Italeri S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of

plastic Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...

scale models of

airplanes An airplane or aeroplane (informally plane) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and wing configurations. The broad spectr ...

military vehicles A military vehicle is any vehicle for land-based military transport and activity, including combat vehicles; both specifically designed for, or significantly used by military and armed forces. Most military vehicles require off-road capabilit ...

helicopters A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attributes ...

, ships,

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame constructi ...

s, and

cars A car or automobile is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of ''cars'' say that they run primarily on roads, Car seat, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport private transport#Personal transport, people in ...

. The company was founded in 1962 by Giuliano Malservisi and Gian Pietro Parmeggiani to produce accurate scale model kits with attention to detail.

History

The company was founded in 1962 by Giuliano Malservisi and Gian Pietro Parmeggiani. Since childhood, they had loved

and

, but were not satisfied enough with the scale models on the market available at those times. They began to produce models themselves, first as a hobby, and later turning it into a business. The first name of the company was "Italstamp" and the first scale model kit was released with the brand "Aliplast", a 1:72 model of the Italian fighter

Fiat G.55 The Fiat G.55 ''Centauro'' (Italian: " Centaur") was a single-engine single-seat World War II fighter aircraft used by the '' Regia Aeronautica'' and the ''Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana'' in 1943–1945. It was designed and built in Turin b ...

. The company name changed to "Italaerei" and, ten years later, it was contracted into "Italeri", easier to use and to pronounce not only in Italian language. The logo consists of an airplane silhouetted over two red and green stripes. The company, located close to

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label=Emilian language, Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 1 ...

, started to produce product lines characterized by a certain “uniqueness” on the subjects. In particular Italeri used to have a wide range of Italian subjects. During its lifetime Italeri has also acquired the Supermodel and Protar brands.

Product range

Italeri has a wide portfolio of scale models. It has designed famous Italian aircraft used by the '' Regia Aeronautica'' during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

, from the small biplane fighter Fiat CR.42 Falco to Savoia-Marchetti SM.82 three-engine bomber. Italeri has also produced, in 1:72 scale, the Savoia-Marchetti SM.79, nicknamed "''gobbo maledetto''”, which translates as "the cursed hunchback". Italeri also put great attention to

WWII World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Italian Army military vehicles such as AB armored cars series, the small L6 recon tank, and the rare (produced in few numbers) P-40 heavy tank. They have also produced a series of 1:35 scale motor torpedo boats of World War II such as the American PT-596, the metre-long model of the ''

Schnellboot E-boat was the Western Allies' designation for the fast attack craft (German: ''Schnellboot'', or ''S-Boot'', meaning "fast boat") of the Kriegsmarine during World War II; ''E-boat'' could refer to a patrol craft from an armed motorboat to a lar ...

'' ''S-100'' of the German '' Kriegsmarine'', and the MAS of the Italian ''

Regia Marina The ''Regia Marina'' (; ) was the navy of the Kingdom of Italy (''Regno d'Italia'') from 1861 to 1946. In 1946, with the birth of the Italian Republic (''Repubblica Italiana''), the ''Regia Marina'' changed its name to ''Marina Militare'' ("M ...

''. The small assault boats 1:35 series also includes the Italian '' Barchino'' and '' Maiale'' and the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

'' Biber''. Italeri also produces of 1:24 scale model

s, trailers and

semi-trailers A semi-trailer is a trailer without a front axle. In the United States, the term is also used to refer to the combination of a truck and a semi-trailer; a tractor-trailer. A large proportion of a semi-trailer's weight is supported by a tracto ...

. In recent years, Italeri introduced the Photographic Reference Manual (PRM) for some kits, in which the subject of the scale model kit is described with a high level of historical information and modelling details. The first kit to be accompanied by the PRM was the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

patrol torpedo boat A PT boat (short for patrol torpedo boat) was a motor torpedo boat used by the United States Navy in World War II. It was small, fast, and inexpensive to build, valued for its maneuverability and speed but hampered at the beginning of the wa ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control Model manufacturers of Italy Toy soldier manufacturing companies 1:25 scale models 1:18 scale models

History

Product range

See also

References

External links