SPA Modeler

May as well go 1/1 and simply be done with it! I like the 1/32 for its size, but I did find the 1/24 P-51 (old, old kit) just a bit too big for my liking. Partially for the same reasons you listed. The little rascal sitting on my shoulder started..."you could add hoses here." "OH, look you could open this hatch!" and so on. Little devil ALMOST had me.

Well, Merit is rolling out a series of 1/18 scale kits now. I've got the Dauntless, but I know they're also planning an Fw 190 and an F-14, at the least...

How is the Dauntless? I simply do not have the skill or patience to fully detail one of therse. . . unlike Matt!

...Maybe it won't stop?? The Typhoon kit does look nice, but like you said, I've seen alot of larger scale 1/32 and 1/24 kits that out of box don't even come close to looking good for their size. That makes them look like toys to me. 1/48 is perfect for me for aircraft. I'll never convert over!! Obviously the larger the scales get, the smaller the target consumer who's gonna spend the extra cash and who has the extra space for these kits. Which means its gotta stop somewhere right?, or the big kits will just be out of reach for most folks.

My thoughts on scale have evolved over time, and probably will again.

In short, I think there is a "sweet spot" for footprint - i.e. the amount of space a finished build will occupy on a shelf. Everyone has an upper bound...if you're into 1/72 it's going to be smaller obviously. The upper bound can be broken, occasionally, but it has to matter.

Personally my footprint sweet spot is somewhere around 15x15. This accommodates every single-engine WWII fighter - a 1/32 P-47 has a 15" wingspan - and also works pretty well for 1/48 modern jets. Smaller 1/24 aircraft like a Bf 109 can also more-or-less fit (16.5" wingspan in 1/24). In 1/32, even smaller jets like the F-16 just smash through that footprint, and that's one of the reasons I shifted to 1/48 for farters.

Honestly I think the big manufacturers have recognized this as well. A lot of the new hotness in props seems to be happening in 1/32 these days, but most of the modern jet action seems to be taking place in 1/48, and the few 1/32 kits that emerge - like the Trumpy A-6 - suffer from a horrific lack of aftermarket support.

1/32 bombers...1/24 fighters...generally are going to blow through my ideal footprint. So I'm very careful about what I buy at that size...it has to be an awesome kit, AND a subject I adore. The Typhoon is lucky...it's my second-favorite aircraft behind the P-47. My other footprint breaker is an HK B-25J destined for PBJ-ification. I can pull off maybe, MAYBE, two or three kits this size. I imagine I'm not alone.

Long story short, I have a sense that 1/24 will see growing popularity, but it will still remain a niche with limited kits, markings and aftermarket as compared to 1/32.

DoogsATX wrote:
Honestly I think the big manufacturers have recognized this as well. A lot of the new hotness in props seems to be happening in 1/32 these days, but most of the modern jet action seems to be taking place in 1/48, and the few 1/32 kits that emerge - like the Trumpy A-6 - suffer from a horrific lack of aftermarket support.

But they shouldn't need aftermarket support, should they? In that size, at that cost? I think that in Props, 1/48 and 1/32 are going head to head right now. Lots of new great stuff in both scales.

LyleW wrote:How is the Dauntless? I simply do not have the skill or patience to fully detail one of therse. . . unlike Matt!

It's decent. Thing is...it really, really needs some aftermarket help in a few places. Gauge faces and surrounds for the instrument panel. Seatbelts (or at the very least buckles), brass barrels for the .30s. Markings. DIVE BRAKES.

It also needs full-on rivet treatment. When I get to mine, I'll at the very least be using Archer or similar raised rivets. If I want to really go all in, I'll use a riveter to mark spacing, then drill out the holes and use drop-in raised rivets. Probably also go all in on stressing the skin.

As has been said, at a scale so large, detail really matters. With a shrink ray, the Merit could hold its own against the 1/32 Trumpeter or 1/48 AccuMini Dauntlesses. But at 1/18 the simplicity becomes noticeable.

nathant wrote:But they shouldn't need aftermarket support, should they? In that size, at that cost? I think that in Props, 1/48 and 1/32 are going head to head right now. Lots of new great stuff in both scales.

The biggest glaring aftermarket hole for 1/32 jets is markings. There are some other holes...I know because I encountered them before clearing out the 1/32 jet stash and releveraging into 1/48.

General rule of thumb...in terms of resin and PE, the selection for a given 1/32 jet is about a third what it is for 1/48.

In terms of markings, I'd put it closer to 20%. And that sucks because modern markings are a lot harder to custom-mask than WWII schemes.