vise101 Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Hello fellow Canucks: Who are your Canadian go to suppliers for kits, accessories, supplies etc? Kevin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
phantom Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Local store (within 100km) for paints and such. Big hobby show in March in Hamilton for kits. Other then that its just become too expensive to buy anything with our dollar as it is. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
AlienFrogModeller Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Local(?)Hobby Store, it's only a few minutes away; 300 km or 3 hrs drive. But the small group of modellers we have, announce their trip. They pick up whatever the group requests. Edmonton, Alberta - 300 km. Calgary, Alberta - 600 km. Prince Albert, Saskatchewan - 400 km. Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - 550 km Internet - .25 ms latency @ 80 Mbs My mail box - 1.6 kms. Getting the "Parcel Notice" - like Christmas! Exchanging the "Parcel Notice" for the package - very exciting! Running out to the car and opening the package - Priceless! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ALF18 Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Montreal: Udisco, on Décarie near Queen Mary. HUGE selection of kits at reasonable prices, paint, AM, etc. Two storeys full of kits, plus model railroad, boats, other stuff. ALF Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scooby Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Montreal: Udisco, on Décarie near Queen Mary. HUGE selection of kits at reasonable prices, paint, AM, etc. Two storeys full of kits, plus model railroad, boats, other stuff. ALF Hey Alf, Do they carry Mr. Color paints? I can get some in Edmonton, I can also order from Toronto or Vancouver. Most the time I order from Seal Models ($2.00 Cdn a bottle), I have a $75 order in the mail. But I am always looking for another source in Canada in case I need them fast. I try to keep my paint rack full. I love that store. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RCAFFAN Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 There are a few good local stores in Calgary for everyday goods (but fewer than last year unfortunately) and some in Vancouver and Victoria (noting your location) but if I'm going to mail order something I generally go to Hannants in England as they have a huge selection and are great to deal with. The Canadian dollar has made it harder recently but Hannants is still my go to spot as frankly there is nothing like them in Canada. I have ordered from elsewhere (For special items Hannants don't carry or special deals) and it is worth looking online for deals but I usually start there. US postage rates have removed all the US shops from my searches recently but we will wait and see...HTH Cheers Bruce Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vise101 Posted February 17, 2016 Author Share Posted February 17, 2016 Alf18, I visited that store when I was in Montreal watching the 2013 Formula 1. Great store! Bruce, whT is the shipping like from Hannats? Kevin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Flyboyf18 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 For my get anywhere kits I go to the local store - Hobby House, here in Ottawa. Excellent supplies and tools and good selection of books. For the exotic stuff Special Hobby, AZ, KP, Valom, Sword, Tarangus, etc. etc I go to (by mail) West Coast Hobbies (Canadian) Just my $00.05 worth Quote Link to post Share on other sites
ALF18 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Hey Alf, Do they carry Mr. Color paints? I can get some in Edmonton, I can also order from Toronto or Vancouver. Most the time I order from Seal Models ($2.00 Cdn a bottle), I have a $75 order in the mail. But I am always looking for another source in Canada in case I need them fast. I try to keep my paint rack full. I love that store. I don't think they do, Scooby. Here is the link to the paint section of their store's web site. https://www.udisco.com/manufacturer.php?cate_id=8# ALF Quote Link to post Share on other sites
-Neu- Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 (edited) Alf18, I visited that store when I was in Montreal watching the 2013 Formula 1. Great store! Bruce, whT is the shipping like from Hannats? Kevin I don't want to contradict others, but I don't like many online retailers due to inflexible shipping policies. I kinda hate paying for excess shipping... so I try to make the most of what I spend. Since I live in your province, here's my purchasing locations... Again, these are particular to my own purchase behaviour. Probably the best way to put it is that I buy it from the source. First off, I know a lot of guys in the Okanagan make a trip to Vancouver every few months to pick up supplies, or organize amongst themselves. The three most commonly visited are Imperial Hobbies, Burnaby Hobbies and Magicbox. For Airfix, Revell, and other "mass market" kits I'll go to one of the LHS I list above. if its OOP, then I'll look on ebay (or hannants) For Czech kits I'll order from WestCoastHobbys in Powell River. Canada post is a bit high, but the prices are very good and the selection great. Japanese Kits: HLJ. easiest way to get it done. They have a private warehouse option that allows you to store away kits for two months while you slowly buy more. That alone makes it a lot better than most other online retailers. Also Japanese retailers usually have a 20~30% discount on domestic kits list price. Asian kits: Lucky Model - usually has the best prices and if you aren't too picky about having things within a month, SAL is very economical for shipping. One thing I've discovered is Ukranian companies are actually really compeditive in pricing these days, and they have some great kits. I order from Hobby.dn.ua, but I'm sure there are other good ones. Aftermarket There are a few go-to sellers on Ebay: they typically have very competitive costs and far more flexible shipping rates than Hannants. Hope that helps. Edited February 17, 2016 by -Neu- Quote Link to post Share on other sites
chuck540z3 Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 You can't beat Sprue Brothers either. I just put in an order for 8 different things specific to an upcoming model (Eduard, Aires, etc.) and they had them all and the prices were fair, shipped out the next day. Yes, our Canadian dollar doesn't buy what it used to, but that isn't a US supplier's fault. The very next day, I ordered another item I had forgotten and they threw that in with the first order for no extra shipping. You can't beat that. Now for paints, most US suppliers won't ship to Canada through the mail, so I order from Great Hobbies, who have locations in: Charlottetown, PE Edmonton, Alberta Mississauga, Ontario Ottawa, Ontario They will even ship Alclad! Great Hobbies Quote Link to post Share on other sites
breadneck Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Tiger Hobbies in Winnipeg, Manitoba. My first ever online order from back around 2001. What a rush that was, lol. But that was then, this is now Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Bill-TGH Posted February 17, 2016 Share Posted February 17, 2016 Elm City Hobbies Scott has a small but well stocked shop, one of very few in the Atlantic Provinces. Happy to provide mail order as well... not affiliated just a satisfied patron . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scooby Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 There are a few good local stores in Calgary for everyday goods (but fewer than last year unfortunately) and some in Vancouver and Victoria (noting your location) but if I'm going to mail order something I generally go to Hannants in England as they have a huge selection and are great to deal with. The Canadian dollar has made it harder recently but Hannants is still my go to spot as frankly there is nothing like them in Canada. I have ordered from elsewhere (For special items Hannants don't carry or special deals) and it is worth looking online for deals but I usually start there. US postage rates have removed all the US shops from my searches recently but we will wait and see...HTH Cheers Bruce Yup, I buy ZERO from the US. Often the shipping is more than the product, even double at times. Those Postal Rates must be really killing their hobby exports. I can now ship cheaper to the US than vice-versa. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
RCAFFAN Posted February 18, 2016 Share Posted February 18, 2016 (edited) Kevin I too would like to mention West Coast Hobbys (Sic) as I have often ordered from them but they are somewhat restricted in what they carry. Great service but a little pricey on postage as he insists on using tracked postage but for a small guy like him and some stories I've heard about dishonest customers, I don't blame him. As to Hannants their postage (British rates) seems far more reasonable than the US and I have gotten stuff in as little as 5 days. Make sure you open an account and make it clear you are outside UK as then they adjust the prices to exclude the VAT making the merchandise costs cheaper than the UK prices. I often just order Decals from them which they ship in sturdy flat envelopes at a very reasonable price. I usually start at Hannants just because they have a very good site with good descriptions of the product and often photos of the contents. You may find it elsewhere cheaper but they are a great starting point. I suppose it depends on what you are looking for and sometimes you can order right from the Model company. For example I have ordered direct from RS Models' web site and was happy with the service. Also you can deal directly with many aftermarket Decal companies, although given my interests I have far more Xtradecal products than others, a Hannants house product. HTH :cheers:/>/> Bruce Edited February 18, 2016 by RCAFFAN Quote Link to post Share on other sites
vise101 Posted February 18, 2016 Author Share Posted February 18, 2016 All excellent info guys. I have bookmarked all the sites you have mentioned. I try to use the local shop but it is small and selection is limited. Thanks for all the replies Kevin Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scooby Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 Kevin I too would like to mention West Coast Hobbys (Sic) as I have often ordered from them but they are somewhat restricted in what they carry. Great service but a little pricey on postage as he insists on using tracked postage but for a small guy like him and some stories I've heard about dishonest customers, I don't blame him. As to Hannants their postage (British rates) seems far more reasonable than the US and I have gotten stuff in as little as 5 days. Make sure you open an account and make it clear you are outside UK as then they adjust the prices to exclude the VAT making the merchandise costs cheaper than the UK prices. I often just order Decals from them which they ship in sturdy flat envelopes at a very reasonable price. I usually start at Hannants just because they have a very good site with good descriptions of the product and often photos of the contents. You may find it elsewhere cheaper but they are a great starting point. I suppose it depends on what you are looking for and sometimes you can order right from the Model company. For example I have ordered direct from RS Models' web site and was happy with the service. Also you can deal directly with many aftermarket Decal companies, although given my interests I have far more Xtradecal products than others, a Hannants house product. HTH :cheers:/>/>/> Bruce Ditto on Hannants. I just was looking at an eBay auction for a 1/48 Tamiya Corsair, $24.96 for the kit, $49.88 for the shipping! NOT! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Scooby Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 All excellent info guys. I have bookmarked all the sites you have mentioned. I try to use the local shop but it is small and selection is limited. Thanks for all the replies Kevin Try Hobbywholesale in Edmonton, they have great prices. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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