# Differing sizes of oo scale kits



## Hamish (Apr 3, 2015)

Just started building kits to add to my town/village scene and have found manufacturers idea of oo scale seems to differ. For example My Dapol village church in oo/ho bears no resemblance in size to my Metcalfe oo/ho village school, the village school is much larger and makes the church not have the dominance I feel it should have.
I understand perspective but have not got the room to place the church so far behind the school to look right, besides, I have the scene in my mind which places them closer.
I now need to make a decision as to which kits to go with. Also how do other kits i.e. Metcalfe, Wills,Dapol etc. compare in size, even though they are oo scale.
Having seen pictures of layouts which include lots of buildings in scenes can I ask the experts if they use the same manufacturers/scratchbuild and how do all the others compare in size. Are Wills the same size as Dapol etc.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

If you have a scale 'ruler' you can determine the exact scale
sizes of known things, such as door ways, windows, steps
and the like by 'measuring' the kits you have. 
Thus you can determine which brand more
closely follows scale reality with their products.

Don


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## Hamish (Apr 3, 2015)

Thanks but my question is how do you know the size of kits compared to others until you buy them and are then able to compare? Is a Dapol kit in oo the same physical size, in oo, as for example a Wills kit in oo, I know now that a Metcalfe kit is physically bigger, although the same scal, as a Dapol, how many manufacturers are there and how do they compare, I ask again, what kits do other modelers use? 
I thought a kit built to the oo scale no matter who made it, would be the same physical size i.e. Door height, height from ground to gutter, I KNOW real buildings vary in size, but there are some parts which are within inches, floor to ceiling height, floor to gutter/ roof apex in a common semi does not vary that much. And 4mm=1ft so how much different would 6 inches make, a Dapol and Metcalfe vary so much in size, a Metcalfe corner shop is so much bigger than a Dapol village shop.
What do others use????????


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Some OO (1:72) kits are actually built to HO (1:87) scale, making them smaller than those OO kits built to true 1:72 scale. The only thing OO and HO share is track gauge, which is 5/8" (10mm).


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## Hamish (Apr 3, 2015)

Thanks this could explain what I am getting at, however, both Dapol and Metclfe show a scale on their packaging of OO/HO so if there is a difference in scale and it means the kit would suit either OO/HO there is too much difference in physical size for me. Out of interest how much difference would there be in a standard 6' 6" door in each scale?
As I have said, I am just starting to construct my village/town scene and now haven't a clue which kits go together as far as comparable size for scale. I know I can't use Dapol and Metcalfe together, but will Dapol go with Wills, for variation of buildings?
Please, what do the experts use in their layouts?
Shortly after I started my layout one of the model shops which I often use had back issues of model railway magazines for10p each so I bought a few to get ideas and inspiration and some of the featured layouts where quite remarkable, I very much doubt I could acheive such detail. The photos of these layouts showed some awesome buildings which all looked correct in all aspects, it is help from these very experienced modelers that I need right now, in regards to which kits go together.
Thanks for your time and patience 👍


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

HO = 3.5mm to the foot, OO = 4mm to the foot. 6' = 6 x 3.5mm > 21mm HO scale, 6 x 4mm > 24mm OO scale. That 3mm adds up quickly.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Hi, Hamish. The only Middlesbrough I know of is the one in Yorkshire, UK, and I confess to a very limited knowledge of what is available in the UK market for model railroads. I have some cardstock buildings which my father bought in London in the early '70's. These are all labeled HO / OO, but they are very close in size to kits purchased in the US market which are "true" HO -- that is 1/87 scale.

However, I do have extensive experience with toy soldiers and miniatures purchased from UK suppliers, and from this I can tell you that for figures and structures intended for miniature wargaming, the HO / OO label is cause for concern, as it should generally be read as "somewhere in the neighborhood between 1/72 and 1/90 scale". I say 1/90, because some of the buildings are just slightly underscale for a true HO figure (where a normal human is about 20mm in height, and would bump his plastic head on some of the doors on some of these structures), and almost every structure is underscale for a 25mm figure (a "marked" OO scale -- which if you notice from Shay's calculations above is actually a little over 1/72 if you assume the average height of a male at 5'10" or about 1.75m). In miniatures, we accept this scale anomaly because the intent is to recreate (or invent new) battles using miniatures rules with a historical or fantasy flavor, not to accurately depict reality.

I would think that models designed specifically for realistic modeling would be true to scale -- just understand that since OO and HO are significantly different in size, anything marked as both can't possibly be accurate to scale. Perhaps other sources of models would be more accurate?

I don't know if that helped any, but there it is.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

And BTW, after some practice, you will find yourself able to achieve the very realistic results you see in the photos. It's really easier than it looks, once you get the hang of it.


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## Hamish (Apr 3, 2015)

Thanks to all for your comments however I have decided to go with Dapol. The reason being they are physicals smaller, for the same scale, than others that I have tried. As they are smaller I can fit more buildings into the space. 
My initial post was because of difference in physical size for the same scale, so once again thanks.


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

The gist of our answers was that, since HO and OO are two different scales, anything labeled as HO / OO must, by definition, not be very concerned with actual scale. Buying products that are clearly delineated as one or the other (or an actual 1:87 scale, for instance) will give you greater consistency.

Good luck with your project!


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## Cycleops (Dec 6, 2014)

The Dapol kits go back many many years when they were made by Airfix so I don't think they were that accurate. I would imagine the Metcalf kits to be nearer to 1:72 as they are more up to date. I've just made a one and it's really excellent in terms of detail.


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