Why is 1:144 scale used for plastic models?


Why a modeler originally choose 1:144 scale to create a plastic model such as
GunPla? Why not choose 1:100 or some other number that can easily determine
the size of the model from the original size?




(Didn't you ask this exact question of SF&F yesterday?)

Traditionally, toy makers have used a 1:12 scale when building scaled down
model of real objects, such as dollhouses. This practice pre-dates the metric
system, and made it easy to scale down measurements because, at 1:12, one foot
becomes one inch.

Now, suppose you wanted to build a dollhouse, and inside it, you want to have
a dollhouse. To do that, you'd have to scale down your 1:12 model house by
another 1:12, to give you 1:144. This is why 1:144 is sometime's called the
"dollhouse's dollhouse scale".

Since 1:12 and 1:144 were already well known and popular by the time anime
miniatures came around, the first people to make such models were already
familiar with it, and they used it. After that, it's mostly inertia.




(Didn't you ask this exact question of SF&F yesterday?)

Traditionally, toy makers have used a 1:12 scale when building scaled down
model of real objects, such as dollhouses. This practice pre-dates the metric
system, and made it easy to scale down measurements because, at 1:12, one foot
becomes one inch.

Now, suppose you wanted to build a dollhouse, and inside it, you want to have
a dollhouse. To do that, you'd have to scale down your 1:12 model house by
another 1:12, to give you 1:144. This is why 1:144 is sometime's called the
"dollhouse's dollhouse scale".

Since 1:12 and 1:144 were already well known and popular by the time anime
miniatures came around, the first people to make such models were already
familiar with it, and they used it. After that, it's mostly inertia.

