May I just state that NOT having a LHS really blows!!! I’m in the process of building my first ever model kit and could really use a local shop. I wanted to get a can of light blue spray paint to paint the walls of the metal building of my Walthers Washington Salvage Yard kit, and so went to AC Moore’s. That was a wasted trip, they had I think four Revelle model kits and a couple of tubes of that nasty testors tube glue. I don’t even think Wal Mart sells model supplies locally any more, the last time I as there they seemed to have gotten rid of the small section they had completely. I guess I could find something usable at Low Depot but what I wouldn’t do to be able to actually look at some of the things I see on the internet… For those of you who have a LHS be thankful. Frustrated but not beaten…Tom
Do you have a Hobby Lobby close by? They have a pretty good paint/model selection.
That stinks about Wally World cutting out supplies. At least they were good if you needed glue or a basic Testors color.[V]
LHS can also stand for Local Hardware Store. I don’t think my well-stocked local train shop carries spray paints, either, but I know that our True Value Hardware store does. So does Lowes. Rust-colored primer is a great color for brick walls, and I like Rustoleum’s speckled paints for stone walls and roofs.
As you do more modelling, you may take another look at A.C. Moore. I buy a lot of stuff there. They have a lot of acrylic craft paint, balsa wood shapes and strips and even Envirotex for rivers and lakes. I’ve even found Woodland Scenics trees there. No, they’re not a train shop, but a surprising number of “arts and crafts” items come in very handy when building a layout.
I agree with Mister Beasley. I often find myself buying most of my supplies at Wal-Mart, Michaels, or my local hardware store. I “window shop” at the LHS mainly because they have a very limited selection with full MSRP prices. I hate to say it but I find most of my deals online.
I even find acrilycs, etc. at JoAnn Fabrics art supply area. I just keep my head down and walk straight ahead at a rapid pace! Gerry S.
Kf,
Just curious, what state and town are you in?
Went to Hobby Lobby with the wife this weekend- I think I ended up spending more then she did! Some paint, woodland scenics ground foam, dried caspia for trees. Keep your eyes open when in these stores, you never know what you will find!!
I buy a lot of my supplies at Pearl, Michaels, and other discount arts & crafts stores. I seldom patronize the LHSs as their supplies are skimpy and are priced at MSRP.
kf4matt
Something to think about…
Ever think you may be the lucky one?
What good is a LHS if he carries very little new stock or don’t have some of the basic supplies? [banghead]
Talk about being Frustrated…
Brakie,
Nope he ain’t the Lucky one, I AM[8D], Whistle Stop Trains is only about 4miles/10 minutes from my House, they have an Excellent selection (the area’s BEST, in 3 Rail O-Gauge[:D][:)][tup]), Friendly & Knowledgable Staff, and the owner is a Great person, that I often spend quite a bit of time talking to, and usually gives me a Good discount, and will often put some small item in the bag at no charge.
If Whistle Stop doesn’t have it, there is Vic’s less than a mile from the club, Trainsmith between them, and if all else fails Tammie’s Hobbies in Beaverton, isn’t a terrible drive. I am getting Married, early May, it will be quite a move, but for my diminishing HO needs, Mainline Trains(Forest Grove, OR) will be less than 2 miles away, and all of the above mentioned will all be no more than a short detour on the way home from work, or on the way to visiting all of my Family.
Don’t sell a Great Train Shop short, I Truly Enjoy, visiting with the guys at the shop, being able to examine what I am buying before plunking down my hard earned cash, I have occasionally even found by looking at something BEFORE I buy it, that it isn’t what it appeared to be in a catlog or magazine, so I didn’t pay shipping BOTH ways for something that didn’t work. Looked at a BLI MT-73 4-8-2 once that looked great, didn’t want to wait to get it home to try it out, put it on the test track, powered up, sound came on, more throttle, DEAD SHORT, brand new right out of the box, instant refund, no shipping charges, got a new one when they came in. Needed something fixed under warranty, took it back to the shop, THEY shipped it back to Lionel, it wasn’t on my dime.
If I want some track, couplers, scenery material etc.,etc, etc 30 minutes(if I don’t talk TOO MUCH, at the shop) and I am back home working on the project, not
This thread has basically came up a lot in the past, in many different forms. I will agree to the original poster in that it sucks not to have a local hobby shop at all. I’m willing to bet there will be fewer & fewer lhs’s to complain about in the future. The online retail giants are more than likely putting the squeeze on the small brick & mortar hobby shops as We speak. I’m no business man but a hobby shop would have to be a labor of love, I believe it would be hard to pay the lease & light bill in todays market. If I won the lottery ,I would open one up simply because I love toys & then there’s always the tax write offs . What would it cost to even stock a modern store ? I bet the actual amount would astonish most of us. If You’re lucky enough to have a local hobby shop, I’d try to support them if You can. I know saving money when You can is required, but it would be nice to actually be able to see items first hand before buying. Just My humble opinions. R
I’m relatively lucky here in that I have a bundle of LHS’s from which to choose from. In London there are 3 that I work with–4 if I include one that deals with model cars–2 in Woodstock, and several others in places I have some clients in. And if I go to T.O. which happens every so often I get my pick of quite a few there as well—All within a 2 hr drive–which sometimes happens if I’m stuck with meetings and such–.We also have the Home Desperate, Rona’s, Home Hardware, Michaels, Fabricland–yes, even these places do come in handy,if a bit off–and sometimes whatever dollar store you trip over–we have quite a few that have extensive craft sections anymore, heeheehee[:-,][:P]–so one can broaden their searches—but if you don’t have ANY of those----yeeessh!![|(]
Doug,The closest full line hobby shop to me is The Train Station in Columbus…Sadly that’s a 130 mile round trip…The nearest shop has very little in the way of new stock-he can and will order anything you need and in that light its the same as ordering from a on line shop.You go by knowledge and trust of the given brand name the only difference being is full MSRP vs. Discount.
Make no mistake give me a full line shop with a reasonable discount and that shop will get the bulk of my hobby budget…You see there is nothing more I like then visiting a well stock hobby shop on Saturday morning after having breakfast at a restaurant.
Train Station is my LHS too. Every modeler should be so lucky. For me it is almost an hour drive one way. It used to be 5 minutes before I moved to Utica. Not too far away in the Graceland Shopping Center on High St. is a Hobbyland and they don’t have too bad a selection either. I’ll go there when The Train Station is out of what I need and sometimes I find a good buy. It’s not unusual to find some high end rolling stock deeply discounted.
Not having a LHS close by, I can sypathize with the original poster. Fortunately for me, I make regular trips to Columbus and can swing by the Train Station if I need something. The key is to anticipate your needs. I would suggest a hobby pantry for those in this predicament. Keep your own supply of frequently used items (glue, paint, ground cover, etc.) on hand and keep it well stocked. Anticipate your needs and make sure you have what you need before you run out. It can save a lot of frustration.
Well if you were any kind of REAL model railroader, according to all these old-timers, you’d spend less time kvetching about the lack of an LHS and more time SCRATCH-BUILDING a LHS. After all, the old-timers have all built THEIR LHS’s out of a box of matches and a bit of string.
( smiling )
I used a DPM kit for mine:
Tom,
Home depot carries Rustoleum Painter’s Touch brand spray paint. The Cornflower Blue in a matte finish is perfect for the steel part of buildings like the ones that Walthers produces. I’ve used the Cornflower Blue, Sandstone (Beige) and Cinnamon (Red) for various steel buildings with great success.
I used to live a 150 mile round trip from the nearest LHS, so I do understand the frustration.
Mark Gosdin
And locomotives out of brass and tin stock…
Wish I had my dad’s scratch building skills…[sigh]