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Best Online Hobby Shop?


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Okay, very limited supply of actual shops in my area, so besides the sellers on ebay which online suppliers do you suggest? (How was that for a run-on sentence?) Interested in who has good selection; prices; decent shipping cost?

Thank you. 

Charles 

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Hobbylink has pretty good pricing and a lot of the things I look for. The only problem with them is it takes a long time for stuff to leave their warehouse. ScaleHobbyist is my next goto but they have the same problem. My guess is their warehouses are understaffed.

I'll checkout Burbank House of Hobbies.

Edited by Raoul Ross
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5 hours ago, cobraman said:

Burbank House of Hobbies.   I use them and they discount the prices, fair shipping costs and I have found them to be among the fastest shippers. They are my go to place. Give them a shot.

I just ordered from them yesterday lol.  To OP burbank house of hobbies, megahobby, plaza japan(if you can stomach the shipping), hobbylinc, model round up, spruebrothers, scalehobbyist

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Model Roundup and Hobbylinc are my go-to online hobby shops. I live in Georgia and they both ship out of Atlanta, so the shipping costs are always palatable. Hobbylinc has a cool rewards point system for discounts and their prices are already pretty low. @Raoul Ross is correct that they seem a little slower at getting the orders out than they used to. Probably understaffed.

Model Roundup has a lot of out-of-production kits but they ain’t cheap. I usually have anything I order from them in my hands within 3 days. i’ve ordered a number of supplies from them. Again, not the lowest prices on the web, but the lightning quick turnaround and A+ service are worth it to me.

I’ll also vouch for Spotlight Hobbies. Nice prices and quick to ship with fair shipping costs.

i’ve only window shopped at Burbank’s, but they do have competitive prices. I imagine if I lived left of the Rockies they’d pocket a lot of my model budget.

Edited by BeakDoc
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32 minutes ago, moparfarmer said:

SPOTLIGHT HOBBIES  Matt/Dawn..Great prices and very quick delivery..Never any problems..Always fast and ship very well packed as to have NO damage..Highly recommended...

Thanks for letting me know about Spotlight Hobbies. Prices of everything is so high now but I checked them out and they seem fair.

I've gotten a lot of good leads period though. A lot are sure better than EBAY prices!!!

Charles 

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As others have mentioned, Burbank's is top-notch. I live about an hour from them so I can vouch for both the in-store, pick up, and shipping experience. My go-to online site is Tower Hobbies. Their main focus is actually RC but they carry a lot of supplies and kits as well. I just wish they carried Mr. Hobby products. They are always running discounts and best of all, they have a rewards program.

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Honestly, I look at the Internet as my hobby shop. Of course I still patronize my (very good) LHS. Different companies are good at different things. 1/12 detail stuff and aftermarket bits? Spot Model (out of Spain) rules. Good prices, fast shipping. Hobby Link Japan and Plaza Japan are great for a kit stock-up, but the shipping has gotten silly lately from Japan. I've gotten some good deals from Hobbylinc as well and of course there's always the dreaded eBay for vintage kits.  Model Roundup was my go-to when I was building more American stuff and their service was always great.  

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10 hours ago, jaymcminn said:

Honestly, I look at the Internet as my hobby shop. Of course I still patronize my (very good) LHS. Different companies are good at different things. 1/12 detail stuff and aftermarket bits? Spot Model (out of Spain) rules. Good prices, fast shipping. Hobby Link Japan and Plaza Japan are great for a kit stock-up, but the shipping has gotten silly lately from Japan. I've gotten some good deals from Hobbylinc as well and of course there's always the dreaded eBay for vintage kits.  Model Roundup was my go-to when I was building more American stuff and their service was always great.  

Where is your LHS? I'm always up for a road trip to a good LHS! Here in Central FL it's pretty barren excepting for Colonial in Orlando and a couple over St. Pete/Clearwater way. Of course there's the Southland show Nov 19th.

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16 hours ago, RSchnell said:

Where is your LHS? I'm always up for a road trip to a good LHS! Here in Central FL it's pretty barren excepting for Colonial in Orlando and a couple over St. Pete/Clearwater way. Of course there's the Southland show Nov 19th.

My LHS is Family Hobby Center. It's a great little shop, I've been going there for 40+ years. Owned by the same family since 1959. I don't know that it's worth a road trip unless you were coming to the area anyway... it's not a big shop by any means and they tend to be a little conservative in terms of what they stock. K&K Hobbies in Port Charlotte is bigger and has a better selection. Can't wait for the Southland show!

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7 minutes ago, bluestringer said:

I've ordered from Burbank House of Hobbies and they are very quick about shipping, and I live in Georgia. Their prices are good also. I also order from Model Roundup which is in Georgia and they are quick to ship. Shipping cost are high everywhere. now. 

Ditto on Burbank. Made order Sunday, due to arrive tomorrow (Wednesday).

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Hobbylinc and Scale Hobbyist are my preferred sources for kits and supplies, including spray and brush paints. Mike's Decals is great for kits and Nascar decals. Scale Finishes for airbrush paints. Fred's Model World is great for out of production kits and rebuilders.

Hope this helps.

Edited by jeff9150
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10 hours ago, jeff9150 said:

 Fred's Model World is great for out of production kits and rebuilders.

Hope this helps.

I forgot about Fred...and it's cool to see a member of "Official Model Car List Webring" again. Man, that brings back memories. 

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22 hours ago, jeff9150 said:

Hobbylinc and Scale Hobbyist are my preferred sources for kits and supplies, including spray and brush paints. Mike's Decals is great for kits and Nascar decals. Scale Finishes for airbrush paints. Fred's Model World is great for out of production kits and rebuilders.

Hope this helps.

I was not familiar with Fred's. Thanks for posting this!

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