Any recommended Model Shops ?

[Red_Hamish]

Hello all, I've had the opportunity of visiting a model shop which is not in my normal locale. I have to say that I was extremely disappointed when I went in. Having had some feed back about this operation which had been positive, finding that my shed held as much for the scratch builder as they did! Fine if you were into flying or n & z scale trains but that was about it. Plus the place was damp, not just the atmosphere but practically everything you looked at was showing signs of being stored in a damp condition.

To get to my point. Does anyone have a good local model shop which caters for the boaters out there? I for one would welcome such input. Especially as if you have a gem of a shop please let others know so we can support them.

cheers

Jim

[Eddy Matthews]

Sadly the model shops that cater for boaters are getting fewer and fewer here in England. My local model shop, Stockton Modeller, mainly caters for model railway, aircraft and buggy stuff. They do have some model boat kits and a few odds and ends but their range is extremely limited.

That's the main reason I go to model shows - it's the only reliable source for the bits and pieces I need. Other than that it's mail order - Thank god for internet websites such as Model Dockyard in Truro!

In fact you probably have one of the best model shops for boating stuff up there in Scotland Jim with Scoonies - A superb bunch of guys that I cannot recommend highly enough! I know they're a fair distance from you though, so certainly not a two minute trip down the road :-)

[towboatjoe]

It's the same here in the States. There are three so called hobby shops in my area. The nearest one caters to crafts and sewing goods. The next one takes me fourty minutes to get there and it caters mostly to children with airplanes and cars. The third one is even farther away and has the best slection of plastic models, mostly cars and military, and about four or five boat kits. They specialize in H-O and N scale trains.

So I've become content to sit at home and do all my shopping on line. I've tried supporting the local dealers, but time and time again they have nothing i need and whenever I order something, it takes longer and more expensive than if I just order it on line.

I joined the St. louis Admirals club because they are about the closest to me and it takes seven hours to drive there. I've tried to get boating interests going around my area, but no takers. We do have one heck of a r/c model airplane club and model RR club here though.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!