Scale is the proportions of an object based on two sets of dimensions, or the measurement of an object relative to two points of reference. Objects such as model kits, will have different measurements relative to its scale.
I had a not-so-unusual request from a friend to help him figure out the scale height of the recently released (July 2021) 1/32 Tyrannosaurus Rex Imaginary Skeleton kit from Bandai.
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| Oh Bandai. Another kit we don't really need, but would most likely get anyway, just because... |
According to HLJ's release page, the assembled kit is about 35cm in length (13.78in for the metric-challenged), but says nothing about the assembled height (and in hindsight, wasn't really relevant). So I had to be creative and do what an intrepid researcher must do first when the information presented is incomplete: Google. (Sidenote: is anyone still using Yahoo, or other search engines?)
First thing I checked is the 1:1 height of a T-Rex.
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| Google is your Friend... |
On average, a T-Rex would be around 5m in height, so I'll use that as a base reference for the 1:1 scale height. Using a simple equation we learned in high school (employing fractions, ratios and proportions),
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| Math 101: scale is just ratio and proportions |
the height of our reference T-Rex at 1/32 scale is around 15cm, which is roughly the height of 1/144 kits on average, with a few exceptions, like huge MS designs like the Sazabi (23m), Nu (22m), Sinanju (22.6m) and Unicorn (21.7m D-mode), all of which are above average Gundam head heights of 18m at 1:1. (Another sidenote: there are MS that have two height values, the head height, which is measured from foot to the tip of the head, sans the v-fin or horns, and the overall height which often also include the additional height from the backpack and shoulder attachments).
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| Relative heights based on scale (Sazabi overall height, 25.6m) |
As I understand it, most kits or figures that come in HG-sized boxes will basically have the close to the same height when assembled, most probably so that it uses the same amount of material when molded to place it at that price point, so I guess this won't be any different. For its scale, the T-Rex does look like it'll be around the height of an average 1/144 kit.
Now, to understand this a bit further, the T-Rex, despite its 5m towering height over humans, is relatively small compared to a Gundam (18m) or a Sazabi (25.6m). The T-Rex would be around the size of the Sazabi's foot.
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| The T-Rex is puny compared to the Mighty Sazabi |
On the other hand, the T-Rex would smash them 1/144, 1/100 kits and 1/60 kits without batting an eyelash,
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| Source: https://twitter.com/mikkkori/status/1418042019927056391 |
Or have your oh-so-precious-holy-grail kits for lunch.
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| https://www.reddit.com/r/Gunpla/comments/7ycjsx/cat_vs_unicorn/ |
Ooops. Wrong visuals. Here's, uh, the same T-Rex if it were 1:1 and we're comparing the relative heights of the scaled kits. See how those things in your hands seem relatively huge, but is relatively tiny compared to a rampaging monstrosity of an imaginary skeleton.
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| Huge and small is really just a matter of perspective. |
Now, if you're curious if the length of the kit given by HLJ at 35cm would be proportionate to the 1:1 length of the T-Rex (12.3m or 1230cm), we still use the Magic Math Formula we used previously,
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| 35 ≠ 38.4375, but that's darn close |
Considering these are all estimates to begin with, that's rather a close value. Given my history of having a lot of difficulties with college Math (Calculus is a bitch, and I haven't really used it, lest I become a rocket scientist), I still love math.
Don't you?
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| A few days later, Fire Ants held residence at the Derek Zoolander's Center for Kids Who Can't Read Good and Wanna Learn to Do Other Stuff Good too... |
Lastly, here's the best thing to use for scale comparison in any occasion.
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| Source |
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