Where is the 1/48th scale love? (10 pages, not one thread?)

I hate 48th scale armor and figs...

...why go to 48th scale when virtually the entire armor/fig/dio industry and AM companies cater to the 35th scale market?...going to 48th scale is like stepping back 35 years in the hobby in terms of selection and the AM offerings...

HisNHer Tanks,

I am a big fan of vintage Bandai 1/48 scale armor. Due to their age the details are somewhat simplified yet its all items most modelers scratch build or get AM accessories for.

Another advantage of 1/48 scale is if you want to incorporate aircraft with military vehicles it is the obvious choice in scale.

Next years theme award for a contest I attend is 'desert warfare'

The ultimate diorama displaying this theme in my humble opinion would be the British SAS long range desert raider jeeps charging down the middle of a German airfield shooting up every aircraft & person in sight... in the dead on night! The harsh desert conditions alone are deadly, adding to the 'sphincter pucker' factor is the knowledge that any German aircraft able to fly at daylight will simple follow their tracks on a vengeance hunt in reprisal. 

Picked a Tamiya 1/48 scale Sherman as a draw prize last spring, once glue hit plastic realized a sprue containing a track 1/2 was missing! Sorted out the situation by sinking the tank through 'thin ice' Thus hiding the missing side of track:

* The average age here is 40 years young, as eye sight factors in modeling many prefer the larger scales*

anthony2779

I like 1/48 I built almost all the Tamiya line and even a couple of the AFV Tigers,but the manufactures have basically stopped,maybe one a year from Tamiya.If they put out more,I will buy them.

Anthony!

Since I started modelling just over two years ago the bulk of my builds have been 1/35 WWII armour which will always be my first choice as it's a great scale to work in.

I have also built a few Tamiya 1/48 builds - namely the IC Sherman Firefly, Tiger I and Flakpanzer IV. All were great little builds but, like pretty much everyone else, I found the Die-Cast hull a complete horror.

I recently picked up a magazine and on the back there was an advert for the Tamiya 1/48 range and the build that took pride of place in the centre of the photos was the (I presume) new 1/48 Panzer II which looked great and is definately a build I'll be tackling asap. I'll also be building the Tamiya 1/48 Jagdtiger as the 1/35 scale kit is huge and will take up too much room in the cabinet! The Jagdtiger with an AM metal turned turned barrel and Friul tracks will be a really nice build.

By the way, my current WIP is the Dragon 1/72 Brummbar from their Armour Pro range. She's coming together well and is an enjoyable build but where armour is concerned, 1/72 is just too small - for me at least.

I'd love to see Dragon release a range of 1/48 builds but for the time being I'll be happy to stick with an occasional Tamiya 1/48 kit - especially now that I understand that the Die-Cast hull is gone! I know that the Jagdtiger is one of their latest releases and doesn't have it.

ATVB

Ben

I like 1/48 I built almost all the Tamiya line and even a couple of the AFV Tigers,but the manufactures have basically stopped,maybe one a year from Tamiya.If they put out more,I will buy them.

I find that 1/35 is a bit easier on the eyes. 1/48 might as well be 1/72, way too small. I salute the modelers that work in those scales and churn out some great models. There is also the fact that there are so many kits, conversions, AM, PE, tracks and the list goes on and on. IMHO of coarse.

The latest Tamiya kits, like the Pz II, are all plastic. I believe it is the cost of kits. At first, they were roughly 1/3 the price of their 1/35 scale counterparts. Today that price is a little more than half the cost of the 1/35 scale kit.

1/48 is a bit of a niche market. Anyone really into 1/48 scale tends to seek out the model website that specializes in TOTS. http://www.track48.com/shop/home.php

I think it is that most builders are comfortable with 1/35 since that is what they have always built. 

I know that is the case for me.  Also, all my spares, figures, accessories, resin upgrade and extras are all in 1/35.  I have no desire to replace them all with 1/48th stuff.  I also like the size of 1/35 items.  Lastly, I build mainly modern (post WWII) US items (armor, artillery, softskins and large scale [1/32, 1/35] helos), so there is nothing that interests me in 1/48. 

I personally see no benefit in swapping to 1/48.

On the down side of Tamiya 1/48, most people don't like the metal hulls since they are harder to work with and make conversions that involve the hull a real pain to do.