Advice required: what scale to work in for a Great War project?

[Simon Nonymous]

Good morning.

 

Hopefully a very simple question; looking at kit availability and diversity for the air war 1914 to 1918, it would seem that 1:48 is the way to go? I'm up to a little scratch building but prefer the hard work to be done at the factory.

 

1:72 would be too fiddly for my shaky hands, and 1:32 seems to be limited in choice and would take up display room I don't have. Any thoughts please?

 

First on the build list might just have to be this fine war plane:

 

Edited September 8, 2021 by Simon Nonymous
I can't type. I can spell, I just can't type.

[dov]

Hallo

To answer your question: What do you want to see and show?

The rigging accurate? So you must do it in 32.

Here is in my focus also a Fe2b or a Dh2.

For any other scale for this two aircraft you need abilities (hands & eyes) like a super sniper!

There are aircraft which are real biests! Be 2, Re 8 or so....

Than you have to consider plastic injection molded or resin.

The other main issue are struts.

To make pin and hole and metal pins for accuracy and easy fit!

WNW was the prime for injection molded and accurate. Roden is today the best.

Try to get WNW instruction for the type you like and work with this instruction too!

In 48 the rigging will not be shown quite accurate. Specialists may get it done always better than me.

More I can not say.

Happy modelling

[Paul Thompson]

If 1/72nd is too small, then 1/48th should do you fine, and you have the added benefit that an up to date Camel has just been released by Eduard in this scale (but you'll need to check carefully because the older kit is still going around in both Eduard and Revell boxes).   I don't really like 1/32nd - too large for storage.

 

 

Paul.

[Simon Nonymous]

8 minutes ago, Paul Thompson said:

If 1/72nd is too small, then 1/48th should do you fine, and you have the added benefit that an up to date Camel has just been released by Eduard in this scale (but you'll need to check carefully because the older kit is still going around in both Eduard and Revell boxes).   I don't really like 1/32nd - too large for storage.

 

Very useful information Paul, thank you.

[JackG]

That particular Camel marking scheme is not offered in the new Eduard boxing, which incidentally contains two full kits.   The  'overtrees'  option (no decals, masks nor PE or instructions) might be a better option, certainly cheaper.  Or wait and hope they come out with a weekend addition with the markings you want.  Later in the year they will be adding more detailed engine choices as separate purchases, like the Bentley  and Clerget.

 

regards,

Jack

[mackem01]

Drilling down to basics I would go with the scale your comfortable working with. You probably have your tools and methods set up for that. Also don't worry about scale, just enjoy your project - and share it with the BM massive of course!

[Simon Nonymous]

1 minute ago, mackem01 said:

Drilling down to basics I would go with the scale your comfortable working with. You probably have your tools and methods set up for that. Also don't worry about scale, just enjoy your project - and share it with the BM massive of course!

It's looking very like 1:48 - a scale I work in a decent amount, and seems there is a good range of good kits in that scale. Thanks everyone!

[mackem01]

Great - my scale too. May I ask what your project is or do you want to keep it under wraps until your ready?

[Simon Nonymous]

1 minute ago, mackem01 said:

Great - my scale too. May I ask what your project is or do you want to keep it under wraps until your ready?

I thought I stated it in the title post, but no, I wasn't very clear. I'd just like to build a 1:48 Great War collection of Entente and Central powers planes - the more the merrier really, but one of each major type (or kit) and line them up on the shelves in chronological order. 

 

I'm still deep in my Bomber Command project in 1:72, so no big rush to move on 🙂

 

 

[Chief Cohiba]

On 9/8/2021 at 9:43 PM, Simon Nonymous said:

...I'd just like to build a 1:48 Great War collection of Entente and Central powers planes - the more the merrier really, but one of each major type (or kit) and line them up on the shelves in chronological order.

 

For that I'd definitely say go for 1/48, the range of available aircraft and accessories is the biggest, and if you go for a broader number of planes the ratio between build time and quality of the model is from my perspective ideal. You might get most of the types in 1/72 also, but it's very hard to build a convincing model in that scale (though possible), and in 1/32 you could build a museum piece, but a build could take a year or more. Also, now that WNW is out of business, the supply with more interesting planes is limited.

Only issue in Quartescale is, that there is only limited accessories for dioramas available, but if that's not the goal, then no worries. There is a lot of accessories like resin engines, single figures, belts, wood grain decals, even turnbuckles (though I don't do turnbuckles in 1/48)... though.

WWI stringbags in 1/48 is a world of it's own, you will enjoy it. And spend money. Lot of money...

[dov]

To switch the time scale a bit:

For a single 1/32 aircraft it takes me one month maximum. For a Fe2b also.

Look at my RFI models. Look at my standard.

It is not so much.

Happy modelling 

 

[Chief Cohiba]

13 hours ago, dov said:

To switch the time scale a bit:

For a single 1/32 aircraft it takes me one month maximum. For a Fe2b also.

Look at my RFI models. Look at my standard.

It is not so much.

Happy modelling 

 

I guess it depends of how much time one can spend for modelling, of course, so I agree that the timeframe I mentioned is not sound, or a solid base for comparison.

 

To me it is something I have much lesser time for than I would like to have, so my builds do take much longer, with time for work, wife, usual stuff, compared to someone to whom modelling is a full time hobby.

But let's agree that say a 1/32 WNW Camel takes significantly longer than a Eduards Weekend Edition one in 1/48. 😉

[Brandy]

There is a far larger selection in 1:72 (I have over 140 different types in my stash!) and it is certainly possible to build an accurate model, but if you prefer 1:48 then go for it! I chose 1:72 because my aim is similar to yours and with so many types available (I'm assuming, of course, that I will live long enough to build them all) space will be premium!

 

Ian

[Torbjorn]

I build 1/72 simply because I started there and got stuck. I would probably have gone for 1/48 instead if I could have communicated hindsight to my former self: simply because the level of realism in 1/48 is considerably higher for the size and type of details you can see on a plane of this era. 1/32 is too big, I tried, but it felt like I was assembling and painting toys rather than making models.

 

My suggestion is to get a few kits of different scales and try them out to find your own preference.

[Harold55]

I do exclusively 1/48 and have a large collection of built and inbuilt planes from the great war.  Rigging can be done in this scale with not too much difficulty and my preferred method is elastic thread.  Eduard makes excellent kits but there are plenty of others on the market - some not work some less.  But if you were willing to do scratch builds you at least have a great starting point with even a dated kit.  Good Luck!

[Simon Nonymous]

10 minutes ago, Harold55 said:

I do exclusively 1/48 and have a large collection of built and inbuilt planes from the great war.  Rigging can be done in this scale with not too much difficulty and my preferred method is elastic thread.  Eduard makes excellent kits but there are plenty of others on the market - some not work some less.  But if you were willing to do scratch builds you at least have a great starting point with even a dated kit.  Good Luck!

 

That's very helpful, thank you

[Chief Cohiba]

And as it goes along; I just couldn't help but show an excerpt of my 1/48 WWI themed stash with more exotic birds. It's not only Albatrosses and DRIs, but really great kits of some more interesting types - Special Hobby is quite active, Gaspatch' Salmson has almost WnW quality, and Roden has some quite nice two seaters. Not included are the Fly Pfalz, and Eduards "Du doch nicht" package with 3 of Udet's birds in one package.

 

I'm sure there's a lot in 1/72 out there as well, but I found my home in 1/48...

 

 

Oh, and if you noticed, there are two "Viribus Unitis" kits in this heap. I do have some patriotic tendencies sometimes in this matter. 😉

[RC Boater Bill]

It depends on what you want as a result.   I wanted a line up of colorful planes, to showcase the different ways the plane was painted.   I don’t care about making exact replicas- not doing turnbuckles or cocking levers on guns- so I went with 1/72 scale.  Plus, my goal is to eventually hang them in a mobile over my desk…

 

 

This would be too expensive, take too long to build, and take up too much room in a larger scale… ( I have four more Dr.1s  to do, plus another ten Albatroses.)