with an awesome kit and an awesome subject. 

Maybe that's why I'm willing to pay more for 1/32 kits? I recognize that they are, in effect, the flagships of my collection, and am willing to dump resources into them accordingly.

The last several kits I've built have been 1/32, so I'm more used to them. Also, to be quite honest, I am still developing my airbrush skills. They are, overall, easier to manage, especially with Luftwaffe birds. As far as display, they don't take up enough room to make this much of an issue. I'll always find a place for them. People know I am an aviation nut, so a nice 1/32 P-47 or P-51 in the living room? Well...what else would anyone want there?

Tamiya is still running ahead of other model companies with detail and quality, IMHO. So, I have several of their 1/48 kits in my stash, to be build as time goes on... Mossie, P-47Ms, etc. but am looking forward to more 1/32 from them in the future.

I get what your getting at . When the B-29 in 1/48th came from Monogram i snatched it off the shelf . The size was perfect . Previouse releases of the B-29 and other WWII four engine bombers looked / felt to small so when Monogram released these bombers in 1/48th they really fit a nitch in kit size for me .

The comment a few posts back about Wingnut Wings got me thinking...to me there's a very definite "sweet spot", size-wise, for kits. Namely a 9-12" wingspan. This encompasses most non-tiny WWII fighters in 1/48, and the tiny ones in 1/32. It also encompasses a good many 1/32 WWI kits and a large number of 1/72 bombers and other large craft.

Much smaller than that and you start verging into tininess, much larger and you get into the big honkers (a 1/32 P-47 has a 15" wingspan). To me, the decision to venture above that 12" wingspan is reserved for flat-out awesome aircraft. If I'm going to chew up that kind of space, I want to do it with an awesome kit and an awesome subject. 

Maybe that's why I'm willing to pay more for 1/32 kits? I recognize that they are, in effect, the flagships of my collection, and am willing to dump resources into them accordingly.

For me it's a love/hate relationship. The larger size makes assembly easier on the eyes but also requires more storage space. And these larger models really scream for super detailing, which I'm not really into. For instance, I bought Trumpeter's 1/16 Tiger when they first hit the streets. I started the build right off but then started seeing threads about all of the deficiencies in the kit. And in this scale, missing or wrong items are just too easy to pick out. So after several weeks of going back and forth, I finally decided that I'm not ready to do the scratch building or detailing that this model will require to male it all it can be. So for now it sits, along with a few other large scale kits that I bought after this one but that also require the same TLC that the Trump does.

Shellback

DoogsATX:

If anybody ever makes a 1:1 kit of the P-47, I'll put it in the backyard...wouldn't even have to weather it!

 

Man , that would require gallons of liquid plastic cement ............................

Never mind that, think of how much paint it would take.

DoogsATX

If anybody ever makes a 1:1 kit of the P-47, I'll put it in the backyard...wouldn't even have to weather it!

Man , that would require gallons of liquid plastic cement ............................

If anybody ever makes a 1:1 kit of the P-47, I'll put it in the backyard...wouldn't even have to weather it!

i think big kits are cool to look at as well, and there are a couple i would like to do, three aircraft and two ships come to mind, a 1/24 P-47, 1/48 B-52 (not on the market, as mentioned earlier), 1/48 ME264 Amerika Bomber, and 1/350 Yamato and Bismark battleships. if i ever got the chance to do these, i would find room for them. are they expensive? yes thay are, but i have been fishing just as long as modeling and spent WAY more money on fishing equipment than model kits, and honestly modeling is a better stress reliever. Big and expensive kits are like candy: best in moderation. big kits are just like any other genre of kits: some like them, others despise them. like them or not, they are here, and will continue to be for quite some time.

VanceCrozier

..........big kits - I sure like to look at them & think they're a great idea (even saving a little eye strain for some of us!), but wouldn't have anywhere to put it once I caught/built one.

This may be a practical application for those scientific theories about an Alternate Dimension.

I'm kinda like a dog chasing a car when it comes to these big kits - I sure like to look at them & think they're a great idea (even saving a little eye strain for some of us!), but wouldn't have anywhere to put it once I caught/built one.

fox

Well, I'm one of those older modelers with the declining eyesight and glad the manufacturers are coming out with larger kits. I've been finishing up any kits up to and including 1/72 and moving on to larger sizes. I have been drooling ever since the big Gato came out. I'm hoping that they come out with a Destroyer of the same size. Got a few ideas for a dio using both of them. I have a set of plans buried somewhere for a destroyer but don't feel like scratch building it. Have already got a few 1/32 aircraft and checked them out. They are a sight for these old eyes. The prices on the ships will come down by the time I'm ready to build.

Jim

I'm another.  However, reading glasses are cheap at drug stores and big box discount stores, so eyesight shouldn't be a problem. My problem is finger joints and lack of mobility of same.  Still, the fact that my model collection is squeezing me out of house means I made a committment to work in smaller scale.  Folks tell me, "use it or lose it," and that seems to make sense.  So on to the smaller stuff :-)

Nathan T

Shellback:

Its not new . Remeber the 1/32nd armor from Monogram and Renwall 30 yrs ago ? 1/32nd aircraft were a big thing from Revell in the 70's. That 1/32nd Renwall "Atomic Cannon" was a lot of plastic back then and is agian in re-release . To bad aircraft and armor didnt all stay in 1/32nd . Looks like the interest in big hunks of plastic models is comming around again .

 

Yes but those Revell 32nd scale kits cost nothing near what these new kits do, even with inflation. I don't get this big new 1/32 aircraft kick. The models are cool of course, but with these new big bomber releases, I have no idea what to think or who these manufactures are catering to. Way to expensive for me, even considering the detail and time invested vs. cost. I guess they figure enough people will buy them for the cool factor? Don't get me wrong I will admire anyone who can buy and build one of these kits and make it a masterpiece, but i think these large kits are getting a little crazy and are surely not geared toward the "average" modeler...(remember Accurate Miniature's motto?) But every Manufacturer is different, which is good for the industry.

But some of these kits are not really that expensive. If you look at the recent Revell 1/32nd releases, the Ju 88 and He 111, there are 72nd kits that cost more than theres.

The question is more do you have somewhere to display it.

Shellback

Its not new . Remeber the 1/32nd armor from Monogram and Renwall 30 yrs ago ? 1/32nd aircraft were a big thing from Revell in the 70's. That 1/32nd Renwall "Atomic Cannon" was a lot of plastic back then and is agian in re-release . To bad aircraft and armor didnt all stay in 1/32nd . Looks like the interest in big hunks of plastic models is comming around again .

Yes but those Revell 32nd scale kits cost nothing near what these new kits do, even with inflation. I don't get this big new 1/32 aircraft kick. The models are cool of course, but with these new big bomber releases, I have no idea what to think or who these manufactures are catering to. Way to expensive for me, even considering the detail and time invested vs. cost. I guess they figure enough people will buy them for the cool factor? Don't get me wrong I will admire anyone who can buy and build one of these kits and make it a masterpiece, but i think these large kits are getting a little crazy and are surely not geared toward the "average" modeler...(remember Accurate Miniature's motto?) But every Manufacturer is different, which is good for the industry.

I build 1/48 scale and sometimes I wish I had standardized on 1/72.

The bigger, the more expensive. And then where do you find the room for it.

Sure the big scales are impressive, but you don't get nothin' for nothin'. There are trade offs.

B 52 in 1/48th , now that would probably need some kind of supportive frame inside . The wingspan would be 46 inches and the length 39 inches !!!!!

i think it is really cool to see things in scales where ALL the datail can be seen....especially of a real good scratchbuilder gets their hands on a 1/32 or 1/24 aorcraft and just goes nuts with detail. i seen a 1/24 P-47 in Fine Scale a long time ago that was completely plumbed, wired, cabled, and had a speaker and electric motor that "started" the engine whe a hidden button was pushed. One of my favorite aircraft is the B-52, and although im sure i will regret this if one ever comes out, but i would LOVE to build one in 1/48 thats injection molded, there are vaccu-formed ones out there, but i hear an entire kit in vaccu-formed plastic can be a real bear to do even for a fairly experienced modeler.

I think that loosing eye sight has nothing to do with the increase of subjects in 1/32 or 1/24 scale. I think it has more to do with disposable income from older builders. I'm mostly an OOB builder, but I've seen a great trend on super detailing models helping a lot of AM companies stay in business and even newer AM offerings being born. Many of those after market sets are more expensive than the base kit itself and manufacturers are taking note. We can have 20/20, but I don't think that any manufacturer will commit to larger molds and all the expenses related to a new larger X or Y subject if we don't commit our pockets to them.

Scale and subject is very subjective. I'm about to start a 1/48 He-111-22 that has a larger wingspan than my 1/32 Tamiya F-16 CJ and Tamiya F-4 Phantom II. I have next to a 1/48 Tamiya ZERO 52 a Fairey Gannet 1/72 which for the untrained eye of home visitors, will look like the same scale.

My humble opinion.

George

Reasoned

 

 

 

 Now what to do with all these 1/48 kits in the stash?

You only ask that question because Hans hasn't volunteered to take them off your hands.................

he'd give 'em a good home.....

As for larger scales, I agree with Rob Gronovius.

weakened eyesight and deeper pockets.

[quote user="PaintsWithBrush"]

[quote user="Bish".......]i will be sticking with the true scale.

[/quote]

I'm guessing that you mean "Whatever scale a builder prefers" rather than "What I do is the one and only true way". 

[/quote]

Yes, of course

[quote user="Bish".......]i will be sticking with the true scale.

[/quote]

I'm guessing that you mean "Whatever scale a builder prefers" rather than "What I do is the one and only true way". 

Thats something I never understood..  1/32nd aircraft and 1/35th armor?  1/24 AND 1/25 cars?  Why couldnt they all just stick to a few common sizes?  Cant put a front line airstrip with a plane and a piece of artillery, because its hard to sync up the sizes.

I'm not excited about it.  Two problems. First, where do I stick these things when I am done.  I have two cabinets full of models now, with lots of others around the house in various places. I have decided to concentrate on smaller scales.

Second, the prices! I think they are using the size as an excuse to ask for really big price increases.  Seems to me the increases in kit prices lately are well above general inflation, and making really big stuff seems like a way to make it harder to compare with past prices.

1/1 scale?

PaintsWithBrush

 

We're older, we have diminished eyesight, we crave "more" from our kits and we have the money to buy what we have asked for and we are the largest percentage of customers.

Well i don't intend to let age stop me building 72nd kits. Theres always an optivisor for the eyes. So until i go blind or my hands start shaking so much i can't hold a paint brush, i will be sticking with the true scale.

Its not new . Remeber the 1/32nd armor from Monogram and Renwall 30 yrs ago ? 1/32nd aircraft were a big thing from Revell in the 70's. That 1/32nd Renwall "Atomic Cannon" was a lot of plastic back then and is agian in re-release . To bad aircraft and armor didnt all stay in 1/32nd . Looks like the interest in big hunks of plastic models is comming around again .

Reasoned

Now what to do with all these 1/48 kits in the stash?

Go on a building frenzy before I get too blind to deal with them. That or try and claim them as "investment" items.