Is 1/48 scale armor the wave of the future?

What isn't produced in 1/35 plastic that Tamiya (or anyone else - come on Dragon!) could make?

M1M1 Wrecking Truck, M2/M2A1 Halftrack (the short one), M3/M3A1 Halftracks (accurate new ones), M4 High Speed Tractor (HST), M5 HST, M6 HST, M8 Ammo Carrier, M10 Ammo Carrier, M19 Motor Carriage (MC), M23 Ammo Trailer, M29 Weasel, M31 ARV, M37 MC, M40 MC, M41 HMC, M43 MC, M44 SPG, M55 SPG, GMC 352, 4-Ton Diamond T, Mack 7.5 Ton Truck, 240mm Howitzer, 75mm Field Howitzer, Staghound T17E1, Ontos, V-100, M422 Mighty Mite, M992A2, M715 Jeep Cargo Truck, M561 Gamma Goat, M198 155mm Howitzer...

And that's just the U.S. equipment list. The British, French, German, Italian, Soviet, and others list is twice as long as this one.

OUCH!
Though I do not know what most of those vehicles are...i stand corrected!LOL
Still demand is the key. None of those are kits I want. [at least not yet!lol]

Artillery is still a negelected subject, though there have been a few Pak 40's released lately. Tamiya could hit that hard and add a few Valentines, Comets, BT 7's, etc. I'll just be patient and wait for Dragon.

There's a lot of demand for halftracks, Martian, judging by the 2005 wishlist thread. And Robert, I think you forgot the M7 Priest in there. Italteri's old kit routinely goes for modern kit prices on eBay. They could also do a cast hull Sherman, and their M4 and M4A3 et al could use retooling. No sponson bottoms, no casting texture on the turret, etc.

Plus the M34, the armoured car that replaced the M8, and the M22 Locust paratrooper tank...


M.

Yeah i'm still trrying to get my hnds on the old Italeri Neblewerfer [sp?] halftrack. Pops on ebay from time to time to time but I always miss out on it.

QUOTE: Originally posted by wbill76 QUOTE: Originally posted by J-Hulk And here I've been the whole time, foolishly waiting for 1/25 scale to make a comeback... Never fear J-Hulk, there's always 1/16! Speaking of which, what have you been doing with your T34?

Yes, well...ahem! *coff coff*
My 1/16 T-34...still safe and sound in the closet, I'm afraid!
(Slacker alert! Slacker alert!)

QUOTE: Originally posted by J-Hulk QUOTE: Originally posted by wbill76 QUOTE: Originally posted by J-Hulk And here I've been the whole time, foolishly waiting for 1/25 scale to make a comeback... Never fear J-Hulk, there's always 1/16! Speaking of which, what have you been doing with your T34? Yes, well...ahem! *coff coff* My 1/16 T-34...still safe and sound in the closet, I'm afraid! (Slacker alert! Slacker alert!)

Whoops! Didn't mean to put you in a corner....move along now, nothing to see here, move along!

It might not be a tsunami but I think the possibilities of armor in 1/48 scale are a long overdue in an overpopulated 1/35th 1/72 scale world. The kits in 1/72 are too hard to detail for many modelers and 1/35th scale kits are great to detail and the subject of small dioramas. Large dioramas take up quite a bit of room and the prices are getting out of control. I have several Bandi kits I picked up in the late 70's and am still amazed at the detail they packed. I say to MRC, Academy and Tamiya BRING IT ON!!!! Beat the old Bandi kits and you will win my modeling heart and lots of my cash.

Welcome cmog. I agree, that the old Bandai kits (at least my friends Panther was quite nice indeed, even came with a turret basket if I remember correctly) were pretty detailed. Had I never started 1/35 and there were an equal amount of 1/48's available, I might just be in that scale.

I see an advantage to having 1/48th scale armor available for compatiblity with 1/48 aircraft diorramas. I built a number of the old Bandai quarter inch kits and was pleased with the level of detail in a kit that size, and in the smaller size of the kits. I also enjoy 1/35th and 1/72, so I'll be able to add a new section of builds to my collection. I'm interested in seeing how Tamiya will choose it releases.

Tamiya is already releasing a kit in 1/48 that they have failed to do in 1/35- the Hetzer. I thought that would have been a no-brainer after they produced their cool Marder kits. It will be disappointing to the 1/35 builders if Tamiya starts releasing a slew of kits they never produced before in 1/48.

What is the main attraction for 1/48th? Merely cost? There is obviously a long way to go before 1/48th scale catches up with everything that is available in 1/35th. While you can put more objects into a 1/48th scale diorama for the same size base as a 1/35th, the loss of detail between scales is such that I won't be buying 1/48th anytime soon. I'd rather build a larger diorama than to try squeezing in detail in 1/48th. 1/48th scale won't catch fire with me. Just my

For me, the main attraction is constant scale between my aircraft & armor. I don't really plan on building too many dioramas, but its nice to put small vignettes together with armor & aircraft. But really, having the same scale on my display case so i can get a overall sense of relative size is goof enough reason for me.

Besides, I've got to have some limits or I'll be running out of space and money!