For the last 10+ years, since I took the hobby back up, I have been purchasing my kits and accessories from Sprue Bros., Plastic Models Store, Rare Plane Detective and such. I am curious as to where most of you folks go to. Also, where does everyone get the scale figures for your dioramas and such?
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I know that a lot of people order their kits, figures, etc online. I’m sure someone will chime in on their favourite source and the pros / cons of that choice.
For myself, I’m a local hobby shop kind of guy if I can, I love being able to look at shelves full of kits and let inspiration grab hold. The tighter the aisles, and more packed they are, the better. I love nothing more than digging through boxes, piles, or peg boards full of aftermarket goodies in the hopes of finding a gem.
I’m fortunate (my wallet isn’t though) that I travel a lot for work and can almost always find a hobby store within reach at my destination. Seoul is probably my favourite for my accessibility, while Tokyo is by far the best overall if you can get to the right areas.
I prefer to support whatever local shop I may be able to find and will often plan where I stay based on availability of local shops. It may end up costing a bit more, but I like the to see all the options at once instead of shopping online.
I realize that this doesn’t work for everyone, so you need to do what works for you. It is a bit difficult to find older, out of production items online unless you are willing to payout on eBay or similar.
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Frozin, you are by far very fortunate that you are able to travel to the Pacific rim. I have been to Japan and Korea to. Unfortunately I am relegated to the lower 48, Dallas Texas to be exact and local hobby shops like that have gone extinct as far as I know.
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I get most of my figures on ebay.
It’s also a good source for kits and AM
Also Scalehobbyist and Andy’s Hobby are very good for model kits and supplies
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Ebay, sometimes Amazon, Andy’s Hobby Headquarters, and BNA Model World.
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Tojo72, I have a modestly long wish list on Scalehobby. I been kind of shy about ebay and amazon but they probably would be easier on the wallet.
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S.Hollowell I guess ebay and amazon would be better on the wallet.
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I have a local hobby shop - Center Line Hobby’s on Cape Cod that I try to get as much as I can from. It’s mostly just kits and paint. Only problem is they don’t have any weathering products or anything beyond just kits and paints really. So I’ve used Andys HHQ, Mega Hobby and Spray Gunner for some online orders.
The great part about the online stores is they have 99 times more than what I could get locally. The problem is that they are always sold out of 1/4 or 1/2 of what I want because I think everyone probably has the same problem I do 
I wish I could get everything in person. I traveled to Valencia in Spain a couple of weeks ago… They have 4 model shops within the city limits, as well as 1 figure painting store and other hobby shops. The model shops were solely dedicated to plastic models and maybe RC also, but there were separate RC shops. I’ve never seen anything like that before. The hobby definitely seems much bigger in the EU.
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I have 2 local model shops that I frequent from time to time. One is my main source for paint and styrene material. The other buys stashes and resells them. I sometimes find kits there. For everything else, there is eBay or Amazon.
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I’m only recently in the hobby, but I’ve been buying mine from Scalehobbyist and been very happy with their selection and service.
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Yeah they kinda are, but Amazon doesn’t have a great selection at all, so I generally just stick with Ebay.
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MaleModeler7 I’m kinda like you. I would love to buy locally but Dallas TX seems to be like a plastic desert so I go to Scalehobbyist, Mega Hobby, Hobbylinc and such. I have fairly long wish lists with all of them and have bought from most.
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I bought most of my photoetch detail sets and a bunch of kits from Sprue Brothers. I stopped doing so because the shipping costs, duty costs and exchange rate have become ridiculously expensive. I noticed that the shipping costs always went up on Sprue Brothers weekend sales items compared to weekday/regular price. So what they were losing on the sale price they made back on the shipping cost. That rubbed me the wrong way. I am glad to say that I found a great local hobby shop that is willing to order anything I want if they don’t have it in stock. They also have an estate sale section with a lot of gems that are no longer available. I am trying to buy fewer kits because my stash is bigger than my lifespan, but the local shop has a great stock of building materials, paints, tools and figure kits (about the only kits I keep buying at present to meet my diorama needs). I also shop on line at a number of hobby shops across Canada to avoid the costs of ordering from US suppliers.
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Hobbylinc, megahobby, scalehobbiest, amazon, Salvinos jr. I got a shop about 35 min away but they switched gears and mostly focus on RC. That and everything is a few bucks more expensive there than other options.
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Those of you who are fortunate enough to have local hobby shops are truly blessed. I live in an area where there are no hobby shops for a hundred miles. I have to buy online at the usual sites. I wish it were different. I’d rather support the local shop owner even if it costs more but it is simply not an option. Online shopping is great for selection and price, but I surely miss browsing aisles and reading labels, the tactile experience of shopping in-person.
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PaulC do they have a website? Fireball
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Yes. It is Sunward Hobbies in Mississauga. The web site is www.sunwardhobbies.ca. A good selection of kits (and brands) and a terrific collection of finishing products and tools in my opinion.
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Interestingly, they’ve been flooding my Facebook feed with their ads lately. But they’re not anywhere near me so I ignore the ads.
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PaulC thanks I will check it out Fireball2. With my upcoming retirement I am trying to find ways to make it a little easier on the wallet.
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They have really excellent service with on-line orders. I typically get next day delivery even using Canada Post (though they are shipping from Mississauga to Aurora via Newmarket to do so). I have visited the bricks and mortar store a few times because they have an entire wall of estate sale items that has hidden gems (i.e. long discontinued and hard-to-find kits) at fairly reasonable prices.
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