On my current business trip to Sioux Falls I stopped into a Hobby Town USA just to browse and was BLOWN away by the poor plastic selection. A total of four aircraft kits of which two were snap fit. The clerk asked if he could help me find anything…
HAHA WOW!!! I thought Hobby Town USA was supposed to be awsome??? I dont have one any were near me so I can’t comment on it really.
Any thoughts out their from people with one near them?
I have a pretty awsome hobby store near by so i use them alot and the internet is amazing.
Hey, I’m still in mourning over Granddad’s of Springfield, VA.
Hmmm,…
Whenever im in the USA i visit the one in Kennewick Wa. and i am always blown away by the sheer quantity of models to pick from. Maybe they dont like modelling in sioux falls[:S]
Richard
I’ve never been blown away by any Hobby Town USA that I have visited, so I’m not surprised.
And we Dutch have got the best hobby store in Europe: http://www.aviationmegastore.com/
Any hobby store pales in comparision the the Aviation megastore! (unles you model cars, ships, armor, figues, sci fi, railroad…) [:P]
The one in San Antonio is okay. The armor selection is mainly DML. The staff wasbelow average, didn’t even say “hello” to me when I walked in or ask me if I needed assistance (I spent a long time searching for specific Model Master enamels right in front of the cash register). Their selection of paints was centered on cars and aircraft. No “panzer” colors from Model Masters and no offer to order some for me.
I doubt that I’ll ever shop there again.[N]
The two in Austin are exactly the opposite. Best Model Master selection I’ve ever seen. Decent selection of Tamiya (none of the “newer” colors, no AS rattlecans, etc). But the kit selections are a joke at best. Better than Hobby Lobby, but that’s not saying much.
Honestly, outside of paint or pressing brass and styrene needs, I never go there.
Shame, really. I remember Hobbytowns being pretty great when I was a kid. I even have memories of flipping through a rather epic decal collection at one. Nowadays its all RC and silliness.
We used to have a Hobby Town closeby. Selection was decent enough. Your regular Tamiyas,Academy’s and Revellograms, with an odd Trumpy and others here and there. The owner was great, would order anything for you. Sadly, they closed down…50% off everything at the end was great though! The little shop that we have left carries mostly Revellogram with a few Academy’s for aircraft, mostly Tamiya armor though. All crammed in a 6’ X 6’ corner.
I used to live near the largest Hobby Town in the country, in Kennesaw, GA. They filled up a huge store that used to be a multi screen movie theater. It was the most awesome store one could imagine. They had everything I ever needed in the way of tools, supplies, kits, whatever, and the staff was knowledgeable and helpful. I never had to order anything on-line.
Then I moved to Colorado- it’s a small town but we are lucky to have a small Hobby Town here. The selection is limited, but that’s because their business is limited due to the location. The staff and owner are modeler-friendly, they host our monthly IPMS meeting there.
So, I guess the quality of any given Hobby Town depends on the committment of the owner.
Hobby Lobby has chased the serious modelers away, with their recent drastic reduction of modeling stuff. I rarely go there anymore. That’s stupid management by a clueless corporation.
Each franchise varies…but most seem to be reducing plastic kit inventories in favor of RC stuff and beads…If I happen to be within 10 feet of one I’ll go in cause you can sometimes find a few finishing items that are handy to pick up…
Let’s just face the cold, hard truth: this business has succumbed to the internet…deal with it…
I used to work at Hobby Town for a little bit before my first child was born. It was fun money and my paychecks pretty much ended up going back to the store. Ha-ha-ha! But as some have posted, each store is independently owned and operated which means the store is just as individual and unique as the owner.
I love my Hobby Town here in Green Bay. The selection is very good and if they don’t have something on their shelves that I need, they can get it for me in just a few days. I consider it to be my local hobby shop and I patronize it as often as I can first before deciding to go through the internet.
Eric
NOT FAIR!!!
Those freaky-deaky Dutch.
A. Powers
That goes without saying ofcourse…
Internet shopping is convenient and easy but i cant help liking to walk around and touch the boxes i am about to spend to much money on[:P]
Echolmberg,
LMAO. I always get a crack out of that movie. But i have to admit i have trouble swinging my (golden) wooden shoes behind my shoulders like that…[:#]
Richard
Richard,
Then you understand what goes through my mind whenever I see someone with a mole.
Eric
Honestly, with all the reviews online and second hand experience with modelers in the community, that takes a lot of the guesswork out of buying a kit. To me there isn’t any real reason to feel the kit in the store. With gas prices escalating, you better know what you want and make sure they have what you want in stock, so you’re not wasting your time going to a store. My nearest store is about 8 miles away. So if you look at a round trip of 16 miles at approx 17 miles to the gallon, then if I stop at the store and leave with one jar a paint, that $2.50 jar just cost me $6.50 with the cost of gas added!
Hobby town sounds kinda like A.C.Moore or Michaels in NJ. We have slim pickings in the way of hobby shops that cater to plastic kits. One good one is AAA Hobbies in Magnolia, NJ. A.K.A Stevens International…nice sized building with tons of kits on display and tons more in the warehouse.
mmmm-moley moley moley
I know its not much help to you not being in Quebec, but you can check out Udisco (I believe they also have a web store). Canada’s biggest hobby store, and the sheer amount of kits in that place is staggering.