Scaling Accuracy vs Comprises

[Neova]

I need some advice from sculpting gurus such as the Captain or MLZ

I have an item that I want to scratch build for dio purposes. The problem is that when I "accurately scale" the item from 1:1 based on the original measurements to my target, say 1/48, it appears to be smaller than it should be.

I just divided by 48.

I'm using a ground crew set and the fighter pilots to compare relative scale to actual scale.

I calculated if I had to size back up to "relative scale" it would end up ~ 1/43 but looks "scaled" to the rest of the items.

So what would you guys do in such instances? Keep accurate scale or relative scale? If I fudge parts of it, it would be out of scale proportionally to the rest of the item.

Edited June 13, 2008 by Neova

[Clay Cliff]

Just curiosity... What is your 1/48 target and what do you want to scratchbuild? Maybe if you tell us it will be easier to find an answer... BTW... I don't care about size issues as long as the items are in the same scale, if it looks smaller or bigger so be it, that's how it must be for real... An instance: I'm sculpting an 1/48 Hayao Kakizaki (OMG... I must be bored) and as the guy is 2.07 m tall, it must be 4.3 cm in 1/48... I have some japanese ground crew from Tamiya and they look like little child when compared to the figure I want to sculpt, and when you look at them, you may think those figures are smaller than they should be...

Regards.

Edited June 12, 2008 by Clay Cliff

[Neova]

Actually trying to build up a 3 man interior cockpit in 1/48. I'm using Hasegawa, Fujima, and Yamato's ground crews and pilots to check initial sketch sizes but it was way off! I could barely fit 1 guy in there to my scaled sketch so I'm thinking it must be wrong.

Note: I'm going by dimensions given in the original sketches, not from a real sample, so it must be off or my metric math is bad.

1 M = 100 CM right?

[MechTech]

I'm not a guru, but I take the same problem on a lot. Models are like clothes I've found. Not everyone's size x shoe is the same or everyone's size x pants. You always have to try them on first. Or in your case, test fit. I bought a set of 1/200 figures from one company, and another from another company. Even that small, there was a big difference! That stuff bothers me too!

My humble solution, find the figure you like, and build around that one. Only you will probably tell the difference! - MT

[UN_MARINE]

i've had that kind of problem too, usually when i want to do it in reverse. (make BIIIIG things based on small things)

what i do is take the numbers from the scale model & divide them by the numbers of the actual thing. from that, i get the "approximate scale" of the model. most of the time, it's not the neat number the boxes say they are

for example, Hot Toys' 1/6 scale is actually 1/6.3 or 1/5.8. i forget which, but the 0.2/0.3 difference is huge!

then, i start building using the "new" probably more accurate scale.

there are also parts somewhere that are out-of-scale from your already out-of-scale model, so it helps to double check measurements from each section of the model.

i've seen too many models with correct overall dimensions & scale, to find out they have short noses, low roofs, undersized/oversized compartments, etc.

[Neova]

i've seen too many models with correct overall dimensions & scale, to find out they have short noses, low roofs, undersized/oversized compartments, etc.

This is what I'm trying to avoid. I was thinking of scaling the entire piece to 1/48 "accurately", then fudge the seats but then the figures would appear to be sitting at the DMV, shoulder to shoulder sharing a chair, instead of comfortably apart per the original picture/drawings!

I'll rescale the entire thing to "relative scale" and see how it goes. The good side effect is that it will increase in size slightly so it would be easier to work on!

[winterdyne]

Unless you're working from a real-world blueprint, you can bet your bottom dollar that scale wasn't an issue in the design process. I've done a fair amount of remodelling of Warhammer 40,000 titans to get them in Dawn of War, and going from what's a static, sculpted model to something that has to move requires the same sort of fudging as going from anime lineart to a sculpted product does - these things are designed to look cool in a certain shot, or pose and trying to put a 'bigger picture' together reveals the inconsistencies.

I can only really echo the advice given by others - go with what looks right to you, and does what you want. If a compartment can't open the way it's intended to when tried, does it matter if it's not going to be opened and looks ok where it is? Finding where to modify proportions to achieve what you want is half the fun of modelling an object designed for another purpose. You might want to use a computer modelling package to play with the proportions in 3D. I've done that a lot for cardstock models (even taking measurements off my 3d model) to make templates. It can help a great deal.

[David Hingtgen]

The smaller something is in the real world, the harder (and less accurate) it is to scale. A 200ft plane scaled to 1/72? Will be quite accurate. If it's 0.5mm off? Then it's like 1/72.1 scale---darn close. A 5ft person scaled to 1/72? Even 0.5mm will make a large difference in the scale--could bump them to 1/68 or 1/75 etc.