I’m a first time aircraft modeler (I couldn’t even remeber the last time I built my last plane model), I like to model tanks and subs and I like to add a little twist to my hobby. I’m thinking of getting an aircraft model for Christmas maybe scale 1/72, the question I’m most concerned about is that I don’t want one that is too small or too big (money, big paint jobs, etc), how big are 1/48s and 1/72s in general? I’m aiming at a fighter or bomber in the WWII era, any D-Day aircrafts would be nice. Any good suggestions for a fair price?
[#welcome]
Now you have to remember that WWII planes vary greatly in size but the average fighter would be 6-7 inches in 72nd and 8-9 inches in 48th.
A B-17 is about a foot long in 72nd and 16inches or so in 48th.
If you have a plane in mind, find a page about it on the web with dimensions (usually in feet). Divide by 6 for 72nd scale or 4 for 48th and that should get you a general idea.
Have fun.
Go on Google.
Search the name of the aircraft that interests you, and also search “length” “wingspan”…
Divide whatever you get by 72.
Price and space won’t be a problem for WWII fighters.Check out www.squadron.com
Do a search for 1/72 scale aircraft.There are plenty to choose from in all price ranges and skill levels.
72 fighters are usually pretty small. But for WWII fighters 48 scale is none too big. In fact I say it’s just the right size.
Small fighters (WWII, at least) like the Hawker Hurricane are about six inches wide, maybe five and a half long. For larger fighters like the Hellcat add maybe a half inch to each.
I’m all for 1/48 if it’s for fighters. Bombers, though, really come into their own in 1/72. You have the average B-17 that was mentioned before that comes in at about a foot long, all the way up to the barely manageable mammoth, the B-36 with a two and a half length and [:O] an over three foot wingspan! (I know. I came. I saw. I built.)
That’s one of the most appealing things to me about 1/72. You can get the bigguns, like the Peacemaker, all the way down to some of the smallest, like the diminutive XF-85 Goblin (about two inches long, I hear…) all in the same scale. It really helps in size comparison. That, and if only one kit was made of a particular airplane chances are it’s in 1/72. That seems to be the default scale for cottage industries making limited run aircraft. These are all reasons I’ve decided to pretty much dedicate myself to all 1/72. I can do that knowing I’m not going to miss out on much! [:D]
I hope you got something from all this!
too small
Thanks for the info so far guys! I think I’m gonna aim at a bomber, I’m thinking about an Avro Lancaster (“Lancie”) any good kits?
the only two kits I saw on squadron.com were Revell and Airfix… both make good and bad products so I suggest going out on google and searching for reviews on the kits…
here’s a one I found:
The Airfix kit, at 131 pieces it might be a little daunting if you are new to aircraft but overall it can be built out of the box and you probably would love it…
http://www.fortunecity.com/meltingpot/portland/971/Reviews/raf/lanc-dambuster.htm
you’d probably be better off starting with the Revell kit, I couldn’t find any reviews but it would be a great learning kit to get your feet wet with aircraft. .especially on a kit with lots of interior detail it can be a little challenging at times, even if all you build is aircraft! My first model after a 15 yr hiatus from modeling was an Accurate Minituares 1/48 SBD-5 dive bomber… 97 pieces and I think 93 of them were inside the cockpit! Needless to say I went and bought a second one and it went together much better than the first [;)]
Both of the kits can be found on squadron.com
gotta love that B-36, even few there were a few issues here and there, once that baby goes together it’s a real eye catcher… hard NOT to notice it!!!
My rule is I do WWII planes in 1:48, 1:72 is simply too small for my eyes and fingers any more. Modern fighters, F14s and so forth, I do 1:72, they caome in about the same size as the 1:48 WWII. The problem I have is I want accuracy within a period. I hate the fact that the bombers in WWII tend to be 1:72. I want a good (hear me Tamiya, good) B17 in 1:48. Hear me Accurate, hear me Tamiya? Good 1:48WWII bomber.
[#welcome]Just wanted to drop a note and say welcome to the wounderful world of Fsm feel free to ask questions, but most of all have fun, and enjoy yourself.[#welcome]
I just don’t see the point with many 1/72 models because they lack too much detail. All other things being equal, a 1/48 will turn out to be a more impressive looking model than a 1/72.
Captain Nemo,
This booklet from FSM, available for download here at this site:
http://www.finescale.com/fsm/objects/pdf/fsmbooklet.pdf
will answer a lot of your questions about scale. Check out the second page of the document to see just how much variation in size there is among 1/72 scale models.
FWIW, I used to build 1/48 scale exclusively, but I’m leaning toward 1/72 scale now for most of my planes. I’ve still got some 1/48 scale Monogram WWII fighters that I’ll build, however. [:)]
The bottom line is that you should build what you like. I know some people get very strict about what kits they’ll have in their collections, but I’m not that disciplined.
Regards,
These are all 1/72, except the bottom shelf, which is 1/48:
http://www.inpayne.com/models/shelves/shelf_right.jpg
These are all 1/48:
http://www.inpayne.com/models/shelves/shelf_left.jpg
The shelf units are three feet wide exactly.
Just remember that 1inch equals 6 feet in 1/72 scale. If a 1 to 1 aircraft has a span of 42 feet then the span of the 1/72 model will be 7 inches. A B-17 model which has a real span of 103 feet will have a 17.16 inch span. The same B-17 in 1/48 scale will have a span of 25.75 inches. Hope this helps a little.