A4K
Brigadier General
Go the Stuart! 
That Peterbuilt's nice too, my grandfather made one of those when I was a kid.
That Peterbuilt's nice too, my grandfather made one of those when I was a kid.
A few more future releases.
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Lucky13
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Donivanp
Major
I did one back about '85 for a friend's dad. built it up just like his. He loved that modelGo the Stuart!
That Peterbuilt's nice too, my grandfather made one of those when I was a kid.
Lucky13
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A4K
Brigadier General
Awesome Jan! Tack for the heads up mate.
Donivanp
Major
I've done the Tamiya, it's been around a while so let's see what Takom can do.
A4K
Brigadier General
Never knew Tamiya kitted it, though I had their 251/1.
Airfix used to have make Rommel's 250/3 in 1:32.
Airfix used to have make Rommel's 250/3 in 1:32.
Donivanp
Major
A4K
Brigadier General
Beauty, cheers Don. Be interesting to do a side by side comparison build.
Donivanp
Major
I did the Tamiya back in the eighties so it's been around a while. But IT'S A TAMIYA!
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- #4,012
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
I did the Airfix 1/32nd scale kit around 42 years ago. A nice kit back then, and probably still holds up quite well today.
A4K
Brigadier General
A mate of mine had the Grant tank they made.
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- #4,014
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Yep, there were some good Airfix 1/32nd scale kits back then, and the scale matched popular car kits, slot cars and aircraft, figures etc, etc.
The idea was to have scales matching all areas - vehicles, aircraft, trains, boats etc.
Then Tamiya threw a spanner in the works and came up with the ludicrous 1/35th scale, which doesn't match anything, and everyone else followed, and still follow, over 50 years on !
I don't care what anyone says, there is a marked difference between 1/35th and 1/32nd scales, when it comes to matching, for example, figures and vehicles with aircraft.
The idea was to have scales matching all areas - vehicles, aircraft, trains, boats etc.
Then Tamiya threw a spanner in the works and came up with the ludicrous 1/35th scale, which doesn't match anything, and everyone else followed, and still follow, over 50 years on !
I don't care what anyone says, there is a marked difference between 1/35th and 1/32nd scales, when it comes to matching, for example, figures and vehicles with aircraft.
A4K
Brigadier General
Agreed Terry. There was a noticable difference in size between my mate's Airfix 1:32 M3 Grant and my Tamiya 1:35 M3 Lee.
Donivanp
Major
Monogram had some armor in 1/32 as well also in 1:48. Often wondered why ad the oddball scale of 35th just for armor.
- Thread starter
- #4,017
Airframes
Benevolens Magister
Yep, I agree.
From the early 1950's up to the mid to late 1960's, the common scale for most model kits was 1/72nd, to more or less match model railway stuff, with 1/96th and some other "near enough" scales too.
At that time, there were very few 1/48th scale kits, of any type, with Monogram and Revell being the leaders. This situation remained well into the early 1980's, when such companies as Airfix, ESCI and Italiere (as they then were, now Italeri), started to introduce 1/48th, far surpassing the then limited number of offerings from the likes of Otaki and even Tamiya.
Revell introduced, in the late 1960's, what was then considered "huge" 1/32nd scale aircraft kits, with detail that was, for the time, amazing (if not particularly accurate), and these matched the already available car, truck, figures, and railroad kits from many manufacturers.
Military vehicle kits in this scale, from Airfix, Monogram, Revell etc soon followed, albeit sparsely but, by the early 1970's, Tamiya had started their domination of military stuff in the odd-ball scale of 1/35th, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Very recently, there have been some 1/35th aircraft kits, presumably to address the situation vis a vis the scale-matching of aircraft, vehicles and figures, but I personally think this should have happened 50 years ago, but matching the vehicles etc to the already established (and better) scale of 1/32nd.
The can is open, let the worms wriggle .............................
From the early 1950's up to the mid to late 1960's, the common scale for most model kits was 1/72nd, to more or less match model railway stuff, with 1/96th and some other "near enough" scales too.
At that time, there were very few 1/48th scale kits, of any type, with Monogram and Revell being the leaders. This situation remained well into the early 1980's, when such companies as Airfix, ESCI and Italiere (as they then were, now Italeri), started to introduce 1/48th, far surpassing the then limited number of offerings from the likes of Otaki and even Tamiya.
Revell introduced, in the late 1960's, what was then considered "huge" 1/32nd scale aircraft kits, with detail that was, for the time, amazing (if not particularly accurate), and these matched the already available car, truck, figures, and railroad kits from many manufacturers.
Military vehicle kits in this scale, from Airfix, Monogram, Revell etc soon followed, albeit sparsely but, by the early 1970's, Tamiya had started their domination of military stuff in the odd-ball scale of 1/35th, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Very recently, there have been some 1/35th aircraft kits, presumably to address the situation vis a vis the scale-matching of aircraft, vehicles and figures, but I personally think this should have happened 50 years ago, but matching the vehicles etc to the already established (and better) scale of 1/32nd.
The can is open, let the worms wriggle .............................
Donivanp
Major
Owwww slimmy
MIflyer
1st Lieutenant
News from Atlantis:
A4K
Brigadier General
About 1:35 scale...
Just checking a book I have, 'Classic Kits' by Arthur Ward, which details most model companies' histories etc.
For Tamiya, he mentions they originated as a lumber yard (1946), and within a year began to produce high quality wooden model ship kits. This was so succesful, that by 1953 the timber yard was closed so they could concentrate solely on the wooden kits.
At the same time however, plastic kits started to become popular around the world, and the founder's son, Shunsaku Tamiya, persuaded him to start producing plastic kits in 1959.
After a not so successful attempt to market an injection moulded Musashi (1960), later reissued as the Yamato (- Nichimo beat them to it), they decided to take a risk: get away from ships, and build tanks.
Their first was a Panther, released in 1962, which came with an electric motor. It was a huge success, and the rest is history.
Now for the scale part. To quote Arthur Ward:
' The original 'Panther' kit also firmly established 1/35th as the standard scale for the majority of Tamiya's military vehicles and accessories. In fact the choice of this scale was almost accidental. It was adopted because it enabled the chosen electric motor to sit most comfortably within the 'Panther's' hull! '
Just checking a book I have, 'Classic Kits' by Arthur Ward, which details most model companies' histories etc.
For Tamiya, he mentions they originated as a lumber yard (1946), and within a year began to produce high quality wooden model ship kits. This was so succesful, that by 1953 the timber yard was closed so they could concentrate solely on the wooden kits.
At the same time however, plastic kits started to become popular around the world, and the founder's son, Shunsaku Tamiya, persuaded him to start producing plastic kits in 1959.
After a not so successful attempt to market an injection moulded Musashi (1960), later reissued as the Yamato (- Nichimo beat them to it), they decided to take a risk: get away from ships, and build tanks.
Their first was a Panther, released in 1962, which came with an electric motor. It was a huge success, and the rest is history.
Now for the scale part. To quote Arthur Ward:
' The original 'Panther' kit also firmly established 1/35th as the standard scale for the majority of Tamiya's military vehicles and accessories. In fact the choice of this scale was almost accidental. It was adopted because it enabled the chosen electric motor to sit most comfortably within the 'Panther's' hull! '
