# Sticky  Props to your local hobby shop



## El Gato

My wife and I like to visit other cities/states for vacation. If I'm on it, before we leave I ask around for references on some of the local or nearby hobby shops. Most of the time I forget, so I go to my "default" option of looking them up on the phone book. The problem is that I'm cut off from this community and I have no references on whether those places are any good. Usually I also find that the phone book is outdated. It lists shops that have moved or closed and it doesn't tell me of new ones that have opened since it was printed. 

While in Seattle the other day I thought of a better solution: List your favorite local shops here, so that this thread becomes a quick reference for anyone who is traveling around. So I'll start:

If you are coming to the Sacramento area, the two shops I would recommend are

Riverside Hobbies
5141 Folsom Blvd
Sacramento, CA
916-455-3747

Hobbytown USA
2761 East Bidwell St., #400 (Broadstone Plaza)
 Folsom, CA
916-984-6266


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## pagni

Excellent idea !


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## USS Atlantis

Sure, why not

Minneapolis/St Paul area shops

Scale Model Supplies
458 Lexington Pkwy N
St Paul, MN 55104
(651) 646-7781
http://www.scalemodelsupplies.com/

This is my first choice for kits - and the only place in the area I can get Humbrol paints - They still have a good stock of PL figure kits, mostly Planet of the Apes, but a couple LIS as well - and they have 'Classic Kits' for a premium price, but usually lower than what you'd pay Evil-bay for them

Hub Hobby Center
6410 Penn Ave S
Richfield, MN 55423
(612) 866-9575
http://www.hubhobby.com/

This is where I go if I need tools, putty, glue, etc - last time I was in there, they still had a couple PL-Klingon kits and several PL-Scorpions. My only complaint is they try to cover it all - RC, Railroad, Rocketry, Games, Little-kid learning sets - and they don't have a huge space to cram it all in

We have several Hobbytowns in the area - but I avoid them like the plague - they think SF/Fantasy is a dying fad - though one *thinks* he'll order 1 or 2 of the Tom Lowe 18" Enterprise kit re-releases - "Just in case"


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## starmanmm

In Massachusetts....

These are the three that I go to. There are a few more out there.

Harrys Hobbies & Collectibles

250 E Main St 
Norton, MA 02766-2436508-285-8080


Centerline Hobbies

167 Corporation Road
Hyannis, MA 02601

800 675- 1244

The Spare Time Shop
*222J East Main Street
Marlborough, MA. 01752*
*
(508) 481-5786*


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## mikephys

Here's an excellent one in the Grand Rapids area:

Rider's Hobby Shop
2055 28TH STREET SE
GRAND RAPIDS, MI 49508
PHONE: (616) 247-9933
FAX: (616) 247-8820


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## deadmanincfan

Thanks for the tip-off on Hobbytown USA in Folsom, El Gato! I'll be checking them out soon! :thumbsup:


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## Quintillus

Milwaukee area:

Model Empire: www.modelempireusa.com
7116 W. Greenfield Avenue
West Allis, WI 53214
Phone: (414) 453-4610

Good prices, nice selection of kits, especially automotive, lots of classic kits.

Hiawatha Hobbies: www.hiawathahobbies.com
1701 Summit ave
Waukesha, WI. 53188

Mostly model train stuff, but a pretty good selection of models as well.


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## PixelMagic

Huntsville, Alabama:

RC Hobbies a.k.a RC Hobby Barn

3303 Meridian Street, Huntsville, AL 35811
Phone : (256) 539-1347
Fax : (256) 539-9924
Business Hours : 9-6 Mon-Fri / 10-6 Sat / Closed Sun 

Google Map of RC Hobbies

WEBSITE


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## Griffworks

Very kewel thread! :thumbsup:


*HobbyTown USA*
9101 W. Markham St., Suite 18
Little Rock, AR 72205 
(501) 223-5155 (501) 223-5179 fax 
[email protected]
Store Hours:
M - Sat 10am to 8pm
Sun Closed

Your typical HobbyTown, for the most part. However, it has a large number of part time folks who work there who are almost all hobbiest such as we are. So, you can usually find at least one person who's knowledgable about some aspect of what you're interested in, tho only one of the fellas there is a SciFi guy. They've got a decent selection of SciFi, regardless, and can even special-order stuff. They don't have much in the way of resin kits, but do also special order and even have several of the JT Graphics Trek decals on-hand. 


*Rail & Sprue* (formerly Hobby Shack - formerly Jack's Hobby Shop)
1200 John Harden Dr
Jacksonville, AR 72076
(501) 982-6836
[email protected]
Store Hours:
Mon & Tues, Thur - Sat 10am to 6pm (I think)
Closed Sun & Wed and Federal Holidays

Rail & Sprue recently had to change it's name because some company in California had the name of Hobby Shack already allegedly "Licensed", tho they're also not apparently using said name any more. Daryl had to change the name a couple of weeks back. It's also a "Mom & Pop" operation run by a retired USAF C-130 pilot. As such, Daryl's got a lot of interesting stories to tell and is also sometimes closed when he decides to go on vacation - which isn't all that often, maybe twice a year and almost always in conjunction w/ his being closed on Sunday and Wednesday - or if there's some sort of family emergency or a train or model show taking place w/in driving distance. 

He keeps the story pretty darned well stocked on paints and building supplies, has an excellent assortment of all sorts of hobbies and is a really nice guy to talk to. He's mostly a train guy, tho also has the veritable ton of model kits of various genre and scale, as well as a nice selection of gaming supplies, slot cars and R/C. 


That's all I've got for the local area. We used to have a third place in town, but Matthew had to close it down about four or five years ago due to family related issues.


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## El Gato

Thanks to TPTB for making this thread a sticky!

I wanted to add that Riverside is a mom & pop owned by a family of modelers! They've got some pretty impressive builds. The HobbyTown seems to be owned by a couple of people who love the hobby. Talk to a guy named Steve if you have questions about airbrushing.

Neither place has a huge scifi area, but they've got tons of models and building materials.


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## Roguepink

As I started listing the hobby stores in St. Louis, I realized just how many we have, and each with a particular field of expertise. St. Louis really is a great hobby city.

In the Greater St. Louis area:

*HobbyTownUSA
13875 Manchester Rd
Ballwin, MO 63011
(636) 394-0177*

Excellent kit selection, excellent ground R/C selection and service, good on trains and entry-level electric flight. Good general hobby selection, lots of tools, supplies, materials, science kits, games, and a top seller of metal detectors. Great rocket selection, and I work there so it better be your first stop when you go looking for a hobby shop.

*Mark Twain Hobby Center
2793 West Clay
St. Charles MO 63301 
(636) 946-2816*

Another great store, excellent selection of kits, R/C and trains. Excellent book and magazine selection. Some rare and out-of-production kits to be found. Strong expertise on R/C ground vehicles.

*Checkered Flag Hobby Country
4491 Lemay Ferry Rd
St Louis, MO 63129
(314) 892-5353* 

Not as well stocked as they used to be, limited kit selection, but real nice people to talk to. Some Girl Scouts supplies, some general craft supplies like styrofoam balls and wood shapes, canvas boards and paints.

*CRM Hobbies
5101 Eichelberger
St. Louis, MO 63109
(314) 832-4840*

The EXPERTS on all that is plastic and resin. Model Kit Mecca. No R/C or other mechanized hobbies. Lots of rare, out-of-production, limited, and garage kits.

*Hobby Station
301 South Kirkwood Road 
Kirkwood, MO 63122
(314) 822 1927*

THE model train EXPERTS. Fair selection of kits, very limited R/C. Close to the Kirkwood Museum of Transportation with an actual Big Boy locomotive on display. Great store, great people, and lots of good shopping and dining along Kirkwood Ave. There's an excellent game and comic store within walking distance.

*Schaeffer's Hobby
11659 Gravois Road
St. Louis, MO 63126
(314) 729-7077*

The largest hobby store in St. Louis, also a great craft store. The authority on R/C flight of all scales and types. They offer craft classes, too! Good overall hobby and craft store.


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## toyroy

Happy to help: 

Southeast L.A. county-Northwest Orange County, CA

*Prestige Hobbies*
Corner of Beach Blvd. @ Ball Rd., in Anaheim, CA

Specialize in die-cast, good selection of kits.

*Hobby Warehouse*
Corner of Lakewood Blvd. @ South St., in Lakewood, CA

Specialize in trains and RC, also lots of kits, now including Moebius.

*Hobby People*
Corner of Bellflower @ South St., in Lakewood, CA 

Specialize in RC, many kits too.


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## Carson Dyle

Here are a couple of LA area shops...

*Kit Kraft*
12109 Ventura Place, 
Los Angeles, CA, 91604
(818) 509-9739

*Burbank's House of Hobbies*
911 South Victory Blvd.
Burbank, California 91502
818-848-3674
http://www.houseofhobbies.com/index.html


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## Model Man

I've been meaning to get up to kit kraft for a year now. 
Thanks also for the Burbank shop, Carson!

I'll add to the L.A. list by including:
Evett's Model Shop
1636 Ocean Park Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90405

Run by Colby and his wife Yvette for the last 60 yrs. Rent's have skyrocketed and he's thinking this might be his last year, so get there while you can. Good prices overall. Kits, RC, Rockets, all forms of supplies, etc.

And
Allied Model Trains
4371 Sepulveda Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90230 
http://www.alliedmodeltrains.com/index.lasso
mostly trains, but covers our basics such as paint, thinner, plastruct etc.

I also came across this page:
http://www.yellowpages.com/Los-Angeles-CA/Hobby-Model-Shops?from=ipya1laenart_hobby

And this one lisitng shops across the country by zip code. 
Looks like it specializes in trains, but...
http://www.trainweb.org/wendy/hobby.html


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## Jaruemalak

In the Grand Rapids, Michigan area we don't have a lot, other than the typical Hobby Lobby stores and such. There are a couple of specialty stores, though.

Ryders Hobby
2055 28th St SE # 12
Grand Rapids, MI 49508
PHONE: (616) 247-9933
http://www.ryders.com

My favorite store, where I do most of my model and supply shopping. Big selection of models, RC, Trains and Gaming supplies.

There is also

Hobby World
2851 Clyde Park SW
Wyoming, MI 49519
Phone: (616) 538-6130

Actually much closer to my home, but smaller store which caters mostly to RC
vehicles. Some models and reasonable selection of supplies, but if you're not into RC, it can be difficult getting help. I've always felt the place was less friendly than Ryders, but that could be me.

EJ's Hobbies
7017 Cascade Rd SE 
Grand Rapids, MI
Phone: (616) 942-0285
http://www.ejshobbies.com

I've never been there, but it advertises itself as THE WORLD'S NUMBER ONE SOURCE FOR VINTAGE SLOT CARS, PARTS, & ACCESSORIES.


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## Carson Dyle

The Seattle area is home to one of the best full-service hobby shops in the country (and they have a great collection of sci-fi kits)...

Galaxy Hobby
19332 60th Ave W
Lynnwood, WA 98036
Phone: 425-670-0454
Fax: 425-778-3099

http://www.galaxyhobby.com/


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## Nighteagle2001

In Rhode Island, The one I always go to is:

*Apple Valley Hobbies*
9 Cedar Swamp Rd.
Smithfield RI
(401) 231-7790


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## John P

*HiWay Hobby House*
806 Rt 17 N
Ramsey, NJ

www.hiwayhobby.com


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## DinoMike

In the Pinellas County, FL area:

Ralph's Hobbies
5208 66th Street N., Suite D
St. Petersburg, FL 33709

727-547-8607


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## Rainfollower

Two in the Portland Oregon area:

*Bridgetown Hobbies*
3350 N.E. Sandy Blvd
Portland, Oregon 97232
503-234-1881
http://bthobbies.com/

*Tammie's Hobbies*
12024 SW Canyon Road
Beaverton, Oregon 97005
503-644-4535
http://tammieshobbies.com


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## spacecraft guy

In the SF Bay Area, there aren't very many full service hobby shops still operating - which is really a shame because of the number of classic science fiction craft that have been built here. 

Right now, for my money the best all around hobby shop in the Bay Area is 2 counties north of the Golden Gate Bridge - Steve Elliott's Hobbytown USA in Petaluma, CA. 

HobbyTown USA
Petaluma Plaza
171 N. McDowell Blvd
Petaluma, CA 94954

Carries R/C, gaming figures and supplies, model rocketry, great selection of military, car and sci-fi kits and lots of other stuff. 

No one does more than Steve to promote the hobby - several model building clubs have their meetings at the store, there is Saturday "Build Day" the second Saturday of each month to bring whatever you are working on and build it at the store - so if you run out of or need anything, you are a few feet away from getting it - and if you want to have a "make it, take it" party for someone, Steve can make it happen. 

The hobby shops that are still in business in San Francisco are small and usually specialize in one particular aspect of the hobby - Heroes Club on Clement Street does Japanese import figures, Chan's on Van Ness does trains, a few in Chinatown and Japantown do Japanese import Gundam type kits. There are 2 all-around shops that I know of, Franciscan Hobbies on Ocean Blvd and The Hobby Company on Geary Blvd - which I do use, but only when I need something immediately to finish a project, their stock and service aren't the best. It's a 45 minute - 1 hour drive north for me to Petaluma and Steve's shop, but for his stock and service I think the drive is worth it.


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## Model Man

Not a hobby shop by any definition, but this is a prime place to pick up drill bits, sculpting/ dental tools, heat shrink and all forms of misc. electronics (even cf/cold cathode tubes) for utterly dirt cheap pricing...

The TRW Swap Meet happens on the last saturday of every month and wraps up before noon, so get there early. Search [TRW swap meet, los angeles] and you will find better details. 






Basically, 
I-405, Rosecrans Ave. onto Aviation Blvd, just after Marine St. 
They fill up the entire TRW parking lot. You cannot miss it.
Maybe a seller will even have a rare model kit! 
They have all sorts of bizarre randomness in addition to the 'fixed item' sellers.


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## Zombie_61

Another Southern California hobby shop:

Pegasus Hobbies
5515 Moreno Blvd.
Montclair, CA 91763
(909) 982-6507
http://www.pegasushobbies.com/

About 35-40 miles east of downtown Los Angeles, just north of Interstate 10 and Central Avenue. Good selection of auto and military kits, a handful of sci-fi and novelty kits (Weird-Ohs, Silly Surfers, etc.), RC products, model railroading products, some die cast and collectible items.

And, btw, yes, it's _that_ Pegasus Hobbies.


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## wookieefood

Madison Hobby Stop
6622 Mineral Point Rd 
Madison, WI
http://www.madisonhobbystop.com/

The Last Square
5944 Odana Rd
Madison, WI
http://www.lastsquare.com/


Both are mom and pop hobby shops.


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## Kanaan

John P said:


> *HiWay Hobby House*
> 806 Rt 17 N
> Ramsey, NJ
> 
> www.hiwayhobby.com



You bet, John! Hi-Way is fantastic. Props to Anthony for hosting the annual SF week and letting us put our models on display.


Also, in Hunt Valley, MD area:

Yorktowne Hobby Shop
Yorktowne Plaza
12 Cranbrook Road
Cockeysville, MD 21030


I go there twice a year when I attend the Farpoint and Shore Leave SF conventions and they are always stocked with the supplies I need which is more than I can say for a certain large chain hobby store in my area....although they're getting better.


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## Mr. Wabac

I second Carson's suggestions on both Galaxy Hobbies in the Seattle area and Burbank Hobbies in the Los Angeles area.

If you are in Chicago, there is:

Venture Hobbies
23 Huntington Lane
Wheeling, IL 60090

Good selection of kits and a few oldies amongst the new ones (I found a Hasegawa "THOR" there recently)


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## Rainfollower

I was up in Seattle last week for an IT conference and made a side trip to Galaxy Hobbies. Very impressive!


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## rossjr

USS Atlantis said:


> Sure, why not
> 
> Minneapolis/St Paul area shops
> 
> Scale Model Supplies
> 458 Lexington Pkwy N
> St Paul, MN 55104
> (651) 646-7781
> http://www.scalemodelsupplies.com/
> 
> This is my first choice for kits - and the only place in the area I can get Humbrol paints - They still have a good stock of PL figure kits, mostly Planet of the Apes, but a couple LIS as well - and they have 'Classic Kits' for a premium price, but usually lower than what you'd pay Evil-bay for them
> 
> Hub Hobby Center
> 6410 Penn Ave S
> Richfield, MN 55423
> (612) 866-9575
> http://www.hubhobby.com/
> 
> This is where I go if I need tools, putty, glue, etc - last time I was in there, they still had a couple PL-Klingon kits and several PL-Scorpions. My only complaint is they try to cover it all - RC, Railroad, Rocketry, Games, Little-kid learning sets - and they don't have a huge space to cram it all in
> 
> We have several Hobbytowns in the area - but I avoid them like the plague - they think SF/Fantasy is a dying fad - though one *thinks* he'll order 1 or 2 of the Tom Lowe 18" Enterprise kit re-releases - "Just in case"


Great Recommendations, additional comment on the Hobbytown stores, they are not Hobby Stores but Paint Stores and sometimes not very good at that...

Hub Hobby also has a store in Little Canada, MN See the link for their web-site. Another interesting point is that Hub honors October as Plastic Scale Model Month and gives 20% off all plastic kits....


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## The-Nightsky

DinoMike said:


> In the Pinellas County, FL area:
> 
> Ralph's Hobbies
> 5208 66th Street N., Suite D
> St. Petersburg, FL 33709
> 
> 727-547-8607


If any one is ever in the Tampa, St Pete area you MUST stop by and see Ralph. One of the best guys in the buisiness IMHO. Not only does he have new odels but he has old ones too,And Marx soldiers and stuff.Good prices also.Treats his customers like family!!:thumbsup:


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## swhite228

In Tucson Arizona the best place to get kits is

Ace Hardware
6959 E 22nd Street, Tucson, AZ 85710

They have a hobby area thats the size of most mom and pop stores. Half is trains the other is plastic kits. Nice selection of real space and sci-fi kits including Moebius Models kits.

The other shops in the area are...
Competition Hobbies
3930 W Costco Dr
Tucson, AZ 85741
www.competitionhobbies.net

R/C and plastic kits with a small section of trains. Last visit they had dropped sci-fi kits.


Models Models Models
5941 E 22nd St
Tucson, AZ 85711
Lots of older kits.
The owner has been trying to sell the place and retire for a few years now.

HobbyTown USA
3700 East Speedway
Tucson, AZ 85716

The Hobby Barn 
P.O. Box 17856 
Tucson, AZ 85731
www.hobbybarn.com

R/C Airplanes and model rocketry


and not really hobby shops but in Tucson...

Dumas Products
909 E. 17th Street
Tucson, AZ 85719
www.dumasestore.com
Manufactures r/c boats and planes.

and
Con Cor
http://con-cor.com

model trains


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## Model Man

*Hastings Plastics*

Here's another 'not-a-hobby-shop' link, most useful for the SoCal set.

www.hastingsplastics.com
Around 14th @ Colorado in Santa Monica.

For the last few years, I've driven by always meaning to stop in 'one day'. That day was today.

They have every kind of resin item and accessory you can imagine, every possible fiber glass everything, lucite, and any and all things plasticy -including plastruct at exceptionally reasonable prices! (For comparison, Allied trains in Culver City had a piece I needed for $2.95, Hastings had the same piece for $1.95! Nothing like a little mark-up!) I noted that a 4x8 sheet of .30 styrene was ~$28. (I don't know if that's a good/bad price)

They mold, cut, form, engrave, stamp and do any custom job you need. They will order anything you could want. All you need is a company and part number in some cases. 

I talked with the guy at the counter for a few, mentioning I build models. He shook his head in acknowledgment and I could see his mind pull all the files he had on modelers and their needs (as opposed to a different kind of client). He threw a few yes/no questions at me, narrowing the subject matter down to my specific needs in a few moments. I didn't catch his name (something obvious like Jim), but he's been in the plastics biz for a few decades and basically knew everything there was to know about casting, molding, thermo and so on. (Nothing like having someone knowledgeable at the counter!)


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## swhite228

Your right about Hastings. I used to get my plastic there when I lived in CA.

I'm still using the box of mirrored plexi scraps I got for $3.00 20 years ago.


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## Mr. Wabac

The-Nightsky said:


> If any one is ever in the Tampa, St Pete area you MUST stop by and see Ralph. One of the best guys in the buisiness IMHO. Not only does he have new models but he has old ones too,And Marx soldiers and stuff.Good prices also.Treats his customers like family!!:thumbsup:


Have to agree with you, Ralph's is a good store. In addition to what is on display he has a fair-sized supply of older kits tucked away, some are destined for eBay but he also has some that are missing the odd piece that he will "part" with for a good price. Make sure to ask !


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## Lou Dalmaso

*Great news!*

Great news to those in the Raleigh, NC area!

Askew-Taylors has jumped into the scratch building market with both feet!

What always used to be a great little mom and pop store that primarily sold house paint and art supplies has gone whole hog in adding all types of scratch building supplies to thier store! 

Raleigh is the home to NC State University and there was a demand for the supplies based on some of the engineering classes.

I went there for some foam core today (for work) and ended up leaving with an armload of supplies (for me) no more having to drive 45 minutes to Fayette-vile to get some simple evergreen strips

I was as happy as a little school girl:hat:

I urge everyone in the area to support these fine folks whenever possible


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## Magesblood

Went to a craft store yesterday. No props here.

$40 for a Republic Star Destroyer, $45 for the repop version! 

I know they have to make a buck but screw that when I can get it at Hobbylinc.com for $35 shipped and I don't have to drive 45+ minutes one way to get it!

they got squat for sci fi and the cashier was a mean, grumpy old lady.


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## hal9001

Not much in Mobile, AL where I live.

We do have a HobbyTown and Hobby Lobby, of course the latter has the 40% coupons (I miss the 50% tho). Tipical retail prices and not a great stock of kits, especially SI-FI. HobbyTown's a much better choice of the two.

But, if you're ever in Pensacola, FL I would say it's well worth your time to stop by Bobe's Hobby House. Again retail (sometimes retail +) but have an outstanding selection and they will get the latest kits in faster than any one I know of. They also have an outsanding selection of aftermarket parts too.

There is a professional book collector that runs their book dept. so they have, you guessed it, an outstanding book section as well.

It takes 1hr. 15mins. to get there but I do enjoy driving over there and looking around and can always find something. Enjoy the people that work there too. They all know alot.

Bobe's Hobby House
5719 North 'W' St.
Pe'cola, FL 32505
(850) 433-2187

The is also John's Models. I don' have his # nor address handy but he is in Cantoment, FL, about 20mins. west of Bobe's. He buys a lot of old collections so you might just find something there you've been looking for and couldn't find.

That's if for me.


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## MadCap Romanian

Here's my own hobby shop for the Alberta, Canada people : 

Monster Hobbies
127 3rd Ave SW
High River, Alberta, Canada
1-403-652-5019
Monday-Saturday 9:00 am-6:00pm. 

Website is www.freewebs.com/monsterhobbies ... but I have to update it at some point.

I might be late opening on some days as I have a wife and 2 baby girls to get ready each morning...and sometimes that's a slow moving operation.


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## Todd P.

If you get to Colorado Springs, make sure to stop by Compleat Games & Hobbies.


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## Magesblood

I've been critical of my nsLHS (not so...) because of their lack of kits. I went today and they had tons of Moebius and Round 2 kits.


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## Asmenoth

USS Atlantis said:


> Sure, why not
> 
> Minneapolis/St Paul area shops
> 
> Scale Model Supplies
> 458 Lexington Pkwy N
> St Paul, MN 55104
> (651) 646-7781
> http://www.scalemodelsupplies.com/
> 
> This is my first choice for kits - and the only place in the area I can get Humbrol paints - They still have a good stock of PL figure kits, mostly Planet of the Apes, but a couple LIS as well - and they have 'Classic Kits' for a premium price, but usually lower than what you'd pay Evil-bay for them
> 
> Hub Hobby Center
> 6410 Penn Ave S
> Richfield, MN 55423
> (612) 866-9575
> http://www.hubhobby.com/
> 
> This is where I go if I need tools, putty, glue, etc - last time I was in there, they still had a couple PL-Klingon kits and several PL-Scorpions. My only complaint is they try to cover it all - RC, Railroad, Rocketry, Games, Little-kid learning sets - and they don't have a huge space to cram it all in
> 
> We have several Hobbytowns in the area - but I avoid them like the plague - they think SF/Fantasy is a dying fad - though one *thinks* he'll order 1 or 2 of the Tom Lowe 18" Enterprise kit re-releases - "Just in case"


Have not been to Hub Hobby Center, but I do like Scale Model Supplies a lot. 

As for local to Saint Cloud....

Baker's Hobby & Framing
www.bakershobby.com
51 3rd Street Northeast
Waite Park, MN 56387-1298
(320) 252-0460

It's not very big (I have more stuff than they do), but they are under new ownership (the original owner passed away earlier this year) and he is stocking some new items. Andrea paints, Games Workshop minis, more magazine titles and a bit more variety in plastic kits. I still don't understand why half the store is home brewing...that stuff should be in a craft store.

If you are traveling to Orlando, FL I recommend:

Colonial Photo & Hobby Inc
www.cphfun.com
634 North Mills Avenue
Orlando, FL 32803
(407) 841-1485

It's almost 60 years old, built into an old grocery store and I worked there for 2 years (the reason why I have more stuff than Baker's). 

And I discovered this place while visiting Milwaukee:

Greenfield News & Hobby
6815 W. Layton Avenue
Greenfield, WI. 53220
Ph: 414 - 281-1800
http://greenfieldhobby.home.att.net/

Bigger than Baker's and smaller than the other two...but packed with a lot of stuff.


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## machgo

I'd love to give some props but I don't have a decent LHS--and I live in Chicago! Nearest shop is fair at best. Barely have any evergreen or plastruct. Quote: "Nobody is scratch building anymore." They should check out this site!

Kit selection is weak. Paint rack is mostly empty.

Chicago is such an underserved market for hobby stuff.

If anyone can recommend a good shop in the Chicagoland area, I'd love to read it!


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## Spockr

Esther's Hobby Shop in Millvale Pa (near Pittsburgh) is owned an operated by Bob Mehler. Esther, who was Bob's mother originally opened the store in 1938 as a coffee and sandwich shop that also sold toys. Today, some 78 years later, its a full service hobby shop and Bob is one of the most friendly and helpful shop owners I've met. He's been in this business most of his life. 

This store is a recent find for me. I was looking for the Monarch Nosferatu and couldn't find it locally so I emailed Monarch for help. They said that they distribute through Hobbytyme who listed Bob's store and I called him up. I asked him if he had it and he said no but he was happy to order it and had it in just two days. You just can't find service like that anymore. He loves what he does and it really shows. 

I should also mention that he regularly discounts everything in his shop (even my special order) by 20%

As Bob says "In Pittsburgh there used to be 28 hobby shops and now there are only 4". As far as I'm concerned there is only one and that one is Esther's. Bob will have my business as long as he's around.

A news article about the store (complete with some snippets of Bob's wisdom) can be found here:

http://www.yournorthhills.com/north...ust-hobby-70-esthers-now-millvale-institution

His website is here:
http://www.esthershobby.com/

And he is located here:

Esther's Hobby Shop
219 North Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15209
(412) 821-2415

Regards,
MattL


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## scooke123

Roguepink said:


> As I started listing the hobby stores in St. Louis, I realized just how many we have, and each with a particular field of expertise. St. Louis really is a great hobby city.
> 
> In the Greater St. Louis area:
> 
> *HobbyTownUSA
> 13875 Manchester Rd
> Ballwin, MO 63011
> (636) 394-0177*
> 
> Excellent kit selection, excellent ground R/C selection and service, good on trains and entry-level electric flight. Good general hobby selection, lots of tools, supplies, materials, science kits, games, and a top seller of metal detectors. Great rocket selection, and I work there so it better be your first stop when you go looking for a hobby shop.
> 
> *Mark Twain Hobby Center
> 2793 West Clay
> St. Charles MO 63301
> (636) 946-2816*
> 
> Another great store, excellent selection of kits, R/C and trains. Excellent book and magazine selection. Some rare and out-of-production kits to be found. Strong expertise on R/C ground vehicles.
> 
> *Checkered Flag Hobby Country
> 4491 Lemay Ferry Rd
> St Louis, MO 63129
> (314) 892-5353*
> 
> Not as well stocked as they used to be, limited kit selection, but real nice people to talk to. Some Girl Scouts supplies, some general craft supplies like styrofoam balls and wood shapes, canvas boards and paints.
> 
> *CRM Hobbies
> 5101 Eichelberger
> St. Louis, MO 63109
> (314) 832-4840*
> 
> The EXPERTS on all that is plastic and resin. Model Kit Mecca. No R/C or other mechanized hobbies. Lots of rare, out-of-production, limited, and garage kits.
> 
> *Hobby Station
> 301 South Kirkwood Road
> Kirkwood, MO 63122
> (314) 822 1927*
> 
> THE model train EXPERTS. Fair selection of kits, very limited R/C. Close to the Kirkwood Museum of Transportation with an actual Big Boy locomotive on display. Great store, great people, and lots of good shopping and dining along Kirkwood Ave. There's an excellent game and comic store within walking distance.
> 
> *Schaeffer's Hobby
> 11659 Gravois Road
> St. Louis, MO 63126
> (314) 729-7077*
> 
> The largest hobby store in St. Louis, also a great craft store. The authority on R/C flight of all scales and types. They offer craft classes, too! Good overall hobby and craft store.


Just had to comment on this one - St. Louis is a greathobbyshop town. If you can't find what you are looking for in this town it probably doesn't exsist anymore. Plus you can reach any of them in about 30 min of driving!
Steve


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## Fozzie

My local hobby shop, Hub Hobby in Metairie, LA, has suddenly started stocking a larger variety of science fiction kits. Only one or two of each kit, but this is more SF stuff than I've seen there ever. It includes most of the recent space ship releases as well as a bunch of monster kits and even Iron Man, Spidey, & the Green Goblin. A good trend that I suspect I may have had at least a small part in starting...


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## smartmouthpro

*South Seattle*

Skyway Model Shop
12615 Renton Avenue S
Seattle, WA

A really excellent, old-school model shop with models of all kinds piled high including out-of-production stuff. Good selection of horror/sci-fi kits (my fave), paints, books, magazines. About 90% of the shop is military and planes but he has all the good figure stuff, too--Sinbad, Creature, Frank, etc. Got me and my son started modeling--the proprietor Emil is one of the nicest guys and incredibly helpful. Always a group of model nuts hanging out and talking about the latest stuff.


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## bucwheat

There is one in Daytona beach that I go to it's Race and hobby shop 2525 W. International speedway Daytona beach Fl. about one block west of the Daytona race track.


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## Tiberious

I miss American Eagle in Tacoma 
I can't tell you how much I regret not going to the various modelling classes they'd have from time to time, I still can't use an airbrush as anything but a glorified paint can to save my life.
Tib


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## Blufusion

*Hobby shops.*

A good Hobby Shop is hard to find. Let's support the people that have them.


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## Blufusion

Ralph's Hobbie's in St. Pete is like a gold mine. Dusty filled to the brim. But oh what. Thats a true guy who understands models


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## Blufusion

Does anyone remember Kiddie City. Or when Toys Are US actually carried models. We need to keep this hobbie alive. It keeps me alive


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## Fozzie

Hub Hobby on Airline Highway in Metairie, LA. They have recently started carrying a much larger selection of sci-fi kits and I'd like to think I had a little bit to do with that!


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## GSaum

I live in Vancouver, Washington which has seen the decline of all of our local hobby shops which aren't a chain. I usually cross the bridge into Portland, OR and shop at one of the LHS there. My favorite is:

Bridgetown Hobbies
3350 Northeast Sandy Boulevard
Portland, OR 97232
(503) 234-1881

For those of us in Vancouver, the only options left for us are:

Hobbytown USA
8720 Northeast Centerpointe Drive
Vancouver, WA 98665
(360) 823-0904

It's a great store, but I sure miss supporting the locally owned businesses.


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## rkoenn

Blufusion said:


> Ralph's Hobbie's in St. Pete is like a gold mine. Dusty filled to the brim. But oh what. Thats a true guy who understands models


I visited Ralph's just before Xmas in 2009 while our son from Austin was interviewing in St. Pete. We live in Merritt Island on the opposite side of the state but I was raised in Tarpon Springs. Ralph's is small but for the plastic modeler he is good. He had just gotten in some things that weren't even available online as yet. I picked up some supplies while I was there. If you ever head towards Tarpon up US19, stop in at the House of Hobbies just south of Klosterman Road, which is only about a mile from where I grew up. (It is definitely a whole lot different these days than during the 60s.) It is run by a guy named Bob. His original store was on Alt 19 on the south end of Clearwater and I went there whenever I could get my mom to take me on our shopping trips to Clearwater. He had a store in NPR for a while in the mid-70s as well but I guess 5 or so years ago he consolidated and moved the Tarpon location. I always pop in there when I make a trip to the Tarpon area. He has a large selection of plastic models as well. When he was in his final Clearwater location I was almost afraid of going in there was so much stuff, and gobs of plastic, in tight aisles stacked to the ceiling. I figured if that place ever started on fire it would a disaster and very difficult place to escape from.

Bob K.


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## rkoenn

Blufusion said:


> Does anyone remember Kiddie City. Or when Toys Are US actually carried models. We need to keep this hobbie alive. It keeps me alive


Are you living in St. Petersburg? When I really got seriously back into plastic modeling (I never gave it up completely but didn't do much for my middle aged years, mostly model rockets) I remember picking up the Aurora Frightening Four Pack at Toys 'r Us. I was very surprised seeing it there and it kick started my serious return to plastic modeling. I believe they still carry a few things, about like Michael's, but I don't even waste my time looking because there will be few and likely they would only be car models. The place that was a real let-down was Hobby Lobby. They should be called Dafty Crafty and take the hobby word out completely. They did have one aisle of stuff but in the overall store it was less than 5%. The unfortunate fact these days is almost no kids build models and the guys that grew up doing it and still love it are getting old. I tried to interest my sons and a nephew but video games, facebook, and other things are all they desire. They want to be entertained and feel entitled to it. No time or patience for doing things for themselves.

Bob K.


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## arvada_modeler

If you're in Denver:

Thompson's Hobbies
585 Wadsworth Blvd
Lakewood, CO 80214
(303) 238-5821


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## onthesetflickr

I love Hobby Lobby! They have everything I can think of and I go there every time over Michaels. They rock.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/4933654480/


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## Dr. Gonzo

To anyone in the Washington DC area, Piper Hobby in Chantilly, VA holds monthly get-togethers at the shop every second tuesday of the month. I've never been to an ipms club meeting but I haven't heard such great things. This club is relaxed, low key and free (you even get free pizza out of it). It's simply a place for local plastic kit builders to meet up and hang out with other plastic kit builders. There apparently is even a couple sci-fi heavy builders that attend so it isn't just cars and armor.

I plan to attend next month and check it out but thought I'd give a heads up to any local guys in case they weren't aware.


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## FLKitbuilder

Hobbytown USA in Brandon, FL. More oriented towards R/C enthusiasts, but has a good selection of models and model supplies. Model car section is very weak though. 
Great selection of Woodland Scenics stuff for dioramas.
Hobbytown USA
2464 West Brandon Boulevard
Brandon, Florida 33511
(813) 655-6366


There's also a Michael's right around the corner. Very convenient.


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## rkoenn

The hobby shop I went to whenever my parents could be talked into it during our shopping trips to Clearwater, FL back in the 60s was the House of Hobbies run by a guy who lived 25 miles north of it named Bob. I would always try to get in the place on those trips and saved my lawn mowing money for those trips. In the 70s he opened a second store near where he lived in New Port Richey and we had our rocket club meetings at that place. He is still in Pinellas County but closed the NPR store and moved his location to Tarpon Springs only a little over a mile from where I was raised. I certainly wish he had been there when I was growing up. I still pop in when I am in the area and it is on US19 just south of Klosterman road on the west side of the highway. He must be pushing 70 now but still runs it himself with his wife and daughter. It isn't as well stocked as it was in those long ago days but is fun to visit. In fact my 40 year HS reunion is this weekend in Tarpon and if I get over there soon enough on Friday afternoon I will stop in for old times sake.

Bob K.


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## John P

Next Generation Hobbies
1388 King's Highway
Sugar Loaf, NY 10981
www.nextgenerationhobbies.com

Brought to you by the former owners of HiWay Hobby House.


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## John P

John P said:


> Next Generation Hobbies
> 1388 King's Highway
> Sugar Loaf, NY 10981
> www.nextgenerationhobbies.com
> 
> Brought to you by the former owners of HiWay Hobby House.


And by local, I mean 35 miles away!


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## THE TREKER

Mate I No Use Humbrol But I Got 20 Revell Paint To Pick For My Bird Of Pray Do U No The Numbers For A Bird Of Pray What Greens And Wether They Should Be Silks Or Mats Or Gloss Help Me Mate Do U No Any Site S == Wid Da Painting Guides And Paint Lists Thanks


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## THE TREKER

This Sit E Is Sh T How Do Use It I Try Ask Sum 1 A Question And It Just Post It At The Bottom


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## John P

Um. What? Once more in English?


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## Paulbo

And punctuation. And proper capitalization. And proper spacing between words (i.e. don't put spaces in the middle of words).


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## Paulbo

Ah, I think I see why he thinks "this site is sh*t" - at midnight he made 5 posts within half an hour in the new user introduction thread asking about the paint colors for the KBoP and no one answered him. Now he posts in a thread about local hobby shops.

Perhaps creating a new thread with a title that hints at what his question is would be better than posting in established threads that have nothing whatsoever to do with the KBoP.


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## John P

Eh, he's from Bristol, waddaya expect?


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## Jafo

what exactly is "props" anyway? Im guessing slang for good job? forgive me, im not up on my teenage slang


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## Zombie_61

^ In this context, "props" is slang for "proper recognition" or "proper respect".


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## Jafo

ah, thank you. As I get older the harder it is to "get" this stuff . What really baffles me is 
"oh snap".....


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## [email protected]

G&G Model Shop on Times Blvd. in West University Place (a small city inside of Houston). They're officially a model railroading store, but they're near Rice University and the students of architecture and engineering buy their modeling supplies there. Because of this, they carry nearly the complete lines of Plastruct and Evergreen. Not to mention all the cool model railroading detail parts. Nice selection of kits, too. The place is scratchbuilding heaven.

Tom


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## Zombie_61

Jafo said:


> ah, thank you. As I get older the harder it is to "get" this stuff . What really baffles me is
> "oh snap".....


Oh snap: Exclamatory phrase; a playful indication of surprise, misfortune, or insult.


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## Jafo

thanks zombie! I wont be using it though


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## James Tiberius

Any good model stores in South East Kansas? Moving to Pittsburg KS in a month or so.


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## Zombie_61

Jafo said:


> thanks zombie! I wont be using it though


Yeah, me either. Caucasian 50-year-old heterosexual hippies can't quite pull it off. :dude:


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## starduster

Rainfollower said:


> Two in the Portland Oregon area:
> 
> *Bridgetown Hobbies*
> 3350 N.E. Sandy Blvd
> Portland, Oregon 97232
> 503-234-1881
> http://bthobbies.com/
> 
> *Tammie's Hobbies*
> 12024 SW Canyon Road
> Beaverton, Oregon 97005
> 503-644-4535
> http://tammieshobbies.com



In Portland Oregon Bridgetown Hobbies is under new management as of yesterday 7 - 1 - 11, but the new owner is a modeler and I was told he's dedicated to supply us with all aspects of this hobby. Karl


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## John P

Found a new/old hobby shop nearby. By that, I mean it's been there for decades, but I'd forgotten about it because I'd only been there once 20 years ago, and it's not an easy drive for me to get to.

*TECH-TOYS*® 
370 Route 46 West,
Parsippany, N.J. 07054
Phone 973-227-7012
FAX 973-227-5032
http://www.tech-toys.com/

They basically cram as many model kits of all types, R/C and other stuff into a highway store as they can and still have room for overweight middle-aged men to navigate. I mean, kits are piled high on the counters, kits are on standing racks, kits are on old comic-book racks, kits are in the corners and on the floor. New kits, old kits, OOP kits, plastic kits, vinyl kits. It was like being a kid again.

The pictures on their website are very old. There is NO free floorspace in that shop any more.


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## kekker

OK, Tidewater Virginia area - Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Hampton, Newport News, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, etc.

Denbigh Hobby
14351 Warwick Boulevard
Newport News, VA 23602-3754
(757) 874-5708

Great selection of kits. Styrene, Tamiya, and full MM paints. Dan & his son Mike are both real modelers, so they know what is what. If they don't have it they will be happy to order it for you. If you want to make sure you don't miss an issue of a magazine, they will keep one in a file for you (just don't forget to buy it!).

HobbyTown
12731 Jefferson Avenue
Newport News, VA 23602
(757) 890-4515

Good selection of kits, couple of paint lines, lots of RC.

HobbyTown
4000 Virginia Beach Blvd # 196
Virginia Beach, VA 23452
(757) 306-4760

Not as many kits, several paint lines, including Games Workshop, Tamiya, Pollyscale, MM. Lots of RC. Both Evergreen and Plastruct.

Train Paces:

Dale's
5880 Poplar Hall Drive, Norfolk 
(757) 461-3636

Many scales of trains and accessories. Supplies, but no non-train kits

Davis Hobby Supplies
All train stuff, some supplies.

There are some other RC themes places around, but I haven't been to those.

Kev


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## wookieefood

Galaxy Hobby in Lynnwood, WA is amazing. I had a conference in Seattle this past week, and stayed about a mile down the road from GH.

Loved it.


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## Spockr

> The pictures on their website are very old. There is NO free floorspace in that shop any more.


Is that a model of the NU Enterprise hanging over their entrance?

http://www.tech-toys.com/P0000251.jpg

:wave:


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## florjon

The Netherlands is pretty dead when it comes to modelling..
but when in amsterdam...

Schaal Treinen Huis
Bilderdijkstraat 94
1053 KX Amsterdam
Tel : 020 - 612 26 70 
Fax: 020 - 612 28 17

At least for as long as they exsist. Business is slow and they are going to quit next year.

They even have a couple of fine-molds


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## John P

John P said:


> Next Generation Hobbies
> 1388 King's Highway
> Sugar Loaf, NY 10981
> www.nextgenerationhobbies.com
> 
> Brought to you by the former owners of HiWay Hobby House.


Currently teetering on the edge of doom, not sure if he can pay this month's bills.

Go there! Buy things!!!


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## robunimog12

update on riverside hobbies.
Riverside hobbies closed their doors sometime in mid 2012. Cant remember exactly when.
Too Bad. Another small, but good family owned shop gone. I used to go there when I was a kid.

There are a couple more in the Sacramento area.

RC country hobbies
6011 folsom blvd
Sacramento, Ca.
916-731 5868

Good selection of models and supplies.

Viking Hobby
4713 El camino Ave.
Carmicheal, Ca.
916-483-6885

One of the last small hobby shops still open in the area. Im talking small. But lots of models and other stuff. Again family owned and a favorite of mine from back when.

Hobby lobby has a store in Roseville, but not much selection of models, Bout the same as micheals.

Rob.








El Gato said:


> My wife and I like to visit other cities/states for vacation. If I'm on it, before we leave I ask around for references on some of the local or nearby hobby shops. Most of the time I forget, so I go to my "default" option of looking them up on the phone book. The problem is that I'm cut off from this community and I have no references on whether those places are any good. Usually I also find that the phone book is outdated. It lists shops that have moved or closed and it doesn't tell me of new ones that have opened since it was printed.
> 
> While in Seattle the other day I thought of a better solution: List your favorite local shops here, so that this thread becomes a quick reference for anyone who is traveling around. So I'll start:
> 
> If you are coming to the Sacramento area, the two shops I would recommend are
> 
> Riverside Hobbies
> 5141 Folsom Blvd
> Sacramento, CA
> 916-455-3747
> 
> Hobbytown USA
> 2761 East Bidwell St., #400 (Broadstone Plaza)
> Folsom, CA
> 916-984-6266


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## taipan

i gotta go with...
Viking Hobby
4713 El camino Ave.
Carmicheal, Ca.
916-483-6885
been going there for about 30 years or so, and i no longer live in sac town!
Jessica's one of a kind and i'll pay a lil more just to give her business :wave:

too bad riverside closed it's doors, but they had some killer deals the last weeks they were open, stocked my shelves for years to come


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## Alien

Come down under to Wellington, New Zealand and visit the store that has been the local for Sir Peter Jackson and Sir Richard Taylor.

Modelcrafts and Hobbies
Cnr Victoria and Dixon Street
Wellington CBD
New Zealand
http://www.modelcraftsandhobbies.co.nz/

Opened in 1956 and now owned and run by the son of the founder.
That's longevity for you.

Alien


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## Mark2000

Earlier (like three years) in the thread someone mentioned The Hobby Company in San Francisco not being great on stock and service. I'd like to disagree. They have every single color of Tamiya and Model Masters you can imagine - including rattle cans - plus glues, decal solutions, and airbrush supplies. Erik is a great guy and spent about 20 minutes fiddling with my dirty 30 year old Paasche airbrush - that I didn't even buy at his store - to get it working well. He's got many years of experience with them.

The best part is that their prices on paint are on par or lower than most places online so that I rarely need to search for anything. The only thing I could find there was perfect plastic putty and the trasstar automotive primer I've using.


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## edge10

Asmenoth said:


> Have not been to Hub Hobby Center, but I do like Scale Model Supplies a lot.
> 
> As for local to Saint Cloud....
> 
> Baker's Hobby & Framing
> www.bakershobby.com
> 51 3rd Street Northeast
> Waite Park, MN 56387-1298
> (320) 252-0460
> 
> It's not very big (I have more stuff than they do), but they are under new ownership (the original owner passed away earlier this year) and he is stocking some new items. Andrea paints, Games Workshop minis, more magazine titles and a bit more variety in plastic kits. I still don't understand why half the store is home brewing...that stuff should be in a craft store.
> 
> If you are traveling to Orlando, FL I recommend:
> 
> Colonial Photo & Hobby Inc
> www.cphfun.com
> 634 North Mills Avenue
> Orlando, FL 32803
> (407) 841-1485
> 
> It's almost 60 years old, built into an old grocery store and I worked there for 2 years (the reason why I have more stuff than Baker's).
> 
> And I discovered this place while visiting Milwaukee:
> 
> Greenfield News & Hobby
> 6815 W. Layton Avenue
> Greenfield, WI. 53220
> Ph: 414 - 281-1800
> http://greenfieldhobby.home.att.net/
> 
> Bigger than Baker's and smaller than the other two...but packed with a lot of stuff.


Colonial Photo & Hobby Inc

I think I passed right by this on the weekend. Doh! I'll have to make another trip down there some day.

Searching for a shop in my new neighborhood of the Orlando area.


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## TIEbomber1967

Earlier today I found that San Diego, CA now has a Hobby Lobby. It reminded me a lot of Michael's, only bigger. When I finally found the model aisle, I was greatly disappointed. While they had more models than Michael's, there was only one sci-fi kit, A lone X-wing. I don't think they even had an R.C. section.
Despite the thread title I am not giving props to Hobby Lobby, even though they are now a LHS. I don't see myself going back. I'll stick with the other hobby shops.

Where's the "Thumbs Down" smilie?


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## edge10

I won't reply to myself but I now regularly shop at Colonial Photo and Hobby in Orlando. A great shop, with nice staff. Lots of trains and a fair selection of newer SCI-FI kits and supplies.

Half the store is devoted to Photography, but it's a pretty big shop!


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