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jenny croft wrote:
Thst is so true Jenny, I can't think of many hobby shops in Sydney worthy of the name. Hobbyco of old (the mid 70's to early 80's "basement" shop) was great. They had every kit imaginable (at the time) and had knowledgable staff. Now, several relocations/expansions later it's just another sterile shop full of lots of stuff you don't want and very little that you do, at ridiculous prices. :S
Since the demise of Avenue Hobbies a couple of years ago, there isn't really any other "modelling enthusiast's" shop in Sydney. This was a place that had Armorscale barrels, LionRoar PE, Echelon Decals, Vallejo paints etc on the shelf. Sadly, no more. I hope Barry's well.
PE? resin? turned barrels? In Sydney, today, to my knowledge, not a chance.
Jenny, if you;re ever over Ryde way, drop into Tom's Hobbies at West Ryde. They're primarily a model railways shop but have a reasonable selection of kits (though this can vary from time to time) and the prices aren't too painful. I picked up a couple of Trumpeter 1/48 T-34's for a whopping $16.00 (regular price) each about 8 months ago.
I only get there maybe two or three times a year, but one time, as I was paying for some stuff, the guy behind the counter says to the girl at the register "Look after him, he's a good bloke". I think I got one or two pots of paint at no charge, but hey, a couple of bucks is still a couple of bucks and it was a pleasant surprise. Bur more than that, it's the kind of service I like, the kind of service that people remember and makes them want to come back. B)
Thst is so true Jenny, I can't think of many hobby shops in Sydney worthy of the name. Hobbyco of old (the mid 70's to early 80's "basement" shop) was great. They had every kit imaginable (at the time) and had knowledgable staff. Now, several relocations/expansions later it's just another sterile shop full of lots of stuff you don't want and very little that you do, at ridiculous prices. :S
Since the demise of Avenue Hobbies a couple of years ago, there isn't really any other "modelling enthusiast's" shop in Sydney. This was a place that had Armorscale barrels, LionRoar PE, Echelon Decals, Vallejo paints etc on the shelf. Sadly, no more. I hope Barry's well.
PE? resin? turned barrels? In Sydney, today, to my knowledge, not a chance.
Jenny, if you;re ever over Ryde way, drop into Tom's Hobbies at West Ryde. They're primarily a model railways shop but have a reasonable selection of kits (though this can vary from time to time) and the prices aren't too painful. I picked up a couple of Trumpeter 1/48 T-34's for a whopping $16.00 (regular price) each about 8 months ago.
I only get there maybe two or three times a year, but one time, as I was paying for some stuff, the guy behind the counter says to the girl at the register "Look after him, he's a good bloke". I think I got one or two pots of paint at no charge, but hey, a couple of bucks is still a couple of bucks and it was a pleasant surprise. Bur more than that, it's the kind of service I like, the kind of service that people remember and makes them want to come back. B)
Jenny Croft
Banned
I used to love Avenue Hobbies :woohoo: , he was such a nice guy ! I am so dissapointed not to go there . I think I have been in the Ryde store once .
There is a great store called Crusader Hobbies in Fishwick in the ACT and in Newcastle Frontline but they are the only decent Model stores I know of within NSW .
Jenny :kiss:
There is a great store called Crusader Hobbies in Fishwick in the ACT and in Newcastle Frontline but they are the only decent Model stores I know of within NSW .
Jenny :kiss:
jenny croft wrote:
I second the view on Crusader Hobbies in Fyshwick. It's my new favourite local hobby shop here in Canberra and has a great range of armour kits, PE and other - also has those strange flying things and those even weirder things that float on water (don't witches float?).hmy:
I can also suggest Fisher Discounts in Fyshwick (downstairs is for hardware, upstairs is for hobbies), Toyworld also in Fyshwick, and Canberra Hobby and Model Supplies in Phillip isn't too bad either.
Note: I am in no way affiliated with any of these stores - apart from being a customer
I second the view on Crusader Hobbies in Fyshwick. It's my new favourite local hobby shop here in Canberra and has a great range of armour kits, PE and other - also has those strange flying things and those even weirder things that float on water (don't witches float?).
hmy: I can also suggest Fisher Discounts in Fyshwick (downstairs is for hardware, upstairs is for hobbies), Toyworld also in Fyshwick, and Canberra Hobby and Model Supplies in Phillip isn't too bad either.
Note: I am in no way affiliated with any of these stores - apart from being a customer
Ken Abrams
Well-known member
I guess I am lucky, I have two fairly local hobby stores here and both of them seem to be head and shoulders above some of the ones mentioned here.
Not only do they regularly stock up on the latest releases, take the time to answer my questions thoroughly and if need be look it up right then and there on the web but they also stock slow curing CA. B)
The only bad thing is their prices, which I am sure is no fault of theirs. Because of this I do make most of my kit purchases online but will occasionally pick one up there because it's right in front of me.
Not only do they regularly stock up on the latest releases, take the time to answer my questions thoroughly and if need be look it up right then and there on the web but they also stock slow curing CA. B)
The only bad thing is their prices, which I am sure is no fault of theirs. Because of this I do make most of my kit purchases online but will occasionally pick one up there because it's right in front of me.
Jenny Croft
Banned
tomwes wrote:
Hmmmmm Now you mention it Tom , sounds like a good punishment ! :laugh: No it is not :woohoo: .
Jenny :kiss:
Hmmmmm
Now you mention it Tom , sounds like a good punishment ! :laugh: No it is not :woohoo: .Jenny :kiss:
The Sydney hobby shop situation is appalling especially for a large city. I use a model train shop - Tom's in West Ryde which is near where I live or drop into one in Gosford (which is well out of Sydney).
It cannot be that the Internet has killed them all. Poor service is one factor and the other is the distribution which in Australia is through a third party company rather than directly from the manufacturers. It is the distributors not the hobby shops that determine what arrives in Australia.
The problem is that if all the hobby shops closes we will have difficulty purchasing flammable liquids such as paint, thinners, glues on-line as the postal system wont carry them.
Actually now I think of it most of my kits are not assembled but in boxes waiting their turn so maybe this wont affect me!
Iain
It cannot be that the Internet has killed them all. Poor service is one factor and the other is the distribution which in Australia is through a third party company rather than directly from the manufacturers. It is the distributors not the hobby shops that determine what arrives in Australia.
The problem is that if all the hobby shops closes we will have difficulty purchasing flammable liquids such as paint, thinners, glues on-line as the postal system wont carry them.
Actually now I think of it most of my kits are not assembled but in boxes waiting their turn so maybe this wont affect me!
Iain
IainS wrote:
I like Tom's Hobbies. I can't fault the service there, but the range. particularly in armour models, sometimes leaves a lot to be desired.
It is interesting isn't it? When Avenue Hobbies was still operating, Barry proved that it was possible for a small operator to put kits on the shelf at prices lower than the "big boys". He also proved that it was possible ro stock AM stuff at prices comparable to what was available online. His stock of PE and barrels, for example, were within a couple of dollars of what LuckyModel was charging at the time. This place is fondly remembered and sadly missed by many.
In fact, it is possible to buy paints, thinners etc by mail order, as I have frequently purchased paints and recently, thinner from LuckyModel and have received these items with no issues.
I like Tom's Hobbies. I can't fault the service there, but the range. particularly in armour models, sometimes leaves a lot to be desired.
It is interesting isn't it? When Avenue Hobbies was still operating, Barry proved that it was possible for a small operator to put kits on the shelf at prices lower than the "big boys". He also proved that it was possible ro stock AM stuff at prices comparable to what was available online. His stock of PE and barrels, for example, were within a couple of dollars of what LuckyModel was charging at the time. This place is fondly remembered and sadly missed by many.
In fact, it is possible to buy paints, thinners etc by mail order, as I have frequently purchased paints and recently, thinner from LuckyModel and have received these items with no issues.
The LHS here closed 6 months ago because ` No one is interested in buying model kits anymore ` the last new kit they had was the Dragon Tiger 1 inital which they were trying to charge $90 au for i told them that they were overpriced and that at the time i could go to melbourne and get them for $50 or 60 au they said that was the price the importer told them was RRP ! 
Then last week i was in melbourne at the model shop near myers they had the new Jagdtiger from Tamiya and the price was $117 au so now i buy everything model related from the internet .
Now it just means when i go too melbourne i spend all my money at Hylands Books instead .
Then last week i was in melbourne at the model shop near myers they had the new Jagdtiger from Tamiya and the price was $117 au so now i buy everything model related from the internet .
Now it just means when i go too melbourne i spend all my money at Hylands Books instead .
Jenny Croft
Banned
I think specialist stores in lots of fields are finding it very tough now that the world is a smaller place with Internet buying, gone are the days where Reccomended Retail is any more than just a marker to show what profit margins used to be acceptable .
Modelling is a small niche market , it is understandable that in small centres with smaller turnover but still monthly expenditure of rates , electricity etc and still to provide enough profit for income , that they fail . It is surprising that there is not a chain type modelling store on an international level which could not service at least capital cities in Australia ?
Hmmmm maybe Tanks and Things super hobbystore ? To be able to bulk buy releases from suppliers and dispense stock with competitive margins .
Jenny :kiss:
Modelling is a small niche market , it is understandable that in small centres with smaller turnover but still monthly expenditure of rates , electricity etc and still to provide enough profit for income , that they fail . It is surprising that there is not a chain type modelling store on an international level which could not service at least capital cities in Australia ?
Hmmmm maybe Tanks and Things super hobbystore ?
To be able to bulk buy releases from suppliers and dispense stock with competitive margins . Jenny :kiss:
Kreighshoer
Active member
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ... well - i guess that although many shops in munich closed down for good we still are lucky to have our "traudl's modellbauladen"! it's a very small shop but excellent stocked with the standard producers (tamiya, dml, trumpeter, afv-club), colors from vallejo, gunze and tamiya!
if you need something herrmann tries to order it for you if possible but if he couldn't do it he won't fool you and tell straight in the face! e.g. he once told me that for ordering the item i wanted he had to order a fair amount of something he could never sell and ended the discussion!
on another occasion i asked for peddinghaus figures and he contacted mr peddinghaus directly so that i had part of my wishlist delivered a few days later! the cancellation of the remaining order (well - four months later) was no problem with him!
he doesn't sell via internet since he has the credo "if you do something, do it perfect and concentrate on it! don't visit two parties simultaneously!"
http://www.traudlsmodellbau.com/
herrmann also organizes the popular annual model show at the "flugwerft schleissheim"
a small but good and well stocked shop with fair prices! ... and sometimes there's a cute doggy in the shop that wants to be hugged and kissed all the time!
if you need something herrmann tries to order it for you if possible but if he couldn't do it he won't fool you and tell straight in the face! e.g. he once told me that for ordering the item i wanted he had to order a fair amount of something he could never sell and ended the discussion!
on another occasion i asked for peddinghaus figures and he contacted mr peddinghaus directly so that i had part of my wishlist delivered a few days later! the cancellation of the remaining order (well - four months later) was no problem with him!
he doesn't sell via internet since he has the credo "if you do something, do it perfect and concentrate on it! don't visit two parties simultaneously!"
http://www.traudlsmodellbau.com/
herrmann also organizes the popular annual model show at the "flugwerft schleissheim"
a small but good and well stocked shop with fair prices! ... and sometimes there's a cute doggy in the shop that wants to be hugged and kissed all the time!
Jenny Croft
Banned
Kreighshoer wrote:
You realise he has that cute little doggie in the shop just to lure Little Laura in there ?
:p 
t
Jenny :kiss:
a small but good and well stocked shop with fair prices! ... and sometimes there's a cute doggy in the shop that wants to be hugged and kissed all the time!
You realise he has that cute little doggie in the shop just to lure Little Laura in there ?
:p t Jenny :kiss:
Brisbane has Hobbyrama on the north side and also the Military Workshop, which has mainly diecast.
It is good to go and peruse, but really retail is so expensive compared to what you pay online shops or ebay. Unless I need something fast I always go online now.
Only trouble is it's harder to hide order's from the better half.
It's a bit sad I suppose. I think back, to when I was a kid in Sydney, a trip to the city and Hobbyco (forgotten what arcade it was in, think it ran off Pitt St) was a real highlight.
It is good to go and peruse, but really retail is so expensive compared to what you pay online shops or ebay. Unless I need something fast I always go online now.
Only trouble is it's harder to hide order's from the better half.
It's a bit sad I suppose. I think back, to when I was a kid in Sydney, a trip to the city and Hobbyco (forgotten what arcade it was in, think it ran off Pitt St) was a real highlight.
For two years I worked in my local (35 mile away) hobby shop. In that time I tried to take it from 'just another hobby shop' to one that people would come to for specialist things like fruil tracks, eduard brass, nuts and bolts reference books and so on. It was hard work convincing the boss that there was a market for such stuff but in the end internet sales killed any enthusiasm and the place is now back to mostly the same old same old. The only thing I did have a lot of success with was introducing digital command control for model railways.
mike walsh
Master at Arms
Plushy wrote:
Hi Plushy,
Just ordered the Tamiya Jagdtiger from Hobby Easy $46.63 with freight way cheaper than buying at the local hobby store.
Half of the price Thats a Bargain :woohoo:
Michael
The LHS here closed 6 months ago because ` No one is interested in buying model kits anymore ` the last new kit they had was the Dragon Tiger 1 inital which they were trying to charge $90 au for i told them that they were overpriced and that at the time i could go to melbourne and get them for $50 or 60 au they said that was the price the importer told them was RRP !
Then last week i was in melbourne at the model shop near myers they had the new Jagdtiger from Tamiya and the price was $117 au so now i buy everything model related from the internet .
Now it just means when i go too melbourne i spend all my money at Hylands Books instead .
Hi Plushy,
Just ordered the Tamiya Jagdtiger from Hobby Easy $46.63 with freight way cheaper than buying at the local hobby store.
Half of the price Thats a Bargain :woohoo:
Michael
carabinier
Member
We used to have 3 model shops in the area,2 of them were just general hobby shops so stocked kits but were a bit short on advice if you wanted any.The other one was purly a model shop run by a modeler but limited as to what he would stock but still better than nothing,then all of a sudden all 3 closed within a few weeks of each other!!!!! leaving us to the mercies of the internet (unless i wanted a 40 mile drive)then all of a sudden a new shop opened he stocked a complete range of paint from several different suppliers a massive range of kits and loads of accessories and tools,airbrushes the works its like an alladins cave :laugh:and the best thing is the owner is a modeler himself so he is in touch with what we want!are we lucky ? i think so :woohoo:
woodcutter
Member
no LHS near me at all unless you count Hobby Lobby. They have a pretty much static assortment of kits. I'm thankful they were there to at least get me started back into the hobby about 2 yrs ago, remember "Wild Willy"? Like what others have indicated,the brick and mortar stores are really expensive- $90.00 for the char bis? cough can't do it without their 40% off coupon. Even with that reduction and with how great that kit is,I still didn't see what the big reason for the tall price tag. It's gotta be about the most expensive 1/35 tank kit I've ever seen. But I would build another one in a lick I still go there to get some of my paints (model master),thinner, airbrush cleaner, chalks, chain, knife blades,etc. I have been buying my kits on line since those early restart days.
unless you count Hobby Lobby. They have a pretty much static assortment of kits. I'm thankful they were there to at least get me started back into the hobby about 2 yrs ago, remember "Wild Willy"? Like what others have indicated,the brick and mortar stores are really expensive- $90.00 for the char bis? cough can't do it without their 40% off coupon. Even with that reduction and with how great that kit is,I still didn't see what the big reason for the tall price tag. It's gotta be about the most expensive 1/35 tank kit I've ever seen. But I would build another one in a lick I still go there to get some of my paints (model master),thinner, airbrush cleaner, chalks, chain, knife blades,etc. I have been buying my kits on line since those early restart days.Plushy wrote:
$117.00? Ouch. That's a neat double of the Japanese domestic market RRP of 5000¥ (street price will be several hundred ¥ less) (PS: Frontline Hobbies has this listed at a much more reasonable $89.95, but is out of stock)
Yes folks, for those who are unaware, most Japanese made kits (eg. Tamiya, Hasegawa) have their domestic RRP's printed right on the box at the factory. eg. Tamiya Marder III. 35248*3000 = 3000¥ Domestic MSRP
Now I know there are import costs, transport costs etc etc. but I can't see how it could go that far.
I've also noticed that armour modellers seem to get the short end of the stick compared to aircraft modellers. For example, the aforementioned Marder (3000¥) sells locally at around $60.00 (AUD)and the Tamiya 1/48 Mosquitos (3400¥), for around $50.00 (AUD). I'm not sure how that works out, perhaps there's some sort of perception that aircraft are more popular and sell more.
$117.00? Ouch. That's a neat double of the Japanese domestic market RRP of 5000¥ (street price will be several hundred ¥ less) (PS: Frontline Hobbies has this listed at a much more reasonable $89.95, but is out of stock)
Yes folks, for those who are unaware, most Japanese made kits (eg. Tamiya, Hasegawa) have their domestic RRP's printed right on the box at the factory. eg. Tamiya Marder III. 35248*3000 = 3000¥ Domestic MSRP
Now I know there are import costs, transport costs etc etc. but I can't see how it could go that far.
I've also noticed that armour modellers seem to get the short end of the stick compared to aircraft modellers. For example, the aforementioned Marder (3000¥) sells locally at around $60.00 (AUD)and the Tamiya 1/48 Mosquitos (3400¥), for around $50.00 (AUD). I'm not sure how that works out, perhaps there's some sort of perception that aircraft are more popular and sell more.