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Scale Comparison - 1/48th vs. 1/35th

I proceeded into the Bandi super detailing portion of this project with extra thought. I wanted to take extra care in thinking about scale concerns. My focus was on getting a good look and feel in the smaller scale. I didn’t want to over size anything. So, with Tiny Tim in mind I forged ahead.

The Bandi kit came with a grossly oversized and under-detailed shifter. This begged to be replaced. I sifted through my supply of wire and found a suitable sized bit. The knob was a new challenge. To get a decent scale size I tried a few different methods. I though of beads and couldn’t find any the right size. I thought of trying to get some drops of glue to suit the bill. I tried rubber cement and white glue. I found these to be very customizable and easy to work with. I ultimately settled on a shifter with a white glue drop on the top. The photo shows the kit piece in 1/48th the Tamiya’s versions of 1/35th and two of my detail attempts. I filled the hole in the floorboard because it was too big. I re-drilled a smaller hole and glued it in place.

Another small scale upgrade was the back of the seats. The kit pieces were very plain and flat. Since I am modeling the kit with an open top the seats will be visible and I wanted to dress them up. I found that the seats are a metal tube with springs in the back. This could be duplicated by sanding/grinding down the middle section of the seat and adding wire in the recess. I used a rotary tool with a small diamond burr to get the majority of the recess done. I used a small hand file to get the tight corners. The springs were simply straight pieces of wire from an old computer mouse.

The last upgrade in Braille scale was the roof frame. The previously mentioned web site was a fabulous wealth of information. It showed exactly how the frame was made. I must say that in the smaller scale I was more interested in getting something visually interesting and not necessarily 100% accurate. As I build more 1/48th scale kits I will aim for more accuracy. I searched through my wire supply and found a suitable stiff sized wire. I cut down the molded ‘blob’ leaving just the canvas covered roof. In such a small scale I used a pin to gently press pilot holes for drilling. This helped immensely. You will find yourself doing small extra steps like this in smaller scales because there is less room for error. I settled on a main stay shaped like an “L” on its side, and a “U” bracket over it. A pin vice with a very small drill bit is a must. I applied super glue with a sharpened toothpick and inserted the wire after bending it. This is my favorite upgrade. The impression it makes for the ease of the work is huge.

The extendibility of both kits was very good. The opportunities were abundant and there is more I could have done (there is always the next build). The process in 1/48th scale wasn’t as bad as you might think. I did have to consider different size materials, but I had them all. I didn’t have to get any additional tools or supplies to do any of this.