Athearn 1:50 scale vehicles

The real reason that the 1:50 stuff looks so small is were' very used to the oversized 1:43 vehicles that are by far the most common.  Truthfully, if I could get all my vehicles in 1:50, I'd prefer that to 1:43, but they're simply not available in any variety.  My scale trains, which comprise the vast majority of my fleet, are true 1:48 scale, I'd rather have the cars be 1:48 or 1:50 than the significantly larger 1:43.

Yeah, it'd be nice to have everything match up, but given that O-gauge track is twice as high as it would be, with fat rails at that, and train wheels are oversized, larger accessories and vehicles "look good" despite being 1:43 or whatever. Therein lies the issue - scale vehicles next to O-gauge tracks can be dwarfed by the trains, so we're forced to compromise, which is not a big deal to me... I enjoy all the stuff mixed together, but the Athearn vehicles just don't look right? I can definitely see why some guys go the extra mile with true O-scale track and wheels, etc. The other issue is with figures...a 1:43 scale figure would appear a giant next to a 1:50 scale vehicle. I guess this all goes back to O-gauge vs. O-scale, where O-gauge was traditional Lionel and whatnot, and the figures were likely 1:50 or thereabouts. Oh well, very challenging to find vehicles of the 1930s era.

As a reminder:  1:43 originated in Europe.  At that scale, O gauge track is 4' 8 1/2" as opposed to 1:48, where it's 5 foot. 

Mitch

Well actually O gauge track modeling US standard gauge is 1:45.2

(56.5" x 1/45.2 = 1.25")

Darn.  Now I have to change all my models to 1:45.2 scale . . . a heat gun and a little stretching ought to do it.

Bob

Hey guys. I think Athearn's 1:50 Ford Box trucks are perfect for the 1:48 scale layout. Too bad they stopped making them YEARS ago.

Donald

Model A cars were tiny, compared to anything we see on the roads these day. Just sayin'.

@Paul Kallus posted:

...but given that O-gauge track is twice as high as it would be, with fat rails at that, and train wheels are oversized, larger accessories and vehicles "look good" despite being 1:43 or whatever. ...

I partially agree with this, especially when the vehicle is right next to the track.  Ross/Gargraves and Atlas help a bit but the ties are still oversize. 

However, to me 1:43 vehicles still make my engines look small.  While 1:48 is not the primary scale for other hobbies such as doll houses and military scenes, 1:48 is still widely used for them (especially plastic kits).  It would seem like there would be a better market for 1:48 vehicles.

Maybe if we got away from our fascination with die-cast metal and went with detailed, lower cost plastic, 1:48 vehicles might find a following.