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Sad day today in my modeling world.


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Today I stopped in to my LHS and they had a big 50% off inventory reduction sale sign up. I got a bad feeling as soon as I seen it. Walked in and yep they are getting rid of all models and model related items. They are going to all RC stuff. it really sucks because it was a real Mom and Pop store with great owners. They said they were getting rid of the models because they didn't sell. They were only 15 min from my house now the closest hobby store is Hobby Lobby an hour away. Looks like I will be doing a lot more online shopping. The only good thing was I got 66 bottles of Model Master paint and the display rack for 50 bucks.

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Unfortunately, changing times. People today would rather play with their Xbox 360 than develop competent "hand-eye-psychomotor skills". I do HO model rail roads and models. Guess what? Railroad kits are ALMOST a thing of the past. Now, you buy ready to run boxcar at $30-55.00 buck a pop. Very accurate, but very pricey too. Back in the '70-80's, they were $2-3.00 bucks a kit! No one wants to build any more.  Take RC airplanes. In ancient days, you got plans and cut out each part from balsa. Now, it's foam and drones. Granted, the time  savings with laser/precut parts were a welcome improvement. But these kits have almost been abandoned for the " ready to fly " goodies. And the retailers that provided all these fun hobbies are going the way of the Dodo bird. There's  no market for the "labor intensive" stuff. It's ready-to-run, prefab, and the latest  and newest. If they aren't dynamic and go with market demand, they go broke and out of business. Plus the old MOM AND POP shops were a great place to hang out. They're becoming fewer and fewer. I empathize with you! I'm thinking the old time hobby shop is going the way of the baby boomer. Just an opinion.

foxbat

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With online stores people are going to buy where its is also cheaper too. So unfortunately this is not only a local thing either. 

 

I live 1/2 hr out of Melbourne and over the years I have seen  number of hobby shops close due to lack people buying models. I am still lucky i have one that is literary 10 min walk form my house which the owner is great and friendly to have a long chat with, but this is a side business to his main work which is located on the same premises- He is a sign writer,  Our local council has been giving him grief over the last 18- 24 months due over the zoning of having both the hobby shop even though it is a " niche market" and his main place of business in the same building.  

 

We also had one in the main street of town, about 16 yrs ago  which did cater to all areas but did have a huge selection of railway items, but sadly did eventually did close its doors , the owner said one of the customer in the shop " If you don't keep buying, we wont be around for much longer!" . Yes I did agree with that statement, but how do you justify $45- 60 dollars on a Hasegawa 1/72 scale F/A-18 Hornet I asked, his reply was that is what we need to sell it at. buy it or leave it.

 

I know for a fact here in Australia there are only a few importers that specialize in the "hobby market sector" and are charging extortion prices for these kits and unfortunately it is us model makers that end up taking the brunt of the cost in the hip pocket. While I will always support my LHS - I will  always byuy my modeling supplies ( paints ,glues  and tooling) from them and by a kit every couple of months or so.

 

But unfortunately the old saying goes-  As a consumer I want to get value for my hard earn.

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Yeah, the concept of the LHS is dead. Mostly. But not because the hobby is dying (it's NOT!) or people are too lazy to build their own stuff (they're NOT!). The thing is, an LHS just can't stock of all the stuff available to us modellers these days. It's just impossible. Because the hobby is SO DAMN ALIVE that there are thousands of kits from hundreds of manufacturers. And thousands of decal sets from hundreds of manufacturers. And resin. And PE. And masks. Thousands of book and other reference material. And dozens of different paint ranges.

I can't reasonably expect an LHS to stock all that. They'd have way too much stuff sitting on their shelves, gathering dust. 

 

Actually, I'd argue that the very things threatening the LHS (big e-tailers, ability to get models and supplies from anywhere in the world, sometimes directly from the manufacturer,...) are also the things that allow the smaller players and the aftermarket guys to thrive. Would we have seen outfits like Fightertown or Caracal had their only means of distribution been the LHS? Brands like Kinetic? Would some of the Czech firms have made the leap from short-run products to mainstream kits?

In that way, mail order companies had already put the writing on the wall for the LHS decades ago. The Internet merely sped up the process.

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Sir, you have a very good point! It would be impossible for a shop to stock everything. And yes, I agree,  there are a plethora of goods available now which the modeler can utilize to make an accurate replica in miniature.  Thirty years ago, who ever heard of "photo etch"?

  Perhaps if the retailer stocked the "favored goods" on hand and made available on line, most everything else, a shop could prosper.

  My LHS crumped about 18 years ago. He had a lot of stuff and the guys who dropped in were great! Some carved their models from wood, some were veterans of WWII, Korea, Vietnam, etc. Good times and great references, and the stories!  And I bought a ton of stuff there despite his prices being higher. But I felt it satisfactory for the benefit of having a home town hobby shop. But you're right!  One has to go with the times. 

(My LHS failed and I had little choice but to go on-line for most of my hobby stuff).

   I agree, Fightertown, Caracal, and many of the Czech and Russian producers would not have got a start if not for the Internet and on-line transactions. I live in Texas. But I buy from the US, Hong Kong, Ukraine, Sweden, Japan, Germany, China, Russia, Taiwan, and BNA in Australia (among others). In fact, BNA has been an excellent provider- with more competitive prices on some items than even in the states!! But it's all because of the Internet! Ten years ago, this would have not been possible. I mean, really; where else can one get an accurate PBK-500U glide bomb for a Russian Su-24 from Chelyabinsk, Russia, without the Internet? And yes, look at Caracal and Dmold; there stuff is great but very few shops carry them.

  I'm somewhat envious  ( but glad for him! ) of the chap from Australia. He still has a shop he can still drop in to. I so miss that! I have to drive 225 miles to achieve the same.

   And as for the European and Russian builders; their stuff is magnificent! And I don't know if it's from the shops or what, but the German, Swedish, Russian, British builds,  (to name but a few), are fantastic- based on the looking on the internet shows!!

  I sure hope the hobby doesn't die. It preserves history, (regardless of country), provides a great hobby outlet, and enhances the concept of self-reliance, ability, and wherewithal; not to mention fellow comradery.

Most Respectfully,

Afoxbat 

 

 

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For some reason, when the subject of price of kits is raised  (as I have a couple of times recently) there seems to be a number of people who rush to defend the high prices using the argument that they are commensurate with today's wages. As Aussie_Superbug has pointed out above, how do you justify around $60.00 for a  1/72 Hornet or $120.00 for an Airfix  Victor ?  My LHS has just got in the new Revell Mig-29, a reissue of the kit originally produced by Zvesda and that retails for $59.99, way out of my reach. A friend who works for an import agency tells me that his boss will not look at anything that he can't make 45% on and that is just the start of the chain. The idea of buying on line makes sense were it not for the ridiculous postal charges where anything posted to Australia attracts a higher price for postage than the cost of the item. I think that the idea of "How much do you think we can get for this" irrespective of the  wholesale price is the problem. Talking to a well respected shop proprietor in my area I was surprised to learn that only a few dedicated customers actually buy photo etch and for that matter aftermarket decals, the majority building "out of the box" according to him. May be such items can be left to the internet businesses without hurting the LHS too badly. In the meantime, there go my dreams of a Valom B-45

 

Trev,   (vh-bob)

 

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Yes I agree with the points made by Aussie_superbug and vh-bob that the local shops are shooting themselves in the foot with some of their prices. 

 

As mentioned the the asking price of A$59.99 for the Revell reboxing of the 1:72 Zvezda MiG-29 is a bit steep. 

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10 hours ago, afoxbat said:

Unfortunately, changing times. People today would rather play with their Xbox 360 than develop competent "hand-eye-psychomotor skills".

 

Before he got out of the business, my LHS owner commented that video games probably sold more model kits than hurt them.  I eagerly built World War II models as a kid because of early PC games focused on that subject.  I wonder: if kitmakers had seriously committed to making kits of video game subjects--Mass Effect, Fallout, or even fantasy subjects like Dragon Age or Witcher--instead of just a few hesitant and token examples, would the hobby be in such pathetic shape as it is now in North America?  Revell's HALO kits are an encouraging start, but...well let's see if isn't too late.  

 

I'm beginning to think a lot of this hobby's problems are self-inflicted.  I'm a Cold War junkie, so I eagerly awaited M60A2 or F2H-2 kits.  I just finished a 1/350 November Class submarine this morning.  But really, are subjects like that realistic products for sale to many people, especially if we accept $50+ pricetags?  This products might do well enough in a global market, but they're hardly helping recruit modelers under 60 years old.  Hollywood keeps interest in Shermans, Tigers, Mustangs and even BF-109s high, but then the hobby industry in North America hasn't exactly capitalized on that, either.  

Edited by Fishwelding
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Admittedly price is a chunk of it....when, for instance, last year when I comparison shopped a certain kit and was surprised and pleased to find it at the LHS, though for $40 (plus tax). Then a few quick keystrokes at home and I found the same kit from an Ebay dealer in China for $28 including shipping...well, despite my extreme patriotism and old-fashioned values, that's tough to argue, as tight as my budget is. There's just no winning!

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11 hours ago, VIPER0177 said:

Today I stopped in to my LHS and they had a big 50% off inventory reduction sale sign up. I got a bad feeling as soon as I seen it. Walked in and yep they are getting rid of all models and model related items. They are going to all RC stuff. it really sucks because it was a real Mom and Pop store with great owners. They said they were getting rid of the models because they didn't sell. They were only 15 min from my house now the closest hobby store is Hobby Lobby an hour away. Looks like I will be doing a lot more online shopping. The only good thing was I got 66 bottles of Model Master paint and the display rack for 50 bucks.

 

I feel your pain. I use to have two hobby shops that were about 20-30 minutes from my house. Very convenient if I had to go get something or just wanted to go see what was new. Certain things I like to see in person before I purchase them but, that's just me. Online ordering is ok but, it's the shipping that kills me. I might spend @ $10.00 for some supplies and the shipping is almost as much as my total order plus, it takes anywhere from 3 to 5 days to receive it.

 

Steve

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Spruebrothers is my current LHS and to be frank I kind of prefer it. Order what I need and go pick it up or have it mailed to me. If I want the "feels" I'll head to a model show. If I can save a buck buying through here, ebay, or a show I'll do it and go buy my kids some more legos.

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2 hours ago, fulcrum1 said:

Spruebrothers is my current LHS and to be frank I kind of prefer it. Order what I need and go pick it up or have it mailed to me. If I want the "feels" I'll head to a model show. If I can save a buck buying through here, ebay, or a show I'll do it and go buy my kids some more legos.

Ever step on a Lego in the dark in your bare feet? 😳

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Let's see, if I remember correctly, the Viet Cong used to use them in their booby traps ....... Almost as bad as the punji stakes..... (No disrespect to 'Nam vets)-I was there too, but as a member of the Tokin Gulf Yacht Club.....

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Tough call in LHS vs. online.  My LHS comes close to online prices on some kits, but in others,  they're way off. They want $120 for the 1/48 Tamiya F-14--I saved $40 by going online. For some reason, they charge a lot for Academy too. I did recently buy Trumpeter's 1/72 RA-5C and Hasegawa's KA-3B at the LHS because the prices were close enough to online that a few extra bucks was worth the instant gratification. I do buy paints and supplies at the LHS too.

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Unfortunately the LHS for modelers is going the way of the Dodo. My LHS is now primarily RC, they have an ok selection of kits but supplies are spotty at best.

The kits they do have are typically over priced vs online shopping, not to mention better choices. Paint, aftermarket parts, decals all cheaper online with better selection. 

Don't get me wrong, I love going to the LHS and browsing the kits, talking to the staff or fellow modelers. And the shops just have that certain smell of old cardboard and paint. 

But when it come to bang for the buck, online hands down. 

 

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The problem with the LHS is that most rely on distributors to by stock, and some manufacturers will give distributors better discounts on stocking that the LHS. If they were to buy stock direct from manufacturers then the prices would be close to the Internet  stores . I can give you an example  the manufacturer sells the kit at say $9.00, the distributor will mark up the kit because of the overhead costs (  shipping ,duties if any ,warehousing , staffing and taxes) and sell to the shop for $25, the LHS then has to mark up for their costs of overhead. We the consumer picks up the tab when we buy the kit from the LHS say $60.00.  The reason I  know this, is I know a retailer who was able to purchase direct from the manufacturer and he told me the difference.  My problem is without an LHS some supply items cannot be shipped because they are classed as dangerous goods and  don't ship well in winter .

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It's sad to here this 2maybe3 hobbyshops here in rhode island have closed in the last 4 years there are 2 in warick and appanouag that are still open but sell mostly trains, my local hobbyshop has been  around for 30 years i live newport business has been slow over the last 4 years but we do get some business mostly from train hobbyist we do also get a lot of navy personal coming in to buy a ship model they were on  or aircraft they flew with me i to my lhs to build models for ebay or on commission because where i live my landlord say i can't build any of my models because the place is old and plus i get any new kits that i want half-off but getting back to the hobbyshop the manager does more business online selling toy soliders that he gets from going to auctions but for the moment my lhs will be around for some time.

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Closest thing to a hobby shop i have is the 2nd hand comics / book store downtown. This is actually a rather new addition to my town and while being the biggest such shop in Norway, the owner does 99% of his business online but at the same time has a couple dudes running his physical shop. Needless to say the physical shop don`t generate a whole lot of profit on a daily basis but at least the shop is there. The owner has his stock in the same building just in another area closed off to the public. They actually have a vintage big scale Tamiya jap WWII ship on top of one of their shelves and some models and busts maybe more in tune with the comics industry.  

 

The toy stores here, i don`t understand how anyone can pay the "middlemen" premiums they are asking for the sparse kits they have on offer. A Humbrol 14 ml is $4. 

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