Any good hobby stores in the Alberta area?

[winstona]

Hi fellow Canadians,

I am going to be visiting Alberta for a week later this month and I am planning to check out some hobby stores while I am there. I will be staying in Edmonton and Calgary for the most part, can some of you recommend stores that are worthwhile to check out? My goal is to visit stores with good selection of automotive models and may be hunt for some rare or cheap kits.

I have done a search on yellowpages.ca and can find a few stores, but I am not quite sure whether they are good or not just by lookin at the web site. I do not want to end up visiting a store that only has 10 or so kits available and waste valuable time while travelling.

Thanks a lot in advance!

Winston

[Murray Kish]

Uncle Bills Hobby in Calgary.

Talk to Uncle Rick. If there's something rare or old you're looking for, ask him, cuz he's got more stuff in storage then what's on the shelfs.

Murray

[winstona]

Thanks Murray,

Uncle Bill is one of the stores I will definitely check out! Thanks for the advice.

Winston

[Vric]

I ordered "online" from Uncle Bill to get some Alclad Paint (the only place in Canada I found them) he is friendly.

[kaho]

Originally Posted by Murray Kish

Uncle Bills Hobby in Calgary.

Talk to Uncle Rick. If there's something rare or old you're looking for, ask him, cuz he's got more stuff in storage then what's on the shelfs.

Murray

Hey I didn't know he has more stuff in storage than on the shelf. Only time he showed me something not on the shelf was his started Galant VR4 for $20 instead of a brand new kit for $40.

[Shinichi]

i live in edmonton, and there are a few hobby shops. in west edmonton mall there is kites, planes and hobbies, as well as comex. in kingsway mall there is also a comex, but this one is larger. down calgary trail is a place called hobby wholesale. ive been there once and they dont really have a large selection of model kits. the hobby shop most closest to my home, roughly 5 minutes away, is the best location for models. its called 'great hobby' and has a large variety of models, although it is more of a rc plane shop.


also, great hobbies and hobby wholesale sell alcad II paints as well. i only buy from great hobbies so i know that they sell at 9 bucks per small bottle. if you need directions:

http://www.greathobbies.com/about/contact/index.php
http://www.hobbywholesale.com/
and west edmonton mall is the BIG mall

[mikemechanic]

Hi Winstona, you will be shocked by Uncle Bill's prices they are high. If you ask for a discount he will discount for you but you have to ask.
Your other choices here in Calgary are PM Hobbies, large store, good selection and decent prices.
Phoenix Comics (25th Street and 17th Ave SW) small store but pretty good selection and decent prices also.
Model Land large store, huge selection but very pricey (we call it the model museum since nobody really buys anything they just go to look)
Hobbyguys, small store, mostly racing (Nascar, F1) diescasts
Chinook Hobbies large store, small car section.
Invader Hobbies large store, small car section also.
I think that is about it. Hope you enjoy your stay here in Calgary. If you have any other questions let me know and I will see if I can help you out.

[winstona]

Thanks for all the help guys, there are are some great info here! I will pick and choose carefully.

The selections here seem much better than the ones in Toronto...

[kaho]

mikemechanic: Phoenix comics sells model car kits?? I went to the Phoenix comics on 16Ave NW and they only had comics, game cards, and quite a lot of figure games, but no model cars.

[mikemechanic]

Originally Posted by kaho

mikemechanic: Phoenix comics sells model car kits?? I went to the Phoenix comics on 16Ave NW and they only had comics, game cards, and quite a lot of figure games, but no model cars.

Yes, go to the one on 17th Ave Sw just up the hill from the Childrens hospital, they used to have the lowest price in town and no GST. Now they charge GST and the prices went up a little. They sell comics, all the figures you can shake a stick at and there is a whole vintage record shop aswell as the models. I think the only thing the two locations have in common is the name. PM me sometime and we can exchange emails.

[Murray Kish]

Originally Posted by kaho

Hey I didn't know he has more stuff in storage than on the shelf. Only time he showed me something not on the shelf was his started Galant VR4 for $20 instead of a brand new kit for $40.

He has WAY more stuff than what's on his shelfs. Lots of 'vintage' stuff. I don't think he really let's people go 'browsing' in his extra storage areas though, so you sorta have to have an idea what your looking for and he will know whether or not he has it.

Mike is correct though. His 'sticker' prices are typically higher than other stores, but he's usually open to 'negotiate'.... make him a reasonable offer...

I don't live in Calgary, but visit every now and then. I would echo Mike's summary of the other stores. They're definitely worth a 'visit' as you never know what you'll find...

Murray

[kaho]

Originally Posted by Murray Kish

He has WAY more stuff than what's on his shelfs. Lots of 'vintage' stuff. I don't think he really let's people go 'browsing' in his extra storage areas though, so you sorta have to have an idea what your looking for and he will know whether or not he has it.

Mike is correct though. His 'sticker' prices are typically higher than other stores, but he's usually open to 'negotiate'.... make him a reasonable offer...

I don't live in Calgary, but visit every now and then. I would echo Mike's summary of the other stores. They're definitely worth a 'visit' as you never know what you'll find...

Murray

I kept asking him a stock EVO 1, 2, and 3, and he got none of that, lol
but yea, I will give it a try again next time I visit, when I have another model kit in my wish list.

mikemechanic: you have a pm coming your way!