Hi everybody,

I have a question: what is the rationale of scaling down to 1/35 or 1/72? The scales seem so randomly picked.

Just wondering.



Jelger

Hi,

1:72 its old aircraft models scale two yards = one inch... but why 1/35 not 1/36 i dont know... maybe someone know why ??

Regads

I'm pretty sure Tamiya introduced 1/35. No idea why but only thing I can think of was because they used the metric system and the english used the imperial to make 1/32 scale stuff.

Though even then both seem rather arbitrary. 1/36 would have made more sense than 1/32, twice the size of 1/72 and half 1/18 and 1/35 fits nothing.

At a pure guess someone built a scale kit to the size they wanted and it was done backwards. In other words they made the kit first, then measured it and worked out it was 1/35 and that stuck.

mmmm....35 inches equals 89 cm, so that still an odd scale even in metric.

never thought about this before..

maybe it has to do with the width of 2 horses, ruts in roman roads, yada yada

I think it was Military Modelling who did an article on this one time. It was the box size that set the scale one upon a time. The box was standard, so each model had to be scaled to suit this. Tamiya started the 1/35 scale and it caught on, with other companies jumping on the bandwagen of a popular scale.
I think the 1/72 etc were follow on of the railway scales.

Not facts ... just sparks from a rusting memory

I read on Wikipedia it was Tamiya who introduced it because it was the perfect size for batteries, a motor, etc. in a Panther.




SCOTT

That's the rationalle of a country that uses imperial. It doesn't mean you convert metric into inches or vica versa. It means you don't think in fractions that fit a foot or a yard but rather in decimal units of 10s, 100s etc.

I think with all scales you'd find the origin was something purely arbitrary that made sense at the time.

I always wondered this as well. The first time I ever step foot into a hobby shop... like 6 years ago, and went over to the kits, I was like... why 1/35 scale? It just seemed random to me as well

Interesting history, I remember well those days.
Back in the late 1960's, 54mm figures were the standard that got translated into 1/32nd scale for armour.
Airfix started doing 1/32nd figures with their Multi-Pose series and included some vehicles like the M3 Lee and M3 Grant along with a Crusader Mk. III.
IIRC, there were a few Airfix field pieces, 17pdr maybe ???.
Monogram did a range of 1/32nd scale German vehicles such as the Panzer IV Ausf. H, Ostwind, Wirbelwind, StuG IV, Brummbar, Jagdpanzer IV and a range of U.S. vehicles like the M4 Sherman, M4A1 Sherman, M3 Half-Track, M16 GMC, Jeep & 37mm anti-tank gun, Weasel carrier, etc......
Tamiya's really early kits like their M4A3E8 Sherman, M10 and M36 scaled out as a mish-mash somewhere between 1/36th an 1/34th scale and they finally settled on 1/35th for their Military Miniatures series.
Max/Peerless/Tomy were there in the beginning too with 1/35th along with Italieria aka Italeri joining the club.
What's odd is that many of these old kits are still available and haven't been redone !!
Cheers

jjumbo

I remember Monogram doing some 1/32 scale kits that just never seemed to work as they were the outsider. I often look at the Revell 1/35 Sherman Calliope and wonder if it's just the 1/32 Monogram kit reboxed and relabelled as 1/35 to make it fit in better now.

Fairly sure this is a re-pop of Italeri's M4A3

Hi everybody,

thank you for shedding light on this topic. So it is likely that Tamiya had their reasons for doing models in 1/35 and as they turned out most popular, everybody followed them.

Nice to have some insight in how our hobby developed.



Jelger

Actually 1/72 scale was first. It translate to 1 inch equaling 6 feet. It started with aircraft recognition models with one inch being the heigth of a 6 foot tall man.

Monogram started 1/35 scale armor before Tamiya did, back in the 1950s. Many of the early Japanese armor kits were copies of Monogram's 1/35 scale kits with motorization added. Tamiya started making their own motorized kits in the current scale used by the other Japanese companies. Because there were size requirements necessary to hold a standard gear box and a pair of batteries, some of the scales are off slightly. Constant scale wasn't much of a concern in the 1960s.

Airfix came out with a nice 1/32 scale line and Monogram followed suite with some of their later armor kits, but by then, the motorized 1/35 scale Japanese tank kits were popular (remember when "Made in Japan" meant a cheap, inexpensive product?) because they were cheap and could roll through the sand box (remember when kids used to play with models they built?). Airfix and Monogram got out of the larger armor models line and the scale was taken over by the Japanese companies.

Looking back Airfix 1/32 multi fit figures had real great detail for they're day. They were much better than tamiyas early 1/35 figures with they're stumpy feet and hands. Its a shame that 1/35 took off and 1/32 didn't. Imagine how good the detail would be if you had these modern Resin companies making figures in 1/32. Now that would be amazing.

I couldn´t believe it when I bought a couple of old Airfix 54mm Napoeonic figures .. the detail for the time was amazing. Ive collected about 10 now in total .. mostly mounted figures. They look great.

Tamiya chose it as a fit the box box scale for their first Panther kit. Independent of that, Monogram chose it as for their military kits in the late 1950's. There were military recognition models made in 1/36th scale that were sold postwar as toys, and the size was familiar. However, a scale ending in 6 makes sense only in countries using the English measurement system, so Monogram chose 1/35th (though they apparently had second thoughts, as some boxings in later years were labeled 1/32nd). Ironically, Monogram zigged just as the rest of the industry zagged. They switched to 1/32nd scale in 1969, just as the new range of Tamiya kits hit the market. Incidentally, in 1/35th scale, a 5'10" man stands exactly two inches tall.