BAN502 hex bolt flat head 1,0mm

A millimeter as a reference point

Modelers usually keep one size in their heads against which they compare the rest. A flat millimeter is ideal for that role, because it can be worked out from memory. Multiplying by the figure of the scale gives you the size of the real joint at once: in 1:24 twenty-four millimeters, in 1:12 twelve. There is no need to look anything up; reading the scale of the kit is enough.

Where this grade looks good

It comes into its own best on cars in 1:20 and 1:24, where it corresponds to the joints on the engine, on the suspension and on the exhaust pipework. On tracked machinery in 1:35 it shifts into the role of a coarse structural bolt, the kind that holds girders and hangers. At the same time the low profile of the head prevents the detail from looking like a button stuck on a smooth body.

How to make your own reference

• fit one head onto scrap plastic and keep it as a standard
• before buying another size, hold against it the part you want to fit
• note down what worked; on the next model you will save hours
• judge from the distance at which the model is viewed, not from ten centimeters

The last point tends to be underrated. Under a magnifier almost every joint looks too coarse, but a finished model is viewed from half a meter, and there the small sizes are lost. Decide, therefore, by the final impression and not by the detail only you will see while building.