With the increase in shopping on the internet and the ease of which it can be done, we take a look at actual model stores - Ted Haywood takes the first look in Manila, thanks Ted



Link to Item

If you have comments or questions please post them here.

Thanks!

God how I miss going into a model store.... no model stores in Egypt at all

Checking out various kits.. finding the exact shade of paint you're looking for (colors vary greatly on the PC screen).

Buying from online shops is easy and all that, but it'll never be like a real store you can walk into and talk to the people who work there.. and possibly meeting other modellers.

Hisham

hisham, keith..

i total agree theres no satisfaction like going into the shop and browsing the shelves for paints, new kits, and accessories. people these days are just sticking to the internet yeah sure its easy and simple.
i work in the modelshop '' modelzone'' in deansgate dont know if anyone had any trouble with us at xmas last year with the internet orders but thats sorted. ive recently got my job back there and its an ideal job for me i know the stock and what im doing but over the last couple of days when ive been in its been like a ghost town the few odd bodies walking in browsing maybe buying the odd thing. but its our regulars that normaly buy quite alot from us. and yet i see parents coming in with children but they all seem to leave with the hornby, scalectrix and r/c. which is okay for sales yes but its not much and yet youd think parents would buy them like a small airfix kit give them something to do over the summer holidays. my shop has two floors im upstairs on the kits and diecast rest of it is scalectrix hornby and r/c all downstairs and its expensive but its selling more than the kits :s. i think the younger generation is too attached to games these days. i for one am only 21 but i have a ton of models and prefer to build them more than play on my xbox. but yeah theres nothing better than coming into a shop shelves filled up with kits paints etc spending ages looking over and over again. and i do that even on my dinner i browse kits . just thought id add that rant
its always nice to see shops filled up to brim with plastic kits


tony

Thanks Guys

I don't have a local model store any more it [auto-censored] its doors a few years back (well we have a hobby craft now but that doesn't count)but that went in the main towards R/c because that was what the owner was interested in.

It is a real shame that stores seem to close there door's hence one of the reasons I like this feature it does show what we are missing, and personally I would like to see more small features like this on local model shops.

So anybody out please take a few moments next time you are in your local model shop to snap a few pictures and send them in with a small write up to the usual address and lets see if we can help out the local store a little

cheers

Keith

If you'll excuse a bit of semi-self promotion...

I work for Hornet Hobbies in Toronto, a store owned by Dave Browne (multi-award winning modeller and top drawer nice guy). I find it a priviledge to not only count him as a friend but as a teacher as well. He is generous with his critiques (always gentle and positive) and knowledge. Dave has made it a point of not making Hornet Hobbies a store. It is a place where modellers can gather and just chew the fat while buying a bottle of paint.

Anything you see that's good in my models comes from Dave showing me (and hundreds others) right in the store. Yes, the hobby store seems to be vanishing, but Hornet Hobbies is a place where you can always find an enthusiast. We have customers that come from all over the world who contact us before they land asking us to put things aside for them.

If you're in the neighborhood (and that means anywhere in the world), drop by for a chat.