1/48 Armor

Modeling Subjects Armor
1

Anybody else is interested in 1/48th Armor? I usually do Aircraft in 1/48, but have a small stash of armor in 1/48th (mostly Bandai/Frog) so I can be ‘scale consistant’. I know 1/48th armor is not that easy to find, but it sure beats trying to find 1/35th aircraft!

Tamiya has already put out a few 1/48th german vehicles and have annouced a Tiger in this scale. Does anyone think (or hope) this is start of a new trend?

Okay guys, It seems Tigerman has started a nice long discussion about this already here…
http://www.finescale.com/fsm/community/forum/topic.asp?page=2&TOPIC_ID=29568
Sorry about the duplication, didn’t search that far back!

2

I have a small stash of the Bandai (some are Frog/Fuman reissues) 1/48 scale kits as well as more than a few of the ancient Aurora 1/48 scale kits. I’ve also got some of the Zhengdefu motorized kits (terrible), Tamiya motorized kits (OK), and some various other motorized armor kits put out by off-brand manufacturers.

I’m working on the Tamiya Africa Corps Kubelwagen and Kettenkraftrad right now. The Kubelwagen is awaiting paint and the Kettenkraftrad is about 1/2 done.

The Bandai kits in my collection are the M12 155mm SPG, M30 ammo carrier, M4A3 76mm (x2), Hetzer, Opel Maultier, and Willys Jeep. I even have an old Eduard PE set made for the M4A3. I’d love to find the old Jeep PE set.

The old Aurora kits I have are the M4A3E8 (Monogram issue), M46 Patton, M109 (short barrel), M109 (long barrel), Panther, Long Tom (x2), and MBT70 (x4).

The old Tamiya motorized kits I have are the M60, M60A1, M60A2, MBT-71, and T-34. The newer wire R/C ones my daughter have are the Type 74 and Jagdpanzer Kanone.

I’ve got an old Academy copy of the Tamiya S-tank, a couple of M60A1 and M48 tanks from miscellaneous Asian manufacturers. And an Aoshima M1A2.

The Zhengdefu kits I have are the Challenger, M1A1, M2A2, and T-90. I consider these bad since they all share the same lower hull, running gear and tracks. Mainly toys.

3

I know Academy makes some. I saw some at one of the local shops this weekend. I don’t know about the quality, though.

4

Maj G. I got the Tamiya Kettenkrad for my birthday. How do you find the kit. Any major problems with it?? Looks pretty good to me, but I haven’t gotten into it yet. (And I thought the DML Kettenkrad was small!!

5

The Tamiya Kettenkraftrad is pretty nice. I have never done a Kettenkraftrad before so I can’t comment on the size. No problems so far, the tracks and running gear are molded as one complete piece with a couple of road wheels added to the outer side. I’ve basically just assembled the “hull” minus the tracks and have yet to run into any real problems. It is a very simple kit though, not much too it. I haven’t gotten to the infantry trailer or Goliath yet.

I’m planning on painting the Kubelwagen and Kettenkraftrad this weekend.

The current Academy motorized tanks have the same common running gear/track issue that the Zhengdefu kits have. The upper hulls are nicer though.

6

Hello !
I like the idea of 1/48 Armor coming back . They take up less room , and will no doubt be less expensive than their 1/35 scale counterparts . With today’s technology , I think we can look forward to some good kits.
Frank
“PERSEVERANCE”

7

No sweat. We have had a hundred “how to” threads, but you can’t expect everyone to find them. Bringing this up might bring out new information or thoughts that weren’t discussed previously.

8

Well, looks like Tamiya is at it again, besides the already announced Tiger and Schwimmwagen, they’ve annouced a a Sherman and a StugIII.

http://www.tamiya.com/japan/hobbyshow/48tiger/index.htm

9

A new Allied armor kit??? WOW! What won’t they think of next!!

10

Wow, and a Shermie too, how original. [V]

11

Tamiya’s announced a 1/48 M-10 and M4A1, too.

12

Tamiya has said that for the next little while their focus will be on 1/48 scale armor. I used to build 1/48 scale AC only, but I’m not really a fan of the same scale armor, as it just doesn’t have the same feel and effect as a good, healthy 1/35 offering.
New trend or not, it’ll be a while before it can become as widespread (if ever) as 1/35

13

I imagine other than the early StuG they announced, that their 1/48 scale line falls into place with their 1/35 scale kits. With today’s computer generated mold cutting processes, I imagine that it is real easy to make a 1/48 scale mold from their 1/35 scale inventory. I have their DAK Kubelwagen in both 1/48 and 1/35 scale and they are basically the same kit but different sizes.

I grew up on kits in this scale from the old Lindberg rubber band powered ones to the old faithful Aurora kits. I’ve always enjoyed this scale and have kept an eye out for armor models in 1/48.

Here is a site that specializes in 1/48 armor. There are links there that point to other quarter scale armor sites. That’s where I keep up on the latest news.
http://www.track48.com/

14

I sure hope they don’t base the new 1/48 M-10 on their ancient 1/35 M-10 kit! [:0]

And they’ve never released an M4A1, so there’s no 1/35 kit in their inventory to scale down. But, other than the cast hull, they can use the parts from the M4 that’ll be released this month, so that’ll save them some capital…

15

How about a Callopie…in 1/48 or 1/35???

With all the kits coming out now, that’s one I am amazed there is no current kit or even conversion for.

16

Italeri did one that they released with their M4A3 75mm kit (same base kit as the M4A2 USMC) but I haven’t seen it since 1996 or so. Verlinden did a conversion in resin, but it was really heavy. Heavier than the tank it sat on top of.

17

email tamiya and let them know that a m-8 greyhound w/ crew and infantry in 1/48 scale would be a great addition.

18

hopefully I will get my 1/48th tamiya tiger before christmas. If the quality is good and I dont have too many problems with tiny parts I will gladly change from 1/35th to the 1/48th. Just think more space and cheaper price. : )

Dave

19

I am a huge fan of 1/48 armor for lots of reasons:- 1/48 is a constant scale across a lot of different types of modles, be it planes trains, tanks or automobiles, its one scale all the time. Everything in the kit inventory goes with everything. Objects can be compared. One scale ruler. Much more moderate shelf spcace demands (and you can do those ambitious towed artillery projects and they will still fit on the shelf). Fewer parts -easier to build. Smaller surfaces - easier to paint. Smaller moulds, less number of parts, less raw materials - easier to manufacture. More fun to look at (IMHO the scale has a higher cute factor). Generally less expensive. Way more diorama possibilities. Big enough to do convincing figures too.

Konrad

20

I agree with you there Koschrei, however much of what you say can be applied to 1/72nd also. While there seems to be a relatively large selection fo armor at 1/72, I rarely see them built, in shows, webs, or in print - unlike /172 planes. I guess they are too small in that scale?

PS Tamiya has so far annouced 5-6 armor, and some diorama parts like sandbags and beach obsticles.