hi detail?

Hmmm;

 I still bounce all over the place . What amazes me is some of my 1/400 and 1/545 etc. kits now look much better than they ever did . Using what newer skills picked up doing 1/350 .

 This also follows up the ladder to kits that many never finish and now I do .  T.B.

When I first began to suffer the infirmities of growing older, I did gravitate towards larger scale.  However, a problem soon appeared- display space.

Further, I began to ponder the old saying, use it or lose it. That is, if I stop stressing my eyes and fingers, does that become a feedback mechanism that lowers my abilities.  I decided I needed to work harder on the abilities I was losing.

The consideration of both of those problems has caused me to return to smaller scale- 1:700 ships and 1:72 and :144 planes.

I was 1/48 for aircraft only when I started years ago, now lately I've been doing a lot of 1/72 and 1/144.  I have 3 1/144 jets on the bench at the moment!    I know the 1/72 I do cuz I don't have to go detail crazy like the bigger scales.   The smaller ones are just kinda cool,   see what I can do for detail on the small scale is fun,  thanks goodness for my 10x optivisor!

John

To me it's not so much the scale, as the engineering of kits. I just don't care for some of the latest uber kits that use four or five tiny parts to do what one or two small parts can do. I settled on a couple of "standard" scales for my collection 30 years ago. I may occasionally dabble in others, but I am quite content with 1/48 aircraft and 1/35 for AFVs and soft skins. Both offer great subject selection and detail in their areas.

I find that 1/48 is a good compromise between detail and size.  1/72 just seems too small, but sometimes is needed (B-52, etc.)  1/32 too big, I don't have an entire floor at my home dedicated to displaying models.  Obviously, I mostly build aircraft.  For my money, though, do what makes you happy, you can afford, and you have space for (in that order).  Please share some of your successes with the group.

John

I'm with you MM. These 76 year old eyes and hands seem to get worse every day so up goes the scale. Can't get bigger than 1/48 or I won't have anywhere to put them.

Jim  

I'm the opposite.  The older I get, the bigger the scale.  No so much for the detail, just hard to work in small scales these days!  My 43 year old eyes aren't what they used to be.