From: Don_Schmitz@transarc.com
Date: Mon Aug  3, 1998


Obligatory Disclaimer: The information contained in this message was
contributed by individuals, who, unless otherwise indicated, speak
only for themselves and not the institutions or buisnesses they are
associated with.  The author(s) and editor(s) of this material make no
warranties as to the correctness of the information provided.

This material should be considered copyright by the author.  This
material may be redistributed for non-commercial use without explicit
permission of the author(s) as long as the text is used exactly as is
(except for reformatting) and the author is given full written credit
for the material.  Commercial use requires explicit permission of the
author.


Part 16

Part 16 ** Lists of hobby shops and interesting places to visit while travelling. [Q] I'm going to be in <some city> on business, are there any [Q] good hobby shops, museums, battlefields, etc, there that I should visit? [A] schmitz@transarc.com (Don schmitz 4/96) Following is a geographically sorted list of recommended hobby shops from around the world. It was compiled both from an open request to r.m.s for names of shops in major cities, and from my archive of saved posts answering this sort of question in the past. I didn't try to figure out if a response came from a satisfied customer or the owner of the shop. I have no way of visiting all of these places to see if they "measure up" to any sort of standard, or to make sure all of this information is accurate. In addition, Blair Yoshida has compiled similar lists on his web page, you can find it at: www.mbnet.mb.ca/~yoshida/shops.html www.mbnet.mb.ca/~yoshida/museums.html [I've still got a backlog of recommendations to add, but feel free to recommend others that aren't in the list]. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Country: Canada Ontario Canada, Ontario, Vanier (suburb east of Ottawa) Hobby House 80 Montreal Road (613) 749-5245 - mainly planes but also stocks car/armour/ship/sci-fi/misc model kits - big section on model trains - lots of reference books/magazines - very helpful & knowledeable staff - open Mon-Sat, closed Sundays. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Canada, Ontario, Orleans (suburb east of Ottawa) Discount Hobbies C-5925 Jeanne D'Arc Boulevard (613) 830-2373 - radio controlled planes - also stocks good line of plane/car kits, plus some armour/ship/sci-fi - model kit prices generally a bit lower than other shops - open 7 days a week --------------------------------------------------------------------- Keith's Hobby Shop 5205 Younge St., Willowdale, Ontario, Canada M2N 5P7 Tel: (416)-222-4721 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Toronoto Check out URL www.pci.on.ca/~macnamar/ipms/tor_model_scene.html --------------------------------------------------------------------- Vancouver Creative Hobbycraft 43 6th St New Westminster. It is between two rapid transit stations (New Westminster, at 8th St. and Columbia, at 4th St). Hop off at either one and it should be easy to find. Good selection of aircraft, armor, cars, bikes, ships, trains, supplies, etc. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Burnaby Hobbies 5209 Rumble St. Get off at the Royal Oak rapid transit station, head down the hill. Second store to the left on Rumble. Lots of airplanes, a bit of everything else. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Country: England Bovington (not sure if this is a town, county, or what) The Tank Museum, Bovington, Dorset, BH20 6JG. Phone UK 01929 405 096 096 (visitor enquiries). Fax: UK 01929 405 360 It's open 7 days a week except for Christmas, from 10:00am to 5.00pm. From July to September they have "mobility" days where some of the tanks are actually taken out for a "run around" - usually Thursdays I think. The musuem is next door to the Royal Tank Corps HQ (no direct connection though) and in the heart of the tank training areas and gunnery ranges. During the week (Mon-Fri) you can usually count on seeing some Challenger I's and II's driving around. If you're lucky you can get to see some of the tanks on the gunnery ranges themselves. There are a couple of car parks 200 yards or so from the rear of the tanks static positions. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Country: South Africa Cape Town Clowns Toys & Hobbies Cartwrights Corner Adderley Street, Cape Town 8000 (021) 454 651 Fax: (021) 454 291 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Country: France Saumur Cedex Saumur Armour Museum Saumur Musee Des Blindes, E.A.A. A.C.-49409, Saumur Cedex The hours are 9:00am-12:00am and 2:00 pm-5:00pm weekdays, I don't know about weekends. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Country: USA ARIZONA Phoenix/Tempe Hobby Depot in Tempe, 847 University (1/2 mile west of Mill, SE corner of University and Hardy. ???-968-1880 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Try the Hobby Bench on 19th Avenue in the west part of town. They've had a good selection of plastic over the years. --------------------------------------------------------------------- For trains, An Affair With Trains on Bethany Home Road, not too far from the Hobby Bench, is very good. --------------------------------------------------------------------- What ever else you do in Phoenix, set aside some time to visit the Champlain Fighter Museum. It's about 1/2 hour east of Downtown. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Tucson Tucson Hobbies on Speedway - plastic kits and supplies --------------------------------------------------------------------- Vlassic Hobbies on Wetmore - plastic kits and supplies --------------------------------------------------------------------- Craig's Hobbies on Broadway - train stuff --------------------------------------------------------------------- Arizona Trains on Treat just off of Grant - more train stuff --------------------------------------------------------------------- CALIFORNIA Los Angeles Red Star/Lincoln Hobbies Culver City, CA 310-559-7730 They specialize in collectible kits, and have an amazing collection of Aurora WWI aircraft kits. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Bargains Galore/Modelmania Fullerton, CA 714-992-6194 They have a large collection of OOP kits, including kits that are missing parts, etc. You should check the kit before leaving the store - the defective kits aren't always marked, and they're shrink wrapped. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Brookhurst Hobbies Garden Grove, CA 714-636-3580 Brookhobby@aol.com -or- 103224.2762@Compuserve.com Brookhurst is a big store, and they carry just about everything. They also have a large selection of old and OOP kits mixed in with the regular kits. --------------------------------------------------------------------- THE BLACK WATCH 8825 Reseda Blvd. Northridge, CA 91324 818-701-7961 Owner's name is Joe; his little one-man shop sells nothing but figures and military kits. Quite a few old/discontinued figures seem to hang around forever on his shelves. He will do mail order anywhere in the world --------------------------------------------------------------------- The Hobby Place 10600 Pico Blvd. (1.5 blocks east of Overland - across the street from the McDonalds) open until 6pm every day except Sunday (5pm) 310-836-2000 Standard plastic/RC store. Well stocked with new kits, paints & supplies, books, magazines. They have a better than average selection of vinyl figure kits and a good selection of Tamiya and DML armor. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Kit Kraft 12109 Ventura Place (Close to the 101) Studio City 213-877-5001 A hobby/craft store. They have a very good selection of new kits and some old kits in the store. They also make their own resin figures, andhave an extensive selection of RTVs, resins and other casting supplies. -------------------------------------------------------------------- The Hobby Lobby on (I think) Victory, near the corner of Hollywood Way. Burbank They don't have an extensive kit collection, but they have a few armor kits (not many), including some books and magazines. They're mostly an RC aircraft store, with some HUGE and amazing airplanes hanging from the ceiling (I think they have a 1/12 scale - or larger - B-17). the best part about the store are the people that work there - Tony and Addie. they're friendly and very helpful. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Torrance (near LA?) Paul Freiler's Historical Models 18228 Hawthorne Blvd phone: 310-542-6391 fax: 310-371-1011 email: HistModels@aol.com They are a well stocked shop with lots of built models on display. -------------------------------------------------------------------- CONNECTICUT Warehouse Point Craftec Hobbies 152 North Road 806-627-7811 It is a great shop and well worth the 50 minutes it takes me to drive there. Old kits, new kits, books, aftermarket accessories, knowledgable & helpful & friendly staff. -------------------------------------------------------------------- FLORIDA Miami Orange Blossom Hobbies 1975 NW 36 ST 305-633-8118 Every kind of model hobby...plastic, R/C, trains, rockets, etc A most excellent shop ("home" to Aeromaster/KMC) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Orlando Colonial Photo and Hobby Near the center of dowtown Orlando, phone 407-841-1485. 634 N.Mills Ave (Near crossing of 17-92 and 50). They have many kits, and many after market parts including etchings, decals etc... Big train, military and car sections. Check the counter in the back of the store for many of the small $$ parts that aren't on the shelfs where the kits are. They have several large binders full of goodies. --------------------------------------------------------------------- GEORGIA Marietta (Atlanta) R. E. (Bud) Colvin AAA Hobbies 1869 Cobb Parkway, Suite 400 770-933-0768 "Everything for the Scale Modeler" Plastic kits only, with accessories M-F 1000-1800 Th 1000-2100 (open late) Sat 1000-1700 Sun 1300-1700 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Norcross (Atlanta) The War Room 2055-F Beaver Ruin Road Norcross, GA 30071 (770) 729-9588 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Atlanta You might try Southeastern Hobbies on Peachtree Industrial. Its right across the road from the Brookhaven MARTA station. A very good store in my opinion. Strong on everything, included one of the best train selections available for train enthusiasts. --------------------------------------------------------------------- IDAHO Boise Perhaps the best, is the chain Hobby Town. They're located near the Boise Towne Square Mall. A bit down (up?) Milwaukee, actually, in the shopping mall bordered by Target and Egg Head Software. --------------------------------------------------------------------- The second and oldest, is Ralph's Toys and Hobbies. It's in the shopping center on the North East corner of Overland and Five Mile. It's about a 2 miles from the mall. --------------------------------------------------------------------- MARYLAND Wheaton/District of Columbia Squadron Shop, Wheaton, Maryland, Its in a shopping center at the intersection of Georgia Avenue and Randolph Road. You should be able to find Georgia Avenue on any Washington DC map. It starts out downtown and goes roughly northwest. Get to the Washington Beltline (I-495) take the Georgia Avenue north exit. Keep going north until you see the Randolph Road intersection. The Squadron Shop is in the shopping center which is on the north east corner of the intersection. It has a sign that says hobby shop. --------------------------------------------------------------------- MICHIGAN Detroit P&D Hobby Shop 31902 Groesbeck Hwy., Fraser, Michigan 48026 Tel: 810-874-7443 Note: This shop is in the northern suburbs of Detroit, and covers scale models, electric trains, and every type of remote control model. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Old Guard Hobbies (2 locations) 35806 Van Dyke (Brentwood Plaza) Sterling Heights, MI 48312 810-977-3969 or 27508 Ford Road Garden City, MI 48135 313-425-7470 I think the Garden City store either has or is about to move. Sterling Heights store: pretty good selection of AFVs and reference material and some nice work in the showcase. --------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSOURI Kansas City Waldo Hobbies / Brian Nelson 8045 B Wornall Rd. Kansas City, MO 64114 (816) 361-1367 Tues-Fri 12-8 Sat 10-5 / Sun 1-5 Waldo Hobbies specializes in military models of all types and scales. Brian buys kit collections from time to time which supplies him with a good selection of out-of-production kits. He carries resin and photo-etched accessories. He will deal over the phone and mail orderis not a problem. --------------------------------------------------------------------- NEVADA Las Vegas Peterson's Hobbies. There are two locations: The one out in North Las Vegas (Civic Center Drive) has lots of books and lots of kits. It is also in the vicinity of Nellis AFB. Take a drive out and loiter by the fence for a while if it's not too hot. The other Peterson's is okay, too, but it doesn't have the kit selection that the NLV shop has. It's bigger on RC, though. Check in the phone book for location. --------------------------------------------------------------------- NEW MEXICO Albuquerque Hobbies n Stuff on Osuna N.E. It is a family owned business and the folks there are very helpful. Their names are Stan and Helen Johnson. --------------------------------------------------------------------- NEW YORK Buffalo Niagra Hobby & Craft Mart 3366 Union Road at Walden Buffalo, New York 14225 Tel: 716-681-1666 Note: These guys advertise as the "Biggest Hobby Store in U.S.A.". They are large. For example, when I was there they had about ten Monogram 1:48 scale Liberator bomber kits in stock at about $15 each. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ACE HOBBY SHOP 1801 Pierce Avenue Niagara Falls, New York 14301 Tel: 716-282-9753 - My personal favorite area store (along with Niagara Hobby) - Slightly higher prices on some items - 10% discount if you are a member of a model club - excellent selection of armor, cars, planes,etc - area's largest selection of verlinden supplies - although this shop is about 30 minutes from Buffalo, it is well worth the trip!! --------------------------------------------------------------------- HOBBYTOWN USA Sheriden Centre 3332 Sheridan Drive Amherst, New York (716) 833-7700 - Very good selection of armor, cars, planes - prices slightly higher than niagara hobby - 3rd on my personnal list (I regularly visit the top three) --------------------------------------------------------------------- TIM'S HOBBY SHOP 2226 Union Road West Seneca New York 14224 (716) 656-1790 - Part Time hours (4-8pm) - small store, limited selection - 3-4 miles south of niagara hobby - some different kits - pretty steep prices - some sale items reasonably priced --------------------------------------------------------------------- FIELDS HOBBY CENTER 3523 UNION ROAD CHEEKTOWAGA NEW YORK 14225 (716) 681-6440 - limited selection of cars - no armor - Tamiya ships 1/350 scale - 20% off sticker price on all plastic models - decent prices (with discount) - 1 mile north of Niagara Hobby. --------------------------------------------------------------------- HOBBY LODGE MODELS 971 Grant Street Buffalo, New York 14207 (716) 875-4559 - good selection of armor,cars,planes - decent prices - I think that the main reason to stop at this shop is that they don't do a lot of business, and as a result they seem to have a selection of models that span the last several years. You may see kits here that you won't find anywhere else. --------------------------------------------------------------------- HOBBY WORLD 1309 Erie Ave North Tonawanda New York 14120 (716) 693-3366 - very good selection of "discontinued" cars - limited plane selection - very limited armor selection - check here for hard to find car kits --------------------------------------------------------------------- New York --------------------------------------------------------------------- Ace Hobbies 35 West 31st Street (between 5th and Broadway, 3rd floor) 212-268-4151 I haven't been there for about a year but Ace always had one of the best collections of new kits that I've ever seen--in almost every category but particularly aircraft and armor. There are two sets of prices--for members and non members. Since becoming a lifetime members is pretty cheap it's often worth it to join on your first visit just to get the lower prices. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Jan's Hobby Shop 1431 York Avenue (I think its between 81st and 82nd Streets) 212-861-5075 While the owner is known for his RC ships, this shop is literally stacked to the roof with kits of everything from cars to ships with aircraft and armor stuck in between. This is the place to go in NYC if you're looking for an older kit that's no longer stocked at ACE but is probably gathering dust somewhere here. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Military Bookman 29 E93 St.-- one block east of Central Park, downstairs in a brownstone 212-348-1280. A really good collection of rare and out of print books on war and military stuff. With the closing of the other two specialty military book shops in Manhattan this is the place. Can be pricey for some stuff so be forewarned. --------------------------------------------------------------------- OHIO Massilon Showcase Hobbies [more details please] Lots of out-of-production car kits. --------------------------------------------------------------------- OKLAHOMA Oaklahoma City Go to The Hobby Shop, in Crossroads Mall, near the crossroads of I-35 and I-240. The best in the state (IMHO...I've known Mike for 18 years and have always been satisfied by the selection) --------------------------------------------------------------------- Tulsa Discount Trains and Models 8988-X South Sheridan Road Voice (918) 495-1525 / Fax (918) 495-1520 Trains, Plastic Kits 20% Discount 10-7 Tue-Fri / 10-5 Sat-Sun --------------------------------------------------------------------- World Hobby Warehouse 4625 East 31st St (918) 254-4210 Daily Aircraft Out of Production 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the Month 10-5 --------------------------------------------------------------------- PENNSYLVANIA Pittsburgh A. B. Charles and Son 3213 West Liberty Avenue (this part of the city is known as Dormont) 412-561-3068 From downtown Pittsburgh, cross the Liberty Bridge, continue through the Liberty Tunnel, then continue about 2 miles - shop is on the left in a busy retail area - has lots of kits/stuff in the front window and a good sized sign. Trains, RC planes/cars, and the cities biggest selection of plastic kits and supplies. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Philadelphia Alfred Capelli, Jr. Hobbies 313 Market St (downtown near the Liberty Bell) phone: 215-629-1757 Hours are Mon- Sat 9 - 5:15 The storefront is misleading cause its fairly narrow but the store is deeeeeeeep! and has a great selection of just about everything under the sun. The owner is a really nice guy and very affable and he is extremely neat and organized. It's probably one of the most organized stores I've visited. --------------------------------------------------------------------- TEXAS Austin King's Hobby Shop 8810 N Lamar Blvd Austin, TX 78753 phone: 512-836-7388 Has a good selection of plastic model kits, Estes rockets, model trains, and games. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Village Hobby Shop 2700 W. Anderson Ln. Austin, TX 78757 phone: 512-452-6401 Also has a good selection of kits (including some 'off the beaten path' kits), rockets, and trains. --------------------------------------------------------------------- HobbyTown USA 2500 W. Parmer Ln. Austin, TX 78727 phone: 512-246-8904 HobbyTown USA 4107 S. Capital of Texas Hwy. Austin, TX 78704 phone: 512-440-7877 These shops (one on the north side of town and one on the south) carry the standard selection of plastic kits, good model rocket selection, and very good selection of tools and adhesives. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Dallas/Fort Worth Hobby Maker HobbyTown USA Wild Bill's Bobbye Hall's [no details given, check the yellow pages] --------------------------------------------------------------------- For plastic modelers I would recommend Phil's Hobbies in Farmer's Branch, Hobbymaker in Bedford, Collector's Shop in Mesquite, and maybe Wild Bill's in Irving. MAL in Irving has the widest s election of books and magazines. --------------------------------------------------------------------- The Hobby Maker Bedford, TX (Dallas/Ft Worth Metro, near DFW) 1424-F Airport Fwy 817-267-0991 Plastic Kits (Aircraft, Armour, Autos, Die-Cast, Sci-fi, figurines, doll-houses, trains) M-F 10-8 p.m. Sat 10-6 p.m. Sun 12-5 p.m. --------------------------------------------------------------------- VIRGINA Reston/District of Columbia Piper Hobby, which is near Dulles Airport, in Sully Plaza (?), where US Route 50 intersects with Virginia Route 28, I think. Check the phone book, call them and they can give accurate directions from where you will be staying. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Roanoke Crossroads Hobbies and Crafts of Salem 1104 W Main Street Salem, VA ???-387-3414 Comments: Seemed to be well stocked, general hobby shop. Probably the best of the ones that I visited. Directions: Take Orange Avenue (Rt 460) through Roanoke to Salem. Keep going, as Orange Avenue turns into E. Main Street first, then W. Main Street. --------------------------------------------------------------------- HobbyUSA Town Square 1402 Town Square Blvd Roanoke ???-563-8131 Comments: Franchise. OK general selection. Directions: Go out Williamson Road (Rt xxx) about 3 miles. Shopping Center is on the left, and the road to it is marked. --------------------------------------------------------------------- The Rail Yard 7611-A Williamson Road Roanoke ???-362-1714 Comments: Train oriented, some other models and supplies Directions: Go out Williamson Road, past Town Square, past Happy's. Shop is on the right. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Sterling Hobby House, Sterling VA Route 7 West just before the intersection of 28 and 7. Turn right into the Cascades shopping center - it is in the back across from the 7-11. --------------------------------------------------------------------- WASHINGTON Seattle --------------------------------------------------------------------- If any r.m.s. readers ever get a chance to travel to the Seattle area, you need to visit the Museum of Flight. Not only is it a marvelous collection of some aircraft not duplicated elsewhere, the bonus is that they attached the little red building that was Boeing's first factory and design office to the museum proper. Replicated or remaining within are many of the tools, jigs, fixtures, engineering offices, and actual parts that were used in the building's original location. I believe the building was floated via barge to its current location. The museum is on Marginal Way, not very far from the SeaTac airport. Other highlights are a pretty good gift shop (excellent book selection), and a B-47 parked behind the main building. Plus, if you time it right, you'll see some flight testing going on out back.
rec.models.scale FAQ, part 17

FAQ Table of Contents