The General Size of Car Model

A model car or toy car is a miniature representation of an automobile. Because many of them were originally sold as playthings, there is no precise difference between a model car and a toy car, yet the collector hobby became popular in the 1960s and precision detailed miniatures made specifically for adults are an increasing part of the market. As a model car collector, do you know the general size of car model?

The scales of toy and model cars vary according to historical precedent as well as market demand. Many in house models were made full size, or at very large scales like 1:5, 1:8, or 1:10. At the opposite end of the scale, many European pre-war cars and trucks were subservient to railroad layouts, making 1:87 (a little over an inch) or 1:43 (about 4 inches long) common scales. Others made vehicles in variations around 1:40 to 1:50 scales. Some companies went smaller to appeal to the hands of smaller children (about 1:60 scale or about 3 inches), which improved profit margins in packaging more items per carton, and generally increasing profit per vehicle sold. Later, popular scales went larger. In the states, 1:25 (6 to 7 inches) became the staple size for plastic promotional models, while European manufacturers went to 1:24 or 1:18 (about 9 inches long). The larger 1:12 scale was occasionally seen and more rarely, 1:10 or 1:8.