# Matching scales



## abacero (Oct 24, 2005)

Hi, everyone!

I have a poblem and I want to have some advice.

I have the Heller's Mir Space station and the Internaional Space Station, both in 1/125. The ISS comes with a Soyus spacecraft but no space shuttle, and I can not find any 1/125 space shuttle in the regular brands, and I do not know if Heller made the matching spacecraft.

The actual Heller cathalog does not show any spache shuttle, only the space stations and some Arianne rockets in that scale.

I want to have the "complete" ISS, space shuttle included, so I want to add one in a close scale. the 1/144 options from Revell and other brands, IMHO, match good enough. Am I correct?

Please give me some feedback!!! :freak: 

Thanks!!!


Best regards,

Alberto

_"There are always possibilities".- Spock_


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## Trek Ace (Jul 8, 2001)

The shuttle is a pretty basic shape - basically a loaf of bread with wings and a tail. You could always scratchbuild one without too much trouble in a matching scale.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

Heller never made a shuttle and no one else makes it in Heller's odd scale. There are several ISS kits. None are particularly accurate. Of the mainstream kits, Revell's kit is much more accurate than Heller's. Its also, IIRC, 1/144 scale.

The ISS kits tend to be based on original designs of the station and not as the station as it has been totally built.


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## MightyMax (Jan 21, 2000)

Intermountain Railway Made/Makes a 1/144 ISS. Very Pricey but nice.

I don't have one as I couldn't justify the expense and so I own a Revell.

As stated, Heller never did an odd scale Shuttle to go with their Space line of kits.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

aba,

Let's do the math: 1/125 scale means that a model would be 0.008 % of the actual spacecraft. The same conversion for 1/144 scale comes to 0.00694%. So the question you have to ask yourself is, "Can I live with that 0.00106% difference in scales?"


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## abacero (Oct 24, 2005)

Mark McGovern said:


> aba,
> 
> Let's do the math: 1/125 scale means that a model would be 0.008 % of the actual spacecraft. The same conversion for 1/144 scale comes to 0.00694%. So the question you have to ask yourself is, "Can I live with that 0.00106% difference in scales?"


No problem with me, the idea is that one looks not so different from the rest of the context. :thumbsup:

Best regards,

Alberto

_"There are always possibilities".- Spock_


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

There isnt a good 1/144 shuttle either. The old Revell kit is poor and the older (ex Entex) kit now sold by Minicraft is worse. About the best Shuttle is the hard to find Tamiya 1/100 kit or the equally rare Hasegawa kit.


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## ajmadison (Oct 18, 1999)

Mark McGovern said:


> aba,
> 
> Let's do the math: 1/125 scale means that a model would be 0.008 % of the actual spacecraft. The same conversion for 1/144 scale comes to 0.00694%. So the question you have to ask yourself is, "Can I live with that 0.00106% difference in scales?"


Alas, these numeric conversions are relative to the full size prototype (for the model) and therefore are diluting the actual change in scale. The correct math is to divide 1/125 by 1/144 which produces 1.15 (rounded to three significant digits) or a 15% difference. I can see a 15% difference.


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## djnick66 (May 2, 2008)

You can obviously see the difference when people mix 1/32 and 1/35 armor and figures... or mixing 1/76 and 1/72 kits.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

ajmadison said:


> ...The correct math is to divide 1/125 by 1/144 which produces 1.15...


Thanks for the heads up, Professor Moriarty.  Actually, I was aware that the comparison you arrived at would be the more accurate expression but my math skills weren't up to the task. As you and djnick have pointed out, the difference would be obvious.

Abacero is talking about (if I understand him correctly) posing a 1/125 scale International Space Station with a 1/144 Space Shuttle. Now, it's one thing to place 1/35 and 1/32 scale figures next to each other; they're models of the same thing, so the disparity in scale will be pretty easy to spot. And even that would be less obvious if the 1/35 scale figures were placed far back in a forced perspective sort of diorama.

How many of us have ever seen the Space Shuttle parked next to the ISS, at least at such a vantage point that we could fully appreciate the spatial relationship between the two vessels? The only way I'd be able to spot the scale issues in abacero's display would be if he wanted to have the Shuttle attached to the larger scale docking port on the ISS. If the Shuttle is to be displayed at any distance from the station at all, I would say problem solved.


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## irocer (Aug 22, 2000)

There may be a workable diecast or toy in that size. Any of these would not be as accurate as a scale model, but may work. I also tend to agree with Mark-how many people are going to know or question it? I would use to two together and wing it.


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## ClubTepes (Jul 31, 2002)

Unfortunatly, your not going to find a shuttle anywhere in 1/125.
You'd be further ahead throw all of your 1/125 stuff out.
Its a scale without many subjects.

1/144 has TONS more stuff available in a wider range of subjects.


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