# Scale Thoughts in the Land of the Giants



## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Someone over at The Parts Pit Vintage Model Parts Trading Post was looking for the safety pin part of the Land of the Giants snake diorama kit, originally by issued by Aurora, then repopped by Polar Lights and once again by Doll & Hobby. I'm prepared to send him the part, since I was planning to substitute a real safety pin for it. But then I got to thinking: if a 1/1 scale pin will fit this model, isn't something wrong? Based on the size of the figures, the official scale is 1/48, so the pin should be smaller, right?

The online references that I checked agree that the Giants' planet was 12 times the size of Earth. Thus the "normal" size crew and passengers of the Spindrift were 1/12 scale in relation to the Giants. This tells us that the scale of the snake diorama kit isn't 1/48, because the model represents 1/12 scale people; it's actually 1/4 scale. Thus, the safety pin should also be much smaller, 1/4 actual size.

The other scale reference would be the snake. Given the rattle on its tail and the markings molded on its back, I assume that the snake is supposed to represent a Diamondback rattlesnake. And the copper and brown color suggestions of the painting instructions indicate that it's probably a Western Diamondback. The kit snake measures about 39 inches in length; if we accept the 1/48 scale given for the model, that means a real snake on the Giants' planet would be 156 feet long - waaayy too big. Even at the 1/4 scale that I'm proposing for the model, the 39 inch snake would still be 13 feet long. That's easily twice the length of the Western Diamondbacks of North America, which rarely grow beyond 6 feet in length.

The styrene snake is out of scale for an Earthly critter, but it could represent a properly-scaled Bushmaster. The markings of this snake can be similar to a Diamondback's and it can grow up to 13 feet. Or, the kit reptile could simply be a longer Diamondback snake that's native to the Giants' planet.

There's still the issue of humans who are one foot tall, yet taking on a 13 foot snake with a one inch long safety pin. Ridiculous! They'd end up being snake food for sure. I understand the reluctance that most modelers will have in altering the model significantly; most of the kits I myself have built over the years were out of the box. But, having thought the situation through (over-thought, probably) I've decided that Steve Burton and Dan Erickson are going to need a little help from yours truly, when I get around to building my kit.


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## John P (Sep 1, 1999)

I think a lot of people even realized that back in the day, when the Aurora model first came out. Our crew was always shown to be about six inches tall relative to the giants. So they were WAY too small in the kit to be wrangling a life-sized safety pin.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

As a twelve-year-old, that didn't bother me a bit. Fifty-four years later, however...


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## phrankenstign (Nov 29, 1999)

There's no reason why the Land of the Giants snakes can't be longer. Perhaps the standard size for safety pins is different there too.

If I was there being attacked by an abnormally long snake and there was an unusually sized safety pin, I wouldn't hesitate picking it up to defend myself. Afterwards, I'd make a mental note their standard sizes for those things are different than back on Earth.


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

phrankenstign said:


> There's no reason why the Land of the Giants snakes can't be longer. Perhaps the standard size for safety pins is different there too.


Give that man, a couple of cigars! Two whiskeys and 1/2 a bottle of cognac! Salude!


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## Buc (Jan 20, 1999)

...and we definitely hav'ta get Mark outta the house!!


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## NTRPRZ (Feb 23, 1999)

A great explanation, and well thought out. But all that math makes my head hurt!!


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## phrankenstign (Nov 29, 1999)

Mark, now you have the problem of creating a steel Land of the Giants standard-sized safety pin.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Milton Fox Racing said:


> Give that man, a couple of cigars! Two whiskeys and 1/2 a bottle of cognac! Salude!
> 
> View attachment 316922


Miltie,
Make it a bottle of Tullamore Dew and a couple Oliva Serie G Torpedoes and I'll overlook your praise of phrankenstein's illogic. 🎃



Buc said:


> ...and we definitely hav'ta get Mark outta the house!!


Whad I do? 


NTRPRZ said:


> A great explanation, and well thought out. But all that math makes my head hurt!!


Ent,
That's what they make calculators for!


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

phrankenstign said:


> Mark, now you have the problem of creating a steel Land of the Giants standard-sized safety pin.


Tut, tut, youngfellamelad!
To us, the kit pin is about 2 inches long at 1/1 scale (remember, I had originally planned to substitute a real pin for the kit part). If you accept my suggestion that kit's scale is 1/4, you get a nearly 8 inches long pin in "reality". And at 12 time s our size, the Giants' pin would be 24 inches long - better for fighting a giant snake, _*if *_Burton and Erikson could lift it.

As for the question of fighting a snake with a safety pin, I will accept the idea that the native snakes could be much larger in relation to the Giants' than our are to us. I mentioned that possibility in my first post. Nevertheless, I would hate to have to tackle even a little rattler with a safety pin, let alone one the size of a house. Nope, I have something entirely different in mind for my boys.


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

Kudus to you for even knowing about Tullamore Dew!


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Miltie,

I worked my way to it through several other brands. Eventually, I learned that I prefer triple-distilled Irish whiskey to Scotch. Plus, the Irish spell "whiskey" with the "e"!


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## phrankenstign (Nov 29, 1999)

Mark McGovern said:


> Miltie,
> Make it a bottle of Tullamore Dew and a couple Oliva Serie G Torpedoes and I'll overlook your praise of phrankenstein's illogic. 🎃


Hmmmmm..........

It's obvious the people there are scaled differently than we are, ergo the probability is high there are other things on the planet that are scaled differently than they are on Earth. That's a logical inference.

I wouldn't doubt the inhabitants of The Land of the Giants have probably produced safety pins in a variety of sizes.

btw phrankenstign is spelled "phrankenstign".


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

phrankenstign said:


> Hmmmmm..........It's obvious the people there are scaled differently than we are, ergo the probability is high there are other things on the planet that are scaled differently than they are on Earth. That's a logical inference. I wouldn't doubt the inhabitants of The Land of the Giants have probably produced safety pins in a variety of sizes.
> btw phrankenstign is spelled "phrankenstign".


phrankie, 😝
The Giants' world, except for the size difference, was depicted as being very similar to the Earth. It makes sense that a similar culture would use safety pins in a similar way. That's why I look askance at an eight-foot long safety pin (I just realized my math has been off; 2" x 48 = 96" / 12 = 8').


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## Bruce Bishop (Jan 17, 1999)

I bought a package of safety pins and it had several different sizes in it. Various Small sizes ranging up to some about the kit's pin. I think the Giant's world might have the same.....


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## phrankenstign (Nov 29, 1999)

I agree with Bruce. However Mark, since it is YOUR model, I support your decision to use an 8' safety pin.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

phrankenstign said:


> I agree with Bruce. However Mark, since it is YOUR model, I support your decision to use an 8' safety pin.


Thank you, Dr. Stign. However, I still reject the idea of using a safety pin to fight a giant snake and will build my kit with the figures mounting a more effective defense. It's not that I never build out of the box, it's just that what's _*in*_ the box doesn't always make sense to me. And I've gotten to that stage in my model-building life where I can do something to fix that which annoys me - unlike real life...


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## NTRPRZ (Feb 23, 1999)

Mark McGovern said:


> Thank you, Dr. Stign. However, I still reject the idea of using a safety pin to fight a giant snake and will build my kit with the figures mounting a more effective defense. It's not that I never build out of the box, it's just that what's _*in*_ the box doesn't always make sense to me. And I've gotten to that stage in my model-building life where I can do something to fix that which annoys me - unlike real life...


What will Burton and Ericson be using for their more effective defense? A flamethrower comes to mind!

Jeff


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

"It's not a documentary - it's a diorama."


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

NTRPRZ said:


> What will Burton and Ericson be using for their more effective defense? A flamethrower comes to mind!
> 
> Jeff


Close - a 1/4 scale box of matches. I got the idea from the 2nd season opening that had Burton holding off a giant rodent with a flare. *Now* the guys have a fighting chance!


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Milton Fox Racing said:


> "It's not a documentary - it's a diorama."


Recognize the font I use? It's Book Antiqua, emphasis on "antiqua". See, I* am* an old guy - so it's okay for me to make the dashed thing a documentary if I want to! Don't give a hoot for what that know-it-all Dr. Rick says, the young whippersnapper... 👴


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)

Pssst. Pssst. Im trying to be on your side.....


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

*HAH??* Yer dying to pee out fluoride? Good luck with _*that!! *_And stop spittin' in my ear! 👴


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## Milton Fox Racing (May 27, 2014)




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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Who'd the kid have to bribe to get *that* part??


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## krlee (Oct 23, 2016)

Your estimate that the safety pin would need to be about 1/4 of the kit's pin is close based in this photo:


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

krlee said:


> Your estimate that the safety pin would need to be about 1/4 of the kit's pin is close based in this photo:


kr,
It looks that way; the pin is about 1-3/4 inches long, according to the ruler in the photo. That's pretty reasonable for the Giants, and a pin in Earth inches that's 1-3/4 would work as well. But the pin that comes with the kit is as tall as the figures - it takes two men to handle it. So your photo illustrates perfectly the point I'm trying to make. Now pose a 13 foot snake behind the cast members in the photo to see whether you think that pin would make a good defense against the critter.


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## phrankenstign (Nov 29, 1999)

It's a good thing attacking spiders are willing to wait for their prey to light matches. It's also fortunate they aren't smart enough to wait a moment until the match burns itself out.


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## krlee (Oct 23, 2016)

Mark McGovern said:


> kr,
> It looks that way; the pin is about 1-3/4 inches long, according to the ruler in the photo. That's pretty reasonable for the Giants, and a pin in Earth inches that's 1-3/4 would work as well. But the pin that comes with the kit is as tall as the figures - it takes two men to handle it. So your photo illustrates perfectly the point I'm trying to make. Now pose a 13 foot snake behind the cast members in the photo to see whether you think that pin would make a good defense against the critter.


I always thought the snake was way too large compared to the figures. This model suffers from the same problem that the Lost In Space Cyclops with Space family and Chariot had, a mix of different scales in the same kit. I think the size of the kit pin works with the snake but you would need much larger figures, perhaps 1/12 scale or possibly 1/16 scale to look right.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

phrankenstign said:


> It's a good thing attacking spiders are willing to wait for their prey to light matches. It's also fortunate they aren't smart enough to wait a moment until the match burns itself out.


Yes - suspension of disbelief was always the glue that held an Irwin Allen production together.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

krlee said:


> ...you would need much larger figures, perhaps 1/12 scale or possibly 1/16 scale to look right.


Hah? The Earthlings on the Giants' world _were_ 1/12 scale. The kit's scale 13 foot snake isn't a problem for me. Heck, earlier this week I heard about a woman in India who was eaten by a 25 foot python.


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## finaprint (Jan 29, 2006)

Diitto the LIS Robinson crew size vs. chariot size comment.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

finaprint said:


> Diitto the LIS Robinson crew size vs. chariot size comment.
> [/QUOTE]Yes, the Aurora Chariot is 1/48 scale in height, and different scales in length and width. But nowhere is it 1/32 scale. I mourned when Moebius announced that they wouldn't be making a 1/35 scale Chariot/Space Pod combo kit.


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

Simple solution for the safety pin; find a real safety pin the same size as the plastic one in the kit, use the real one in the diorama and mail the plastic one to whomever needs it. I've used both in the two that I built, and that snake is a real S.O.B. to paint.


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## Mark McGovern (Apr 25, 1999)

Seaview said:


> Simple solution for the safety pin; find a real safety pin the same size as the plastic one in the kit, use the real one in the diorama and mail the plastic one to whomever needs it. I've used both in the two that I built, and that snake is a real S.O.B. to paint.


Seav',

The problems with the safety pin are: A - it's out of scale, because the kit is 1/4 scale while the pin is actual size and B - IMHO, a safety pin is a lousy choice of weapon against a rattlesnake that's 13 scale feet long. I built the kit when it was first issued and don't recall the snake being hard to paint, thanks to the engraving on its hide. Getting rid of the seams without erasing the engraving - now *that's* a bee-yotch!


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

Mark McGovern said:


> Seav',
> 
> The problems with the safety pin are: A - it's out of scale, because the kit is 1/4 scale while the pin is actual size and B - IMHO, a safety pin is a lousy choice of weapon against a rattlesnake that's 13 scale feet long. I built the kit when it was first issued and don't recall the snake being hard to paint, thanks to the engraving on its hide. Getting rid of the seams without erasing the engraving - now *that's* a bee-yotch!


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## Seaview (Feb 18, 2004)

Mark McGovern said:


> Seav',
> 
> The problems with the safety pin are: A - it's out of scale, because the kit is 1/4 scale while the pin is actual size and B - IMHO, a safety pin is a lousy choice of weapon against a rattlesnake that's 13 scale feet long. I built the kit when it was first issued and don't recall the snake being hard to paint, thanks to the engraving on its hide. Getting rid of the seams without erasing the engraving - now *that's* a bee-yotch!


I got lucky with a medium sized safety pin, but the only simple parts were the eyes, mouth and tail rattle of that scary beast, The base, name plate and figures were so easy they aren''t even worth discussing.


saht


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