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Scales

Diecast Models are available in many scales. The nominal height of a man is simple in the inch-based system: six feet. Many traditional scales are derived so that a figure of such a height against the model can be readily imagined as a simple relation to an inch. Although the metric system has specified a limited series of scales for blueprints and maps, when it comes to models, there may be a problem with these scales for a readily imagined person of 180 centimetres. Model railways have the additional difficulty of having to present the Rail Gauge as a simple number, the height of a person being secondary. Trade authorities in metric countries are attempting to specify scales that are simple mulitiples of 2 and 5, but neither tracks nor people seem to fit. Or it could be that they are using the statement of rationalization for competitive advantage, so that people will buy models of their scale and not those of another manufacturing country?

On the other hand, wargaming scales have traditionally been traced to metric system, where the number of millimetres relate to the relative height of the human figure based on 180 cm standard man. Therefore 25 mm scale (popular in historical and fantasy wargaming) refers to 1:72 scale, whilst the 15 mm scale (nowadays the most popular scake in ancient, medieval and Renaissance wargaming) refers to 1:120 scale. Likewise, 50 mm scale is the same as 1:35 military model scale, and 5 mm equals 1:350 naval scale Although the British scale for "O" gauge was first used for Model Cars comprised of rectilinear and circular parts, it was the origin of the European scale for cast or injection moulded model cars. MOROP's specification will not alter the series of cars in 1:43 scale, as it has the widest distribution in the world.

In America, a series of diecast model cars were developed from, at first, cast metal and later styrene models ("promos") offered at new-car dealerships to drum up interest. The firm Revell, and later Tamiya, first produced them in a scale derived from the Architect's scale: 1:24, while the firms ATM, Jo-Han, and Revell chose the scale of 1:25. the firm Monogram later switched to this scale after the firm was purchased by Revell. Some die cast model cars are also made in 1:32 scale, and rolling toys are often made on the scale 1:64.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Scale Model

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