The post brought some more reinforcements for my growing collection of ROCO Minitank and Roskopf vehicles. Although they are supposed to be manufactured to different scales, as the following pictures show, they do not look wrong when placed alongside each other.
The three German tanks (a Pzkpfw III, a Pzkpfw V Panther, and a Pzkpfw VI Tiger I) are all ROCO Minitanks whereas the Russian vehicles (a KV-1 and a ISU-122) were manufactured by Roskopf.
The three German tanks (a Pzkpfw III, a Pzkpfw V Panther, and a Pzkpfw VI Tiger I) are all ROCO Minitanks whereas the Russian vehicles (a KV-1 and a ISU-122) were manufactured by Roskopf.
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That MkIII model is was the first Minitank I bought back in around '65 I think. Well, not that actual one, obviously, but it certainly brings back memories.
ReplyDelete:O)
Gary Amos,
ReplyDeleteMy first ROCO Minitank was a Pzkpfw VI Tiger II (I bought it in Woolworth's in Southend-on-Sea!) but the Pzkpfw III and the Stug III are my favourite ROCO Minitank models. Somehow they always looked 'right' to me.
All the best,
Bob
The ROCO Minitank Stug III is one of my favorites also. Speaking of scale creep, I have on my table at the moment,
ReplyDeletefour Panzer V Panthers by ROCO,Roskopfs,Old Glory/Syktrex,and Battlefront. Apart from general detail they are pretty much of a size.Now these are 1/87th,1/90th,and 15mm! I'm thinking of doing a photo comparison with these and a few other models to hand. ROCO in particular seems to jump
in scale far more than others, you see this in their infantry which comes in two very distinct sizes, one
close to 15mm the other close to 20mm.
The size difference can also be seen in the Panzer III and Stug III, the ROCO is huge compared to Roskopfs,Old Glory/Syktrex,and Battlefront.
Again this seems to require a photo essay....)
Don M,
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing how so many models that are apparently made to different scales are in fact almost exactly the same size. I think that a photo-comparison would be of interest to quite a few people.
ROCO were guilty of changing the scales of some of their models, the various Sherman tanks being the most glaring examples. You are right about their figures getting bigger, the earliest being close to 15mm-scale and the later being small 20mm-scale.
The Pzkpfw III and Stug III are definitely large when compared to some other models, including the ROCO Pzkpfw IV.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob,
ReplyDeleteNice acquisition.
I have quite a few 1/87 pieces. I think the Roskopf are about 1/90, which is close enough for wargaming. If you can get EKO Pzkw IIIs, they are indistinguishable from Roco (and cheaper). However their Panthers, Tigers, and T34s are very small next to Roco; too small to use unless you don't mix the same types in the same game, or at least the same unit.
Regards,
John
The Ferrymen (John),
ReplyDeleteI have heard about EKO models, but I don't think I have ever seen any. Even if they are not roughly the same scale as ROCO and Roskopf, I am sure that I can find uses for them if I ever come across them.
All the best,
Bob
The ROCO PzIV was the one that put me off the marque. It just looked so wrong next to my Airfix vehicles. Loved the model of the Puma though!
ReplyDeleteHi Bob,
ReplyDeleteAs near as I can recall I only ever owned a Roco Puma armoured car and a Hanomag halftrack. I used to use a lot of the Airfix polythene vehicles though - the Patton tank, the truck, the SP and the magnificent 25 pdr and others all saw a lot of service!
All the best,
DC
Xaltotun of Python,
ReplyDeleteThe ROCO Pzkpfw IV is not one of their best models, and over the years I have tended to use it as the basis for other things. For example, the tracked Russian Artillery Tractors in my Megablitz army are ROCO Pzkpfw IV chassis with truck cabs and bodywork replacing the superstructure.
Funnily enough, the Puma is one vehicle I have not yet been able to buy in large numbers from eBay. I suspect that it is so popular that people don't sell them very often.
All the best,
Bob
David Crook,
ReplyDeleteIt must be a generational thing, but I never owned any of the Airfix polythene military vehicles when I was young. They came along after I had already built up sizeable armies of ROCO and Airfix vehicles.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob, I put up a few comparison
ReplyDeleteshots:
http://brazosevilempire.blogspot.com/2013/09/scale-comparison.html
Don M,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link to that blog entry. It is a very helpful set of comparisons.
All the best,
Bob
Glad to be of assistance, I have many more examples that I'll put up as time permits.
ReplyDeleteDon M,
ReplyDeleteI look forward to seeing more comparisons if or when you manage to get around to doing them.
All the best,
Bob
I remember hunting out a shop down behind the Battersea powerstation in either 1969 or 1970.
ReplyDeleteI think I got some ROCO minitanks there but was disappointed when they did not match my Airfix tanks.
I think the power station is long gone now!
Jim Duncan,
ReplyDeleteI never knew there was a model shop in that part of London ... but it is somewhere where I never ventured as it was on the opposite side of London from where I lived.
That whole area of London has changed beyond recognition ... but the power station still stands there empty and awaiting a meaningful purpose.
I never worried about ROCO stuff not matching my Airfix models and happily mixed both together ... and will probably do so again for my Eastern Front/Great Patriotic War campaign.
All the best,
Bob