Hobby Town USA

[carnut04]

Hi,
A hobby Town USA just opened up near my house and I was wondering if its a good store for models and modeling supplies and how are there prices?
thanks

[spitfire143]

Decent prices. about average. atleast in my neighborhood.

[tonioseven]

They're high around me; I live near seven hobby shops and Hobbytown is one of the more expensive ones.

[mike@af]

I live near 3 Hobby Towns, good selection, and a little bit over priced. However, sometimes I'd rather pay for the locality rather than ordering something and paying shipping...and then waiting for it to arrive.

[MidMazar]

in my area there is only two hobbytowns in the state, and not a lot of hobby shops, i don't know why. The prices are decent, very good selection except they don't carry many fujimi or aoshima kits, sometimes you could get a deal. Two tamiya kits i got were 25% off!!

[jswillmon]

I like the hobby town usa in my area b/c they usually carry a few aoshima and fujimi kits, but they can almost always order any kit i need or find it somewhere for me.
a new one just opened a few weeks before christmas closer to where i live (the other one is near where i work), and they had the biggest selection of tamiya, aoshima, fujimi kits i've seen here in alabama. they are a bit expensive but i have to agree with mike, i'm too impatient to wait for a good deal unless i'm just stocking up on kits. If i want a specific kit and they have it i'll gladly pay what their asking.

[lilbudman]

I went to one in Charleston last year, the prices were a bit high but they had a good selection, I would expect higher prices are standard in tourist towns like Charleston.


Lil'budman

[nis.k.a.]

HobbyTown is hit or miss. I visit 2 different ones every now and then. One has a slim selection and the other has a vast selection of Aoshima, Tamiya and Fujimi with a case dedicated to accessories like wheels, hydros, decals etc.

One thing is universal. The price is average-to-slightly overpriced.

[rsxse240]

slightly over priced in my area, and they are the ONLY true hobby store with accessories and a great selection of car model specific building supplies.

[Merkava]

I work at my local Hobbytown. We carry a big selection of car models, Tamiya, Revell-Monogram, AMT, some Aoshima. The great thing is we can order almost any model from any manufacturer, as long as our distributor (Great Planes or Horizon Hobby) has one in stock.

And yeah, our prices are a little high... (that's okay, because I get an employee's discount!)

[360spider]

Originally Posted by GTmike400

I live near 3 Hobby Towns, good selection, and a little bit over priced. However, sometimes I'd rather pay for the locality rather than ordering something and paying shipping...and then waiting for it to arrive.

Ditto!

[ZoomZoomMX-5]

Each Hobbytown is an independant franchise, so they're not all the same. I live near GTmike, and have been to a couple of Hobbytowns in this area...prices can be high, but if they've got what you're looking for then it might be worth it to save time ordering and waiting for something. I rarely buy kits there unless they're on sale, though I did buy a Bomex RX7 there when they were new for about $30. They occasionally have good Pegasus or Aoshima wheel sets, and of course they've always got a good stock of paints/glues/tools.

We have the biggest Hobbytown in the US here, and it really isn't all that great for model car guys...the prices on many items are overinflated above retail, especially on aftermarket items. They have occasional sales, but it's not worth my time to drive across town to visit them. They have a great selection, but in general the Japanese kits I like are much less expensive over the internet (shipping included) that it's just not worth buying it at Hobbytown unless you plan to build it now. And for domestic kits and some Tamiya, I'm perfectly happy to wait for Hobby Lobby sales .

[mike@af]

I have to go to hobby town this week, and heres a good reason why I like it.

I need some 5/16" Aluminum Bar. $0.66 from my supplier, and $4 shipping. Where as hobby town its $1.50-$2.00 and $0 for shipping.

[Okiemodelbuilder]

I live about 2 miles from a HobbyTown store. Prices on models are higher than most places. Mine has a small assortment of aftermarket parts. Lots of tools and supplies. I have bought LOTS of Plastruct styrene stuff in the year they have been open, but that's about it.

Marc

[mike@af]

BTW, Hobby Town has a great deal on styrene. At least mine do. When I buy the packs of large sheets, or lots long strips its often times less expensive.