Italeri Model Kits: Lineup, Scales and How to Pick One

What Italeri makes

Italeri is an Italian maker of plastic scale model kits. Its company page lists ITALERI S.p.A. in Calderara di Reno, near Bologna, and says the kits are developed and produced in Italy. The page names aircraft, helicopters, military vehicles, ships, trucks, cars, motorcycles, figures and diorama accessories.

On Amazon US, our data holds 40 Italeri kits in three groups:

• Cars and trucks: 16 kits, mostly 1:24, plus big 1:12 Bugatti kits
• Aircraft: 13 kits at 1:72 and 1:48, including a 1:72 KC-135 tanker
• Military vehicles: 11 kits, mostly 1:35, including two 1:9 kits and a 1:56 tank

Ships and helicopters are on Italeri's own list but not in this grid right now.

Scale means how much smaller the model is than the real thing. At 1:24, one inch on the model stands for 24 inches on the real car. Most Italeri kits are glue kits: you cut the parts from plastic frames called runners, join them with plastic cement, paint them and add decals, the printed markings you slide on with water.

A short history from the maker's own page

Italeri's company page says the firm was founded in the early 1960s by Giuliano Malservisi and Gian Pietro Parmeggiani. Its first scale model was a 1:72 Fiat G-55 fighter, sold under the Airplast name. The page also mentions a 1:32 aircraft range, a 1:35 line of motor torpedo boats and 1:12 historical cars such as the Bugatti Type 35.

For the record: that's all the history I'll repeat. If the maker's page says it, it's here. If it doesn't, it isn't.

Italeri car kits at 1:24

Thirteen Italeri listings in the grid are 1:24, and most of them are cars and trucks. 1:24 is one of the two standard car scales, so these kits sit well next to other makers' 1:24 cars.

The car kits cover a wide spread of years:

• Classic road cars: Rolls Royce Phantom II, Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider 1300, Ford Escort Mk.II, Bugatti Coupe Napoleon
• Supercars: Lamborghini Miura Jota SVJ, Lamborghini Murcielago, Jaguar XJ 220
• Rally and race: Audi Quattro, Porsche 956 Jagermeister
• A Ford set: listed as Ford Cars 1:24, ages 14+

Four of them list a finished length. The Lamborghini Miura Jota SVJ is 7.2 in, the Murcielago 7.5 in, the Porsche 956 7.8 in and the Rolls Royce Phantom II 9.3 in. The Bugatti Coupe Napoleon lists 9.6 in. That's a long car for 1:24, and the real Bugatti was a long car.

Three state a skill level. The Miura is level 2. The Napoleon and the Murcielago are level 3. A skill level is the maker's estimate of how hard the build is. Lower is simpler.

Who they suit: someone who has finished a kit or two and wants a European subject. Who should skip: a first-time builder who wants to skip glue. These need cement and paint.

Italeri truck kits

Three of the 1:24 kits are big rigs: the Freightliner FLC, the Western Star tractor head and the Volvo F16 with tarpaulin and lift. The Western Star lists ages 14+ and includes decals. The Freightliner and the Volvo say paint and glue are required and not included.

A 1:24 truck cab is a big model. Our data doesn't list a finished length for these three, so check the box or the manual preview before you plan a shelf for one. The trailer isn't in the title for any of them, so read each listing to see what's in the box.

Who they suit: builders who like long, straight panels and a lot of chrome-style trim. Who should skip: anyone short on bench space. A truck kit takes room during the build, not only after.

The big 1:12 Bugatti kits

Three Italeri kits are 1:12, all Bugatti:

• Bugatti Type 35B: level 5, decals included, 12 in long
• Bugatti Type 35B 1928 Targa Florio / 1930 Monaco GP: a race car, 11.8 in long, paint and glue required
• Bugatti Roadster / Monte Carlo: ages 14+

Level 5 is the top of the scale for kits that state one. A 1:12 car is twice the length of the same car at 1:24, so every part is bigger, and there are usually more of them. Our data doesn't list the piece count for these.

Twelve inches is also the length of the ruler in my drafting drawer. I find that convenient.

Italeri aircraft kits: 1:72 and 1:48

Italeri's aircraft in the grid come in the two most common plane scales.

1:72 aircraft

At 1:72, a fighter fits in your hand. The 1:72 listings are the F-117A Nighthawk, F-104G Starfighter, Tornado Gr.1 Gulf War 25th Anniversary, A-7E Corsair II with US Navy and Greek markings, JAS-39D Gripen twin-seater, F-111A Aardvark and the KC-135 R/FR Stratotanker. That last one is a big four-engine tanker, so even at 1:72 it needs more room than a fighter.

1:48 aircraft

1:48 is half again as large as 1:72, since 72 divided by 48 is 1.5. The 1:48 listings are the A-10C Blacksnakes, Saab JA 37 / AJ 37 Viggen, Alpha Jet A/E, F-22A Raptor, F-35B Lightning II STOVL version and P-38J E.T.O.

Who 1:72 suits: builders who want a long row of aircraft, or a big subject like the KC-135, without a big shelf. Who 1:48 suits: builders who want more room for cockpit detail and steadier hands on small parts. Who should skip both for now: anyone who has never painted a canopy frame. Start with a car.

Our data doesn't record skill levels for the Italeri aircraft. Read the box and the instructions preview on each listing before you choose.

Italeri military kits

1:35 vehicles

Seven Italeri listings in the grid are 1:35, the usual scale for military vehicles:

• Armored cars: Sd.Kfz. 232 6-Rad heavy communication car, Sd.Kfz. 234/2 Puma 8-wheel
• Tanks: Tiger I Ausf. E, P40
• Soft-skin vehicles: Dodge WC56 staff car, Opel Sd.Kfz. 305/22 radio car, M978 fuel servicing truck
• Amphibious: LVT-4 Water Buffalo

The Dodge WC56 lists 1:35 and says paint and glue are required. The others state scale in the title only.

Military kits ask a different set of skills than cars. Cars ask for a smooth, glossy body. Tanks and trucks ask for camouflage, tracks or many wheels, and weathering, which means adding dirt and wear on purpose.

The 1:9 kits

Two Italeri kits in the grid are 1:9: the Harley-Davidson WLA 750 WWII military motorcycle and the WWII German Kubelwagen Type 82. 1:9 is a large scale. The motorcycle alone becomes a centerpiece model.

Lucho looked at the motorcycle on the listing and gave me his shop habit. "At that size it's a service manual with a box around it. Read every page once before you cut a single part." I'd add a second read. Engines have more small parts than people expect, at any scale.

The 1:56 kit

The Char B1 Bis is listed at 1:56, a scale you don't see often in this grid. It won't match 1:35 vehicles on a shelf. Read the scale twice before you add it to a 1:35 display.

How to pick an Italeri kit

Here's how I'd sort the grid, in order:

1. Scale first. It sets the size on your shelf and whether the kit matches what you already own.
2. Subject second. Car, truck, aircraft or military vehicle.
3. Skill level third, where it's stated. Level 2 or 3 for a first glue kit. Level 5 when you've built several.
4. Paint and glue fourth. Most kits that answer say they're needed and not included.

My one opinion on this page is about a first military kit. If you're choosing between 1:35 and 1:72 for your first tank or armored car, pick 1:35. The reason is plain arithmetic. 72 divided by 35 is about 2.06, so a 1:35 vehicle is about twice the length of the same vehicle at 1:72. Every wheel, hatch and tool on it is twice as long too. Bigger parts are easier to cut, clean and place.

That doesn't make 1:72 the wrong choice. It makes it the second choice, after your hands know what a sprue gate feels like.

Age labels

Three Italeri listings in the grid state an age: the Western Star tractor head, the Ford Cars set and the Bugatti Roadster / Monte Carlo, all ages 14+. The rest don't state an age in our data. Hobby knives and plastic cement are adult tools, so plan on a grown-up at the bench for any younger builder.

What to buy alongside the kit

• Plastic cement: for most of these kits
• Paint: in the colors the instructions list
• Side cutters and a hobby knife: to free and clean parts
• Sanding sticks: for seams and gate marks
• A cutting mat: to save the table
• Tweezers and a dish of water: for decals

Tweezers are for the decal. Fingers are for holding the tweezers.

How Italeri compares on scale with other makers

Italeri's 1:24 cars sit next to other makers' 1:24 kits on the same shelf. Some American car kits are 1:25, which is close but not the same. If your shelf is already 1:25, read each Italeri listing's scale before you buy. For more car kits across makers, the model car kits page lists them side by side, and best model car kits for adults sorts the more involved ones.

When you're ready to paint larger surfaces, like a truck cab or an aircraft wing, the airbrush kits page covers the tools. The model kits section page has the full bench list.

Safety at the bench

Hobby knives and tools: Cut away from your body on a cutting mat, and keep blades away from kids.

Cement and paint: Work with good ventilation and follow the paint or cement maker's label for masks and gloves. The EPA lists paints, solvents and hobby supplies among household sources of volatile organic compounds and says to increase ventilation and follow label precautions when using them.

Read the end of the box first. The number printed there will outlast the box art.