1:24 scale

1:24 scale is a size for automobile models such as injection-molded plastic model kits or metal die-cast toys, which are built and collected by both children and adults. 1:24 means that a unit of measurement, such as one inch or one centimeter, on the model represents 24 units on the actual object. An example would be one inch of length on a model automobile would represent 24 inches on the real vehicle. Primarily automobile models are made in this scale, with a few examples of tractor trailers and other larger equipment. In the United States there is a very minor variation of the 1:24 scale, where many automobile plastic model kits are scaled at 1:25.

1:24 scale model of the Ford GT, at rear, behind 1:32 and nominal HO models, illustrate the traditional slot car scales.

1:24 is the largest of the traditional slot car sizes - and the earliest. Lionel's (USA) 1:24 electric autos of 1912-1916 became the first known commercial slot cars.[1] In 1955, the Model Automobile Racing Association of Kalamazoo, Michigan, built the first track for electric rail-racing (the short-lived immediate predecessor to slot racing) in the US. Unlike the seminal Southport (UK) track that inspired it, the MARA table was designed for 1:24 as well as 1:32 competition.[2] With that beginning, the US adopted 1:24 as the primary scale for serious competition during the heyday of slot car racing in the 1960s,[3] while Britain and Europe favored 1:32, and have continued to do so.

1:24 scale is very close to the scale (1:22.5) used for European G scale narrow-gauge model trains, so 1:24 models are often used on model train layouts. Doll houses and furniture are also found in 1:24 scale. An average adult male human figure stands just under 3 inches (76 mm) tall.

The British plastic model kit company Airfix have produced a number of 1:24 scale aircraft in its 'Super Kit' range, including the Supermarine Spitfire, Messerschmitt Bf 109 - both initially with the option of motorised propellers, Junkers Ju 87 Stuka, Hawker Siddeley Harrier, and Focke-Wulf Fw 190. The latest to be released are the de Havilland Mosquito and the Hawker Typhoon. An earlier release was a 1:24 scale model of the Wallis WA-116 "Little Nellie" autogyro as portrayed in the 1967 James Bond film, You Only Live Twice.

List of manufacturers

See also

References

  1. Hertz, L.H. "The Complete Book of Model Raceways and Roadways", 1st Ed. 1965, pp. 21-22.
  2. Dempewolff, Richard F, "Table-Top Car Racing", 1st Ed. 1963 pp. 26-31
  3. Graham, Thomas "Greenberg's Guide to Aurora Slot Cars", 1st Ed. 1995, Greenberg, USA.
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