Scale notation is the fraction on every kit box — 1/144, 1/100, 1/60 — expressing the ratio between the model and the fictional (or real) machine. At 1/144, an 18-meter mecha stands about 12.5 cm tall; at 1/100, 18 cm; at 1/60, 30 cm.
Kit culture writes it with a slash (1/144), while diecast and figure collecting often use a colon (1:144) — a small tell of which shelf you shop. Bigger scale means more room for detail, and more bench real estate.
See it in context in our kits & grades guides, or explore the tools hands-on in The Bench.