How Did You Become Attached To Your Favorite Scale?

[HCS-5 AO1]

Like the title asks, I'm curious as to how others arrived at their preferred scale and why. For me I model in 1/72 scale and 28mm but the first sees the most things built. I started building kits on my own at the age of eight back in the late 60s. At the time like most kids I had a collection of Matchbox cars and plastic Roco Mini Tanks. I noticed that certain kits looked better next to my BP fuel truck as well as any figures, mostly the Airfix ones, looked good next to the sedans and Land Rover Land Cruisers and fire trucks. By the time I was about ten I would scan the box of a kit for the magic words I/72 scale. The reason I've stayed with the scale is that the variety of subjects is huge as well as the older I got the less space I have to devote to work benches and display shelves. 

 

As to 28mm, that was purely by accident. I was asked by the owner of the hobby shop that specialized in model trains to see what was going on with the oldest hobby shop in town as it had new owners. At the time Al had received a shipment of Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40K items as a way to get him to become another dealer in town. Since there was no interest by the train crowd I was given a Leman Russ tank and a few packs of figure but I just looked at them as all 'serious' modelers do, with that WTF is this garbage. Anyway I went to the other shop to spy and found the new owners were family friends. As soon as I started making fun of some of the 40K figures others had on display the owner's wife gave me a challenge, pick out any set of metal figures, take them home and paint them then bring them back for critique. Well I took that bet and a few days later brought back eight figures that had the gamers asking how I painted the figures so they essentially in shadows. The answer was Testors Chrome silver in the little bottle we all grew up with followed by washes of blue and black Citadel washes and glazes.

 

Anyway I won or little bet as it were, a $40 eight figure set of metal Van Saar gangers. I thought 'great', what I was hoping for was a date with the owners cousin (never happened, happy it didn't, girl was a nut job). Someone than asked my what I planned to do with the things and then told me that all I needed was those eight figures and I could use them in a game. Now, her I was thinking that I could build models and instead of putting them on a shelf when finished I could 'play army' with them like I did as a kid. Best of all I could do that without being made fun of. So, 21 years later and I have over three thousand dollars of Warhammer 40K figures and tanks with no where to play as that shop is closed. However, the amount of figures from all time periods is so great that any kind of scene I would want to make in a small area is overwhelming. I also found that modeling in 28mm allowed me to hone my skills in painting figures and other items much faster than had I stayed with mainline plastic kits. 

 

Before I got into gaming I had little to no skill with washes and dry brushing. My figures in 1/48 to 1/24 scale reeked so bad it killed my desire to build in those scales for years. Now I can take what I've learned and apply that to subjects I would've never touched before or just built the machine and left out the figures. As I'm now fully retired from both military and civil service I can make all those builds that I've always wanted to do. Once I get my daughter's old room converted to my workroom I can start teaching my grandsons, well four out of the five, how to enjoy making things. Hopefully they can figure out for themselves that certain models look better with their Hot Wheels cars. 

[stevehnz]

Early days my modelling was begun with 1/72, Revell, Frog & Airfix,  I did do some 1/48 for a bit, there was a local brand, RSL Classic which sold various others  1/48 kits as 1/50,  Phantom, F-86D, P-38, Spitfire IX, hellcat, Hell Diver & Bf 109E Badly made & painted with the set of prime colours which was all I could get50-55 years ago. Basically I seem to have decided they took up too much room & too much paint & when Humbrol Authentics came along it was back to Frog, Airfix & Revell in that order. I'm still a devoted 1/72nd modeller.

Steve.

[cruiz]

During childhood there where only two "national" brands for scale models readily available in supermarkets and drugstores; one that repackaged a mix of Revell, Airfix and Heller mostly in 1/72 and some interesting subjects in 1/32, and the other one that was devoted to Monogram mainly in 1/48; the difference in the level of detail (Oh the innocence!) got me hooked to 1/48. Even to this day, I have a soft spot for Monogram models in 1/48.

 

Carlos

[JackMan]

Boyhood memories of 1/72 Airfix and 1/72 Matchbox boxarts.  There was always something about those boxarts that fascinated me as a boy. Naturally, I gravitated towards that scale.

[RKic]

This is a fun question.

 

Unlike many, I got started in modeling with 1/35 Tamiya/Italeri and 1/32 Monogram tanks. This was when I was about nine. 1/35 is still my preferred armor scale, to this day.

 

When I started building aircraft around age 12, I built 1/48, because Monogram kits were the most affordable and readily available. You could walk into a toy store and find a well stocked aisle. How I miss those days!

 

I switched to 1/72 in my teens, because...well...I'm not sure why. My modeling friends built in 1/72, and we would trade kit parts and decals and what not.

 

When I cane back to the hobby in my mid 20s, it was right back into 1/35 and 1/72. I would occasionally build a 1/48 plane, but I always got nervous when I saw how much room they took up, and back then I was interested in having a very comprehensive collection.

 

Over the years I began to accept that my finished models have a short shelf life. They get replaced after a few years, so long term collection goals stopped mattering. At the same time I began to enjoy the journey of the build a lot more. I found 1/48 and 1/32 kits to be more fun to build, and began to shift.

 

I still build in 1/72 (mostly for Jets and other larger types), and I reserve 1/32 mostly for biplanes. In the last three years or so, I think about 40 percent of my projects (finished and unfinished) were 72nd, 40 percent 1/48, 15 percent 1/35, and 5 percent 1/32.

 

Which I guess makes me a scale whore. 

[habu2]

Superglue. 

[Kurt H.]

I grew up in the 80s, during what I like to call "Peak Monogram", this was a time when many of the more notable monogram classics were released, such as the 1/48 F-101, F-105, F-106, F-14, et cetera. These kits had really cool box art, and if you are a kid, and you do not care about seams can be built pretty easily. I grew to think 1/48th was cool, and 1/72 was a disappointing rip off with out much detail.   That is how I came to prefer 1/48th.  I will build pretty much any scale now that I am an adult, but there is still that initial feeling of disappointment when something new comes out and it is "just" 1/72.  

 

 

[Tgoetz]

As a child it was anything I could get my hands on and had no preference on scale.  However, I do remember the larger scales were more expensive and normally just pined for those.  When I got back into modeling as an adult helicopters became my passion, so 1/72 is primary for display space.  However, as larger scale helicopters are becoming more common I find myself drawn to them.  Guess I'm more attached to a subject than scale.  

[echolmberg]

1. 1/72 always seemed toy-like to me except when it comes to the large bombers such as the B-36, XB-35, B-1, etc.  
2. 1/32 is great but I don't have the luxury of having the excess space to display a shelf full of 1/32 F-4 Phantoms, Mustangs, F-15s, etc.
3. 1/48 is juuuuust right.  Much less expensive than 1/32.  Amount of detail is not too little and not too much.  Space-wise, I can fit more 1/48 planes on my shelves than I can their 1/32 counterparts.

Eric

[SERNAK]

If you had asked me this question a few years ago, or even a decade ago, I would say 1/72 is my scale!!! However, entering the fourth decade of my life my vision has started to fade and therefore switched to 1/48 and probably in a few more years I will irrevocably settle with 1/32 scale models.

 

[Don]

I'm odd in that I don't have a specific scale that I adhere too. I pretty much build whatever interests me. But I do display them according to scale.

 

Aircraft: 1/32, 1/48, 1/72, 1/144...and whatever balsa wood kit(s) interest me.

Armor/figures: 1/35, 1/76, 1/72...and those odd war gaming scales.

Autos: Mainly 1/24 because that's what they generally scale them to.

Ships: 1/350 for all but aircraft carriers (can't afford them...but I do have an HMS Illustrious), 1/700 for carriers and any other ships that interest me, Revell and Monogram oddball scales (see my signature).

Sci-Fi: Anything goes!

Model Railroading: N scale mainly but I do dabble in HO and O scale.

 

Basically if I want to build it I will. There are just too many great and interesting kits out there for me to choose a specific scale. That and I learn a lot by jumping around.

 

See...I'm odd...LOL!

 

Regards.

[phantom]

Started 1/72 for cost reasons.

Went to 1/48 as they are much better detailed and more decal options.

 

Now, depends on the subject. Ditching most of my 1/48 Starfighters and Sabres for 1/32. Even though the 1/48s are better detailed. Have one 1/48 Herc, but that is just too big for another. It all depends.

[Scott Smith]

Go big or go home! 

 

For some  reason I've always been attracted to larger scale models. Even when I flew RC, I built and flew Giant Scale.  

I do have smaller scales, but only because no larger option.  

[john53]

I do 1/72, I did 1/48 but am retired and short on space, also I do early

jets mainly.They can be large, 1/48 is TOO big. I like 1/48 for Bf-109s,

Mig-3s etc but they are out of scale with my 1/72 ones. I guess this is the

best scale for the space I have, I also think you can have a lot of detailing

in this scale, my eyes aren't that good any more but I have an optivisor, so

I have no excuse to at least try some detailing.---John

[wardog]

I eventually settled on 1/48th aircraft as I feel that is the perfect scale in which the model can be enjoyed visually without either straining to see detail or so big that you have to have ample space at home to accommodate their size. For me, 1/72nd is just too small and somewhat toyish; this scale also fails to project the ooh-ahh factor that you get from any modern combat aircraft. Although I appreciate 32nd scale for the ability to add a lot of extra detail, this scale is just entirely too big for me.

 

 

-Elmo

[Robertson]

   1/48th in aircrafts/armor and 1/350 in ships.

 

   The middle range seems to be the best balanced in both cases.

 

   R.

 

 

[Camus272]

Back in the 80s I built 1/48, 1/72, and 1/32 equally (and so my displays were a bit mismatched).  When I returned to the hobby around 2000, I put some thought into scale.  I wanted to keep everything the same If I could, to make everything comparable.  1/32 was clearly out because of space and availability.  Between the other two, I don't really like the look of 1/72 - shape is usually a bit off, especially with things like missiles- and given the wider range of available kits and decals in 1/48, as well as the better detail I went with that.  So far there is only one subject that hasn't been easily available in 1/48 is the B-2 (and maybe the Su-47 now that I think about it), everything else I've wanted I've been able to get.

[Peterpools]

Started off in 1/72 after my first real return to the hobby in the early 1970's ... discovered air brushing and the Squadron retail stores of old.

Joined a model club a year or so later and moved up to 48th scale.

Back in the mid 1970's there wasn't much in 32nd scale but the size and what we considered detail back then, took hold and I was hooked.

After leaving the hobby for nearly 30 years and coming back about 9 years ago, I've been mainly a 32nd scale builder but have been doing some 48th scale aircraft as well.

Peter

 

[Clunkmeister]

32 scale just seemed natural for me. 

As an ex commercial freight pilot, I’ve pretty familiar with old used dirty worn out aircraft and I like a scale that’s big enough to show the wear and tear on an aircraft without going overboard to the ‘artistic’ look. 

So, 32 plus most, plus some 48 for modern jets and even 1/72 for big transports such as the An-22 and A400M. 

[Peterpools]

Ernie

Right with you and always nice to build what the juices are calling for. In the hanger and ready for bench space are two 32nd projects and a 1/72 scale large transport project. 

Keep ‘em comin

Peter

[southwestforests]

Have been pondering for several days how to answer this and I'm still not sure whether it can be said that I even have a favorite scale.

Maybe the answer is, "favorite scale for which category of model?"

These days I build far, far, fewer model aircraft than model trains and even there the above question applies.

Also wonder what kind of effect on the thing that growing up in 60s and 70s had on the scale matter.

Remember building both 1/72 and 1/48 back in 1960s, Revell's WW2 prop jobs, Hawk and others' 1/48 jets.
Then in 1970s Tamiya's 1/35 armor and Bandai's 1/48 with the interior detail, with all the while 1/72 armor happening here and there.

 

Built a lot of 1/72 armor, a.k.a. "Braille Scale", for wargaming in 1990s.

For that also had easily a thousand of the 1/72 plastic soldiers from Airfix, Heller, Esci, Hat, RVG, others.

Also during that time a lot of Monogram's 1/48 jets.

 

Have called a number of sci-fi scratchbuilds and kitbashes 1/72 and 1/48 scale. 

And in recent decades have designed a number in 1/144 scale though none are finished, and the way my health is going may never be.

 

Hmm, have you noticed that 1/72 scale seems to be a common factor here.
Matchbox's 1/72 tank and vehicle kits had some quite nicely detailed figures.

 

The crew and pilot figures have always been a thing for me.
Does it have any?

What do they look like?
Kit had no pilots, no crew, nobody home? Then I was not interested.

[Clunkmeister]

I’ve never been one to model crew in place unless the aircraft is to be depicted in flight or in motion. 

I’ll model the crew milling about, or in the case of a Gotha or Felixstowe, standing or lounging in the aircraft, but no pilot clenching the yoke like he’s fighting a carpet of flak over the target. 

Flight posed pilots look silly in a supposedly parked aircraft

[RKic]

To you guys who build in 1/32. How do you display the really big stuff, like 32nd Jets?

[Peterpools]

RKic

All my completed models are on display in my glass display case: my mini museum. If a model is too big to fit, I pass it and  the reason I haven’t purchased or built any large scale WWII bombers. Most 32nd scale jets will fit - tight but they do fit.

Peter

[janman]

As a kid I loved to build jets and although my parents bought me some smaller scale cars (1/43 and 1/32) they were never my thing. That is why my answer concentrates on aircraft kits only.

 

When I started my first models were in 1/144 simply because my nearby supermarket was selling small collection of Revell's 1/144 aircraft kits - mostly (then) modern jets like F-14, -15 and -16.

 

Later on, when I had built most of the kits of my local supermarket, I found some 1/72 kits from larger stores in the city and even more from a local hobby store and also got them as presents. 1/72 kits were cheap, simple, compact and you had a lot of variety. At that time the scale itself didn't matter that much - if at all. What mattered was that I had something to build! Much later I began to think the finished models on the shelf had to be in the same scale for realism, so one could for example compare them more easily: you could clearly see how tiny an F-16 is when compared to a MiG-25. I still advocate still policy!

Edited August 12, 2018 by janman
Clarification