Scale Modeling Building Help

[Edwin Korstanje]

4 hours ago, SeafarerTom said:

Thanks! Will do!

 

I have send you a PB @SeafarerTom

[aminnich]

Hey guys, for my next build I am going to try to focus on the scale of the build. I found a dimensional sketch of it and want to print it out to fit the scale I will be building. I would assume to fit the wheel sizes for the best result. But where do I go to get a copy of the sketch that big? And how do I get it the right size the first time? 

[aminnich]

Do people not know how to answer my question or do they just not want to help me out? 

[mocbuild101]

Assuming that it would be too big for A4, you'd just need to chop the image (on the computer) in to pieces that can fit on A4, and then piece them back together once you have printed them out.

As for printing it the right scale, I'm sorry to say that you can't do it first go, you need to print out a test page, and then measure it to work out the correct scale for printing.

Note, this will be much harder than you think - I should know, it took me 6 or 7 tries just to print a dial for my safe!

 

One funny thing I must say, the only time I did what you're trying to do, I ended up printing it the perfect size (and I mean PERFECT) first try! - so it just goes to show, you might get lucky...

[badgerboy]

If you are working in a reasonable image editing program, with rulers and/or guides and scaling tools. You stand a chance. Something in the program needs to be defined digitally at the correct size, draw a box perhaps and specify it to be the size you want. When you import your image in, scale it according to that box.

You should be able to set the paper size in the program to A4, if you don't allow the printer to scale the image to fit the page (there should be a check box) then the printed page should have an image with the correct dimensions.

This is assuming that your computer and printer don't have the same relationship as a sit-com couple.

If it's really critical to your build it's worth spending time doing, but another way would be to print out your image as is, measure it, then work out the percentage increase or decrease to make it actual size. Print a test, then take the full image into a copy shop (somewhere like Kall Kwik) and ask for an enlargement at that scale.

Edited September 24, 2017 by badgerboy

[aminnich]

@mocbuild101 and @badgerboy Thanks for the replies! I think I will try to print it out onto one small piece of paper than go to a print shop. I think it will be easier if the scaled image is one big piece of paper. 

[Milan]

On 9/22/2017 at 11:23 PM, aminnich said:

Hey guys, for my next build I am going to try to focus on the scale of the build. I found a dimensional sketch of it and want to print it out to fit the scale I will be building. I would assume to fit the wheel sizes for the best result. But where do I go to get a copy of the sketch that big? And how do I get it the right size the first time? 

Hi, since "perfect" scaling/keeping all dimensions true to the original (just scaled down) is one of my priorities, i have some exp in this, so will provide my techniques, if it is not too late:

First method:

You say you already have a blueprints for a chosen model. In the beginning I would use Acrobat Reader, convert blueprint to PDF, load it, calculate it to the desired scale (I use 1:13) by using width of the real vehicle, and divide it by your chosen scale and you got the model's width (my calculations was trucks width of 250cm /13 is 19.2cm which is 24studs, get ready the ruler, then use Reader's Dynamic Tool to fit the blueprint according to the width (in my case 19,2cm), by placing the ruler directly on the screen, and holding left click and moving mouse up and down will resize the blueprint until perfect fit next to the ruler. I have used this with great success and precision.

 

Second method:

which is more elegant, is to calculate and scale blueprint/image on screen and print it on one big piece of paper in a print shop.

Here we can see a 1:13 Liebherr with 1:13 figure and a Minifig. Model was printed on big piece of paper with very thin lines, then I have manually draw major lines which I will use the most.

Hope this helps.

[aminnich]

@Milan

thank you sir, but I have beat you to it :D 

i went to a office supply store that prints out large print jobs and had the blueprint printed out to the exact scale, like the wheel fits exactly, the length of the vehicle is exact, everything is perfect. 

But thank you for your suggestion! 

[Milan]

1 hour ago, aminnich said:

thank you sir, but I have beat you to it :D 

i went to a office supply store that prints out large print jobs and had the blueprint printed out to the exact scale, like the wheel fits exactly, the length of the vehicle is exact, everything is perfect. 

But thank you for your suggestion! 

Great. Yeah, I saw your topic too late...well at least we gave some ideas!

[aminnich]

My calculations worked out perfect, and I did exactly what you said. Except I converted from meters to inches :p 

 

[Athos]

This may have been answered already, but I am curious, assuming a minifig is a properly scaled down person (which I know it isn't), if you scaled up one brick to human size, how tall would that one brick be?

What I am really trying to get at, in the end, is: how many bricks high would a pyramid have to be to be a minifig scale replica of the Great Pyramid (~146 meters high)?

Steve

[Edwin Korstanje]

1 hour ago, Athos said:

This may have been answered already, but I am curious, assuming a minifig is a properly scaled down person (which I know it isn't), if you scaled up one brick to human size, how tall would that one brick be?

What I am really trying to get at, in the end, is: how many bricks high would a pyramid have to be to be a minifig scale replica of the Great Pyramid (~146 meters high)?

Steve

In shipbuilding we use a minifig scale of 1 to 40 so your pyramid will be 3.65 meter high.

 

[Athos]

4 hours ago, Edwin Korstanje said:

In shipbuilding we use a minifig scale of 1 to 40 so your pyramid will be 3.65 meter high.

 

Well... $#!&. Guess I'm not going to go true minifig scale...

Steve

[supertruper1988]

FWIW, I use 1:48 as my scale because its 10 feet = 8 studs. some others use 1:44 which O scale in the model railroading world so you can buy scale decals and such for models of real things. 

If you havent seen it, I recommend bookmarking sariel's scale tool found here:
http://studs.sariel.pl/

[aminnich]

I am wondering what you guys think the best width of a MOC is using the 62.4 tires? 17L? 19L?

[efferman]

19 for actual road trucks, 18 for construction site trucks

[Milan]

I would even say, take a good look at the blueprints, measure, and calculate to be sure.

[JDL1967]

I ask myself the question,  hoe do you build a scale model brick wize. I mean if you have a model i mind, do you guys build it out of a lot of differend colors and wgen it is ready then buy the bricks in the right colors? Or do you build a model in sections. I have seen a picture of Dikkie Kleijn from a truck with all kind of colors. Later i seen that truck in the finisched colors. Just curious how you guys plan a build...

[brickphisto]

Just now, JDL1967 said:

I ask myself the question,  hoe do you build a scale model brick wize. I mean if you have a model i mind, do you guys build it out of a lot of differend colors and wgen it is ready then buy the bricks in the right colors?

That is exactly how I do it. There are several advantages of this approach:

1. You do not need to search that long for certain parts when the colour does not matter.

2. You are more likely to have all parts available.

3. It makes it much easier to rebuild your model using a digital design program such as LDD because you can see more clearly which parts you used for the real model.

4. You feel your model looks much better after eventually finishing it using the right colours because you just saw it built in various colours for hours and hours and hours...

[prepmaster]

On 7/29/2017 at 12:07 AM, efferman said:

On a wheeled vehicle the tires are the only point to choose the scale if you want to be purist. The relation between Vehicle size and Tire size is to important to ignore it.

I think I will have this issue with the boat I want to do.

 

[littlebwild]

Hi, First time poster and MOC(er) <<< not sure that's a thing? Also, unsure if this is the right forum, but thought I'd try my luck.

My dad's an architect and as a Christmas gift I want to give him a mini-fig scale lego version of the lake house he designed for my mom.  I have all the scaling, but I'm stuck on this damn round window they decided to put in the bunk room on the second floor (see attached photo).  I'm struggling partially with how to build a to-scale "port hole" window, and with the fact that because I'm building the house to-scale the length of the wall is an odd 17 studs.  I've attached another photo of what I've been trying to do with the legos, but I honestly just need some advice/help. 

 

TIA!

-b

[supertruper1988]

Since you will need a 1/2 plate to get to 17 studs maybe something like this?

and build sideways towards the left and right wall?

[littlebwild]

I never thought to turn the pieces... could also help with the vertical siding I'm trying to replicate... Thanks!  Will keep you updated on how it turns out!

[dikkie klijn]

On 12/11/2017 at 9:48 PM, JDL1967 said:

I ask myself the question,  hoe do you build a scale model brick wize. I mean if you have a model i mind, do you guys build it out of a lot of differend colors and wgen it is ready then buy the bricks in the right colors? Or do you build a model in sections. I have seen a picture of Dikkie Kleijn from a truck with all kind of colors. Later i seen that truck in the finisched colors. Just curious how you guys plan a build...

There is not much of a plan usually. usually it goes something like this for me:

• Gather reference materials, blueprints etc. 
• Build axles and chassis (for a truck or car).
• Build everything else.

Sometimes I build in a rainbow color when I dont have everything in stock. But my ocd will go haywire on this tactic, so I try to keep up with bricklink orders usually. Besides the color building in sections is always a great help! Building modular helps keeping things easy to handle when working on a big project.

Hope this helps :)

[JDL1967]

I will use that info @dikkie klijn tnx!!