¹⁄35

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

overall equality

I came away from this project with new scale and a broader modeling focus.

I understand that this review was of two kits and there are vast differences between the huge populations of other kits. Basically though, you can easily switch back and forth between scales. The tools and techniques are very close at this size differential.

The kit quality out of the box is very comparable, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. The plastics were both equally easy to work with. Even through super detailing the plastic was about equal. Size did play a part in how delicately I needed to treat parts and naturally the smaller scale dictated more small size parts. Detail wise the smaller kit was nicer.

Instructions were equal and there isn’t much to say about the two. I don’t believe that instructions should or would be a consideration in building one scale over another.

Completeness is again a toss up with neither being overtly better than the other. Each came with all the required parts and both kits came with a crew of an officer and a driver. I must add a bit about figures here. The figure size and scales were quite different with the same scale (1/48th). I was a bit surprised at how two kits by Bandi vary so much. I have seen and discussed the variety of sizes between manufactures such as Tamiya and Verlinden, and Warrior.

Bandi makes you really stretch. I compared three figures – two Bandi and a third party Revell/Monogram ground crew figure. The standing officer (far left in the three figure shot) does not even make 5’ 5” tall. The sapper figure (middle figure) is a bit hard to tell, but I estimate him at 5’ 8” tall. The Revell/Monogram figure (right figure pointing) is just 6’ tall. The seated driver is so undersized that he almost doesn’t even compare to the figure in the same kit.

The same arguments hold in 1/48th scale that hold in 1/35th scale – different people are different size and as long as the gear is the same size you’re fine. That may be the case, but I feel the size differences here are too great to include all three in one project.

The molding and detail of these two sizes is very comparable. One final example is the comparison photo of the MG and shovel. They are both adequately detailed. The smaller scale is not so far below its larger competitor to keep me from building it. These two kits are both solidly detailed and molded.

wrap up

Size and scale are no excuse to stay away from 1/48th scale kits. The arguments I have seen and read aren’t overly compelling to keep me from building more. I truly believe that it’s a personal choice to build or not build in different scales. As I look around at my built collection I see all kinds of scales – 1/9, 120mm, 1/24, 1/32, 54mm, 1/35, 1/48, 1/72….. I’ll leave the final decision up to you, but I can say that 1/48th scale is a ton of fun to build.