1/48 Is A Scale Very Often Used For Model Kits And Model Railways

1/48 is a scale very often used for model kits and model railways

by

Annie Blaire

1:48 scale is famous with hobbiests both as diecast models, plastic models and construction toys. It is especially famous with producers of model airplanes and model trains (where it is known as O scale). 1:48 is also the most famous scale with Lego hobbiests because it is almost the scale of the minifig (1.5 inches: 6 feet).

It is similar in dimension to 1:43 scale and 1:50 scale which are very famous for diecast muscle cars.

Many manufacturers produce die-cast models of trucks, cars, buses, construction equipment and other vehicles in scales compatible with or similar to 0 scale model railways. These are available in 1:48 scale, 1:43 scale and 1:50 scale. Manufacturers include Conrad, Corgi, NZG, TWH Collectibles and many others. These are popular with collectors and easy to find.

Recently, Tamiya has started to manufacture a stock of military tanks models in 1:48 in addition to their more famous 1:35 scale stock. This has been seen as an try to break into a new market since the stiff competition in the larger scale. This is the famous scale for Admiralty Board style models and Shipyard builders scale models.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6OYVIDZ0RM[/youtube]

It is common with producers of model railways.

The biggest makers of U.S. O scale model trains today are Lionel, MTH Electric Trains, LLC, Atlas O, and Weaver Models.

In the U.S., manufacturers such as the Ives, American Flyer and Lionel used O scale for their budget line, marketing either Scale I or Wide scale (also known as standard scale) as their premium model trains.

The Great Depression wiped out the questioning for the expensive larger trains, and by 1932, 0 gauge was the standard, almost by default.

Because of the emphasis on play value, the scale of pre WW II O scale model trains varied.

After WW II, manufacturers started giving more attention to scale, and post-war locomotives and rolling stock tend to be larger and more realistic than their earlier counterparts.

Since the early 1990s, 0 scale producers have begun placing more emphasis on realism, and the gauge has experienced a resurgence in popularity, although it remains less hamous than N and HO scale. However, newer companies including MTH Electric Trains, Lionel, LLC,Weaver and Atlas are making very exact 1:48 scale model railways.

O gauge beginnings up until the mid-1970s, the various manufacturers trackside items would interoperate with one another, but the train cars themselves used couplers of differing designs, often making it difficult or impossible to use different manufacturers cars together. The post War consolidation did little to improve matters. Marx used three different standards depending on the product line. Lionel used 2, so frequently the companies\’ own entry-level products were incompatible with their high-price products , let alone with the competition. Collectors who wanted differing standards to interoperate had to resort to replacing couplers.

Between 1946 and 1976, the primary U.S. producers of 0 scale trains were Marx and Lionel, with American Flyer switching to the more-realistic S scale and the rest of the manufacturers out of business.

from the model railway site modelleisenbahn-figuren.com with a lot of context about

o scale

and o gauge figures.Info Model Railroad – Railway modelling (UK, Australia, Ireland and Canada) or model railroading (US and Canada) is a hobby in which train transport systems are built at a reduced scale. The scale diorama include locomotives, rolling stock, streetcars, tracks, signalling, roads, buildings,

o gauge

, trees and features such as streams, mountains and canyons.

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