Hi Robert. I get 5 and 1/4 inches for the Bandai kit, give or take. I'm sure that a 1:48 pilot will fit into the MPC kit with little or no problem. Take a look at the link below to see how good the old kit can look with a bit of work and a larger pilot:
http://www.starshipmodeler.com/starwars/rm_awing.htm
Aye, I thoroughly enjoyed Rafe's build when I was researching for this project. I've built the MPC kit a couple of times before over the years but now I have some great images that folks have shared of the filming model, taken during the SW 'road shows' that show just how accurate the MPC kit's detailing is - it is obvious the pattern makers had access to the original at some point. But because it was done pre-CAD days and a snap-tite to boot, the smaller parts detailing is pretty soft. But with TLC, it can build up into an excellent replica. I am engraving the panel lines & drilling the "rivets" like the original (and which are generally spot on except for the diagonals that wrap around the sides - the top set is correct so the bottom half needs correcting to match.) One challenge is cleaning up the doubled F-16 intake 'exhaust ports' in the rear panel between the engines. I found a couple of small-mouth F-16 intakes in 1/48 scale (especially the early Tamiya kit) would work great, but I ended up thinning out the overly thick MPC parts, then putting a vertical plug to widen the assembly. I recycled the 'wheel' part in the duct (took two to repair the 'cut out' wounds for one good "wheel") and turned it down using my Dremel & speed control as a lathe. The results are petite and delicate and an excellent match to the original parts.
Also, over the weekend I found a useful source of parts in some Bandai 'gundam' detailing parts sets which includes "vernier rocket" parts (basically, detailed nozzles and interior parts) that could be applied to good, if not entirely faithful-to-the-original, effect.
So, with a 5.25 inch length, the Bandai kit's scaling is a bit of a 'swag' (shaggy wild-arse guess) but likely
not 1/72, if we go by the size of the actors in the cockpit set (which has the bulkhead clearly visible.) I realize the size of the pilot figure in the studio model was oversized by comparison (in fact, another builder called the MPC kit 1/32 scale based on the pilot he put in the cockpit - to match the 'big head' figure in the original!) Since I build to 1/48 scale, I took the benefit of the doubt and also christened it 1/48 as Rafe' did. Really is too bad Bandai didn't just go on and make the A-Wing a 1/48 scale kit - they practically did so anyway, didn't they?! Looks like you had fun with it, in any case...
Kind regards, Robert
