I've been given an old Airfix model of La Haie Sainte farm. I thought it might be useful for dioramas, but it's dwarfed by the Italeri house. Even the single-storey Airfix Forward Command Post comes almost to the roof of the farmhouse. Do I take it that the scale is the mysterious OO/HO, which is 1/76 or possibly even 1/87?
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Hi, yep i think you should consider it as 1/87 or oo/ho rather then 1/76 all airfix figures were made to oo/ho (model train scale) although obviously size varies later figs tend to be larger, naturally this is not a problem for the figs as people tend to come in different sizes not so buidings however......not a good copy anyway...
In fact oo and ho represent the track gauge rather than the scale. In theory if one takes the gauge and compares it with the full size standard gauge one could therefore come up with a scale but unfortunately the track on model railways usually is not true scale but designed to allow model railway layouts that are restricted in space to work (eg trains can get round curves far tighter than would ever exist at full size) so this doesn't quite work. Effectively oo, basically a British approach is effectively 1/76 whilst ho, a continental (Europe) approach is slightly smaller. I think some Airfix railway buildings sort of hover between the two. ho and oo are not the same!
The gauge is the distance between the inside face of one rail to the other. Standard Gauge: originated by British pioneers and defined by a gauge of 4ft 8 1/2 in.
OO = gauge 16.5mm = 1/76 scale = 4mm/foot
HO = gauge 16.5mm = 1/87 scale = 3.5mm/foot
You see, the gauge is the same and model trains can roll on both OO and HO tracks. But the dimensions of the locos, cars, wagons, buildings etc. are different.
You'll find the term "OO/HO" in the UK. In Germany, France, Austria, Switzerland, Italy etc. I think there's no OO scale.
You put it better than I did (its a looong time since I did any model railway work). The point I was trying to make somewhat turgidly was that oo/ho is not a scale but a common gauge and Airfix trying to make buildings to go with either system often fell somewhere in the middle. In fact ho was once hardly ever seen on the UK market Incidentally the 4ft 81/2 appears to have a military origin. It was originally the standard width between wheels on horsedrawn carriages throughout Western Europe and this seems to have been in turn copied from the space between wheels on smooth bore muzzle loading artillery. ( the theory being that on the march the gun or carriage can run along happily in the ruts created by the one in front). However where the precise 4ft 81/2 come from is still a mystery - its well pre decimal and pre metric and may even go back as far as Roman times (when of course artillery meant catapults and the like)
I've been given an old Airfix model of La Haie Sainte farm. I thought it might be useful for dioramas, but it's dwarfed by the Italeri house. Even the single-storey Airfix Forward Command Post comes almost to the roof of the farmhouse. Do I take it that the scale is the mysterious OO/HO, which is 1/76 or possibly even 1/87?
The problem with many HO houses (and if fact many older OO buildings for UK layouts) is that they are all rediculously small compared to actual buildings. The same goes for trees, for that matter! It is a relatively recent development that building have become bigger and more true to scale. OO scale card models of houses for UK layouts have done a lot in that field. You will now also find trees in models shops that are true to scale, towering above the figures as real trees do. La Haye Sainte is one of those dwarf buildings from another age I'm afraid.
Thanks, gents. It does say 1/72 on the box, but that is clearly not the case. I think I remember reading once that OO/HO was something Airfix just made up.
Mario - you're right about the trees. I'm frequently amazed by some trees across the road from my house, which are about 80 feet high. That would make them more than a foot tall in a diorama. Thank heavens for the defoliating effects of the creeping barrage. It puts everything in proportion.
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