Stopped by my local Hobby Lobby today with my trusty 40% off coupon in hand, only to find that they have decreased the aircraft section of models to a space only about 6 ft wide! It is now predominantly cars . . .
Is this happening in other Hobby Lobbies, or is this just a local decison?
OTOH, if you like Tamiya’s 1/48 F-16C ANG version, they have several of them in the clearance section for $35.00!
No they are not geting rid of them. My local HL has pretty much finished their rearrangement of this section. Pretty much a full selection of revell with a few tamiya kits sprinkled in.
they seem to be doing this in all the stores … everything in one side of an aisle+large stuff on the end cap
mine has nothing. it got small fast. nothing but revell/monogram kits. a lot of automotive kits.
Same here in Houston. Lots of cars. Decent ship selection. Hardly any Tamiya kits. Slim pickins on the a/c and armor side of things.
The selection at mine’s gone from sad to…really sad. I mean…not even the absurdly overpriced kits to laugh at anymore (seriously, $80 for a Tamiya Mossie???).
Never frequented there for kits anyway. Have to imagine auto modelers feel the same, but what do I know? HL’s auto selection is now bigger than the one at my LHS I think.
Yep, same here in Carrollton, GA. A whole row of shelves full of cars on one side of the aisle, with the other side of the aisle having about a 10-foot row (heck, it might be even shorter than that) of shelves with military kits, which are mainly modern-era jets, a few tanks, and no ships. Quite a few die-cast 1/72nd scale models, and snap-together kits. Still have the Awata & Paasche airbrushes, with a decent selection of modeling supplies. Plus, another enitre row of railroad sets. I’ve already picked the clearance shelf clean…
I guess we should get used to it, a sign of the times as they say. Our HL never had much selection, in fact I think Michaels has just as much. As Doogs said, I never bought much there anyway and either use the LHS or Net.
That’s why I gave up on HL a long time ago! [:(((] Nothing ever seems to move unless it’s gone to the clearance shelf. Even their automotive kits sit there and gather dust.
I think it is a sign of the times, gentlemen, and of our hobby as a whole … it ain’t pretty now and it’s going to get even uglier. Sigh …
If you’re depending on Hobby Lobby for your modeling needs then you’re missing the whole industry. These days are the best we’ve ever experienced in the hobby. The selection of kits, aftermarket details and other supporting products have NEVER been better. Get on line and get the stuff you need to make your modeling soar. Don’t worry about the box stores that’s like worrying about the Model T.
You mean the death of niche retail that sells the exact same products that can be purchased elsewhere, in greater variety, for less?
Then…yes…that’s a sign of the times.
But in terms of kit selection, of new kits coming out, of aftermarket support and supplies…I’ve never seen the hobby this vibrant or this supported by so many different kitmakers and other suppliers.
We don’t have HL, but I buy pretty much online anyways.
Nobody said we were depending on Hobby Lobby for our hobby. We do like to go in and browse the kits and supplies that they have, or any modeling store for that matter. Most of us commenting here, if not all of us, buy most of our stuff on-line. But, I like to go in to a mom & pop store and hang for awhile and talk shop, and maybe (most likely) buy a kit or two. I used to do that once a month when I lived in Indianapolis. There were 3 good mom & pop stores up there, plus a really nice HobbyTownUSA. A friend of mine and I frequented them all one Saturday a month (we called it “making the rounds”). We bought at least one kit on that monthly outing, and sometimes one each from each store if we found something that was on sale. It was our way of helping the local stores as much as we could. But, with no mom & pop stores around me since I moved to where I now live, I can’t do that any more. At least at Hobby Lobby I could go in & peruse a bit, even if there was no one to talk to, other than the store people, who pretty much knew nothing of what they were stocking. But it seems that Hobbu Lobby is thinning their inventory quite a bit, so I’ll probably only go in there less often now. I can see the day when Hobby Lobby won’t be carrying any model kits. And I understand completely why they are doing this.
I know that we can surf the Web for anything we need hobby-wise, but I think that’s one of the reasons the mom & pop stores, Hobby Lobby, HobbyTownUSA, and others have either closed down, or have modified their inventory - we’re going on-line more and more to get our stuff. It’s that “gotta have it NOW” mentality that we have. If we have to order it (especially aftermarket stuff), well, hell, we can do that ourselves. No sense in paying someone else extra to do that, then have to wait maybe a week to get it. We can order it on-line, and have it the next day if we want. THAT is what I think has caused what we’re seeing now - we’re getting greedy and impatient.
There was a HobbyTownUSA in Newnan, GA, until about a year ago. They closed up for good, because they were losing sales to the Internet companies. I can’t see how anybody can complain about what they’re seeing at the local stores when they are the indirect cause of what they’re seeing.
[8ball] [2cnts]
I hate to say it but, I only frequent the local HL for diorama supplies and oil paints. Their kit selection dwindle ages ago, plus I can find them cheaper online or at Hobby Town USA. Still I only usually buy paints at HobbyTown, but I do get the occasional kit, especially when I see when that I haven’t seen and/or wondered if they even made a kit of.
My point was missed by some. I also enjoy frequenting the mom and pop stores, even the franchise store owners of Hobbytown’s get my business from time to time. MAL and Wild Bill’sin the Dallas, King Hobbies in Austin are frequent stops on my travels. BUT to fret about a big box chain store like Hobby Lobby shrinking what was already an anemic selection at exorbitant prices is not something I’m going to bother with. Heck even their clearance prices BARELY reach the level of realistic. Let 'em go.
i wouldn’t know, delaware is the bermuda triangle for hobby shops, they come here, they establish contact with the community, then they disappear without a trace…heck even the model shows avoid this place like the plague!!! its all internet sales here[li][ap][st]
even with the 40% coupon, i can get the 1/48 tamiya A6M5 for cheaper at my LHS. [snYea]
no need for hobby lobby for me when my LHS has this
and thats just kits. he has a crap load of resin and decals.
Holy crap!! Am I the only one hearing the Mormon Tabernacle Choir?? Haaaaaaaaaalelujahhh!!! [A]
I have nothing resembling the photo randypandy831 posted. That looks awsome!
My local Hobby Lobby is doing exactly the same thing, lots of cars, a few Revell aircraft, and one single Tamiya P-51.
I am 50 miles from Salt Lake City, so there may be some nice shops up there. Probably better if I don’t know about them anyway[:)]