Online retailers

[Kardar2]

Hello,

My local hobby shop closed up shop and at the moment we only have Michael's which is a joke for models section. We will be soon to get a Hobby lobby. Any ways I have been forced to go online for my stuff. A member of our model club suggested Hobblinc  so I have put two orders in and it taken for ever for them to ship. Is this a common problem with them ? Is Squadron better at shipping out quicker?  Or am I demanding of to much as I have been a Amazon customer and well two day shipping is the normal. Thanks

[Rob Hall]

For kits, I use Tower Hobbies, Model Roundup and Hobby Link Japan.    For supplies, I've had good luck with Hobbylinc and Amazon.     They are all slower than Amazon, but TH and MR always have the latest releases of the domestic kit makers and I always get my stuff within a week if in stock.    Have only used Squadron once, they were reasonable IIRC. 

Edited August 30, 2017 by Rob Hall

[RAT-T]

I'VE HAD GOOD LUCK WITH ONMI MODELS, THEIR ON EBAY & ALSO THEIR OWN SITE

ALSO, "MARK TWAIN HOBBIES"  IS PRETTY GOOD, THEY ARE ON EBAY AS WELL

Edited August 30, 2017 by RAT-T

[tbill]

scale hobbyist is pretty good too.

[vintagerpm]

Yes, Hobbylinc is slow to ship, but it doesn't take long once it is on the way. The service from Squadron, Scalehobbyist, & Model Roundup is great. Hobby Link Japan is really good, but remember it is coming across the Pacific. Grand Prix Models & Hannants in the UK are also good sources. Remember to always check the stock disposition before placing your orders on-line.

[Kardar2]

thanks you all

[Mike999]

I keep a text file "wish/granted list" handy.  Use it to keep track of stuff I've ordered, so I don't stupidly order the same thing twice (which I have done). 

I also use that list to note the date I ordered stuff, and the date I received it.  For HobbyLinc and Freetime Hobbies, going back more than a year, the average delivery time has been 5 to 7 days after I placed the order.  So not too bad. 

The fastest order turnaround has been Sprue Bros., with delivery in 2 to 3 days. Unfortunately they don't carry many car kits. They do have the Fujimi Ferrari 348 Challenge on sale right now for $24.99, if anyone's interested.  And they carry a lot of useful armor accessories that can be used on cars, like nuts & bolts. 

[snacktruck67]

Mega Hobby is super great.

[Xingu]

Hobbylinc is slow to ship but they have weekly specials and have good prices. MegaHobby.com gets an aweful lot of my money and offers free shipping on orders over $100. I usually get my orders in 2-3 days.

[unclescott58]

Two I've had really good luck with, and gotten very good prices from, is Mark Twain Hobbies and Model Car Mountain. When I go hunting on eBay, they seen seem to have what I'm looking for at the best prices. They both have seem to ship fast, and have given me no problems. There are other good ones. But, those two keep on popping up the most for me when I go looking for kits.

[unclescott58]

Got thinking. Forgot to mention the guy I buy most of my models from. I've never had the pleasure to purchase a model online from him. For he is local. But, I believe he sells online. And that is Ralph Fredlund (of Ralph's Models) at: RAFredlund@aol.com. A great guy. Old or new, he can get you just about anything you want.

[T-bone]

Mega Hobby is super great.

+1!!! All the supplies I need and fast shipping

[mikemodeler]

Tower Hobbies has more than one location to ship from and if they ship from their West Coast location, it should be there in a couple of days. They often run specials like free shipping or $15 off an order of $50 or more. They have some supplies, worth looking around their website (plastic-models.com). I have ordered from Squadron and Modelroundup with no problems and fast shipping. Haven't tried any of the overseas companies yet nor have I ordered off of eBay, but as others have stated, there are some great companies out there, depending on what you are looking for.

[MegaHobby]

MegaHobby.com is totally great. We're unbiased here right?

[Mike999]

I should have mentioned MegaHobby. If you want to learn how to do extremely realistic weathering, MegaHobby carries the whole line of how-to magazines from AK Interactive, MIG, Abrams Squad and others. 

Here's an example from Tanker Techniques Magazine, Number #01 “Extreme Rust.”  That van is the ancient ESCI 1/32 scale kit, NOT 1/24. The builder added new wheels and a ton of other detail.  As this pic shows, the weathering tricks are shown in detail, step-by-step: