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Correct scale

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As my dynamog comes to completion I was wondering whether to put a driver in it. As the windows are clear some simple interior and body would be nice. Problem is what scale is the driver that I need. I have seen 3 different variations of what scale the Tamiya Unimog 406 is ranging from 1/12th to 1/8th. The bodyshell came in a packet that said 1/10th scale as does the Tamiya website.IMG_1303.JPG.fc9a272f85d9c94609cdf0c9507fb094.JPG

The easyest dimension to work with is the width of the body that I measure at 195mm. The best scale plan of a unimog bearing the many different wheelbases etc comes out at 2400mm giving a scale of 1:816. This is backed up by a build thread on SBG which also comes in around 1:8. So whos right??? Me or Mr T

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I wouldnt worry about it too much - im pretty sure all the driver figures for tamiya kits are interchangable between 1:10 & 1:12 scale. 

If you look at the size of the head of the driver on the sand scorcher compared to that supplied in the 1:10 scale 4x4 figure you will see.

Ive always thought the cockpit figures in the rally and touring car set were too small and the sand scorcher and FAV drivers were closer to true 1:10 scale

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"1/10 scale" tends to be a classification of vehicle size rather than an actual scale. The CC01 is nominally a 1/10 scale chassis, so any body made for it will be listed as such. The original run of bodies for that chassis (Pajero, Jeep, Isuzu, Honda CR-V) are actually really close to 1/10 scale. But it wouldn't surprise me if some of the others drifted off that standard.

The same thing happens with other lines; a Mini Cooper and a VW Golf Mk1 are both 210mm-wheelbase M-chassis bodies, but in real life a Golf will dwarf a Mini. Same thing with the Blackfoot and Monster Beetle; the Beetle is obviously a much smaller car than a Ford F150, but they're roughly the same size body, and both listed as "1/10 scale."

I wouldn't worry too much about it; I usually try to focus on getting the details and the "look" right and not focusing too much on the math. In fact, sometimes, if you try for actual scale proportions, the car will end up looking too tall, too narrow, and having wheels that are far too small. A little fudging of proportions seems to be necessary, both for function and form.

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Driver sizes are always tricky.  

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Here, Senator Amidala looks small.  The figurine is 14cm (5.5") in height.  Multiply by 12, her real height would be about 168cm.  (Natalie Portman is short, like 160cm, so I'd say this is 1/11.5 scale.  Still, 1/12 drivers would be too small.)  

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Here is Arnold.  He's 6'2" or 188cm. 

Massive as he is, his head doesn't reach the windows on this newer, taller Unimog.   

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For smaller 405, I'd say most men would reach the bottom of the window.  

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17cm - 18cm would make a good driver.  1/10th would make the figure 170cm - 180cm in real life.  But there are a lot of 6 inch figures, but not many 7 inch figures.  

I think 1/8th driver would look big inside 405. 

I don't know what the scale is for below anime girl (there are no legs, it is just a bust).  But if her height (if she had legs) is about 23cm, and her real life height is 170cm, this would be 1/7.4th scale.  She looks slightly too big.  Most people don't know how big Unimog is.  So, I'd say 1/8th looks better than 1/12th.  

Conclusion:  1/10th, 1/9th figures would make good drivers for Unimog 405. (but I don't think armless Grasshopper drivers would be a good choice)

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Maybe this Arnold might fit.  He's 7 inches tall.  

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Universal-Decoration-7-Inch-Man-Driver-Figure-for-1-10-RC-Rock-Crawler-Car-Truck/132831180411?hash=item1eed5af67b:m:mQc9gwzm-QAGbngA2u7HOKA

He'll look small in Unimog, but that's how it would be in real life.  I wish there was 1/9th figure, just for Unimog. 

(below is a 16.5cm figure. If this is 1/10th, she'd be 165cm. Looks about right.) 

xktnOjS.jpg

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I think Ill aim for 8- 9 inch. I have a 7 inch arnie in my FAVbug so i might prise  him out of the seat to see how he fits though as it says above he is a big bloke. Thanks for all the input. Having spent years building 1/24 scale cars and 1/48th scale planes I suppose im a bit hung up on scale. I thik i must go with the addage if it looks right it is!!!!!:rolleyes:

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