Just wondering what y’all think is the better choice for a beginner. Seems to me like it’s more cost savvy to go 1/72 to just learn on. Your thoughts?
I personally preffer 48th, every kit in my stash is 48th. In my opinion 72nd scale is just to small, for me at least. But for just learning and practicing 72nd would be fine I guess but you could just get some cheaper kits in 48th for practice.
I’ve seen alot of people do some real nice work with 72nd aircraft kits, but for some reason to me, they alway’s have a toyish look to them no matter how skilled the builder. They just dont seem to have the scale look to me. Again, this is just my opinion.
I used to build 1/72 exclusively, then merge on over to 1/48. Both are excellent scales but I find it much easier to teach techniques on something larger than 1/72. It depends on the subject as well. A B-52 is quite large in 1/72 whereas a P-51 is just right in 1/48. There are price point kits in 1/48, some of those who just assemble models stay away from them, but a real modeler uses them to cut their teeth on. Developing skillsets that transfer over to other scales, larger and smaller.
It boils down to how much space you have to display your finished models.
If cost is an issue, be an informed consumer, shop wisely and you’ll have no problem source great kits. Watch the sales, such as those by Sprue Brother’s Super Specials and coupons like those Hobby Lobby sends out via email subscribers every Sunday. Shop the vendor rooms at contests or wheel and deal at club meetings. We typically have someone who has a few kits in their car after the meeting…a tailgate sale by da moon light.
Even 1/32 can be affordable, when 21st Century Toys was producing kits, those were some great builds for under $12.
It’s simple. 1/48 = God’s Scale and 1/72 = Braille scale.
I build in both scales, but for WWII Aircraft I prefer 1/48. For larger modern Aircraft, I go 1/72, mainly for storage/display considerations… Both scales have advantages & disadvantages, but for a beginner I’d go with 1/48… Lots of great kits at reasonable prices & a little easier to learn the basics of seam filling, painting, decaling & masking canopies.
Regards, Rick
I agree with Rick…I mostly build in both 1:48 and 1:32 scales, but will go to 1:72 for larger aircraft. All depends on the look I am going after and the subject matter. For fighters, I float between 1:48 and 1:32. I believe there are better options for detailing in those two scales. For larger aircraft like WWII bombers, I like the 1:72 scale. I also base decisions on the quality of the kit.
I would experiment to see what really catches your eye/interest. I suspect that after you do 1:72 for a while, you will likely delve into the other scales. I’ve seen many stay in 1:72 and love it…
I used to build both many years ago, but in the late 80s I decided to standardize my aircraft collection in 1/48. In 1/48’s favor is the bigger size and higher level of detail. In 1/72 favor is (if space is a consideration) smaller size, and (less so depending on mnufacturere) cost. Also, from watching what gets done at local IPMS and AMPS meetings, is that 1/72 has a lower parts count and will usually buid quicker due to being less complex kits. But then you are balancing out with smaller parts and more use of vision magnifying devices, tweezers, and smaller item painting issues. As far as learning goes, I would say that deepnds more on the subject kit, rather than the scale of the kit.
I only do 1/48th & 1/32 these days… Unless it’s a plane I simply MUST have and it’s not in a larger scale anywhere, I pass on 1/72…
The exception would be where I need the Braille-scale for a mixed scale, forced-perspective shadow box diorama…
This is something which has been running around my head for some time now. When I was younger, 1/48 was out of the question due to cost & space, so everything was 1/72 & since coming back to the hobby I have only done 1/72 as most of the subjects I have done / am doing are only available in 1/72 (XB-70, Vulcan, TU-160…). I would prefer to keep to 1/72, but I think I will be forced to go to 1/48 when the jet bombers run out & I move over to fighters.
The Mirage IV-a from Heller is just to much on the finnicky side as well a being pretty small, so I just dont see how things like the Rhino & Turkey can be done justice in 1/72.
I have always assume that 1/48 kits would be easier than 1/72 kits as there wouldn’t be so much tweezer use & spindly landing gear - is that correct??
If I were you I would start with 1/48th. The parts are bigger so they are easy for a beginner. If you feel like moving on from there then you could try a 1/72nd.
What are you planning on building?
Yupper… But don’t throw away the tweezer…
I prefer the 1/48. They’re bigger and I can handle them better, no tweezers needed. I work in only 1/48 or 1/32, and only go to 1/72 for club builds or that’s the only scale the subject is in. I would go with 1/72 if you’re thinking about a big subject like the B-52, B-36 or KC-135.
I build in every scale. Just depends on the subject and the kit. I’ve built F-14’s in 1/144, 1/100, 1/72, 1/48 & 1/32. Each of them presented unique challenges.
I’ve always thought that 1/48 was the “perfect” scale for WWII fighters. The problem is that modern fighters like F-4’s, F-14’s, F-15’s & F/A-18’s start taking up a lot of shelf space in 1/48.
I ran out of display space in my house a long time ago (as negotiated with… er dictated by my wife…). I store most of my completed models in boxes and “rotate” displaying them. If I ever built everything in my stash I don’t know what I’d do with them all. At last check I had four 1/32 Tomcats,six 1/32 Phantoms, a lone 1/32 Hornet and three 1/96 Revell Constitutions (not to mention the 1/92 wooden Constitution kit sitting in the box that’s on my “bucket list” to build some day. I’d have to build another room just to hold those guys…
Mark
Even though I prefer 1/48 for my aeroplanes, I’m going to recommend you do 1/72 for the simple reason that if you end up really liking the hobby and choose to continue, you can switch to 1/48 and everything will seem so much bigger and easier to work with.
Regards and happy building, PWB.
i used to build exclusively wwII 1/48, but somewhere along the line made a jump to 1/700 scale wwII ships. now i’ve build a fairly large fleet, and have slide somewhat back to aircraft, but started building 1/72 wwI flying circus types. it’s all a matter of scale [;)], but the more varied the types of builds and scales you get to experience, the better developed your skill set will be.
to start fresh, i’d go with 48 scale for your averidge size birds, start with single engine fighters or smaller jets.
tim
There is a lot to recommend each, actually.
1/72 was first standardized back in the 30’s in England and was called “Gods Own Scale” for decades, a phrase coined by Airfix, I believe. I’ve also heard it called “Shelf Scale.” “Braille Scale” seems to be a relatively new wrinkle, although it fits! It was the first constant scale as we know it and so has traditionally had the widest range of subjects, although that has narrowed in recent years.
It is still very popular in Europe simply for space saving reasons and the fact that it is traditional there. The kits in 1/72 often cost less than similar subjects in the larger scales, although the older ones tend to be crude by today’s standards.
Their real shining moment, though, is that you do NOT have to detail them and make them into super show stoppers. You can, but you can also obtain a reasonable reproduction of the subject by simply building them neatly, doing a nice job of finishing them and voila! … you have a nice model.
Now they can be a tad smallish, though, and for those with maybe a little age on the ocular organs - the larger scales suffice better. Also, if you want ultimate realism and detail, the larger scales are much less tedious to work in and the effect comes off better. Excess detail in 1/72 scale tends to become blurred, and lost to the viewers eye.
1/48 has become the standard mid-scale, although the once-orphan 1/32 scale has made a dramatic surge in recent years (industry sources say that has a lot to do with the older eye/fatter wallet crowd). But for most people, 1/48 will be the best compromise between size, cost and workability.
Probably the thing to to do is try one of each, of the same subject. Get two Mustangs, Spitfires or Hurricanes, for example - something simple - one in each scale. Then build them up to see which you like better. Using the same subjects like this will give you something to compare, while eliminating variables that might color your individual results.
This way, you’ll learn a lot about what suits YOU best.
There seems to be a broader inventory in 1/72, with some models having fantastic details rivaling the larger scales. They are a bit too small for my old eyes [8-|] except for a 1/72 Super Connie which had about a 20" wingspan. That would be a monster at 1/48 scale. I really enjoy the 1/32 and 1/24 scales but then they require a lot of display space. Experiment with a couple of different scales to determine which will be the best for you.
I like 1/72 cause they fit on my shelf, but also cause of the prices there around 5-25$ compared to $50+ for 1/48’s
50.00+ for 1/48th is ridiculous… Revell (Ex-Monogram) 1/48th kits run 12.00 (SBD Dauntless and such) to about 32.00 (B-29 Superfortress) with the vast majority in at around 16.00 to 25.00… The older 1/48th Tamiya kits from 80’s-90’s run at around 25.00 to 35.00…
I do agree that the prices are getting ridiculous! The (new and inproved) Tamiya 1/48 Zero is almost $60. The Sworfish bipe and Mosquito with the small truck are $80 each. ( PE sets are extra. )