Amati

What Amati does

Amati S.p.a. is an Italian model-making company founded in Turin in 1879 that designs, manufactures, and distributes wooden ship models, railway models, plastic models, fretwork kits, construction plans, and the associated tools, fittings, and raw materials. Its core competency is historically authentic wooden ship kits organized into multiple sub-brands (America's Cup, Victory Models by Amati, Amati/Classic, First Step, Ship in a Bottle, Wooden City, Railways), supported by 681+ raw material SKUs covering balsa, walnut, lime, mahogany, plywood, brass, aluminum, copper, polystyrene, and ASA microprofiles. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via a five-language e-commerce storefront (www.amatimodel.com) with worldwide shipping thresholds and a single physical retail store in Turin that also serves as a click-and-collect point.

The company supplements its own manufactured kits with distribution partnerships for complementary third-party brands, including Tamiya, Eduard, Academy, and Arma Hobby in plastic models and Badger, Raboesch, and Evergreen in tools and materials, making the storefront a category-aggregator rather than a single-brand retailer. Revenue is generated entirely through unit-priced product sales, pay-as-you-go, with newsletter-driven acquisition (10% first-order incentive), a points-based loyalty program, installment payment options, and tiered free-shipping thresholds (€110 in Italy, €400 abroad). Marketing is organic and content-led through an in-house blog of tutorials and history pieces, an email newsletter, and social channels.

Amati serves a horizontal hobbyist-and-collector segment spanning beginners to expert modelers, with explicit product segmentation across skill levels (First Step / Kit S(tarter) for beginners versus Kit XXL / Advanced Precision Kit / Victory Models for experts). The company is privately held, with no disclosed parent, institutional investor, funding rounds, or senior management team information in the source data. Geographic expansion is signaled through European-focused DTC shipping and a five-language storefront, but certain jurisdictions (United Kingdom, Iceland, Turkey, several Balkan and Central Asian states, microstates) are explicitly excluded from shipping, and no headcount or revenue figure is disclosed.

Name

Amati

Legal name

Amati S.p.a.

Website

https://amatimodel.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1879

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Amati S.p.a. is an Italian hobbyist model-making company founded in Turin in 1879 that designs and distributes wooden ship models, railway models, plastic models, fretwork kits, tools, and raw materials to model-building enthusiasts worldwide via a multi-language e-commerce storefront and a Turin retail store.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Scale Model Kits

NAICS

Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (45912), Doll, Toy, and Game Manufacturing (339930)

SIC

Games, Toys & Children's Vehicles (No Dolls & Bicycles) (3944)

akta.pro primary industry

Scale Model Kits (Aircraft, Armor, Ships, Cars) (CRALAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Model Railroading Kits & Scenery (CRALAKAE), Modeling Tools & Workshop Equipment (Knives, Airbrushes, Compressors) (CRALAKAG), Model Paints, Finishes & Adhesives (CRALAKAH), Hobby & Model Kits Distribution (RC, Scale Models, Miniatures) (CRAOAMAD)

Keywords

• Scale model kits
• Wooden ship models
• Hobby tools
• Model building
• Railway models

Headquarters

HQ city

Turin

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Product Sales: Direct e-commerce sales of model kits, construction materials (wood, metal, synthetics), tools, accessories, and specialty modeling supplies. Products include wooden ship models, plastic models from brands like Tamiya, Eduard, and Academy, railway models, fretwork patterns, and comprehensive modeling accessories.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Amati designs, manufactures, and sells scale model kits—primarily wooden ship models, railway models, plastic models, and fretwork models—along with related tools, raw materials (wood, metal, plastic/synthetic), accessories, and construction plans. The company also distributes hobby brands (Tamiya, Eduard, Academy, Arma Hobby, Badger, Raboesch, Evergreen, Wooden City) through its own retail store in Turin, Italy, and an e-commerce site available in five languages.

Product overview

Amati is an Italian model-making company founded in Turin in 1879, specializing in collectible modeling products. The company offers a diverse portfolio of wooden ship models (including America's Cup, Victory Models, Amati/Classic, First Step, Ship in a Bottle, and Wooden City lines), railway models, plastic models from brands like Tamiya, Eduard, Academy, and Arma Hobby, fretwork models, construction plans, and various modeling bundles with motorization options. The product ecosystem centers on model kits as the core offering, complemented by professional-grade Amati modeling tools (nail inserters, plank benders, waterline markers), specialized accessories (anchors, blocks, cannons, propellers, rigging components, decorative elements), and raw materials (woods including balsa, walnut, lime, mahogany; metals including brass, copper, aluminum; and synthetics including polystyrene and styrene). The company operates a loyalty program and sells gift cards. Materials are sourced and manufactured to support the full spectrum from beginner (First Step, Kit S(tarter)) to expert (Victory Models, Kit XXL, Advanced Precision Kit) modelers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wooden Ship Models

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• TamiyaminorOthersTamiya plastic model kits are distributed through Amati's website. The partnership brings Tamiya's range of race cars, military vehicles, and plastic models to Amati's customer base. Tamiya is described as offering unmatched quality and details in plastic modeling.
• EduardminorOthersEduard plastic model brand products are available through Amati's distribution network.
• AcademyminorOthersAcademy plastic model brand distributed through Amati's e-commerce platform.
• Arma HobbyminorOthersArma Hobby plastic model kits distributed through Amati.
• Wooden CityminorOthersWooden City brand products featured alongside Amati's own products on the platform.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Model Shipways: US-based wooden and plastic ship model kit maker offering similar historical naval models, fittings, and tools. Direct comparable in scale, craft positioning, and customer demographic.
• Corel: Italian wooden ship model kit manufacturer with overlapping product lines (wooden ship kits, fittings, accessories) and a similarly heritage-oriented D2C offering. Most direct Italian competitor to Amati's ship modeling core.
• Billing Boats: Danish wooden ship model manufacturer serving the same international scale-model hobbyist market as Amati, with comparable kit pricing and distribution through specialty retailers.
• Caldercraft: UK-based maker of wooden ship model kits and accessories, directly comparable to Amati/Classic and Victory Models in scope, customer base (serious hobbyists), and price points.
• OCCRE: Spanish wooden model kit maker covering ships, aircraft, and construction models; similar target customer (intermediate-to-advanced hobbyists) and similar D2C multilingual e-commerce footprint.
• Mantua Model: Italian manufacturer of wooden ship models, fittings, and metal parts; also produces railway models — directly overlapping with Amati's Italian ship/railway lines and Italian craft heritage positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Tamiya: Japan-based global incumbent in plastic scale modeling; products are distributed by Amati but Tamiya also competes broadly in the same hobby category with deeper R&D and a global D2C footprint.
• Hobbycraft: UK's largest specialist hobby retailer offering model kits, tools, paints, and craft supplies; comparable to Amati as a multi-category hobby retailer but at significantly larger scale and physical-store footprint.
• Hornby Hobbies: UK-listed owner of model railway brands (Hornby, Bachmann, Airfix); overlaps with Amati's railway line but operates at much larger scale across multiple categories and geographies.
• Revell: German-based global plastic model kit manufacturer covering aircraft, ships, and vehicles; competes with Amati's distributed plastic lines and serves the same mass-market hobbyist via broader retail.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AmatiModel
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/amati-model

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Amati