WARNING! Not all 1/25 scale is equal.

[WillyBilly]

After checking compatibility between the new Revell ST Hopper's Blazer, and the MPC Deserter/Sod Buster kits, I found the hood and grill do not fit. Most dimensions are spot on like the fender length, and door length. So, check dimensions before kit bashing or ordering aftermarket. Especially in the grill hood area.

 

[Ace-Garageguy]

Good reminder   

Many of us who have been building for a while are aware that measuring and dividing, contrary to what common sense would expect, are far from universally accurate procedures on the part of model tooling designers. 

Numbers are hard.

There are identical kits from the same manufacturer that have been released at different times labeled as both 1/25 and 1/24.

There are kits that have ridiculously underscaled parts (for instance, one Revell '34 Ford is the size of a '34 Fiat, and the "new tool" AMT Ala Kart engine is closer to 1/32 than 1/25).

There are engines from different model manufacturers that are the same physical size in 1/24 and 1/25 kits.

There are numerous kits where measurements taken or subsequent scaling are clearly wrong, leading to odd looking proportions.

The internet is also awash with incorrect "expert" listings of kit scales (the Lindberg / Pyro Gee Bee race plane is even boxed as 1/32, but measuring the wingspan reveals it to be about 1/26 in reality...though the included pilot figure is indeed 1/32).

So any reminder that these issues exist is worthwhile, especially to less experienced modelers.  

[Can-Con]

it'd be interesting for someone to measure the width of a real one to see which is actually closer.

One of my uncles has a longbed '86[ish] I've been thinking about buying from him and I'd measure it but it's 35 miles away and I don't get down that way much.

[Can-Con]

5 hours ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

 

(the Lindberg / Pyro Gee Bee race plane is even boxed as 1/32, but measuring the wingspan reveals it to be about 1/26 in reality...though the included pilot figure is indeed 1/32).

 

Gives a whole new meaning to the term "little people" 

 

[or is that totally in bad taste and "non-PC"]😕

[Ace-Garageguy]

3 minutes ago, Can-Con said:

Gives a whole new meaning to the term "little people" 

 

[or is that totally in bad taste and "non-PC"]😕

Just call 'em Munchkins, and if they're offended they can sue.  

[Can-Con]

Just now, Ace-Garageguy said:

Just call 'em Munchkins, and if they're offended they can sue.  

As long as they're not computer generated.🙄

[are we in trouble yet?]

[Ace-Garageguy]

18 minutes ago, Can-Con said:

As long as they're not computer generated.🙄

[are we in trouble yet?]

You can always claim it's an honest mistake, like JFK's infamous "Ich bin ein Berliner", which may or may not mean "I'm a jelly donut".

So the Munchkin corollary seems reasonable...  

EDIT: Though on further consideration, it's probably best to go with "individuals of diminutive stature".

Perhaps IODS? Every group deserves an acronym, right? 

Edited February 17 by Ace-Garageguy
TYPO

[Ace-Garageguy]

DELETE DUMBGUY DOUBLE POST

Edited February 17 by Ace-Garageguy

[rattle can man]

It's a question of which math they used: old math (easy and straight forward) new math (complex and too many steps), or the other math taught in schools now.

[Ace-Garageguy]

9 minutes ago, rattle can man said:

It's a question of which math they used: old math (easy and straight forward) new math (complex and too many steps), or the other math taught in schools now.

Or no math at all, AKA the Palmer method.

[NOBLNG]

20 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said:

Or no math at all, AKA the Palmer method.

Well they gave the blind deaf sculptor a photo of a corvette and told him what they wanted.🥴

[Wickersham Humble]

I only have the old Ala Kart Red Ram hemi version, but don't forget, the original 1/1 engine wasn't as big as the Chrysler/DeSoto version, so the original Dodge from '54 was smaller, right?*  I had one for a while in the '80s, dumb 4-door, but a torquey little monster even with stock 2/bbl.  Moreso than my pet Power-Pak 265 Chevy Nomad at low rpms, anyhow.  Great match for it's 3-sp./OD trans!  Too bad so few were built/sold.  Chevys got rpm's a lot quicker, oc. 

Like my '61 Tempest (Buick) 215 V-8, light but not small; it's the same dimensions side-to-side/top-to-bottom as the SBC, but actually longer due to front distributor!  The original 221-260-289 Ford resembles it.  Only 3,600-ish Tempest/LeMans V-8's total in 1961-62. Few survive in Pontiacs.

Ever see a Diamler 'hemi' V-8, or the little Siata/Fiat V-8?  Or, the Toyota?!

Wick  *It didn't use the same castings as the upper-priced cars, did it?  Sure looked smaller, and cuter.

[Brian Austin]

The IMEX/IMAI 1958 Cadillac kits seem to me to be simultaneously 1:24 and 1:25 scales.

The chassis and mechanical bits appear very close in size to Revell's nice 1:25 1959 Cadillac kits, while the body is waaaaay too wide, closer to 1:24 (or perhaps even worse).

 

I think the Palmer crew must have worked off photographs when carving their masters, rather than using actual dimensional drawings. I'm picturing their masters being carved from balsa.

Even after all those articles and videos over the years of the old-school kit mastering process, I still look at old parts and marvel how the heck they can make them from hand-carved masters.

Edited February 21 by Brian Austin

[Ace-Garageguy]

10 hours ago, Wickersham Humble said:

I only have the old Ala Kart Red Ram hemi version, but don't forget, the original 1/1 engine wasn't as big as the Chrysler/DeSoto version, so the original Dodge from '54 was smaller, right?* 

The 1960s issue Red Ram in the Ala Kart and subsequent AMT '29 Fords is scaled correctly.

The "new tool" version of the Red Ram is an underscale joke.

Engine shots side by side are in part two...

 

Edited February 21 by Ace-Garageguy

[Wickersham Humble]

I had a bestie in the Army who (another draftee) who was a professional industrial model-maker, eg. he made wooden -- and soft-metal, other materials -- machinists models for shops; amazing skill!  Read the blueprints, and created a dimensionally-perfect 3-D prototype that the machinists and so forth could refer to for size/shape.  He was assigned (typical Army, but... ) to their Medical Museum and making displays; besides hanging around together and riding dirt bikes, I worked a rotating one-day-per-week shift with Mike, otherwise I was doing drafting, lettering, and R.Crumb-style cartoons for the Medical Field Service School at Ft. Sam Houston, TX.

While most draftees went straight to 'Nam (home-town bestie was killed there two-weeks in country!) we were both left to our MOS jobs, and ETS'ed from Ft. Sam.  I bought my new 1970 240Z there.  Ex-SP5 Humble 81E20

[bobss396]

I like using 1/24 scale engines in 1/25 cars, if there is plenty of room. It fills the engine bay more betterer IMO.

[Nazz]

This scale problem isn't just in styrene kits, I ordered some 3D printed bodies and one of them was 1/28th scale at best, suppose to be 1/25 . As for putting a 1/24 scale engine in a 1/25 scale car, not for me. I think it makes a small block look like a big block. But I'm kind of fussy that way. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

Jerry

[1959scudetto]

The same for 1/24 that are not at all 1/24 scale: For example, the Heller (and Union- or Wave-reissues) Porsche 908 LH kit is supposed to be 1/24 scale:

Heller obviously modeled the very first 907 longtail (Le Mans 1967), which is defined by its high windshield: here are the doors and side windows correct, but the nose is wrong! -

they then added a rear wing and called it a 908 - it has the correct nose, but windshield and doors are wrong ! So the model is a mixture of 2 originals in 4 different scales!!!

 

The 908 LH was mainly a worked over 907 with a 3-ltr instead of the 2,2 ltr.engine. But the dimensions grew a little bit which makes the model even look smaller:

In true 1/24 scale the model should have (L x W x H): Porsche 907 LH     194 x 72 x 39 mm     Wheelbase 96 mm

                                                                                 Porsche 908 LH    202 x 76 x 39 mm     WB   96 mm                (all dimensions from wikipedia)

                                                                           the Heller model has:  180  x 65 x 37 mm      WB   95 mm         

   

So the dimensions vary between 1/27 and 1/28 for a 908 and around 1/26 for a 907 , the height for both is about 1/25 scale and wheelbase is almost correct in 1/24 !

[rattle can man]

The Palmer models were a physics experiment. They wanted to see what the subjects would look like near a blackhole so they used equations developed to make calculations based on theoretical physics of blackholes.

[Ace-Garageguy]

2 hours ago, rattle can man said:

The Palmer models were a physics experiment. They wanted to see what the subjects would look like near a blackhole so they used equations developed to make calculations based on theoretical physics of blackholes.

OR...maybe it was a gubmint funded study of what cars would look like to theoretical 7-foot-tall upright-walking fish that used cameras with fisheye lenses. 

[Bullybeef]

On 2/17/2025 at 10:56 AM, WillyBilly said:

After checking compatibility between the new Revell ST Hopper's Blazer, and the MPC Deserter/Sod Buster kits, I found the hood and grill do not fit. Most dimensions are spot on like the fender length, and door length. So, check dimensions before kit bashing or ordering aftermarket. Especially in the grill hood area.

 

The MPC kits heritage dates it back into the 70’s so yeah I’d say they will be some incompatibility issues. Like comparing apples to kumquats.

[WillyBilly]

2 hours ago, Bullybeef said:

The MPC kits heritage dates it back into the 70’s so yeah I’d say they will be some incompatibility issues. Like comparing apples to kumquats.

You and I know that. I have a 70s release and have built the original issue Fall guy Truck back in the 80s, and more than one Deserter. I was just sharing some of what I found to help anyone who may not necessarily know. A lot of the dimensions are spot on between the two. 

[Sledsel]

The one on the left (white) looks more like a 74-80 to me

[Bainford]

12 hours ago, rattle can man said:

The Palmer models were a physics experiment. 

Could be. I always thought it might be more of a chemical experiment. Lysergic Diethylamide, in particular. Or perhaps psilocybin, too.

Edited February 22 by Bainford

[Bill Eh?]

9 hours ago, Bainford said:

Could be. I always thought it might be more of a chemical experiment. Lysergic Diethylamide, in particular. Or perhaps psilocybin, too.

I was more of a tetrahydrocannabinol person myself! LOL