A Question of Scale

At the very beginning of the design process a decision has to be made, what scale will tghe kit be? Here is a list ofthe most common scales for different model types.

Aircraft:

1:144
1:72
1:48
1:35
1:32
1:24

Vehicles:

1:72
1:48
1:35
1:6

Ships:

1:2400
1:1250
1:1200
1:1000
1:700
1:350
1:200
1:96
1:72

These are are not set in stone, but as a rough guide these are the scales to choose from as they appear most often in industry. For this project, given the size of the vessel and the cost of rapid prototyping I have chosen 1:1250 scale. This is a popular scale that will be affordable for me to design the model in.

This particular scale presents a number of issues, chiefly concerned with representation. At this scale detail is more represented and suggested than accurately reproduced. Many parts must be overscaled to allow casting. For example, 5 inch gun barrels are often three to four times their scale diameter in this scale, otherwise they would simply be too fine to cast. Therefore, choice of representation and a measure of artistic liscense is essential when working in this scale to achieve an effective design. I will have to make these decisions as I go along, and desicribe them and theirimportance here.