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 Rank: Beginner Level 1 Groups: Registered
Joined: 22/03/2011 Posts: 6 Points: 18 Location: Malta
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Hello,
I have never modelled before although I have always dreamt of building and owing a model of a 16th, 17th or 18th century ship. I do not like modern ships that much; more interested in those wooden ships that roamed in the Caribbean sea.
I came to this website after seeing the commercial for the HMS Victory series. However that is a little too big for me. While browsing this website I saw the San Francisco II. I liked this model and it is not that large either.
However there are something I am not sure about. The scale ratio of the HMS Victory is 1:84 while that of the San Francisco is 1:90. Now, on a broacher of the HMS Victory there is written "Just like the original The 1:84 scale permits every feature of the real ship to be reproduced". So this made me wonder; does it mean that the 1:90 scale does not allow all features of the original ship to be shown? Which scale would be the best / most popular?
Regards,
Simon
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 Rank: Vice-Master  Groups: Registered
Joined: 20/04/2010 Posts: 545 Points: 1,536 Location: lossiemouth
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the scale reflects on the size its used to kept models roughty the same size without losing anny of its features and what fit one scale can fit another scale because the size on the real boats can differ like the capstan steeringwheel and various other bits hope you understand and not get 
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Rank: Beginner Level 1 Groups: Registered
Joined: 22/03/2011 Posts: 6 Points: 18 Location: Malta
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Thanks for your answer. So basically I shouldn't worry about the scale :) That said, is there a scale which is more popular then another? That is, could I buy a model at some scale and finish not being able to buy any other model at that same scale?
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Rank: Beginner Level 2 Groups: Registered
Joined: 24/09/2009 Posts: 19 Points: 57 Location: Geraldine, New Zealand
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From my personal exerience, 1:200 & 1:350 scales seem to be most popular. I have seen more models for sale & completed in these two scales more often than others such as 1:192, 1:570 etc. Hope you have a great experience with your builds.
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 Rank: Super-Elite       Groups: Registered
Joined: 04/04/2010 Posts: 3,955 Points: 11,809 Location: uk
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I'd like to add a few pointers to this debate. what most manufactures do,is,make a kit that is affordable,reasonable scale and price,of a popular ship/boat,plane/car etc.and then gauge the market to what is selling.and they get feedback from the hobby shops,the 1:200 and 300 range are mostly for mass diplays,and usually quite small,exceptions are of coure the juggernauts like titanic,warships etc. what you can try to do is,buy just one scale,and build up a collection so you can see the difference of all your collection. Current builds: SotS, USS Consitution, San Felipe, D51 loco, HMS Surprise, RB7, Arab Dhow, Jotika HMS Victory Completed builds: HMS Pickel, Thermopylae, Mississipi river boat, Mary Rose, Cutty Sark, San Francisco II, HMS Victory x5, Titanic Lifeboat, Panart HMS Victory Launch, Hachette Titanic, Virginia Schooner, Endeavour Longboat. http://www.model-space.com/gb/
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 Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,827 Points: -13,348
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from a point of view of spares, accessories, aftermarket additions etc it makes sense to choose a scale and stick with it. the scale will probably be dictated by your display space and how deep your pockets are. as for detail the general rule is the larger the scale the more detail is included. detail has improved over the years with better tooling at the manufacturers and developments such as photo etch (see the Yamato build diary on this site) this next comment may be controversial but generally wooden kits have less detail and accuracy than plastic, this however is offset by the craftsmanship required to build wooden ships apposed to assembly of plastic ships. If you think you are going to build lots of models then pick a popular scale as you will have more variety. hope you share your work and welcome to the forum  “Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.”
-Mark Twain
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Rank: Beginner Level 1 Groups: Registered
Joined: 22/03/2011 Posts: 6 Points: 18 Location: Malta
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It is my understanding that battleships are usually preferred at a scale of 1:200, while sail ships (like the San Francisco, or HMS Victory) are preferred at a scale of 1:90 or 1:84 (in those waters that is).
Is this right? and why is so? Is it because the HMS Victoria and San Francisco where much smaller then let say the Hood and Yamato Battleships and therefore having the San Francisco at a scale of 1:200 would mean that the ship would be very small?
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Rank: Vice-Master Groups: Registered
Joined: 20/04/2010 Posts: 545 Points: 1,536 Location: lossiemouth
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sja785 wrote:It is my understanding that battleships are usually preferred at a scale of 1:200, while sail ships (like the San Francisco, or HMS Victory) are preferred at a scale of 1:90 or 1:84 (in those waters that is).
Is this right? and why is so? Is it because the HMS Victoria and San Francisco where much smaller then let say the Hood and Yamato Battleships and therefore having the San Francisco at a scale of 1:200 would mean that the ship would be very small? YES --put it this way a model at 200 scale is one metre long same model at 100 scale two metre long, 50 scale four metre long, A real boat at 100 metre long at 100 scale will be one metre long a boat at 50 metre long at 100 scale will be half a metre long[500mm]AND THE 50 METRE BOAT AT 200 SCALE WOULD BE 250MM LONG HIGHER THE SCALE SMALLER ITS GETS
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Rank: Beginner Level 1 Groups: Registered
Joined: 22/03/2011 Posts: 6 Points: 18 Location: Malta
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Thanks, so is it normal to stick to one scale for some type of boats and stick to another scale for another type of boat. For example stick to the 1:200 scale for battle ships and a scale of 1:90 for sail ships such as a ship of the line?
I would like to make a hobby out of this and do not wish to build something and then regret building it in that particular size.
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Rank: Pro Groups: Joined: 24/08/2009 Posts: 48,827 Points: -13,348
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The problem with that ethic is that you will quickly discover that your chosen scale may not contain a particular model type, most people simply choose the model in a scale that best suits their needs and practicality, where the space to display the item also needs to be considered.
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Rank: Vice-Master  Groups: Registered
Joined: 30/01/2011 Posts: 865 Points: 2,410 Location: Cambs
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karl1113 wrote:I'd like to add a few pointers to this debate.
what most manufactures do,is,make a kit that is affordable,reasonable scale and price,of a popular ship/boat,plane/car etc.and then gauge the market to what is selling.and they get feedback from the hobby shops,the 1:200 and 300 range are mostly for mass diplays,and usually quite small,exceptions are of coure the juggernauts like titanic,warships etc.
what you can try to do is,buy just one scale,and build up a collection so you can see the difference of all your collection. I agree Karl, just looking through CMB's range most of the models are 1/50th to 1/100th with a lot in the 1/64th. I have been looking for something else to build, and so far the only smaller scale models I've seen are plastic, or very basic solid hull wooden models. BTW where did you get the Black Pearl? Come on you Jimmies
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