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HO Scale Aircraft and Ships
Rich writes:
“I’m planning a new HO layout, which is 6 X 12. I’d like to feature a harbor and an airfield, or at least something partial. I see there are model kits available that are 1:72 scale. I have not ordered, but I’m thinking that’s close enough to be convincing (and I’m not a pro, nor am I a stickler for detail) – just giving it a go after collecting HO stuff for 40 some years. Has anyone used the 1:72 scale? Thanks, Rich (Navy vet (VN) and WWII fan)”
7 Responses to HO Scale Aircraft and Ships
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Rich; 1/72th is quite a bit larger than 1/87th. As a retired Coastie, I am planning on having a port and Coast Guard station. It will have to be a Small Boat Station (32′ to 41′ boats) since a model of a 210′ cutter at 1/87th would still be about 2.5′ in length. Using 1/72 in the foreground could give an illusion of greater depth to the scene: forced perspective.
Hi Rich…I’ve built countless models over the years, many 1/72 scale, and used a few on my HO set. They are a noticeably oversized but I placed a few small bi-planes in a field on my set and it was acceptable…. ( to me).
Thank you both for the insight. It didn’t occur to me, but I’m guessing that 1/100 wold be a better choice, correct?
Rich
SInce HO is 1/87, you should use 1/87. Not any other. 1/100 is too small.
Many kits are labelled as HO/OO, so I suspect they may actually be somewhere in between. I think many modelllers use a mix of HO (1/87), OO (1/76), and 1/72 (many model aircraft & military vehicle kits). It just depends how fussy you want to be. Smaller scale models at the back of a layout diorama can fit very well as a touch of false perspective.
I have seen a model railway layout which used continuously slightly smaller scales toward the back for a very effective great perspective depth.
Scale seems always 2 be an issue. I have some 1/14 scale construction RC models that I wanted realistic scale drivers 4 my solution was to use a 3D printer tl make the right one.