Much has been said about Hobbyl Lobby’s model sales and how things don’t seem to be as good now as they used to be. I do remember in their early days about ten years ago stock was different from store to store here in Texas. With the Houston and Corpus stores being gold mines. It seems today there is less independence by store mangers and stock seems the same so I thought a posting of odd things you have seen and or bought model wise may be beneficial for those that do hunt around at Hobby Lobby’s. With today’s gas prices it does not pay to drive around large areas like Houston without some hope.
The surprise locally in central Texas has been the following
I lived in Temple, TX for a few years and loved Hobby Lobby. I wasn’t modeling then, but used to enjoy browsing. Great store!
But now I’m in the northeast and there are no HL’s here [:(] We do have a store called Michael’s that seems to advertise in a way similar way to HL. I need to look them up, I guess!
I actually went to the Hobby Lobby in Joliet today to pick up some silly putty. They usually have a table near their model section with a bunch of sales (usually airliners). Today they only had one little shelf hidden near the rear wall that I found on accident. The only thing I found that I was interested in was a Tamiya 1:72 Bf109 E-3 for 8 bucks so I grabbed it.
The only thing I don’t like about them is that their website is pretty much useless from what I can tell. Other than that for what is essentially a large arts and crafts store they have a really good selection of kits.
On a side note, when you tell the wife that you want to get the 8 dollar kit and she says “I don’t care what you get” Don’t say “Really?” and reach for the Tamiya 1:350 Missouri that costs 100 dollars, you may get yer hand slapped…[B)]. It’s all good though, I pushed the shopping cart with my son in it as hard as I could out into the middle of the store not really and during the confusion I tossed a Revell A-10 into the cart.
Of the HL’s that I’ve frequented here in the Houston area, a couple on 59 in Sugarland and Rosenberg, and the one here in Katy, I’ve noticed that the stock appears to be exactly the same.
Tamiya kits like the Thunderbolts, Buffaloes, and Messerschmitts (109s and 262s), Accurate Miniature kits like the Avenger, Dauntless and Mustangs, Hasegawa kits like the Mustang and Spitfire (1/32 scale), and a bunch of old Monogram kits like the B-17, B-29, P-61, and B-25. There are others but those are the kits that I remember. I ignore the entire section of car kits because I don’t build those. I’ve salivated over the ships like the Trumpeter 1/350 aircraft carriers, and the armor kits seem to be mostly Tamiya in both 1/35 and 1/48 scale offerings.
I’ve used the 40% or 50% off coupons several times to add to my stash, but once you have a P-61 you don’t necessarily need another.
I can understand how you could be bummed out about the smaller sellection at the Hobby Lobby stores compared to past years but it could be alot worse. If you live in the southwestern part of Connecticut or the New York City area there is no such thing as Hobby Lobby. The Walmart stores here never carried the 21st Century lines of kits. The few stores in the New York area are all 99% dedicated to radio control kits. In southwestern Connecticut there are all of three Hobby stores that carry plastic kits. Two of them are very small with limited stock. If you want anything like a photoetch set or aftermarket decals it is strickly online ordering. It is hard to believe in an area where about 10 million people live there are so few stores dedicated to plastic models. One main reason probally is cost per square foot of commercial real estate. It makes it almost impossible to run a small hobby store and turn a profit in this area. I consider myself lucky though because the best hobby store in this area is about two miles down the road from me and owned by a freind of the family. The down side is if he is out of something it is about an hour drive to the next closest hobby store. It is strange how some places in the states seem to be saturates with hobby stores and other areas have absolutlely nothing. I have read some members here have to drive two hours to get to thier closest hobby store!
Yeah, Soulcrusher…I’m in Monroe, CT ten miles north of B’pt. Danbury Hobby looks pretty good to me, but it isn’t just a jaunt down the street, especially with our traffic troubles!
Yes, in your extreme western end of the state…floorspace rents are out of sight!
I with you there namrednef. I am in Norwalk and Danbury is a 2 hour round trip for me even though it is only about twenty miles. There is only one way to get to Danbury from here and that is the slow moving and always overcrowded RT7. At least we can suffer together as we both sit and wait for the delivery guy to show up with our stuff!
Michael’s carries a limited selection of the Monogram 1/48 aircraft kits and a few (and I do mean few) 1/72 testors kits. No armor at all and I’ve found no variation in their stock from one store to another. Lots of car kits though if that’s what you’re into.
I live in OKC the home office of Hobby Lobby, They carry “stuff” just like Michaels but not an unusual variety. Limited paints and other after market. We just lost a neighborhood hobby store but they carried mostly trains. Lots of small ones around but who want to drive all over hell and half of Georgia.
If you remember how HL stocking was done in the past its almost as if they bought up older stocks of various producers a few at a time. Now its as if they by all of a production run of something specific. I remember in one of my local hobby shops emails last year they mentioned that they recieved a few more of the DML 3n1 SDKFZ 251 kits in stock and you should get one because the distributor was completely sold out. But the TX HL’s had tons of them. Well guess why the distributor was sold out. Maybe that is why their stock changes so slowly now. They by them by the thousands now.
I agree that Michael’s has a very limited selection, and Hobby Lobby isn’t bad, but I’ve only browsed one. This may not be what this post is about, but on the west side of Indy, there is an excellent hobby shop called Big Four Hobbies. They are a true LHS and have everything you want, so I don’t bother going anywhere else.
I like H/L I stop by on my way home from the airport evey time I get back in to town just to see if they have any sales going on. in the FL panhandle the store has a very good inventory not much on paint but I do love there sales plus for the train side of me it has its good points.
I’m in northeast ohio, I’ve got a hobby lobby 10mins up the road from me and they have pretty much the exact same kits you just described. The bottom row has all the bombers, 1/72’s are on top and 1/48’s are in the middle. They alway’s have the 1/48th B-17G kit, i’ve picked up a few of those there when they have the 40% off coupon in the paper.
You are right about the shelf order. I remember sometime last year I went into my local HL and all the models were on the floor as the were rearranging everything in the hobby area. They had maps taped to the shelf from corporate showing where each specific model was to go. It seems they are still the same. I also had a feeling something awesome was coming to an end.
I live in Denton, TX we have a HL and i check it every other week hoping to catch their monthly 30% off sale. I have scored some killer kits there and the HL in Flowermound.
They carry Accurate Miniatures and I have never had to pay more that $20 for a AM kit.
I live in central Indiana and I build nothing but 1/35 armor (yeah you caught me browsing active forums) I can say that my Hobby Lobby is a pure waste of time they’re kits average 45. 50. bucks and they mostly stock autos and the most populer planes ie mustangs sptitfires,bf109’s and fw190’s. so i buy most everything on ebay. what frustrates me the most are they’re lack of supplies just small lots of MM acrylics, mostly auto colors and the old testors enamils. forget about anything but the bare basics. as they are the only show in town everything has to be bought online. Forget about Walmart they quit stocking everything totally.
Hey doug, like I mentioned above, there is a great hobby shop by the name of Big Four Hobbies. Plainfield is about 15 min. west of Indy. If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend stopping by. They only carry MM acrylics and enamels, but they have the full line of each plus metalizers. Kit selection is great for all areas, and prices aren’t too bad.
I live right up the street from a HL. It’s about a thirty sec drive. The only thing that bothers me about the store is the paint selection. If i need paint i have to drive an hour to Hobby Town USA. The stock in the Blue Springs MO store changes often. One day there will be full shelves with all kinds of kits i have never seen and the next day nothing. I have found many DML kits and at times aftermarket goodies. But if I am looking for something in particular I can always go to the Independence store in the next town over, Hobby Town USA, or the almighty internet. And the 40% off coupon is always being printed. Ya need it with some of the prices. 1/48 Mustangs, 109s, and Spitfires go for 39.99 … but right next to them a 1/48 Zero for 14.99… [%-)] I guess it goes without saying I bought the zero with my coupon.