Another great deal from Hobby Lobby. I purchased the Academy CH-53E kit for 40% off. It was priced at $39.99, so after the coupon I only paid $23.99 for it! Early Christmas present, or so my wife says. They will have the 40% coupon posted online for this week as well, so maybe some other lucky modeler will get a deal on a kit as well. Happy shopping!
Semper Fi,
Brian
Sweet Deal
Bud
Isn’t that the new Super Stallion kit? If so, my local Hobbylobby has them, but they are priced at $89! $39 would be a steal for me!!!
Ah yes, hobby lobby and their ability to mis-price kits. I have the stallion, the Bullfrog, the 1/32 FA-18, and TWO 1/32 F-16s. I have never paid more than $30 for any of them. All were mis-priced, plus either 1/3, 40%, or 50% off.
Great Buy!
The Saturday after Thanksgiving they had 30% off plastic and a 40% off a single item. While scanning the isle I found two Hasegawa 1/48 P-40E’s priced at $9.99 so I picked them both up for my dad and myself. Not bad I figured, $30 model for $7 each…
Months before we found 1/72 Hasegawa JU88’s priced at $12.99, so $42 kit we picked up for about $8…
I live in Tampa, I am going up to my parent’s house in North Carolina for the holidays. I plan on hitting every Hobby Lobby between here and there. 
I know what you mean. I picked up the Heavily Armed Dornier 335b-2 from Tamiya
for 16 bucks in the clearance section the other day.
OH OH OH, I love the clearance section. They had five 1/32 F-117s on clearance for $8 each. I bought 3. Kept 1, traded/sold the other two.
Darn , no Hobby Lobby out here , the closest one(its new ) is in Layton , Utah , 750 mi away ! [:(]
Just made another score at Hobby Lobby…
They had a 1/48 Italeri Osprey marked for $10.99 plus 30% off so for $8.00 I got a $40 model…
Shhhhh…you guys, they are going to start paying more attention if we alert them! I picked up the Polar Lights NX-01 Enterprise for 9.99 a few months ago, normally 49.00. I felt guilty and then figured if I didn’t buy it somebody else would.
Jerry
I realize that HobLob buys at quantity prices, but even so, at their discount rate, it really makes one a bit suspicious over what the “small” LHS is getting per kit. There must be some wiggle room in price.
I got the Tamiya Panther G - not a cheap kit by any stretch anywhere else - but at 50% off retail, how can you pass it up?
Many, many moons ago, almost 30 years ago, I put myself through high school and two years of tech school, working at a couple of hobby stores. One was a real local store owned privately and the other was in a mall and part of a chain. What I recall is that most of what was bought came in at 40% off of retail, unless it was bought as part of a program. For example, we had a program where we got the usual 40% off and if we bought $X we would get an additonal 10% or if we bought even more we could get more off.
These kind of sales really put a dent in local hobby stores that don’t or can’t participate in buying programs. Big chains have a real advantage when it comes to commanding discounts since they can spread thier buying out over a larger channel. What you really notice is that most of the big chains have a fairly generic selection of kits, the basically buy assortments sold my specific manufacturers and they rarely or never carry anything special or unique. While you can get great deals on kits at Hobby Lobby and Micheals, you will never see an entire line of Hasegawa or Tamiya kits. I will not see Eduard kits or parts. If you want to get a good deal on a P-51 or most Revell/Mongram kits, those places will do you well, but don’t go too far out of the box if you want anything else…
While the LHS can’t really compeat on price, they can usually make that up on selection, and other speciality items. It’s important to support them and keep them informed, if you want them to stick around. Yes it might cost you a little more money, but if you really want the convienence of going around the corner to get that bottle of paint, tube of glue or other items you need to support them. You don’t know what you got 'til they’re gone…
There are some great deals there at times. I got the Revell F-18E Super Hornet on clearance for $2.79 earlier this year. I think that is the cheapest I ever got a kit other than a few Starfix kits at a dollar store for a buck. But it goes the other way on mispricing as well, my local Hobby Lobby has the Monogram P-61 for $40 plus, I believe this kit will remain in stock at that price for long after it is out of production. I have also seen a Tamiya 1/72 Skyray for $40 dollars a few years ago, Ironically the 1/48 kit was priced $12.99 (Oops). I think some of their pricing is because the people placing the price stickers have no idea what the real value of the kits are, as I too have been shocked to have to pay over $40 for a kit when I was a kid you could get a decent kit for $6 (And I am only 32). I heard a clerk at my local Hobby Lobby say the only time they ever sell model kits are when they are on sale, gee I wonder why?
Sorry for digging this out of the past, but when I read some of the stories you all have had with HL, I just HAD to share mine with you.
About a year ago, I was checking out the 40% off section at HL, where they had a single 1:32 HobbyCraft P-38.
Knowing the regular price was $109.99, I thought maybe this was going to be about the cheapest I’d ever see this kit, so I picked it up and could’nt believe my eyes.
The clearence price tag read $6.59!!!not the $65.99 it should have read!
Needless to say, I headed right for the checkout with it, and to my surprise, they never caught the error, and out the door I went.
My modeling buddy said I stole it, but I just remind him that,“No, I paid my $6.59+ tax for it!”
HAHAHAHAHA!!!
I love Hobby Lobby and their unknowing clerks!
Leon
Was the HL u went to next to the Merle Haye Mall in Des Moines?, if so I almost bought the kit with a 50% off coupon, never bothered to look at the tag tho, darn to bad too.
Hey Jeebus, you here in the Metro? I live up here in Ankeny. You part of either of the IPMS chapters? And yes, the HL on Merle Hay is terrible at mismarking things. Thats where I get all my deals. They had about 5 1/32 F-117s a while ago for $5.00 a piece on clearance. I should have grabbed them all.
No.
Its the one in Mason City.
Leon
Yep over by Hoover high school, and no i’m not a member of either IPMS chapter, but i’m often invited to their meeting’s at Hobby Haven, by the good folk’s there, but my job make’s it pretty hard to attend any[yuck] as i usually get home no earlier than 10:30 or 11:00 at night five day’s a week, wheather and traffic permitting. I drive a truck.
Ok. cool. Yeah, I’m a member of the other chapter, the Plastic Surgeons. We meet over at Great Hobby Adventures on EP True [oddly enough the Hawkeye’s meet there too now]. I’m the webmaster. The link is in my sig. I hope you at least get to the contests.