1/70 vs. 1/72

[tigercat2]

Recently I built an old Hasegawa F-104 in what I thought was 1/72 scale, but apparently the old, old F-104 was actually 1/70.  I ran across this fact today somewhere on the web.  Also, I have several F-8s, and the old old Fujimi kits are 1/70 as well, IIRC.  In both cases, there is just enough difference to be noticed; I thought that the old Hasegawa kit looked "different", but did not know why.

Are there other kits out there that are advertised as 1/72 but are in fact just a wee bit bigger (smaller numerically scale) than 1/72?


Wes W.

[frank2056]

Are there other kits out there that are advertised as 1/72 but are in fact just a wee bit bigger (smaller numerically scale) than 1/72?

The old 1/72 scale Frog (or various Eastern European makers) Gloster E.28/39 is probably closer to 1/70. The difference in the two scales is tiny, though - just over 2%. Not very noticeable in this scale.

[Mossie]

I've noticed it the other way, Airfix have a thing for labling their old OO (1/76) kits as 1/72.  I looked at mixing parts from the Airfix & Hasegawa 88mm guns, but they are different in size by enough of a margin to prevent it.  It doesn't stop you putting them in 1/72 diorama's though, they don't look out of place & it'd take a keen eye to spot it.

[puddingwrestler]

According to Whifstorians, early Tamiya kits where built to 'Metric' scales; ie: rounded to the nearest five or ten, so old Tamiya kits are probably 1:70, but I do not know which ones.

[NARSES2]

Quite a few of the old Japanese kits were either 1/70 or 1/75 scale. I've got a couple of kits from the early 70's when RIKO were importing them into the UK and to be honest some may be even smaller then 1/70 compared to plans.

[McGreig]

Heller used 1/75 in its early days. I'm currently working on a what-if bomber conversion of their 1/75 Couzinet "Arc-en-Ciel" and I've also got their 1/75 scale Nord Super Broussard (which, just to confuse things even more, claims on its box to be 1/50 although the instruction sheet has the correct scale)

[sequoiaranger]

>I'm currently working on a what-if bomber conversion of their 1/75 Couzinet "Arc-en-Ciel" <

Good on You! Sadly, I gave up my cherished Arc-en-Ciel for $$ when I severely purged my collection. I, too saw great "bomber" conversion potential in that beautiful Arc-en-Ciel, if only that so many other French Bombers were SO UGLY!!!

I have an old Nichimo Fw-190 that is touted as a 1/72, but is slightly oversized and really about 1/68 or so. It will do perfectly for a whif I'll eventually be doing using the Fw-Tank fuselage as a basis.

Luckily for us whiffers, EXACT scale is not a critical issue, except for mixing parts from different kits of the same subject.