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Why are there very few 1/24 motorcycle kits?


Anteater

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Or maybe there are and I just can't find them...?

 

I'm aware of the Heller kits of "modern" race bikes from around 20 years ago, but what about the older bikes? 

 

This looks interesting but it's not cheap once posted:

https://www.fcmodeltrend.com/24421-triumph-3wh-124-scale-p-1-51-1639/

 

F-Toys do some 70s and 80s bikes but do they have a UK or European distributor? I'm a bit wary of taking a punt on some far flung seller. 

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I think the answer to the first question is because they’re too small. There might be some in the “exquisite resin and white metal” category that good 1/43 car kits are in. On the whole, though, 1/12, 1/9, 1/8 and 1/6 give you a good compromise between detail, buildability and display impression. 1/35 can be very detailed, but I think mostly used as part of larger military dioramas.

best,

M.

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Built a few Tamiya's 1/12, just purchased the Meng 1/9 BMW Racer and can't believe the difference in size. Definitely don't think they would get the detail in anything smaller than 1/12 with injection moulding and easy buildability 

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What they said.

 

The average bike is going to be about 59.8mm, or 2.35 inches, in wheelbase at 1/24 scale.  That's about the size of three 1 pence coins.

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There's no reason that it can't be done, plastic injection moulding is well up to the challenge these days (look at 1/72 and 1/144 aircraft kits) it's just that the results will be tiny, as has been said, and while tiny makes people say "Ooh" and "Wow!", it doesn't sell a lot, especially in a niche field like motorbikes. 

 

Which is a shame, as I'd rather like some classic bikes to match some classic cars. Oh well. 

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I would definitely build more motorbikes if they were available in 1:24 scale, so I could display them with my 1:24 car collection.

 

If I only built bikes, 1:12 would be the perfect scale for me, as it gives a nice level of detail and models that fit nicely into the display space I have available.

 

It's probably because I don't like mixing scales on the same shelf in my cabinets; a shelf of 1:43, one of 1:32 and one of 1:24 is fine but all three on the same shelf makes me uneasy.

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2 hours ago, johnlambert said:

It's probably because I don't like mixing scales on the same shelf in my cabinets; a shelf of 1:43, one of 1:32 and one of 1:24 is fine but all three on the same shelf makes me uneasy.

What about 1:25 cars? Do you put them next to the 1:24 or on a separate shelf? I have them mixed and it looks a bit strange.

Edited by dbostream
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2 hours ago, dbostream said:

What about 1:25 cars? Do you put them next to the 1:24 or on a separate shelf? I have them mixed and it looks a bit strange.

Separate shelves for 1:24 and 1:25.  For years I wouldn't even buy 1:25 scale because I felt committed to 1:24, lol.

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8 hours ago, johnlambert said:

all three on the same shelf makes me uneasy.

 

LOL, that's exactly where I'm coming from! 

 

I know a 1:24 motorcycle would be quite small but they're not that small in context to what people achieve for model railways etc. A few 1:24 bikes would certainly add interest to car garage dioramas and also be interesting in their own right. 

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None that I’m aware of but I do know of the IXO readymade 1/24 die cast motorbikes,and there are a lot of them! I do diecast conversions on cars but I don’t know if this is an option. Have you looked on Scalemates? Chris.

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8 hours ago, johnlambert said:

Separate shelves for 1:24 and 1:25.  For years I wouldn't even buy 1:25 scale because I felt committed to 1:24, lol.

Same here. But eventually I had to give in because I really wanted some american cars that were only available in 1:25. I try to stay away from 1:24 when it comes to american cars from say pre '80s. For everything else I prefer 1:24.

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2 minutes ago, dbostream said:

Same here. But eventually I had to give in because I really wanted some american cars that were only available in 1:25. I try to stay away from 1:24 when it comes to american cars from say pre '80s. For everything else I prefer 1:24.

American muscle car models were my downfall too, although even there I've ended up with a bit of a mix as the Revell 1965 Ford Mustang is 1:24, and I've got a 1:24 Plymouth Road Runner (Monogram, I think) but also plenty of AMT 1:25 Americans, not to mention three European cars in 1:25; Maserati 3500GT, Aston Martin DB4 and VW Scirocco.  

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You’ve got Monogram-originated 1/24 American cars for some, and frankly, most US cars are such barges compared to European ones that the 1/25 AMT or Revell kits still look bigger. The only issues I’ve had are the AMT Opel GT and original Revell E-Type, which do look small compared to 1/24 European or Japanese cars, despite being only 4% undersize…

best,

M.

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There were some 1/25 motorbikes from US manufacturers, but mostly long OOP.   Revell did a few as parts packs in the '60s:  a Triumph, a Harley Davidson, a BSA and a Honda.   The Triumph and BSA were reissued as a Grease movie tie-in, but I think that's the last time they were produced.   Atlantis acquired a lot of old Revell-Monogram tooling and they've recently released a couple of the drag car parts packs as kits. I'm hoping they have the motorbike moulds as well.

 

AMT also made a Triumph, but AFAIK that was only included with the 1963 Chevy pickup annual kit, which was never reissued.   Replicas & Miniatures offer a resin repop, but ordering from outside the US is a pain.

 

 

Edited by Six97s
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You’ve got Monogram-originated 1/24 American cars for some, and frankly, most US cars are such barges compared to European ones that the 1/25 AMT or Revell kits still look bigger. The only issues I’ve had are the AMT Opel GT and original Revell E-Type, which do look small compared to 1/24 European or Japanese cars, despite being only 4% undersize…

 

Basically as long as your Yank Tanks look big and your proper cars look smaller all is well, IMHO. Otherwise just don’t park models of the same original next to one another in different scales.

best,

M.

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Some of the early Tamiya kits came with bikes included - I still have the Bluebird from when I was young which came with a 50cc Yamaha. I think there may have been a few others back then too, but they're all included with cars to the best of my knowledge. Not only that, but they're also not the easiest to find, even on a much feared well known auction site.

 

https://www.scalemates.com/kits/tamiya-24017-bluebird-turbo-sss-s--128167

 

Another one here who tries to avoid mixing scales on one shelf, although having different scales on different shelves isn't a problem for me. The strange thing is that because my 1/25 cars tend to be big American cars then, as Matt says above, they don't really look the wrong scale unless you put them next to each other.

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15 hours ago, johnlambert said:

I would definitely build more motorbikes if they were available in 1:24 scale, so I could display them with my 1:24 car collection.

 

If I only built bikes, 1:12 would be the perfect scale for me, as it gives a nice level of detail and models that fit nicely into the display space I have available.

 

It's probably because I don't like mixing scales on the same shelf in my cabinets; a shelf of 1:43, one of 1:32 and one of 1:24 is fine but all three on the same shelf makes me uneasy.

you could always go 1/12 bikes and cars 😉😆

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Just now, colin said:

you could always go 1/12 bikes and cars 😉😆

I'll need to move somewhere with more room first ;)

 

Also, there aren't many cars offered in 1:12 form that I'd actually want to build.

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Perhaps the fault lies with the original manufacturers of motorcycles, such as Honda or BMW. If they made their real life motorbikes much, much bigger than the ones they currently sell, then a 1/24 scale version would also look much, much bigger, and more modellers could be satisfied. So how about it, Honda?

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I would say it is because manufactures don't expect them to sell enough to make a profit.
There are some nice motorcycle kits in 1/35 scale so good models could be made in 1/24 but I guess that with the small size they would mostly be treated as diorama accessories by modellers and one doesn't see many dioramas in 1/24 scale. 
Tamiya did some cars in 1/48 scale but they were mostly a complement for the aircrafts and I found that their Ford lacked in detail because of this.

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On 7/21/2022 at 12:57 AM, Peter2 said:

Perhaps the fault lies with the original manufacturers of motorcycles, such as Honda or BMW. If they made their real life motorbikes much, much bigger than the ones they currently sell, then a 1/24 scale version would also look much, much bigger, and more modellers could be satisfied. So how about it, Honda?

No thanks, leave that to the Americans please :) 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I would think part of the issue is the injection molded spoke wheels. Also traditionally, I don't think bikes have held a big enough market share to warrant manufactures going down that rabbit hole today.

Look to the 3D print guys for some incredible 1/24 motorcycles. 

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Motorcycles in 1/24 are very few and far between in the classic bikes as far as I'm aware,  I think manufacturers think the 1/12 versions are better sellers so don't make as many.

 

Jerry 

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14 hours ago, von Race said:

I would think part of the issue is the injection molded spoke wheels.

 

Yes, lots of good points made in this thread but I think (historically) there would be a lot of truth in the problem of producing cleanly injection moulded bike wheels. 3D printing and bespoke resin has definitely moved things on in this respect.    

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