So, perhaps you're wondering, why 1/72? Why not something else, say 1/50 or 1/100, something nice and round perhaps. Well, I've given this a lot of thought myself, and I think we have the English to blame for this wonderful (there, I said it) scale. Yes, I really do think it is the best scale for my model building.
In my personal collection, I try to stay as close as possible, allowing some deviations, usually within 10% larger or smaller. The reason is that there are still some older kits out there that might not be exactly 1/72. Very occasionally, I stray beyond that 10% limit.
The first model company that made 1/72 aircraft was Skybirds out of the UK. Their models were wooden, with little bits of metal detailing. They began production in the early 1930's. As to why they chose such an odd scale is subject of some debate. A normal English standard ruler is divide into fractions based on a logical procession; 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, etc. 1/72 is 1/6 of an inch equals 1 foot. It doesn't make sense to most; why that scale?
Well, it so happens that there were rulers a foot (sorry; had to) that used 1/6" measurements, and these were normally used by typesetters. You see, 1/6" is an English Pica, the standard measure in typography. The folks at A.J. Holladay & Company simply used that measurement to create a model scale that would allow the average person of limited means the ability to build up a nice little collection at low costs, and yet make the models just large enough to be easy to build.
FROG Models, which started out making flying model airplanes, soon got into the business. They had discovered that the same process that they used for creating the propellers on their flying models (casting them from cellulose acetate) could be used for making model airplanes as well. They followed Skybird's example and chose 1/72 for their FROG Penguin line, which ran until the late 1940's.
By the 1950's, both FROG (which had gotten back into the game, though they dropped "Penguin") and a new company, Airfix, began in earnest to produce models in constant 1/72, or as close as they could get (there were a few kits that strayed into odd scales).
On this side of the pond (that is to say, here in the US), the predominant scale was 1/48, which works out to 1/4 inch equals 1 foot. Easy scale for the average builder. Until the advent of styrene models, it held a strong grasp on the market. However, World War II would introduce a challenger; the Department of War wanted recognition models in 1/72. Some companies (including Hawk) would make plastic recognition models, some of which would evolve into kits.
There was another scale, though, that could have eclipsed 1/72 for compactness. A typical World War II fighter plane in 1/48 scale has a span of between 8 and 11 inches (about 200 to 275mm). For someone living in a small house or apartment, a few kits would soon take up a lot of space, and larger multi-engined aircraft could be huge. But, in the 1930's, A.C. Gilbert introduced S scale model trains, which used the scale of 3/16 of an inch equals 1 foot. This was 1/64 scale.
1/64 scale did not catch on as a model airplane scale, though. Some of the early injection molded airplanes over here, namely the Revell B-25B/C and the Monogram B-25H, were close. Revell had a real tendency to produce "box scale" models which worked out to a variety of scales, none of them constant, and a few of their later models were again very close (the Douglas Skyrocket, the X-15 and the Douglas X-3 come to mind). One American company, though, chose to make kits in 1/64, and chose to say so. That was the Lindberg Line.
In the late 1950's, they introduced a series of bombers in 1/64; B-17, B-58, Ju-88, and an He-111. On the side of the boxes, they proudly proclaimed that the scale was 3/16"=1'.
And that was it.
Lindberg would then begin producing models in more standardized scales, with a good number of 1/72 models being tooled in the mid-1960's.
That wasn't the end for 1/64 scale model aircraft here in the states.
In 1975, Monogram, known mainly for their 1/48 kits (though they did have a nice selection of 1/72 models) produced a series of 1/64 Snap-Tite model airplane kits; a Spitfire Mk.II, a P-51D, a P-40E and a Bf-109G. Why they chose this scale is a mystery to me. Perhaps they chose it as a compromise. There was already a standard box that size, allowing the models to be small, but not so small as to be difficult for the target audience, very young model builders. Regardless, it was the last hoorah for 1/64 scale model airplanes. In the US, 1/48 would soon take over as the most common scale for "serious" model builders. Elsewhere, 1/72 would remain as popular as ever.
One more note; a company out of Israel known as Starfix has a random production run. From time to time, they produce a Messeschmitt Bf-109 and a Spitfire that are frequently labelled 1/48. I'm not certain of what scale they are, but I somehow suspect that they might be closer to 1/64.
In my personal collection, I try to stay as close as possible, allowing some deviations, usually within 10% larger or smaller. The reason is that there are still some older kits out there that might not be exactly 1/72. Very occasionally, I stray beyond that 10% limit.
The first model company that made 1/72 aircraft was Skybirds out of the UK. Their models were wooden, with little bits of metal detailing. They began production in the early 1930's. As to why they chose such an odd scale is subject of some debate. A normal English standard ruler is divide into fractions based on a logical procession; 1/2, 1/4, 1/8, etc. 1/72 is 1/6 of an inch equals 1 foot. It doesn't make sense to most; why that scale?
Well, it so happens that there were rulers a foot (sorry; had to) that used 1/6" measurements, and these were normally used by typesetters. You see, 1/6" is an English Pica, the standard measure in typography. The folks at A.J. Holladay & Company simply used that measurement to create a model scale that would allow the average person of limited means the ability to build up a nice little collection at low costs, and yet make the models just large enough to be easy to build.
FROG Models, which started out making flying model airplanes, soon got into the business. They had discovered that the same process that they used for creating the propellers on their flying models (casting them from cellulose acetate) could be used for making model airplanes as well. They followed Skybird's example and chose 1/72 for their FROG Penguin line, which ran until the late 1940's.
By the 1950's, both FROG (which had gotten back into the game, though they dropped "Penguin") and a new company, Airfix, began in earnest to produce models in constant 1/72, or as close as they could get (there were a few kits that strayed into odd scales).
On this side of the pond (that is to say, here in the US), the predominant scale was 1/48, which works out to 1/4 inch equals 1 foot. Easy scale for the average builder. Until the advent of styrene models, it held a strong grasp on the market. However, World War II would introduce a challenger; the Department of War wanted recognition models in 1/72. Some companies (including Hawk) would make plastic recognition models, some of which would evolve into kits.
There was another scale, though, that could have eclipsed 1/72 for compactness. A typical World War II fighter plane in 1/48 scale has a span of between 8 and 11 inches (about 200 to 275mm). For someone living in a small house or apartment, a few kits would soon take up a lot of space, and larger multi-engined aircraft could be huge. But, in the 1930's, A.C. Gilbert introduced S scale model trains, which used the scale of 3/16 of an inch equals 1 foot. This was 1/64 scale.
1/64 scale did not catch on as a model airplane scale, though. Some of the early injection molded airplanes over here, namely the Revell B-25B/C and the Monogram B-25H, were close. Revell had a real tendency to produce "box scale" models which worked out to a variety of scales, none of them constant, and a few of their later models were again very close (the Douglas Skyrocket, the X-15 and the Douglas X-3 come to mind). One American company, though, chose to make kits in 1/64, and chose to say so. That was the Lindberg Line.
In the late 1950's, they introduced a series of bombers in 1/64; B-17, B-58, Ju-88, and an He-111. On the side of the boxes, they proudly proclaimed that the scale was 3/16"=1'.
And that was it.
Lindberg would then begin producing models in more standardized scales, with a good number of 1/72 models being tooled in the mid-1960's.
That wasn't the end for 1/64 scale model aircraft here in the states.
In 1975, Monogram, known mainly for their 1/48 kits (though they did have a nice selection of 1/72 models) produced a series of 1/64 Snap-Tite model airplane kits; a Spitfire Mk.II, a P-51D, a P-40E and a Bf-109G. Why they chose this scale is a mystery to me. Perhaps they chose it as a compromise. There was already a standard box that size, allowing the models to be small, but not so small as to be difficult for the target audience, very young model builders. Regardless, it was the last hoorah for 1/64 scale model airplanes. In the US, 1/48 would soon take over as the most common scale for "serious" model builders. Elsewhere, 1/72 would remain as popular as ever.
One more note; a company out of Israel known as Starfix has a random production run. From time to time, they produce a Messeschmitt Bf-109 and a Spitfire that are frequently labelled 1/48. I'm not certain of what scale they are, but I somehow suspect that they might be closer to 1/64.
Hi Rob,
ReplyDeleteNice blog. I'm a 1/72 fan as well, though my tolerance for scale discrepancy is closer to ~5%. I appreciate the reviews of older kits, which I've been getting into recently through re-releases.