My profile
My name's Andrea Paternieri, I was born on February the 2nd, 1976 in Casalmaggiore (Cremona, Italy) and I begun to look at aircraft models when I was 10 years old.
The first model I built was a 1/72nd scale Matchbox Provost which I painted with temperas!
My enthusiasm for modelling is due to the deep interest I've always had for aircrafts; so that, stimulated to know the aicraft' shapes and systems, I'd been building increasingly more models since a was a little guy.
My first models were usually Airfix, ESCI, Hasegawa, Italeri, Matchbox and Revell in 1/72nd scale; till I was 15 years old I built about 40 aircraft models just using the kit parts and following the instruction sheets, without any documentation or any additional detailing.
When I was 15 years old I built my first models in 1/48th scale and I begun to read Italian modelling magazines where I looked many times at aircraft models with many parts built by the modeller himself.
Getting inspiration from this models, defenitely more realistic then mine, I've built an Airfix Tornado ADV in 1/48th scale.
The model was completely inspired by an ESCI Tornado IDS 1/48th scale, deeply rebuilt in many inner and outer parts, pictured with a great step-by-step report on a modelling magazine; following this sequence of pictures I begun to wonder about the realism of any detail supplied by the model kits.
Another basic message I got from modelling magazines was the need to get the most complete documentation ever in my hand, thing I'd been previolusly ingnoring.
Thanks to the wide diffusion of good documentation such as Verlinden Lock-On and Detail & Scale Series, easy to be found in model shops, I'd been able to get many clear pictures and drawings, very useful to build a detailed model; using this and some other documentation in my hand, for instance, I built an A10A Thunderbolt II.
When I was 17 years old I took part for the first time, with the Airfix Tornado ADV 1/48th scale, in a Model Exhibition organized by the CASC Model Club in Cremona (Italy) and I got a great opportunity to admire some of the models I saw on magazines as well as to know and learn building and painting technics.
During the Model Exhibition in Cremona I got submitted with the CASC Model Club getting this way in touch with experienced modellers from which I got basic instructions.
During other Model Exhibitions I knew some of the modellers belonging to the GMP Model Club of Parma (Italy) and I got from them great informations about painting; by the way, very experienced figure modellers of the Model Club taught me sophisticated painting philosophies I'm following since a very few years ago.
So that I kept on building models only in 1/48th scale, as this scale is for my opinion the best compromise between detail level and model size; every model was detailed opening many days in order to show inner details such as engine, avionic and hydraulic systems, etc.
Greater attention had been always payed to the cockpit, being this detail one of the most focused by any modeller's analisys.
Some of the models I built were published on modelling magazines (F5E and Tornado IDS on "Model Time" and Mirage V on "Replic") with step-by-step report and pictures shot during the assembly.
While building my models, I used day by day increasingly more resin and silicon rubber in order to double the details I built; in the past, for instance, I'd been cooperating with a resin kit brand, supplying the parts to convert AV8B in AV8B Plus Harrier II.
Actually, reading international modelling magazines and getting in touch with many other modellers, I test my technics and I realize that the more I expose my models to somebody else's attention and the more I get ideas of improvement.
Some of the model in 1/72nd and 1/48th I've built in the past; on Tornado ADV, Corsair II and Bf109 I've rebuilt many details.
The other models have been built only with the parts included in the kit
Tornado ADV 1/48th Airfix; the entire cockpit has been rebuilt as well as ejection seats
A7E Corsair II 1/48th Hasegawa; the ejection seat and the overall cockpit have been detailed adding minor parts
Bf109 1/48th Hasegawa painted with Humbrol synthetic paints; wering effets given by means of pastel powders
F14A Tomcat 1/48th Hasegawa; the ejection seats and the overall cockpit have been detailed adding minor parts
Tornado IDS 1/72nd ESCI; the model has been built only with the parts included in the kit
Airfix and Hasegawa models 1/72nd; the models have been built only with the parts included in the kit