I've noticed alot of modelers call 1:700 the divine scale. Why is it called this? I love the scale personally but I'm wondering how the name got started.

Hi Anthony!

Good question!
I can give my input:
In this scale, in every project I have built so far (9 finished, 5 in several stages), I say a lot of "Oh God!! Why didn't I built it OOB???" and then... a lot of swearing!
But this is me

Perhaps Jay can explain it (much better)


Rui

Maybe it is a combo of what Rui said "Oh my god why did I do this." and maybe "Oh my god I did it!"

To be honest, I have three things going now in 700 and 1 in 350. I love the 700 stuff! But I will still do a 350 every once and a while.

Ahoy Mates,

Long ago and far away in the land down under, a long time friend and fellow modeler brought that term to me. Although I have never met the gentleman in person, it was and has always been as a Pen Pal first then an E Mail and Internet acquaintence, he brought that term to my attention. That was probably back about 1985. We have batted it back and forth over the years and while 1/600 was a fixture of Airfix, 1/400 Heller, 1/700 was purely Japanese in invention. There are several other scales that have been tossed out by this manufacturer and that, but as far as I know 1/700 was originated in Japan. Since they seem to use the word "Divine" as an adjective to many things I believe it was applied to that scale for that reason.

Having had more than a 100 builds in that scale over the years; to me it has become indeed "divine", mostly due to the amount of detail that can be shown while holding the size of completed project down to something that can be displayed in a very reasonable amount of space. I have seen projects accomplished by master modelers who work in that scale that would defy my humble efforts as well as lead to question just exactly how big it really was. The watchlike precision and delicacy of construction is indeed marvelous to behold.

While my first efforts in the scale were somewhat sketchy to say the least, it did motivate me to try to do better and improve my efforts over the years. As many of you here on the forums know, it does take a great deal of patience to fit parts together in such a tiny realm as well as keep things looking the same from one end of a project to the other. Trying to add detailing and even scratchbuilding bits to fit in to a project can be daunting as well as detrimental to ones mental health. But all in all, it is a grand endeavor as well as a testament to ones' perseverance to see one through to completion.

I do marvel at the construction efforts of folks like Hanchang Kuo, Li Wai Kit, Jeff Lin, Peter Fulgoney, Bob Cicconi, Soonho Choi, Lars Juel Mosbaek, Bernd Viilhauer, our own "Skipper" Rui Matos, and Anthony Kochevar. They have all done things in the tiny scale that are truly astounding and show just how much patience and dedication to your project can accomplish. These guys just add motivation to me to work in the "Divine" scale to improve my humble efforts and make stuff that makes other folks go "Wow" when they look at the models that tiny yet that well endowed and busy.

As to going to the "dark side" and doing things in other scales, 1/400, 1/350, 1/144. 1/72, and even 1/35, well, I am not any different than anyone else and stretching the old model building bone in those particular renderings has its own appeal. Admittedly, they do offer even more detailed studies of parts that can only be hinted at in the smaller scale, but then the completed projects are even larger and require more space to display. So when it all comes time to plunk your dollar down and carry off that new shrink wrapped prize home to rip the plastic cover off and open that treasure chest of fanciful artwork and cardboard up to see just what you have to play with, what scale you chose is strictly a personal choice. When the completed project is sitting on your shelf what scale it is takes second place to the amount of pleasure that you had accomplishing it.

I believe the original term is "waterline divine" which is might be considered as a bit of a slight towards 1:350 kits which are (considered by some) to be a bit heavy handed. Divine is just an abbreviation.

Divine scale = God scale = "If God built ship models*, he'd do it in 1/700th scale." It's used by people who want to feel just a touch more superior than others

*1/72 is considered God Scale in the airplane modeling world.

The term was originally coined by a modeler named Mike Quan from Dallas. In the late 1990's, he coined this phrase during a discussion on the Steel Navy message board when a friendly discussion arose between 1/350 and 1/700 scale builders. As mentioned before, the original term was "waterline divine", which has morphed into "the divine scale". The short story is that a modeler created it as a catchy way of defending his preferred scale. The rest is history...

I agree with the list with the exception of my own name - still very "green"
I could had a few more names: Mike McCabe, Jim Baumann, Rob Kernaghan and Ohki Seitaro, amongst many other fine modelers

Rui

Why am I on the list? I'm flattered but feel I don't deserve the praise. I do a pretty good job most of the time(at least I think so), but those guy's work make my stuff look like bath tub toys.

Well, I like the definitions given. My version would be I had pretty much limited my modeling the last year of high school and the first couple of years of college. I discovered the new 700 scale Japanese warships coming out and at the same tie Squadron Shop in it's 2nd year as mail order. (They were in Detroit back then). Since, you can get more different varieties of ships dating from pre WW1 up until present times in that scale....mainly injection kits. It is small enough to build nice collection without taking up a ton of space and waterline gives the ship a less bulky apperance.. Of course, I stricly build 350 now but I would agree that to me anyway it is "the divine scale" as is 35th to armor.

It is indeed a divine scale but at the same time very evil. It annoys me the amount of details one can do and even the originality of the dioramas one can build at that scale.