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Modelbuilders' Guide to the Netherlands


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vlag_zpsa6824f57.jpg---- Modelbuilders’ Guide to the Netherlands ----wapen_zps650e9017.jpg

Hello fellow modellers,

I thought it was a good idea to make a tourist’s guide for the international aircraft modeler that visits the Netherlands. But first, let’s get some facts straight:

• The Dutch do not smoke cannabis the whole day. In fact, cannabis consumption in the Netherlands is about the European average. If you want to see high people, visit France, Spain or the United Kingdom (England and Wales)

• Soft drugs are not legal in the Netherlands. The law about soft drugs is not been enforced actively, which still means when you carry it while you behave badly the drugs can worsen your charge.

• The Dutch don’t like walking on wooden shoes. In urban areas, only hipsters can be spotted walking on them and they deserve to be made fun of. Some old-fashioned farmers in the eastern and northern provinces still wear them daily.

• Living below sea level is not frightening. Really, it isn’t.

• The Dutch and German languages are not the same. For a foreigner they might sound the same but they differ greatly. On the other hand, it is not necessary to apologize if you mistake a Dutchman for a German. After all, the Germans living now never wanted the story of 70 years ago to happen. At least most of them, I hope.

Okay, let’s move on to the relevant parts.

Public Transport in the Netherlands

The public transport in the Netherlands is very good. There is a very extensive train network connecting all cities and most villages. When a village does not have a train station, there certainly is a bus line leading to it.

To make use of the public transport in the Netherlands, you need to buy an OV-chipkaart (Public Transport Chip Card). This is a plastic pass that allows you to use all public transport systems like trains, busses, underground networks and trams (no airplanes, unfortunately) after you charged it to the right amount of your trip.

The OV-Chipkaart can be purchased from the large yellow vending machines that can be found on every train station, and also on Schiphol Airport. Of course the language can be selected in English. For detailed information to purchase an OV-chip card, see here:

http://www.ov-chipkaart.nl/aanvragen/welkekaartpastbiju/toeristen/?taal=en

To plan your train trip, you can use the trip planner on www.ns.nl (set the site to ‘English’ in the banner on top). To plan other trips you can use www.9292ov.nl, which takes all types of public transport in consideration.

trein_zps77d1e43f.jpg

Let’s assume you came to this beautiful little country by air transport. Most likely you’ve just landed on the country’s largest airport which is:

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol

While its location is not that far from Amsterdam, it is actually located in the Haarlemmermeer (translated as the Haarlem Lake). Yes, you read that well, a lake. It actually was a lake until 1852, when it was pumped dry, becoming a polder. Because of this, it has an average field elevation of minus 11 feet or minus 3 metres.

When you are an aviation enthusiast, you have come to the right place. Already. After reclaiming your baggage, make sure to visit the Panorama Terrace. It is accessible from Schiphol Plaza, which is the public shopping centre behind the customs (or before, if you are a leaving passenger). It is not accessible through the custom controlled area, so if you are a transferring passenger with not that much time you have to let this one go unfortunately.

Signs will lead you to the stairs (or elevator, whatever you want) that lead to the terrace.

Please notice: it is not open 24h. These are the opening times:

Winter season (starting the last Sunday of October):

9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Summer season (starting the last Sunday of March):

7:00 AM to 8:00 PM

Admission: free

Keep in mind that the airport staff may decide to close the terrace when there is extreme weather such as a thunderstorm or heavy winds.

From the panorama terrace you will have a very nice view on multiple aircraft gates, including ground handling services. Also, a retired KLM Cityhopper Fokker 100 airliner is placed on the terrace, being accessible by stairs. The cockpit is closed by a transparent screen still offering you to photograph it. The cabin is closed behind the emergency exit seat rows, to prevent the aircraft from tipping backwards. The accessible part of the cabin has been transformed into a small museum about the Fokker Aircraft Company and Schiphol Airport. Entrance to the aircraft is free.

http://www.schiphol.nl/Travellers/Shop/BeforePassportControl2/PanoramaTerrace.htm

fokker_zpsd0ddf97f.jpg

After you visited the panorama terrace, you should go back to the Schiphol Plaza shopping area. There’s one shop that is particularly interesting for us, and that is Planes at Plaza. You can’t miss it, really. It displays the nose section of a DC-9 in fake KLM colours, as well as the engine and landing gear leg of a DC-10. The shop itself has a collection of die-cast models (which are fairly expensive) and some other aviation related souvenirs. The cockpit of the DC-9 is accessible, but it is trashed by kids and clumsy visitors and you are not allowed to make your own photographs in it.

planesplaza_zps31e1337c.jpg

It is recommended to keep your money in your wallet, because we will go to the second interesting point which is the:

Aviation Megastore

Foreigners might know the Aviation Megastore (in the Netherlands known as the Luchtvaart Hobbyshop) as that webshop with the very interesting range of products, but the exorbitantly high shipping costs. Those shipping costs are not the Megastore’s fault. Due to privatization of the Dutch postal services international shipping is very expensive. But now you are in the Netherlands, you’ve got the opportunity to save the shipping costs!

The Aviation Megastore can be reached by public transport or by car.

From the bus station at Schiphol Airport, take bus number 198 to Aalsmeer, and get out at the stop called ‘Dorpsstraat’ (that’s the stop after Beech Avenue). The bus stop is at a busy road. When exiting the bus, turn right and walk along the road using the sidewalk, and over the bridge that crosses the canal. Directly after you crossed the canal, use the pedestrian crossing to get to the other side of the road. Here you will find a hedge of bushes with a small pedestrian stairway leading downwards. When you come off the stairs, the Aviation Megastore is on your direct right hand side, next to the stone base of the old windmill. When you hired a car and you have a navigation system, use the address ‘Molenweg 249, Aalsmeerderbrug’. Have fun!

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Aviodrome

The Netherlands have two major aviation museums. The largest is the Aviodrome in Lelystad. Lelystad is the capital of the province of Flevoland, which is a very large polder and the largest artificial island in the world. The Aviodrome aviation museum can be reached by using bus 148 from train station ‘Lelystad’. Get out at the stop called ‘Eendenweg’. From there, it is a ten minute walk to the museum (but I do it faster, generally).

The Aviodrome has a mixed collection of civil and military aircraft, as well as a replica of the historic terminal building of Schiphol and a nice shop with some model kits. It is located at the regional airport of Lelystad so it is possible to book a flight on a historic airplane. Some major attractions are:

• Boeing 747-300 KLM

• Fokker 100 KLM Cityhopper (but you’ve seen one already at the panorama terrace at Schiphol)

• Lockheed L749 Constellation

• Fokker Friendship

• And a lot more!

Admission fees are €16,50 per person and €14,- for kids under the age of 12 and free for kids under the age of 3. When you want to park a car, you pay €6,-. Yes, it is rather expensive, but the museum is really worth a visit.

www.aviodrome.nl

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MLM (Militaire Luchtvaart Museum)

The Military Aviation Museum (Dutch: Militaire Luchtvaart Museum, often abbreviated as MLM) is the official museum of the Dutch Air Force. Therefore it has no civil subjects.

This museum is well known for its nice activities for children.

The admission fee to this museum is free! However, it is located at a relatively large distance from Amsterdam (as far as distances can be large in the Netherlands). It can be reached by taking bus 52 to Amersfoort from train station ‘Utrecht Centraal’, and get out at the stop called ‘Kampweg’. From there, it is a 10 minute walk to the museum.

The shop of the museum is worth a visit, as it is almost a specialized modeling store. They do not only have the standard Revell kits, but also some more special kits from other manufacturers.

www.militaireluchtvaartmuseum.nl

mlm_zps0b56d84d.jpg

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Annual events

Besides the places that are worth a visit, there are some interesting annual events that might be nice to attend when your trip date matches one of them.

Paradroppings Ede

Every year in the month of September, the Battle of Arnhem (know from movies like A Bridge Too Far) is commemorated by a show of parachute droppings. These take place on the ‘Ginkelse heide’ which is a rural area in the province of Gelderland, in the center/eastern part of the Netherlands. On this event, about 1000 parachutists from different countries are dropped from several aircraft such as a C-130 ‘Hercules’, C-160 ‘Transall’ and C-47 ‘Dakota/Skytrain’. On the specific day, free shuttle busses bring you there from the train station ‘Ede-Wageningen’. For the exact date, keep an eye on the following website:

http://airborne-herdenkingen.nl/en/

IMG_3355_28800x53429.jpg

RNLAF Open Days

The open days of the Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) had a tradition of being held every year. However, due to cutting costs, they now take place once in about two or three years. Each year, they take place on another air force base in the Netherlands. On the 14th and 15th of June 2013, the air force open days will be held at Volkel in the province of Noord-Brabant, in the south of the Netherlands. Besides the RNLAF, a lot of international display teams will show their capabilities. Traditional visitors are the Turkish Stars, Frecce Triccolori, Red Arrows and the Royal Jordanian Falcons.

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IPMS Nationals (Euro Scale Modelling)

Most of you know this one, as it is an international event. The Netherlands have one too, and it even is the largest modeling event in Europe, excluding the United Kingdom. It is held each year around the month of October in Nieuwegein, in the province of Utrecht in the center of the Netherlands. The date for 2013 is the 26th of October. With a lot of international visitors and two event halls packed with displays and vendors, it is well worth a visit. The Nieuwegein Business Center where it is held can be reached by taking the tram from train station ‘Utrecht Centraal’. Take the tram that goes to Nieuwegein and get out at the stop called ‘Zuilenstein’.

http://www.ipms.nl/euroscalemodelling.html

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That's it. Of course there are many more model shops in the Netherlands, but I can't mention them all. If you are planning to visit a certain city or area, just let me know and I will tell where the hobby shops should be. Of course I do not know them all, but I should be able to find out where you can find them.

Any questions or remarks: just ask!

greets,

your tour guide Jelle

Edited by TheFlyingDutchman
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Thanks a lot! My grandfather was of Dutch ancestry and my grandmother of German ancestry.

I have one of those two part last names. I also booked marked this. BTW wheres Dussen Castle?

I would like to visit someday as this is part of my last name. Now I have a good reason to build that

Dutch F-16A!---John

Edited by john53
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As your neighbour to the north, I'm dying to comment on the facts you're setting straight in the beginning of the post. There are so many facts you didn't mention...

Just kidding. Like last year, we're going to the Achterhoek on holiday, maybe go to 'De zwarte cross'...

Anyway, this thread is a tremendous idea. And for anyone taking the trip, if you want to drink a good beer, or taste some tremendously good chocolate, just steer north south(thanks Jelle) until you're past the sign that says 'Belgium'. ;)/>

Edited by huntermountain
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And for anyone taking the trip, if you want to drink a good beer, or taste some tremendously good chocolate, just steer north until you're past the sign that says 'Belgium'. ;)/>

I'd strongly recommend anyone who want to visit Belgium to drive to the south, or you will end up in the north sea. :o

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Interesting topic! I do think Flash Aviation in Eindhoven deserves a mention though. Apart from Luchtvaart Hobby Shop I don't think any other shop in the Netherlands comes close to their selection of books, kits and other aviation related stuff.

Koen

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Interesting topic! I do think Flash Aviation in Eindhoven deserves a mention though. Apart from Luchtvaart Hobby Shop I don't think any other shop in the Netherlands comes close to their selection of books, kits and other aviation related stuff.

Here's a photo I took of the Flash Aviation shop during a recent IPMS meeting. As you can see, it it chock-full of stuff! The wall on the left contains new books, there are two rooms full of second-hand books, the center section contains models, flight gear and aircraft parts.

flashaviation.jpg

Rob

Edited by Rob de Bie
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Love the thread, we should have more of this type of threads.

A small addition to Flash in Eindhoven.

Unless you are a real die-hard... It's really hard to find, expensive and 99% of the stuff they have is also in the Aviation Megastore. Thats not to say that the Aviation Megastore is cheap. But if you're in the neighborhood....

A small addition to the Aviodrome.

Not only is it located next to a small airport were there are plenty planes taking and landing, Aviodrome itself has aircraft taking of and landing there. This doesn't happen every weekend though. I used to plan my visits there when the PBY was flying.

To make use of the public transport in the Netherlands, you need to buy an OV-chipkaart (Public Transport Chip Card). This is a plastic pass that allows you to use all public transport systems like trains, busses, underground networks and trams (no airplanes, unfortunately) after you charged it to the right amount of your trip.

Don't forget for the trains you need a minimum of 20 Euro left on the card (thats after you've paid to where you're going) to be able to use it. As this is 20 Euro less to spend in hobby shops, I thought I'd mention it.

Of course there are many more model shops in the Netherlands, but I can't mention them all. If you are planning to visit a certain city or area, just let me know and I will tell where the hobby shops should be. Of course I do not know them all, but I should be able to find out where you can find them.

Do you know of any modelshops between Amsterdam and Arnhem that sell all types of kits, armour, naval. etc ??

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  • 2 years later...

Hi all.

Find this thread very useful. I'm planning to move in Eindhoven from next summer, for 3/4 years.

Then, I will bring all my modeling hardware there, since I will have plenty of time for modeling, I guess.

Taken for granted that I already have too much kits, what I will need will be the consumables.

Paints (Gunze and Tamiya), thinners, glue, tools, hardware...

Will I find that kind of stuff at Flash Aviation? Or there is another shop in the area, where to look for?

I strongly hope to not be forced to go everytime to Aviation Megastore, for two or three bottles of paint. Or to be obliged to buy online.

I hope also to be able to find some new modeler friends. Or an association, in Town.

Although I assume that to not speak a word of Dutch, will be a problem.

Thanks for looking, regards.

Paolo

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Find this thread very useful. I'm planning to move in Eindhoven from next summer, for 3/4 years.

Then, I will bring all my modeling hardware there, since I will have plenty of time for modeling, I guess.

Taken for granted that I already have too much kits, what I will need will be the consumables.

Paints (Gunze and Tamiya), thinners, glue, tools, hardware...

Will I find that kind of stuff at Flash Aviation? Or there is another shop in the area, where to look for?

I strongly hope to not be forced to go everytime to Aviation Megastore, for two or three bottles of paint. Or to be obliged to buy online.

I hope also to be able to find some new modeler friends. Or an association, in Town.

Although I assume that to not speak a word of Dutch, will be a problem.

Hi Paolo,

There's a pretty active IPMS chapter around Eindhoven, and even a model museum in Nijmegen. On the IPMS-NL site there's a section with their activities, with some 15 reports of their meetings:

IPMS-NL Regio Zuid

Here are two more photos of the Flash Aviation shop from 2013. The first one shows most of the paint racks, the second gives an idea of the model section.

flashaviationpaint.jpg

flashaviationkits.jpg

Here's the shop's website:

Flash Aviation

It shows Tamiya paint, but no Gunze. Typically for the shop, the search function does not work, for some months now! I usually search their site through Google, like this:

Google search

Rob

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Hi Paolo,

There's a pretty active IPMS chapter around Eindhoven,....

Rob

Hi Rob.

Thank you so much for all those useful info!

Looks that I can find there all the consumables I could need.

I strongly hope to join the IPMS-NL, and to know you in person once there.

Kind regards

Paolo

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Anyone visiting the Aviation megastore.. let me know.

I've been known to help out people travelling to and fro the Store (I live about 20 minutes away by car).

Let me know and I might be able to pick you up.. (uness you come with your complete rugby team thats is, they won't fit into my Daewoo).

Harald

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Hi Rob.

Thank you so much for all those useful info!

Looks that I can find there all the consumables I could need.

I strongly hope to join the IPMS-NL, and to know you in person once there.

Kind regards

Paolo

Hi Paolo,

I did not mention that I live in another part of the Netherlands. My region is 'Regio Zuid-Holland' and we meet in Den Haag (Rijswijk to be completely accurate). We're probably the biggest and most active region of IMPS-NL, with monthly meetings and 30 members attending on average. Here's the report on the February 2015 meeting, with links to many more reports.

Having said that, I usually attend the new years meeting of 'Regio Zuid', which is hosted by the Flash Aviation shop. It was the occasion where I made the photos shown earlier in this discussion. The shop owner is an excellent host, with lots of drinks and snacks. The shop gets extremely crowded though, and it's hard to move around :-)

I forgot to mention that there are more model shops in Eindhoven. There's Verspaget Modelbouw and Willie's Modelbouw, but I haven't visited these shops myself.

Rob

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Verspaget is pretty good both price and selection wise, Willie's is slightly less interesting IMO. If you have any questions about Eindhoven feel free to send me a PM. Hope you enjoy yourself over here!

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