1:48 and 1:32 (1 Viewer)

[gi546]

can anyone show or tell me the difference between a 1:48 scale toy soldier and a 1:32 scale toy soldier?

side by side comparison?

height of each?

any help is greatly appreciated.

thx!

 

[Spitfrnd]

One helpful way to look at this is to pick an average actual person height and convert it to mm. To me , 5'10" is good average for a soldier and is 1776 mm. You then use 1776 mm as the conversion figure to determine scale. If you feel your real figures are taller than 5'10" you should use a bigger number such as 6' or 1828 mm. (The figure is arrived at by multiplying the height in inches by 25.4)

To get a fractional scale you divide your conversion figure by the figure height. The conversion figure divided by the fractional scale gives you a figure height. So, using the 5' 10" average, a 1/48 figure would be 37 mm and a 1/32 mm figure would be 56mm. Assuming a 6 ft real height the 1/48 figure would be 38 mm and the 1/32 would be 57 mm. In each case the difference in figure height is 19 mm or about 0.73 inches, a difference of slightly over 51%. These means a 1/32 figure will be about half again the size of a 1/48 one.

 

[Phantom Warrior]

can anyone show or tell me the difference between a 1:48 scale toy soldier and a 1:32 scale toy soldier?

side by side comparison?

height of each?

any help is greatly appreciated.

thx!

The 1:48 scale is "O" gauge in model railroading and the 1:32 scale is "I" scale. A 6 ft. tall soldier in 1:32 scale would be about 2-1/4 inches and in 1:48 scale about 1-1/2 inches. I'm curious as to why you are comparing two sizes with such a big difference.

Terry

 

[Ragnar]

Spifrnd i think you might be very close to the mark with your calculations
1:72 = 20mm.
1:56 = 28mm.
1:48 = 40mm.
1:38 = 51mm.
1:32 = 54mm.
1:30 = 60mm.

 

[Spitfrnd]

Spifrnd i think you might be very close to the mark with your calculations
1:72 = 20mm.
1:56 = 28mm.
1:48 = 40mm.
1:38 = 51mm.
1:32 = 54mm.
1:30 = 60mm.

LOL, well we all could if we knew or could agree on an average person. I personally think 6 ft is too large for that purpose.

 

[binder001]

Basically the differences are HUGE between the scales. For those of us who are less metric, 1/48th is 1/4" = 1' and 1/32nd is 3/8" = 1'. The difference is enhanced by the fact that a model exists in 3D.

Tamiya makes some really nice armor kits in 1/48th but they don't belong in a scene with 1/32 stuff.

Gary B.

 

[gi546]

The 1:48 scale is "O" gauge in model railroading and the 1:32 scale is "I" scale. A 6 ft. tall soldier in 1:32 scale would be about 2-1/4 inches and in 1:48 scale about 1-1/2 inches. I'm curious as to why you are comparing two sizes with such a big difference.

Terry

i wanted to compare the sizes because i was thinking a bout buying some 1:48 tamiya figures and just wanted to see how close their size would be before i brought them.

 

[Phantom Warrior]

i wanted to compare the sizes because i was thinking a bout buying some 1:48 tamiya figures and just wanted to see how close their size would be before i brought them.

The 1:48 figures would not be nearly big enough to put with 1:32 figures.

Terry

 

[trooper]

One helpful way to look at this is to pick an average actual person height and convert it to mm. To me , 5'10" is good average for a soldier and is 1776 mm. You then use 1776 mm as the conversion figure to determine scale. If you feel your real figures are taller than 5'10" you should use a bigger number such as 6' or 1828 mm. (The figure is arrived at by multiplying the height in inches by 25.4)


The only problem with the above is that people do vary in height. A guardsman would stand head and shoulders above a gurkha and in WW1 the Bantam Battalions were composed of men below average height. However the one constant is the weapon which is standard irrespective of the size of the user. Therefore the scale of the figure should be established by the weapon and the figure height by Spitfrnds method. No unit is composed of men of equal height, just look at any group in a bar, a bus line or football team. In time of war they would all be in uniform and still just as varied, but they would all carry the same weapon.

 

[Phantom Warrior]

One helpful way to look at this is to pick an average actual person height and convert it to mm. To me , 5'10" is good average for a soldier and is 1776 mm. You then use 1776 mm as the conversion figure to determine scale. If you feel your real figures are taller than 5'10" you should use a bigger number such as 6' or 1828 mm. (The figure is arrived at by multiplying the height in inches by 25.4)


The only problem with the above is that people do vary in height. A guardsman would stand head and shoulders above a gurkha and in WW1 the Bantam Battalions were composed of men below average height. However the one constant is the weapon which is standard irrespective of the size of the user. Therefore the scale of the figure should be established by the weapon and the figure height by Spitfrnds method. No unit is composed of men of equal height, just look at any group in a bar, a bus line or football team. In time of war they would all be in uniform and still just as varied, but they would all carry the same weapon.

Good point - and it has come up before. I believe FL was commented on as getting the closest to correct weapon size. But there is a drawback - at 1:30 scale, parts of weapons (sword blades, bayonets, gun barrels) are very thin and easily bent. Manufacturers often "beef up" these parts for strength which can throw off the scale comparison between soldier figures and their weapons. I think bayonets are the most oversized weapon part.

Terry

 

[Spitfrnd]

Good point - and it has come up before. I believe FL was commented on as getting the closest to correct weapon size. But there is a drawback - at 1:30 scale, parts of weapons (sword blades, bayonets, gun barrels) are very thin and easily bent. Manufacturers often "beef up" these parts for strength which can throw off the scale comparison between soldier figures and their weapons. I think bayonets are the most oversized weapon part.
Terry

The better alternative is to use stronger materials for those parts. There are few things that mess up the appearance of a figure of this scale than an oversized weapon. Actually it really detracts from my enjoyment of the piece. The alternatives cost more but I would vastly prefer that or even a greater risk of bending to those oversized blades and barrels. FL has done a great job with this and continued to improve the metals in their pieces to make them stronger in the correct scale. Conte and CS have begun to do this as well and I very much appreciate all these efforts.

 

[gi546]

thanks for the help everyone. guess i won't be displaying them along with my 1:32

 

[theBaron]

i wanted to compare the sizes because i was thinking a bout buying some 1:48 tamiya figures and just wanted to see how close their size would be before i brought them.

Tamiya has brought out their figure sets to accompany their 1/48th armor sets.

You certainly could use them in a larger display with 1/32 figures, to force perspective, but everyone else is right, you probably wouldn't want to display them side by side.

You do realize, too, that Tamiya's figures are unpainted styrene plastic kits, you have to assemble and paint them yourself? They're not finished figures. But if you paint your own, you can hardly find better, in that scale, for the same subject. Eduard's air and ground crew sets for 1/48 aircraft models are comparable, or the figures Monogram included in its aircraft kits. Those are favorites of scale modelers.

Prost!
Brad

 

[gi546]

Tamiya has brought out their figure sets to accompany their 1/48th armor sets.

You certainly could use them in a larger display with 1/32 figures, to force perspective, but everyone else is right, you probably wouldn't want to display them side by side.

You do realize, too, that Tamiya's figures are unpainted styrene plastic kits, you have to assemble and paint them yourself? They're not finished figures. But if you paint your own, you can hardly find better, in that scale, for the same subject. Eduard's air and ground crew sets for 1/48 aircraft models are comparable, or the figures Monogram included in its aircraft kits. Those are favorites of scale modelers.

Prost!
Brad

yes, i do know you have to assemble and paint them.i thought it would occupy my time in my dull life.