mikemodeler

Model Empire in West Allis WI. Always enjoyed going in there when I lived in the Midwest. Don's Hobbies in Kenosha WI. The owner was a character and was fun to talk with. I think he sold the business as he wanted to travel and enjoy retirement and someone is running it now.

Watching the TV news today made my stomach turn.

Thanks for the heads up, just pulled the trigger on a resin '60's Dodge Pickup and the Shasta camping trailer. Saw a diecast 1/64th of one at Hobby Lobby and now I have to build it in 1/25th! Sure are going to miss Don and Carol, hope someone can pick up where they leave off and continue the legacy of their hard work.

Thank you Harry for pointing out the obvious reasons to shop there. As someone who grew up going to just about any store in the '70's and finding model cars, Hobby Lobby is the only place I have left to physically find a model kit here in Charlotte. Yes, we have A.C. Moore and Michaels, but their selection is nowhere near what HL has. I could drive an hour away to a Hobbytown USA but their prices are straight MSRP and the shop caters to the R/C crowd. While I do a fair bit of buying off the internet and at a couple of shows in the area, I still like to walk the aisle and pretend I am 12 years old again !

That is my favorite!

They price their clearance stuff at 40% off, so either way you get the same "discount". I did notice that they had marked the Revell Impala police car snap fast kits down. I remember buying a bunch of those at Michaels years ago after a Saturday build session for $5!

Same models on clearance here in the Charlotte area. I did see a California Hauler for $21, only truck kit on clearance.

Interesting that all of the posts here are supportive and none of the "complainers" have stepped up and commented. Hopefully that is a sign that they have re-thought their complaints and realized the error of their ways.

Nice job on that Alfa! I worked at a dealer in the early 80's and drove many different Alfa Romeo's and that one was one of the more exciting ones to drive.

Looks great, I scooped up a couple of these at Ollies last month to build, yours is giving me some inspiration.

Thank you for offering this to us modelers, wishing you much success with it!

I see no problem with the way you display your models Douglas and as far as I am concerned, those that do have to find a way to deal with it. I haven't the time to complete many models these days and I surely don't have the ability to take clear pictures and use photoshop to create realistic and beautiful backgrounds.

The race to lower costs has resulted in much higher overall costs for all consumers. How did I arrive at that conclusion? Look at the durability of what is produced these days! Have you seen price reductions on tools that were once made in USA that are now manufactured in China? NOPE ! That costs savings will be used to offset warranty costs as a result of Chinese production. And most likely add to the companies' bottom line! It's great that Company Z has a lower cost, but wages aren't the only component in their cost to manufacture products. This applies to many different categories of products and companies that previously tolerated low to zero defects are now tolerant of "some" defects as long as the landed cost remains "low". Companies that once took pride in their quality and addressed premature failure on parts now just listen to the customer complain and in some cases, offer compensation as a form of hush money. They KNOW what the problem is, but it remains cheaper and easier to let things be instead of fixing it. Engineers today are more concerned with cost savings and cheaper methods than superior product designs and lasting quality. I would like to say that things will get better before they get worse, but experience has taught me otherwise.

It's the Wal Mart effect Bill. There has been such a demand for lower prices because it is perceived as being necessary to survive in business. I have worked in the auto parts business for over 30 years, store, dealer, manufacturer level jobs, and between corporate greed and misreading the market, companies push cheaper product instead of quality. The places where parts come from outside of the US can range from mudhut/third world facilities to ultra modern/operating room like places. The folks I talk to on a regular basis aren't as concerned about price as much as they are quality. Funny how that message gets diluted when relayed back to HQ.

The email I got shows it in stock and when I add it to my cart is asks if I want to continue shopping. I don't need another one (have three already thanks to you! ) but hopefully someone else does and can get one.

Just got an email that Squadron is having a big sale this weekend. I saw the 1/24th scale Meng F350 kit on sale for $51, and there were many other bargains too!

If anyone is in need of one of these kits, Squadron is having a huge sale and this kit can be had for $51 !

I lived in St. Louis, but luckily it was from October to March, as I transferred back to Chicago before I got to experience a summer in Misery.You are correct that someone who hasn't experienced high humidity can't understand it! My son heads to Ft. Wood in August for his boot camp and AIT training and will be there through December. He assures me it won't be that bad because as he said "Dad, you know how it cools off sooner in the Midwest than it does here in NC". It took all of my strength to not laugh out loud at him and can't wait to hear about his 4 AM PT and drill exercises due to black flag conditions!

There is a resin version from Bandit Resins, very nice kit and Kenny does a great job with all of his resin stuff..

I make sales calls, in and out of the heat and A/C, all day long and it wears you out quickly. Being fat doesn't help, but the dew point has risen to almost 70 degrees this week. Add in the 99 degree air temp with the dew point and it feels like 108 degrees! And before Agent G or any of the Aridzona contingent chimes in, it's a WET heat! LOL ! Looking at the bright side? June is almost over, our winters aren't that bad, and I will probably lose a few pounds before my next doctor's appointment because I usually eat less in the summer due to the heat.

Thanks Aaron, that doesn't look bad at all, better than most! I will definitely be placing an order!

Another great trade with Chuck Most, exactly as expected! !

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I agree with you Tom, no value in telling someone that their model looks great when there are obvious flaws. I think the trouble lies in being able to get your message across to someone via the internet without it being mis-interpreted. This forum (and many others) along with email are basically one-sided conversations and being able to differentiate between constructive criticism and someone being a jerk is not always the easiest thing for people. You are correct in that commenting about a paint job, mentioning the orange peel and how a polishing kit can help improve it is beneficial, but only if the recipient takes the right way.

Any opinions on the quality of the RMR kits? I see some kits that I would like to get but am not familiar with the quality. I suspect that at the price point listed, they aren't in the same league as say Modelhaus , but hopefully not a resin blob either.