"Airfix 1/76 scale vehicles" Topic

I am looking at the Matilda from Airfix. The price is nice and painted up the tank looks the part. How do they compare to a 1/72 scale model and with 1/72 scale figures? Will they look out of place or do they look "right". The price is nice but I would not want to waste money if they would look bad otherwise.

John

1/76 models are slightly smaller than 1/72 models.

1/76 models are slightly smaller than 1/72 models.

Understood but how do they look with other 1/72 tanks? Do they look out of place?

Britannia do the Matilda in resin and white metal for just a little more- less agro to build!!

I bought an Airfix 1/76 Chi-Ha Japanese tank. Even though I knew it was smaller compared to a Russian BT-7, it looked miniscule. And not the right size compared to my 1/72 Ha-Go. So I put it aside and bought 1/72 Dragon instead.

It may only be a difference of a 2-4 millimeters, but at this smaller scale, it's a big difference, especially when it can be seen in all three dimensions.

Some folks aren't bothered by the size difference. Some say to just not mix 1/76 and 1/72 models of the same vehicle and no one will notice. It's up to you.

You can't the Airfix price though.

I have Airfix and Esci Matildas. the Airfix is too small to go with the Esci, but goes well with a resin one whose manufacturer escapes me. I solved it by having the Esci in desert colors and the Airfix as lendlease to USSR. The resin one pairs up with 2 Matilda 1's for 1940.

Back in the day, Airfix, Matchbox, and Fujimi all went nicely together.

Hasegawa and Esci didn't go with them at all well.

Frankly, I never pulled out the scale, but the size differences looked far greater than the difference in scales would make.

My presumption was that the aforementioned companies had done a better job of scaling their products.

My presumption was that the aforementioned companies had done a better job of scaling their products.

You might be right. Back in the day, scale mattered a lot to gamers. Not so much now.

Sounds like it might be Airfix and Britannia for me. Airfix has the nice price and Brittania can fill in the holes where needed.

Although the difference in length is only 5.5%, it becomes 18% in volume. Some of the 1/72 manufacturers (Hasegawa) did not scale accurately and their kits were nearer 1/68 so the vehicle was 40% bigger overall. Try and compare the Matchbox and Hasegawa Stuarts. Generally, it's better not to mix the same 1/76 and 1/72 tanks in the same unit but it is less noticeable with smaller vehicles.

Plus, some models reportedly 1/76 scale out to 1/72 and vice versa.

Depends upon the model.

If I recall, Airfix sometimes mislabels the scale of their vehicles.

The pegasus BT is about in scale with the Fujimi Type 97. The BT is 5.66M long while the Chi-Ha is 5.5M long. The Chi Ha is slightly wider at 2.34M to 2.29M for the BT.

Thanks for the Pic. That is pretty helpful Tim!

John

The only reason I can think of for choosing 1/76 over 1/72 would be if, like me, you have a huge legacy collection of 1/76 models. The main reason 1/76 is a bit cheaper than 1/72 is that most of the kits are ancient (and showing it, especially in the case of Airfix) and only a tiny trickle of new stuff in plastic is coming out in 1/76.

The other problem is compatible figures. There are a few metal ranges that work ok with 1/76 but in plastic it is mostly very old sets of similar vintage to the kits. Newer 1/72 plastic figures like those from Italeri tower over figures that used to be called 1/72 and absolutely dwarf anything in 1/76.

Here are the Airfix 1/76 Lee and Matilda with some 1/72 Vietcong (They were all on the "needs painting" shelf). The TC in the Matilda is a 1/72 HaT figure.

Here are some other vehicles for comparison:

Top row, L-R: Frontline 1/76? ZIS-42 , Toga 1/72 ZIS-6, Airfix 1/76 Matilda, FAA 1/76? T-28
2nd Row, L-R: Airfix 1/76 Lee, Mirage or UM 1/72 T-26, PSC 1/72 T-34

It only bothers me when the same vehicle is present in different scales. For example, I wouldn't mix the 1/76 Airfix PzIV with 1/72 examples. It comes down to how fussy you are about things all being the same scale.

It comes down to how fussy you are about things all being the same scale.

Thanks RexMcL! more good comparison shots. The fact that you used a HaT figure helps a lot. He looks good in the cupola. The Cong also look good beside the tanks.

Thanks for all the help everyone. I'm not put out at all by what I see. the different scaled tanks of the same type will put me off but sticking with a single manufacturer for a given tank should work just fine.

The difference between 1/76 and 1/72 seems to bother me more now than it used to. I don't mind with small vehicles, but it shows up more with tanks especially if any 1/72 are also on the generous side.

Newer 1/72 plastic figures like those from Italeri tower over figures that used to be called 1/72 and absolutely dwarf anything in 1/76.

That's because 1/72 figures are 22mm tall, but a lot of the new and trendy stuff sold as 1/72nd scale is 24, 25 or even 26mm tall.

I have a couple of Airfix Matildas painted as lend lease and they look fine alongside my Armourfast and Pegasus T.34's, and my infantry from Esci, Pegasus and Atlantic/Nexus (I know, but those guys in the fur caps and overcoats were impossible to resist)

That's because 1/72 figures are 22mm tall, but a lot of the new and trendy stuff sold as 1/72nd scale is 24, 25 or even 26mm tall.

Don't I know it ! Doubly annoying when some of the poses are so nice but they just look ridiculous next to my old stuff.

I have a couple of the Airfix Matildas built up with my 1/72 figures and they look fine to me. Go for it, it is not a bad kit even considering its age. Not too hard to build.

I just keep 1/76 together in units and likewise for 1/72 but will happily battle against each other on the table.

Thanks all for the input.

Regarding the scale thingy, a 1/72 scale figure should be about 24mm tall measuring from the sole of the foot to the top of the head. About 22mm to the eye. Older figures are shorter because they might be closer to 1/76 scale or they are scaled to a shorter person.

Modern figures are scaled to a man who is 5'10". At 22mm the average man might be only 5'6". BTW, that isn't bad since most folks vary greatly in height.

BTW, that isn't bad since most folks vary greatly in height.

The trouble with mixing figures in different scales (or for that matter different interpretations of the same scale) is not just about height; for instance I don't know of any armies where tall blokes got guns that are twice as big as the short blokes… :oP

Or where the taller guys got helmets that were bigger around! :D

Modern figures are scaled to a man who is 5'10". At 22mm the average man might be only 5'6".

And there's the problem! The average 1940's male was around 5'7" to 5'8" tall, but correspondingly smaller in stature too – it's not so much the height of modern figures but their overall bulk that is wrong. Most of the look more like portly middle aged reenactors than hungry young men in their late teens-early 20's.

I don't worry too much about scale, I used to use Roco Minitanks alongside my Airfix stuff (that's 1/87th with 1/72nd / 1/76th [Airfix have been cagey over scale at times !] )

I bought an Airfix 1/76 Chi-Ha Japanese tank.

I'd rather use a paper silhoutte than make another of them !

On the whole you will see quite a difference.

I do have one 1/76 unit in my 1/72nd armies.

It's a unit of Airfix Churchills to go alongside my PSC Shermans etc.

As its a self-contained unit, and there are no other Churchills on the table, it goes OK.

I sold off my 1/76th shermans when I got my PSCs – to me mixing them just doesnt look right.

Got to agree with 1815 Guy. keep all your vehicles of one type by one manufacturer and it doesn't show too badly.

I have several 1/76 Matildas (and a few 1/87 Matildas from EKO for a pinch). After getting one 1/72 scale Matilda, I have decided to use it only in scenarios where one tank is called for (such as a game I plan to run at Fall-In!). It's just too obviously a different size. I have managed to use 1/76 and 1/97 in the same game but keep them in separate units.

Sorry I meant 1/87 not 1/97.