brewerjerry Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 (edited) Hi My new years resolution,with what appears to maybe tough times ahead..... Is to visit my LHS at least once a month and buy something there, and help keep them open. Hope others can do likewise for their LHS. cheers Jerry Edited January 5, 2012 by brewerjerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev1n Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I'll go along with that....we have one here, which opened last summer - he's still there so anybody within reach of Rochester in Kent - go there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wayne rc Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Hi Jerry, sadly there was a small but excellent model shop near me.... It was run by this Italian guy, well he was from Sicily and was a keen and excellent modeller.... He stocked a good few aftermarket goodies and would get you anything he could get.... He also kept older kits at the older prices..... He sadly closed when the credit crunch hit us about 2yr ago..... I have a small shop that doubles as a Diy and cycles store that I use when I pop over to see my mum.... So that leaves Modelzone, which you Jerry as an expat (I assume) might remember as Beatties..... They are ok...and have the odd deal.... They seem to have a tie in with Revell and in some of them, the staff are quite frankly hopeless..... I was in one shop and asked a female assistant "when are the next stock of Dragon armour kits coming in" to be told "everyone prefers Revell and Tamiya" Nothing against ladies in a model shop, the lady in the shop near my mum is superb. But this woman, I wont call her a lady because she was slightly rude ! And she had no interest in models or knowledge..... Besides I didnt want her opinion on subject that she clearly knew nothing about...... Thats the trouble with chain stores... In the good old days when I were a nipper you would get advice on good paints for different subjects..... In my favorite old shop... The man if he didnt know something would direct you to the resident panzer or RAF expert or even phone a friend who knew, those were the days Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tripehound Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I tried that in 2011, when I asked him to get me in the Revell A400M before Xmas. He replied that his wholesaler had told him that it wouldn't be out until the New Year, so no dice. I got it from Hannants the day after. I will still get paints etc. from him, but presume they really need 'big ticket' item sales to keep themselves afloat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lufbramatt Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I'll go along with that....we have one here, which opened last summer - he's still there so anybody within reach of Rochester in Kent - go there! I'm in chatham near toys r us . . went down there last week to see if he had a revell routemaster bus, he didn't have one but I ordered it in anyway no rush to get it but rather give him the business than order it off Hannants or Wonderland. My dad seems to have been buying all the new revell 1/32 stuff down there as soon as he gets it in too! hehe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spfparker Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I am all for supporting local Model and Hobby shops but unfortunately most kits are very much cheaper from online shops or from auction sites. Very rarely can you get a good deal - and by that I mean anything less than RRP from a shop. One exception is by using an Airfix club card that gives 10% off for Airfix and Humbrol in my local shop.. I do always use the shops for paints and glue though. Hi My new years resolution,with what appears to maybe tough times ahead..... Is to visit my LHS at least once a month and buy something there, and help keep them open. Hope others can do likewise for their LHS. cheers Jerry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lufbramatt Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I am all for supporting local Model and Hobby shops but unfortunately most kits are very much cheaper from online shops or from auction sites.Very rarely can you get a good deal - and by that I mean anything less than RRP from a shop. One exception is by using an Airfix club card that gives 10% off for Airfix and Humbrol in my local shop.. I do always use the shops for paints and glue though. thats true, but for bigger kits, eg the revell routemaster i mentioned above, even at the discounted price hannants are advertising at the moment, when you include the postage they're only about £2 cheaper than my LHS, if it means the owner can pay his mortgage at the end of the month- and the shop still being open when I need a tin of humbrol 33 on a friday afternoon and dont want a 10 mile drive to the nearest hobbycraft/modelzone- then who cares about a couple of quid here and there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spfparker Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Yup - fair point. thats true, but for bigger kits, eg the revell routemaster i mentioned above, even at the discounted price hannants are advertising at the moment, when you include the postage they're only about £2 cheaper than my LHS, if it means the owner can pay his mortgage at the end of the month- and the shop still being open when I need a tin of humbrol 33 on a friday afternoon and dont want a 10 mile drive to the nearest hobbycraft/modelzone- then who cares about a couple of quid here and there? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck1945 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 ...So that leaves Modelzone, which you Jerry as an expat (I assume) might remember as Beatties..... While Modelzone doesn't ring any bells, I do remember Beatties from various adverts in years gone by. The year I was stationed in England and living in Penn, Bucks, there was a motorsport shop down the road in Beaconsfield that also carried models - probably stopped by there at least once a week on my home at night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panzer Vor!!! Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 i allways pop in a model shop if i see one but my local shop is a collectors shop. he has a few models but wont order them its just a few as a sideline . but he makes a living selling corgi and the like Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philbky Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 People in the UK don't know how lucky they are with a choice between LHS, major on line retailers and some high st toy shops selling models. Here in the west of Ireland, my nearest model shop is 80 miles away over bad roads. If I order on line from an Irish retailer, the choice is restricted. That leaves ordering on line from the UK with hefty shipping charges, buying in bulk whenever I'm in the UK or ordering from US stores, having the items shipped to my daughters and picking them up when I'm in Texas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radleigh Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 i allways pop in a model shop if i see one but my local shop is a collectors shop. he has a few models but wont order them its just a few as a sideline . but he makes a living selling corgi and the like Down Windsor Street? He used to have a big collection of models at one point, but as you said its mainly Corgi's etc now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfqweofekwpeweiop4 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 The lack of good model shops where I live in Cheshire was one reason for us starting an online model retailing business. All we have near me is Modelzone's and Hobbycraft's. There is one small model shop about 10 miles away but he only does a small mix of Railways, Games Workshop and plastic kits and he rarely has anything you really want in stock. I don't think with the way things are going, that you can easily have a decent model shop anymore. The way I see it you need to have a successful mail order (online) business to back it up - I've seen that work in practice with our local Radio Control model shop. If we get successful enough, I would like to open a decent proper model shop with plenty of kits and accessories, to choose from as well as built models in display cabinets but we are a long way off from that just yet. thanks Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I buy all new kits from my LMS, though of course they are no good for older kits, which are show or second hand only. I paint with Vallejo, which is online only (or shows), but my second choice is Tamiya which again is always from the LMS. Interestingly, I have now noticed that I do my best to support online retailers who themselves support shows, that way I can usually save my purchases for a show, or order from one of them when needed. I'd say the split of my shopping is: Shows: 70% LMS: 20% Online: 10% I guess we're lucky that the UK has a lot of shows, and most people can get to 1 or 2 a year within a few hours travelling time each way. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panzer Vor!!! Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Down Windsor Street? He used to have a big collection of models at one point, but as you said its mainly Corgi's etc now. thats him sells paint but cut down on his kits but it used to be a model shop no diecasts before he took over shame really liked popping in during my dinner hour Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heraldcoupe Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 To support my local model shop I'd have to build RC or model trains. He dropped plastic kits a few years ago because there was apparently no interest, though it was quite obvious he was the one who lacked the interest. I'd got pretty fed up with the contempt I got when buying kits, so it was no great loss. Still happy to support the nearest shops though, even if they are all at least half an hour away, Cheers, Bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyC Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 To support my local model shop I'd have to build RC or model trains. He dropped plastic kits a few years ago because there was apparently no interest, though it was quite obvious he was the one who lacked the interest. I'd got pretty fed up with the contempt I got when buying kits, so it was no great loss.Still happy to support the nearest shops though, even if they are all at least half an hour away, Cheers, Bill. Is that the guy who used to have a shop on Church St? If so, I know what you mean! Mine (Toymaster) has a few kits and paints and I use it whenever I can - I agree with the point made elsewhere, that unless you buy in bulk, postage is almost always going to make the costs of a discounted 'on-line' kit not far off a LHS one Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlin3945 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 We have 3 LMS near us in Edinburgh. Harburn Hobbies. Been there for years and the mainstain really is railways but got a fair but not great selection of other things. I buy from there when I dont want to go further. And if I know they specifically have something I want. Wonderland Models. I go there semi regular and this is probably my main shop for buying stuff from but the were closed on the 2nd so I bought my stuff from Hobbycraft. Some paints etc. Not really going to keep Wonderland going for long so no real loss for them. They will probably get my next 10 or so sales. Marionville Models which is out near the airport and quite far for me but yes I did buy my Tamiya mustang them as I never saw anything interestring elsewhere. They used to be my main shop for flying models but went down hill for the stuff I wanted so tended to give my business to other shops at shows etc. I was at one point going to open my own model shop and helped my last boss to start up and run his business so know all too well the importance of supporting local shops. Nothing can beat a local well stocked and run shop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfqweofekwpeweiop4 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Is that the guy who used to have a shop on Church St? If so, I know what you mean! Mine (Toymaster) has a few kits and paints and I use it whenever I can - I agree with the point made elsewhere, that unless you buy in bulk, postage is almost always going to make the costs of a discounted 'on-line' kit not far off a LHS one Andy That depends to a point, if you have to drive or not. If you have to drive (remember petrol prices in the UK!) to your LHS then the chances are you've probably spent at least the same as the postal charge, meaning that discounted on line kit is still quite a bit cheaper than your LHS. Not to mention if you have to pay parking charges on top. Like I said - it's about a 10 mile drive there and back to my nearest (and not so good LHS). So that's about £3-£4 worth of petrol. thanks Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfqweofekwpeweiop4 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Nothing can beat a local well stocked and run shop. Now that's the best reason for making the effort to go to a shop! If we had one that was well stocked and run, I would make the effort to go then. I remember Wonderland from when I was at uni and I know the other 2 shops as well. I've got a week's hols booked in Edinburgh in May and I can't wait to visit one of my favourite places again! thanks Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heraldcoupe Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 Is that the guy who used to have a shop on Church St? If so, I know what you mean! That's the one, went rapidly downhill (for me) when the previous owner retired. Still, they seem to be thriving online, so they must be doing something right - probably more difficult to patronise your customers down a fibreoptic line..... Still, Frome isn't that far away, and I always enjoy going there, Cheers, Bill. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SimonT Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 I'll go along with that....we have one here, which opened last summer - he's still there so anybody within reach of Rochester in Kent - go there! Go where???? Where is this place? Simon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benbow Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 As a kid, growing up Portsmouth way, I remember Beatties in the town centre and the decal shop (forget its name) in North End where the guy who ran it was a font of all knowledge. Now, 30 years later having moved around a lot hunting out various shops and seeing them open/close over the years, when I do go back that way to visit family I've now found one of the best shops having opened up on my former doorstep!!! "The Magic Toybox" in Drayton is a veritable treasure trove and is one of those places where you can have a great time hunting through stacks of kits - makes me feel like a kid again really and I always feel the need to purchase something as a reward for the sheer fun I've had!!! It doesn't look much from the outside but..... once you're in ggrrreat!!!! Don't all go rushing there though as once there's 3 people inside the shop's full!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck1945 Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 As a kid, growing up Portsmouth way, I remember Beatties in the town centre and the decal shop (forget its name) in North End where the guy who ran it was a font of all knowledge. ... Woult that have been Modeltoys and Mike Silk? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry McGrady Posted January 5, 2012 Share Posted January 5, 2012 (edited) Hi My new years resolution,with what appears to maybe tough times ahead..... Is to visit my LHS at least once a month and buy something there, and help keep them open. Hope others can do likewise for their LHS. cheers Jerry Only have a Modelzone , and a basically R/C Shop which sells some kits .If they stock what I want at a price I'm prepared to pay I'll use them. If not I'll shop around on line for the cheapest deal . I owe loyalty only to my wallet . Cheers Terry McGrady Edited January 5, 2012 by Terry McGrady Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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