Status of Lindberg?

[Bugatti Fan]

1/24th scale is more widely popular generally world wide, so was 1/20th the odd scale mentioned?

[SfanGoch]

It can't be that odd. MPC and Tamiya (F1 cars) produced a good number of 1/20 kits as well.

[stavanzer]

MPC did a couple Dune Buggies and a racing car in 1/20. It is not as odd as it sounds. However, I think One Man, (George Toteff) was the brains behind both the 1960's MPC and Later 1990's Lindberg 1/20 scale kits. IIRC, he was a huge fan of that scale.

Nichimo in Japan even did a 1/20 Aero Subaru Light Plane.

https://modelingmadness.com/review/civil/poifa200preview.htm

[niteowl7710]

On 4/22/2023 at 12:16 AM, SfanGoch said:

Some people might find it hard to believe that Lindberg produced decent model kits other than just cars. You're just not old enough to know that.

I'm well old enough to know that. Sure they were decent model kits...for the time. But I'm going to say that there's not a soul alive today who's going to run out and buy one of the Lindberg repops of any kit they did in their military lines over any sort of modern alternative unless they were *specifically* going for a nostalgia build.

 

[Brian Austin]

I recall someone in a large scale model railroad forum complaining that there were not enough 1:20 vehicle kits to go with the model trains in that scale.

Funnily enough, there used to be a line of 1:20 scale Ford Model T truck "craftsman kits" in addition to the Hubley/Gabriel diecast kits in that scale.

[1930fordpickup]

9 hours ago, Bugatti Fan said:

1/24th scale is more widely popular generally world wide, so was 1/20th the odd scale mentioned?

I say odd because I think there may be more 1/16 scale kits out there than 1/20. They just look funny on the shelf next to the smaller scales. I know I am not alone in this thought as I hear it all the time at swap meets when someone picks up the 1/20 scale stuff and says how it would be better in the 1/25 or 1/24 scale.  Hard to use them for kit bashing also.  It is more about the number of kits than the scale itself. 

[Bugatti Fan]

Preferred scale is a bit emotive I guess, depending on one's own particular liking.

There have been quite a number of 1/20th scale kits produced over the years that sort of slip below the radar compared to 1/24th and 1/25th scale that far outnumber them. Tamiya has brought 1/20th scale a bit more to the forefront with their excellent racing car kits. But posters on here have reminded us of other manufacturers who have made 1/20th scale kits too. I don't think that Casadio was mentioned who made metal kits of classic racers, some of which I think we're retooled as plastics under the Revival name. (Not to be confused with the Renwall Revivals series of 1/25th scale kits of the Exner redesigns of period classics.)

[peteski]

On 4/23/2023 at 10:00 AM, Bugatti Fan said:

1/24th scale is more widely popular generally world wide, so was 1/20th the odd scale mentioned?

Because Americun modelers are fixated on 1:25 scale.  Everything else is considered odd by many.  While Tamiya does have a series of 1:20 open  wheel racing cars, I believe that generally speaking 1:16 and 1:12 might be more popular automotive kit scales.  Then there is 1:18 for automotive subjects. but not for plastic kits.

[Exotics_Builder]

48 minutes ago, peteski said:

  Then there is 1:18 for automotive subjects. but not for plastic kits.

Some years back Tamiya did do a few 1:18 scale model car kits (recollect about 3 racers, could have been one or two more).  But these faded away fairly quickly.

[peteski]

43 minutes ago, Exotics_Builder said:

Some years back Tamiya did do a few 1:18 scale model car kits (recollect about 3 racers, could have been one or two more).  But these faded away fairly quickly.

LOL, as soon as I  posted my message I suspected someone would come back with some 1:18 scale plastic kits.  Actually, that is good to know, but as you mentioned, this seems more of a fad rather than a mainstream product.

[Bugatti Fan]

Strange that 1/18th scale has really taken off over the years as the go to larger scale in ready built die cast model cars, from the cheaper Buragos up to the highly detailed CMC offerings,  but the kit industry has shown little or no interest in that scale.

[ChrisBcritter]

On 4/22/2023 at 12:17 AM, Bugatti Fan said:

The company started I think back on the 50's. I can remember when I was still at school saving up my pennies for their B17G bomber kit. Not sure what the scale was. Maybe 1/48th? Anyway it looked big to me at the time.

1/64th - another oddball.

[SfanGoch]

Paul K. Lindberg, noted model aircraft designer,  established the namesake company in 1933. Paul Lindberg got his start in 1930s model aviation by designing, building and flying stick and tissue aircraft. His plans appeared in Popular Aviation magazine and other publications. He began producing injection-molded kits immediately after World War II.

1/64th is the traditional slot car scale. It is also the scale of diecast cars from Johnny Lightning, Hot Wheels, etc. It is equivalent to model railroading's S Scale/S Gauge.

[Bugatti Fan]

I always thought that 1/32nd was the 'traditional' slot racing scale.

Over here in the UK 1/64th scale is the equivalent of 'O' Gauge model railways. It was originally I believe introduced by the Hornby Company with their Dinky Toys range.

Correcton.  Since posting this my  error was picked up by some of you guys. 1/64th should have read 1/43rd.  My mistake entirely and I stand corrected.

Edited April 27, 2023 by Bugatti Fan

[SfanGoch]

In the United Kingdom, O gauge equipment is produced at a scale of 1:43.5, which is 7 mm to the foot (using the common British practice of modelling in metric prototypes originally produced using Imperial measurements). It is often called "7 mm scale" for this reason. Hornby released its first train, a clockwork "0" gauge (1.48 scale in 1920. Ives Manufacturing Company, American Flyer and Lionel introduced "O" Scale (1/48) trains in 1901.

[peteski]

And in Europe the O (Oh) gauge is called 0 (zero) gauge. At least it has been from the time it was created.  It is in USA where the zero was changed to letter Oh.  Ot is a roughtly 1:43 scale.  That is why HO scale means "half-oh" or "half-zero" scale (roughtly 1:87).  Again in Europe it is called "half-zero" where in USA, it is "half-oh".  1:64 is "S" gauge.

Here is a fairly thorough list of modeling scales https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_scale_model_sizes

[Brian Austin]

You can find the history of S Scale trains here:  https://nasg.org/About/History/S.php    

In a book on slot cars published by Louis Hertz in the '60s, S Scale was also known as H1 (Half of #1 Gauge) but that designation soon lost favor. Note that in the "Tinplate" era scale was relative.  Some O Gauge toys were closer to 1:64 in scale (early Marx and American Flyer).  Even into the classic plastic era of Lionel the lower-tier ranges of trains were undersized for proper O Scale.  In the US 1/4" to the foot became the standard for O Scale out of convenience, though some manufacturers offered models in 17/64" scale, which is near the metric equivalent of 1:45 scale, favored by Germany and other continental European builders.  In Europe, O Gauge is defined as 32mm , and IIRC 1:45 scale is closer to correct than either UK or US scaling.

 

Getting back to Lindberg, their Mini Lindy range had some models that might have been close to 1:64, though most were "box scaled."  Trucks were closer to 1:87.  Some models like their Chevy van worked OK with Aurora slot car chassis.

[Bugatti Fan]

Sorry Pete, Joe and Brian

I meant 1/43rd scale and not 1/64th in my post so you were all quite right in picking me up on it. I have inserted a correction in it to straighten out what I meant.

Freudian slip.        Senior moment.     Call it what you will guys!

Should have known that  having built 1/43rd scale models in the past. What a pillock!

Edited April 27, 2023 by Bugatti Fan