O scale vehicles?

Get trucks, construction equipment, etc. in 1:50. Most automobiles are 1:43. Atlas does make some 1:48 trucks.

 

Nice selection here http://www.diecastdirect.com/?c=True I usually look around their site and find what I like, then often times you can use the item# or description to find it cheaper on ebay or elsewhere.

I get them on EBay sometimes. If I am not in a hurry I just place humble bids and then wait. Sometimes they go for very cheap prices, sometimes not. My trick is a low bid and then not even watch as auction progresses so I am not tempted to raise my bid. I get lots of K-line items cheap this way. 

Jeoff, the 1/48 scale vehicle market is one of the least populated resources there is in O scale. Very Very few true 1/48 scale vehicles have been manufactured. Most hobbiests are using 1/50 as a fair alternative and the 1/43 as next choice if properly placed on the layout can be a reasonable choice, and there are many to pick from in that scale. Make no mistake 1/43 is too big, but when you using it as a background detail the appearence is ok. 1/50 is available to some extent, but not in a wide spread variety unfortunately.

 

If some one with deep pocket were to invest in producing a true 1/48 scale vehicle assortment, I suspect there would be endless customers.

 

Bob

1/50 stuff seems to be "close enought" without breaking the bank!

There is also the issue of 'foirced perspective' when it comes to vehicles.  I use all different sizes and where they are placed helps to set the scene.  The smaller vehicles are at the back of the scene and the larger  . . . . It all helps to add to the illusion of distance.  My problem with vehicles is we are modeling the summer of 1940 and the selection is really limited.  Russ

 

     Thanks, this is great information. I don't have any 1/50 scale so I'll be

   checking that out for sure. My layout is small, 9x12, so I would be limited

   in what I could get away with as far as forced perspective. I doubt I'll be

   able to use my cattle truck anywhere on the layout without it looking out

   of place. I'm surprised some of the manufacturers that are close to O scale

   haven't made the connection that making 1/48 scale would open up a

   whole new market for them.

 

     Geoff 

I'm surprised some of the manufacturers that are close to O scale

   haven't made the connection that making 1/48 scale would open up a

   whole new market for them.

     Geoff 

 Well some of them are... just that the price point is too high or there is such a backlog of items being made overseas that it will take a lot of time.

Why would manufactres do 1/48 scale when most world car and truck collecters are 1/43 and 1/50 scale.  O scale is a minority scale, why produce vehicles for a minority?

IF Athearn did so well with the 1/48 scale vehicles, wouldn't they have done more of them? You can still find them for sale. Therefore 1/48 scale must not be that popular as manufactures would be making them.

Stephen

Unless your railroad has a military theme, you will have a difficult time finding vehicles in 1/48. There are many military vehicles in 1/48 including trucks and some cars. But they look distinctly military so would need modifications to work for most layouts.

 

The choice is really between 1/43 and 1/50 scale vehicles which are popular scales for model car collectors. Being frustrated by the lack of 1/48 vehicles, long ago I decided to make the standard for my layout 1/50. Let me bore you with a quick comparison of the three scales:

 

In 1/43 scale, 1 real foot = 0.28 inches.

In 1/48 scale, 1 real foot = 0.25 inches.

In 1/50 scale, 1 real foot = 0.24 inches.

 

So the average 15 foot long car/truck would be:

 

4.20 inches long in 1/43

3.75 inches long in 1/48

3.60 inches long in 1/50

 

So the 1/43 model is almost 1/2 inch too long (4.20 - 3.75 = 0.45), while the 1/50 model is only 3/20 inch too short (3.75 - 3.60 = 0.15).

 

There are many nice 1/50 vehicles on the market (Corgi, First Gear, Lledo, Norscot, Ertl) and some no longer made that can be found on ebay and at swap meets (such as Athearn, Matchbox). On ebay there are dozens, if not hundreds, of 1/50 vehicles that get posted every day. As Jeff notes above, he uses a good strategy so that he doesn’t overpay. Patience is the key. Thousands of these models were manufactured so they come up for bid on ebay all the time. If you miss one because of price, it will most likely appear again within days or weeks.

 

I am currently working on collecting 1/50 vehicles for my layout that I am just stated to build. Here are a few photos of some of the 1/50 vehicles I have. These will eventually get modified and weathered when I put them on the layout.

 

 

I am interested in this topic. Reading model railroad magazines I have realised that I like seeing the cars on the layouts and I am a car buff. I'm not ready for scenery yet but the only cars I have are toy type bought at train shows and doubious as to size or acceptably. I have all traditional size freight and passenger cars or the smaller size so I bought a Matchbox 68 Mustang suppose to be 1/64 but when at home its too small. maybe I can use it in the background. Its nice looking, many have too gaudy a paint job or gaudy wheels, Hot wheels are the same size. Big cars and smaller cars like my Mustang are the same size in Hot Wheels and Matchbox. Target had a 10 pack where some of the cars might be about the right size but they were new and new cars are bland to me. There was a schoolbus in the 10 pack and it was too small.

We discussed 1960's vehicles on the OST forum last Spring.. it might be of help.

 

http://www.oscalemag.com/wordp...=viewtopic&t=236

1:48 vehicles are out there, rare and unusual but some have been produced. Revell I believe made some and so did Renwal. Today the diecast business is either 1:50 or 1:43. Some of these models are wonderful; just too big or too small. 

 

 

NEO produced these in resin in 1:43

 

The chunky Brooklyn models are nice but inaccurate most of the time. 

 

Renwal 1:48 scale Buicks

 

Certainly a variety of sizes live in this view.. 

 

1:50

1:43

and 1:48... blend force perspective; it has been a fuss for some time.

 

I had a thread on this subject a couple of months ago....I was hunting vehicles for
1940 and prior, as someone above is, and I was using Rextoy and Brooklin (and
a lot of other brands) 1/43 and couldn't find trucks, until I discovered some Spec
Cast ones in 1/50.  I wanted to use a Matchbox one, too, but the darn thing is
expensive because it only came lettered with a beer brand slathered on it (I would
cure that problem pronto! by changing bed, maybe lengthing chassis, etc.).  And
like the initiator of this thread, I bought one of those cattle trucks (can't use the
modern cab) for the body, but it is HUGE.  If it IS 1/43, than some of this stuff
advertised as such must be a smaller scale.
Spec Cast has International and White stake trucks that I will use around my stock
pens.  They are immediate postwar, but, like autos after the war, styling did not
change for a couple of years,  and they will pass for prewar.  I think there is one
of them in my stone mill photo I posted on here yesterday....1/43 may be wrong,
but it is available, and I have tired of doing without era correct vehicles..after all
I have that strange center rail, and I am not modeling dual gauge with 2' 4 1/4" narrow gauge.

 

       Has anyone tried one of these UPS trucks? This looks very tempting to

   me despite the fact that it's a little pricey. It is stated to be 1:53 however

   I noticed they put "O scale" next to the 1:53 in a couple of places. I don't

   completely understand the dimensions that are given but it looks like 

   these are 16 or 17" long depending on if you get 1 long trailer or 2 short

   trailers.  Just curious what others think about these.

       Geoff

 

http://upsmodeltrucks.com/prod...p;findKey=&cid=0

 

    Thanks John, I see it now, the asterisks were confusing me I think. The 

   first number is the total length followed by the width and then the height.

   These are good size models for sure. I did some measuring with my O scale

   ruler on the model I'm interested in which is the plain UPS tractor with

   the two 28' trailers. The length is 16.8 in. which = about 68', width 1.9 in.

   which = 8 ft. and height 3.1 in. which = a little over 12'. These seem like

   acceptable numbers to me although 8 ft. seems a little narrower than I

   would have guessed. I'll have to mull it over. They sure look nice and I

   think they would look good on a layout. If I get one I'll post a review

   of some kind here.  Thanks for the help.

 

       Geoff