Scale is the first thing to settle when you start a collection. It decides how large each model is, how much detail it can carry and how many you can live with. The House holds four scales in number: 1:43, 1:18, 1:12 and 1:8. This guide explains what each one means in practice.
What the numbers mean
A scale is a ratio. At 1:18, every measurement on the model is one eighteenth of the same measurement on the real car. The smaller the second number, the larger the model. A 1:8 model is more than twice as long as a 1:18 model of the same car, and more than five times as long as one at 1:43.
To find the length of a model, divide the length of the real car by the scale. The Ferrari Daytona SP3 is 4,686 mm long. Divide by 18 and you get 260 mm, so the 1:18 model is about 26 cm long. Width and height work the same way: the same model is about 11 cm wide and 6 cm high.
How long is a model at each scale?
The table shows the sums for three well-known cars, using the lengths published for each. Results are rounded to the nearest millimetre.
| Scale | Ferrari 250 GTO (4,325 mm) | Porsche 911 GT3 RS, 992 (4,572 mm) | Rolls-Royce Phantom (5,762 mm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1:43 | 4,325 ÷ 43 = 101 mm | 4,572 ÷ 43 = 106 mm | 5,762 ÷ 43 = 134 mm |
| 1:18 | 4,325 ÷ 18 = 240 mm | 4,572 ÷ 18 = 254 mm | 5,762 ÷ 18 = 320 mm |
| 1:12 | 4,325 ÷ 12 = 360 mm | 4,572 ÷ 12 = 381 mm | 5,762 ÷ 12 = 480 mm |
| 1:8 | 4,325 ÷ 8 = 541 mm | 4,572 ÷ 8 = 572 mm | 5,762 ÷ 8 = 720 mm |
Length is only part of it. Volume grows much faster: a 1:12 model takes up more than three times the space of the same car at 1:18, and a 1:8 model more than eleven times.
1:43: the cabinet scale
A 1:43 model is about 10 cm long and sits in the palm of a hand. The scale goes back to the 1930s, when die-cast cars were first made to go with O gauge model railways, and it has lasted because a whole marque history fits in one cabinet. Detail at this size is on the outside: the shape of the body, the paint, the wheels, the badges and the lights.
The House keeps about 40 pieces at 1:43, nearly all by BBR and Make Up. Most are Ferraris, such as the Daytona SP3 in red by BBR.
1:18: the main collector scale
A typical 1:18 model is 24 to 26 cm long. That is large enough for a full interior, brake discs behind the wheels and, on models with opening parts, an engine bay you can look into. It is still small enough to keep a dozen in one cabinet.
It is the scale with the widest choice. The House has more than 900 pieces at 1:18 from over 30 makers, from sealed resin models of current supercars, such as the Daytona SP3 in green by BBR, to CMC's metal classics with opening doors and bonnets.
1:12: room for the interior
A 1:12 model is half as long again as the same car at 1:18, which means 36 to 38 cm for a sports car. The extra size goes into the things smaller scales have to simplify: seats, switchgear, and the wiring and pipework of an engine bay. Allow about half a metre of shelf for each one.
The House has close to 30 pieces at 1:12. Most are the Porsche 911 reimagined by Singer, made by IVY, such as this one in blue and gold.
1:8: a model that needs its own place
At 1:8 a modern supercar is 55 to 60 cm long, and a Rolls-Royce Phantom would be 72 cm. These are not shelf models. Each one usually stands alone on a sideboard, a desk or a plinth, often under its own cover. At this size very little has to be simplified.
The House has 27 pieces at 1:8, including six by Amalgam Collection and eight Pagani Zondas by IVY and H&H. The Daytona SP3 by Amalgam Collection is one of them.
Choosing a scale
- 1:43 if you want range: many cars in one cabinet.
- 1:18 for the balance of detail, choice and space.
- 1:12 when one car matters to you and you want to see into it.
- 1:8 for a single piece that stands as an object in a room.
Many collectors mix scales. It helps to see the same car at more than one size before deciding, and the Daytona SP3 is here at 1:43, 1:18 and 1:8. Seeing the three side by side explains scale faster than any table.
You can compare them at the House in Al Quoz 3, Dubai, open 10am to 10pm every day and 4pm to 10pm on Fridays.