1/72 vs 1/48 scale: how model kit scales compare in size

1/48 scale is 1.5 times the size of 1/72: 72 / 48 = 1.5, so every length on a 1/48 model is 50% longer than on the same subject at 1/72. Volume grows with the cube (1.5³ = 3.375), so a 1/48 model printed solid takes about 3.4 times the plastic. The number after the slash is how many real millimeters one model millimeter stands for, so a bigger number means a smaller model.

How much bigger is 1/48 than 1/72?

A 1/48 model is 1.5 times as long, wide and tall as the same subject at 1/72, because 72 / 48 = 1.5. That is 50% bigger in every direction and 3.375 times the volume. A 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) figure stands 24.0 mm tall at 1/72 and 36.0 mm at 1/48.

Subject	Real size	1/72	1/48
Supermarine Spitfire wingspan	11.23 m	156.0 mm (6.14 in)	234.0 mm (9.21 in)
Figure, top of the head	1.73 m	24.0 mm (0.95 in)	36.0 mm (1.42 in)

The Spitfire span is the standard-wingtip figure, 36 ft 10 in. Airfix lists its 1/72 Spitfire Mk.I kit at 155 mm across the wings, within a millimeter of the 156.0 mm that 11,230 / 72 gives. The 1.73 m height to the top of the head is the average-man reference from The Miniatures Page and the default in the miniature scale calculator.

In inches, 1/72 is 1 inch to 6 feet. 1/48 is a quarter inch to the foot, or 1 inch to 4 feet.

Both are aircraft scales. Wikipedia’s 1:72 article says the scale suits aircraft because everything from small fighters to large bombers stays a manageable size. Its list of scale model sizes gives 1/48 mainly for military aircraft. 1/48 is also US O scale in model railroading, per National Model Railroad Association (NMRA) Standard S-3.2.

Is 1/35 bigger than 1/72?

Yes. 1/35 is a little over twice the size of 1/72: 72 / 35 = 2.06 times in every dimension and 2.06³ = 8.7 times the volume. A 1.73 m figure stands 49.4 mm (1.95 in) tall at 1/35 against 24.0 mm (0.95 in) at 1/72, and a Spitfire spans 320.9 mm instead of 156.0 mm.

1/35 is the armor scale. Wikipedia calls it the most popular scale for model military vehicles and credits Tamiya’s example with making it the de facto standard. Tamiya first picked the size so its motorized tank kits could hold the motor and batteries. 1/72 covers armor too: Wikipedia’s list of scale model sizes names it the most prolific small scale for injection-molded armored fighting vehicle kits.

1/32 sits just above 1/35 and is a separate scale: 35 / 32 = 1.09, so a 1/32 model is 9.4% bigger than the same subject at 1/35.

How does 1/144 compare to 1/72?

1/144 is exactly half the size of 1/72 in every dimension, since 72 / 144 = 0.5, and one eighth of the volume (0.5³ = 0.125). A Spitfire that spans 156.0 mm (6.14 in) at 1/72 spans 78.0 mm (3.07 in) at 1/144, and a 1.73 m figure shrinks from 24.0 mm to 12.0 mm.

Wikipedia’s list of scale model sizes gives 1/144 for ships, aircraft, rockets and spacecraft. It is also the scale of Bandai’s High Grade, Real Grade and Entry Grade Gundam kits. Master Grade is 1/100 and Perfect Grade 1/60.

Halving a model halves the thickness of every part. A 1/144 print of a 1/72 file has antennas and gun barrels half as thick, so check them against your slicer’s line width before you print.

What is the difference between 1/72 and 1/76?

1/76 is 5.3% smaller than 1/72 in every dimension (72 / 76 = 0.947) and about 15% smaller in volume (0.947³ = 0.85). A 1.73 m figure is 24.0 mm tall at 1/72 and 22.8 mm at 1/76. 1/76 comes from British OO railways, built at 4 mm to the foot, which NMRA Standard S-3.2 gives as 1:76.2.

A foot is 304.8 mm, and 304.8 / 4 = 76.2. OO runs on the same track gauge as HO (1:87.1), and Wikipedia notes that most Airfix military vehicles are also 1/76.

Wikipedia’s 1:72 article explains the mix-up. In the past, UK makers in particular produced items at 1/76 and labeled the boxes 1/72 because the two were considered close. Some Airfix and Matchbox 1/76 vehicle kits were later reissued labeled 1/72. The article calls the scales incompatible: even the figures show distinct size differences. 1/76 survives mainly as a wargaming scale.

The gap between 1/76 and OO’s 1:76.2 is 0.26%, about 0.4 mm across a 1/76 Spitfire’s 147.8 mm span. To match a 1/76 model to 1/72 parts, scale it to 76 / 72 × 100 = 105.56%. Going the other way takes 94.74%.

1/72 scale size comparison

Each row is the same two subjects at a different scale. “Size vs 1/72” is 72 divided by the scale number; “volume vs 1/72” is that number cubed.

Scale	Size vs 1/72	Volume vs 1/72	Spitfire wingspan (11.23 m)	1.73 m figure
1/144	0.5	0.125	78.0 mm (3.07 in)	12.0 mm (0.47 in)
1/100	0.72	0.373	112.3 mm (4.42 in)	17.3 mm (0.68 in)
1/76	0.947	0.850	147.8 mm (5.82 in)	22.8 mm (0.90 in)
1/72	1	1	156.0 mm (6.14 in)	24.0 mm (0.95 in)
1/64	1.125	1.42	175.5 mm (6.91 in)	27.0 mm (1.06 in)
1/48	1.5	3.375	234.0 mm (9.21 in)	36.0 mm (1.42 in)
1/35	2.06	8.71	320.9 mm (12.63 in)	49.4 mm (1.95 in)
1/32	2.25	11.39	350.9 mm (13.82 in)	54.1 mm (2.13 in)
1/24	3	27	467.9 mm (18.42 in)	72.1 mm (2.84 in)

What each scale is used for

Scale	Common subjects
1/144	Ships, aircraft, rockets, spacecraft; High Grade Gundam kits
1/100	Tamiya and Plasticart aircraft, Zvezda military vehicles and ships, Master Grade Gundam kits, 15 mm wargaming
1/76	British OO railways, Airfix military vehicles, wargaming
1/72	Aircraft, armor, 20 mm plastic figures
1/64	Die-cast cars, ships, S scale railways
1/48	Military aircraft, US O scale railways, quarter-scale dollhouses
1/35	Military vehicles and figures
1/32	Aircraft, cars, slot cars, 54 mm toy soldiers
1/24	Cars, the largest common aircraft kits

The subjects come from Wikipedia’s list of scale model sizes, with Bandai’s grades from its Gunpla article and the railway ratios from NMRA S-3.2.

1/100 is 72% of the size of 1/72 and 37.3% of the volume. 1/64 is 12.5% bigger than 1/72 and 1.42 times the volume. Matchbox and Hot Wheels describe their cars as 1/64, but Wikipedia notes that individual models range from 1:55 to beyond 1:100. Measure one length on the car you want to match before you pick a percentage.

How to print a 1/72 model at 1/48 or another scale

Divide the old scale number by the new one and multiply by 100. A 1/72 file printed at 1/48 needs 72 / 48 × 100 = 150% in the slicer’s scale box, with uniform scaling on. The scale calculator gives the percentage for any pair of scales and flags an axis too long for your build volume.

The plastic grows by less than 3.375 times. That figure holds for a solid part. A sliced part keeps its wall and top and bottom thicknesses, so the shell grows about with the square of the size factor (1.5² = 2.25) and only the infill grows with the cube. A 1/48 print of a 1/72 file lands between 2.25 and 3.375 times the grams, closer to 3.375 the more of the part is infill. The print weight calculator works out the grams with your walls and infill, and print time rises with the extra plastic.