niteowl7710 Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 I'd like to vote "All of the Above" and then pencil in "Model Car Shows" as my essay answer! I only do the Hobby Lobby/Michael's gag if I have the coupon. My local (24 miles away) Michael's has like 0 inventory turnover so it's not worth the drive under any circumstances to pay retail. I use the Hobby Lobby in Laredo, TX when I'm at my company's office down there. I'm only there every month or so, so to me the inventory turns over, and they carry some imported kits as well. My LHS, Hobbys N Stuff in Connellsville, PA seems to price pretty reasonable on his kits. It's more than an online retailer, but it's not the astronomical gouging that seems to go on either. I admit I use his store more for paint and supplies than kits, but I will buy some kits from time to time to make sure I'm throwing him a bone (so to speak). The last thing I need for him to do is close up, then I'd be looking at driving all the way up to Pittsburgh for bottle paint, and that would truly suck. Online I primarily stick to eBay for OOP kits. I've been slowly getting kits that I either missed while I was away that haven't been reissued, or getting kits I slaughtered into glue bombs when I was just starting out. I've also found the joys of importing kits recently, so a good portion of my hobby budget will go over there until some more domestic kits come out that I'm waiting on... Lastly I love going to swap meets/model car shows for my bulk purchases. I have a vendor I have been dealing with for over 10 years, and it is not at all uncommon for me to walk away from his tables with an entire shipping box of goodies. I only do that 2 or 3 times a year, but it catches me up on everything I've not been "needing" so bad I was willing to pay full retail for... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bad0210 Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 mainly ebay. deanshobbystop.com. hobby lobby and micheals, but only with a coupon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitbash1 Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 My first choice is always going to be the LHS. My next would be the internet. None of my local stores carry kits anymore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordairgtar Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Two awesome hobby shops in the Milwaukee area. Model Empire which discounts all the kits a couple bucks right off the bat, plus they have OOP stuff for sale as well. Then Greenfield News And Hobby. Huge store with all kinds of art supplies and crafts plus Model Railroading supplies, RC, Armor and Military models. They will order stuff for you if it's not in the store. They even search other stores in the midwest to find the kit you need. They accept my model club membership for a 10% discount. There are other places in the area, but these two are the best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crazyjim Posted April 24, 2011 Share Posted April 24, 2011 Yo Gregg - are either of those shops in Milwaukee near the airport? I'll be lfying into General Mitchell and then driving out to The Abbey in Fonatana next month. Maybe if they were along the way I could stop by. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ViperDave Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 As said before I like the 'out of production" kits so Evilbay works for me. I just joined a Model club and have been to 3 contests. I am really liking buying from those vendors - Great guys and Its great getting to meet and talk about kits - most are a wealth of knowledge. I am really thinking that this will be new source of kits. Its a lot more fun than getting beat out on your bid !!!!!!!. So far I am finding any kit that I would want and usually for less than 15.00 and no shipping --- LOL. I was up at Dayton a couple of months ago at a place called Daddy Katz. It is over by the old GM plant on the east side of town. They had a model contest there and I think they are having another one later this year. Nice place to have a contest. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Most Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 I'm fortunate to live close enough to Hulings Hobby House in Alma, MI, as well as the legendary Dean's Hobby Stop in Flushing, to be a regular customer. There are also quite a few 'hole in the wall' mom and pop places near me which sell models. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scummy Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 I'm affraid here in australia all of my friends and myself buy on line , because it seems the distributers here like to collect the kits themselves ? You go into a hobbie shop in sydney metro area and the shelves ate EMPTY ! All the neat stuff we see on the forums and the web are just not getting here so instead of waiting for who knows how long ,we get it off the net ! The old stuff that is on the shelves is WAY too expensive , so the death of the hobbie shop is because the distributers are TOO slow getting the stuff out here .Sorry to the hobby shop owners but they seem to have no interest either , i've even emailed the model companys in the states complaining about the distributers here and they don't respond either . So thats why most of oz builders buy on line and direct from the states !!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SSNJim Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Wherever I find them. I am always on the lookout for models. Every store I enter, I look for model kits. I bought a Revell 1960 Corvette (with multipiece body) at a Radio Shack once. LHS, club meetings, swap meets, thrift stores, antique shops, discount stores, department stores, toy stores and craft stores are just a few places. Sure, I don't find something every time, but it's worth looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobrit Posted April 26, 2011 Share Posted April 26, 2011 Wherever I find them. I am always on the lookout for models. Every store I enter, I look for model kits. I bought a Revell 1960 Corvette (with multipiece body) at a Radio Shack once. LHS, club meetings, swap meets, thrift stores, antique shops, discount stores, department stores, toy stores and craft stores are just a few places. Sure, I don't find something every time, but it's worth looking. Ebay will get you anything you want as far as kits go, but will often be expensive. For cheap kits, auto swap meets are probably the best, followed by model meets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikemodeler Posted April 27, 2011 Share Posted April 27, 2011 Yo Gregg - are either of those shops in Milwaukee near the airport? I'll be lfying into General Mitchell and then driving out to The Abbey in Fonatana next month. Maybe if they were along the way I could stop by. Jim, I once lived in the area and I can say without question it will be worth your while to drive to these two shops. Model Empire is a great hobby shop and has a ton of stuff to drool over! Greenfield News & Hobby has a ton of stuff to look at as well. They also have a great selection of magazines to pick from. Check out Mapquest and plug in the addresses for these locations and I don't think it will be that far out of your way. There are several other hobby shops in the Milwaukee area that would be worth visiting if you have the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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