Has anyone mixed 1/35 and 1/32 scale vehicles and if so is there a really noticeable difference or is it just a case of "if you knew the items intimately" ?

I'm looking at getting a 1/32 scale 1930s sports car ( and a 1/32 scale Dennis Fire Engine if I can come up with a suitable theme for it ). But it would be used in a scene with German officers and other staff cars so want to make sure it isn't going to be obviously oversized.

Lots of folks have mixed these two scales before, including me. In fact, I can almost visualize the post to follow...
At any rate, to minimize the difference, you can do a "forced perspective" diorama (mainly used with shadow boxes) in which the 1/32 vehicle is placed in front, as seen from the most likely viewing angle, and the 1/35 vehicles behind it.

You have to be careful about the size of the kits you are using, generally I don't see a problem with this.

Yeah the problem is I want to make it the focal point, as in all the others are admiring the confiscated Bugatti or Bently ( haven't decided which one to get yet ).

The sports car would be about 9 percent too big. Lots of people mix the scales, though. I wouldn't worry about it for the purpose of a diorama--I'd rather tell the story I want to tell than be perfectly accurate in size. I doubt many viewers would know exactly how big a Bugatti roadster "ought" to be, so I'm sure you could get away with it.
The figures, however, should all be the same scale (yes, I realize individual people vary in size, but the size of the human head varies far less than torsos, arms and legs, so a 1/32nd scale figure usually looks odd alongside 1/35th scale figures).
For your other staff cars, you're in luck, as Tamiya has just offered a Citroen car with optional German accessories, and Bronco has a couple of Opel cars, a sedan and a cabriolet (the second kit is configured as a military car). And there is a nice variety of German field cars and military trucks from Tamiya and Italeri.
Incidentally, die cast metal car models can be repainted and detailed for such uses. National Motor Mint has a large selection of 1/32nd scale die casts at very low prices (often in the $12 range), and they include cars and trucks from the 1920's and 30's, as well as more recent decades.
There are also much more expensive 1/34th scale and 1/36th scale die casts of modern trucks and specialty construction type vehicles from other outlets, but these are produced in smaller numbers and the unit prices are much higher.

Yup, I'm one of the posters Rob saw coming. As the others have said, it can work just fine and I also do it often. I also find that most diecast models listed at 1/32 are actually closer to 1/34 when you measure them and compare the measurements to the actual vehicle.

I will also add that I am on the other side of the fence when it comes to mixing 1/32 and 1/35 figures. I do believe that people can vary is size greatly. Using a 1/32 figure together with a 1/35 figure shows this well. The key is keeping constantly sized items (weapons, ammo cans, canteens, etc.) in the same scale. This maintains a constant and allows the viewer to see that the individual soldier is just a big guy.

Hope that helps.

This is, of course, 9% of not very much. If we assume the car is 14 feet long in real life (large for a common 1930s car but small for a Bentley) then in 1/32 it's 5.25 inches, and in 1/35 it's 4.8 inches. That's 0.45 inches too large, and that's only in the longest dimension - all the others will be correspondingly less. Also, a curious feature of 1930s Bentleys and Bugs is that the front axle is mounted well ahead of the radiator, so the visual effect of the over-scale length will be even less marked.

Mind you, what matters most is that the difference will really only show if the viewer knows how long a Bentley is meant to be...

Well while out this morning I picked up a cheap 1/32 diecast car ( $4 USD ) just for size comparison. They didn't have anything old so the smallest open top i could find was an M Roaster ( a Beemer seemed apt ).

Seems to work okay so going to give it a go with the Bentley ( tempted to try the Revell Roller ). I just have to hope the Bentley is a decent kit, buggered if I could find any reviews or even more info on the kit.

[quote]Yup, I'm one of the posters Rob saw coming. As the others have said, it can work just fine and I also do it often. I also find that most diecast models listed at 1/32 are actually closer to 1/34 when you measure them and compare the measurements to the actual vehicle.

I will also add that I am on the other side of the fence when it comes to mixing 1/32 and 1/35 figures. I do believe that people can vary is size greatly. Using a 1/32 figure together with a 1/35 figure shows this well. The key is keeping constantly sized items (weapons, ammo cans, canteens, etc.) in the same scale. This maintains a constant and allows the viewer to see that the individual soldier is just a big guy."
Gino is right on. 1/32 is roughly 9% larger than 1/35,however some 1/35 figures run closer to 1/32, such as Verlinden,ESCI, and Academy. Mix/match these into composite poses.keep the equipment and weapons the same scale,(either,or) and you'll be fine.
Very interesting proposal. Please keep us informed!
Rick

It generally looks OK. The problem I ran into was using 35th scale items on a 32nd truck, and the 35th stuff did look undersized.

One of my large ongoing projects is a Corbitt 666 truck with a lowboy Freuhauf trailer. In the bed of the Corbitt will be huge crates. On the trailer, will be a 1/32 Revell He-162 Volksjager in a shipping frame. Its engine and wing are removed from the fuselage for transport mode. Since the trailer is pretty barren of protrusions above the cargo bed, there's not much to compare the oversized turbojet fighter to. I think it'll be fine

.

Yeah I'm going to give it a go. Worst case if it doesn't look right I'll bin the 1/32 scale car and get a Plus Models Mercedes instead.