Scale Calculator
How do I calculate the scale of a model?
To calculate the scale of a model, you need three basic things:
1.) A scale ratio calculator, such as this one: Ratio Calculator
2.) The length of the model (Can be found on any product page)
3.) The length of the living animal (Can be found on various websites, such as Wikipedia)*
*Note the lengths for many extinct animals are estimates based on fragmentary remains, so there may be considerable variation depending on your source. Length can be affected by many factors that are easy to overlook, such as the posture of the animal depicted in the model, or the curling of a tail.
Simply plug numbers into the calculator like this:
A : B = C : D
20 cm : 800 cm = 1 : 40
Figure Length : Actual Animal Length = 1 : [ Keep this space blank, and the number will pop up after you hit "calculate" ]
The example above indicates that the 20 cm long Carnegie Ankylosaurus figure, when compared with the 800 cm (converted from 8 meter, because 1 meter contains 100 centimeters, right?) life size adult animal, reveals that the figure is approximately 1:40 scale.
Remember that there is always some variation when it comes to the scale of prehistoric animals. For this reason, I encourage collectors to be wary of placing too much importance on scale. It may turn out that our type specimen was an individual that died before it was fully grown, or perhaps an artist simply wishes to depict an exceptionally large animal. Our image of these animals is always in flux, and sometimes it is best to relax our expectations in order to savor our appreciation for the hard work and artistic talent behind each model.