Model Boat Mayhem
Mess Deck: General Section => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: djrobbo on December 17, 2007, 02:12:30 pm
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What is it with model shops ? Now i know some of you have got a really good model shop close to hand , but down in the depths of essex it is not so good :(
the only shop close ish to me has said he is going to stop keeping boat parts etc in stock coz he cant be bothered with them :'(
Now i know there are some excellent shops and dealers on the net , but it aint the same as being able to pop into your local friendly shop for a coffee or a chat and come away with more than you intended to. :-\
Why are they all turning over to planes and cars etc ? we have three or four shops in the area and they all do the same stuff cars and planes >>:-(
Are we becoming an endangered species or do the shops not care any more .? This of course doesn't include the good shops that do care if you see what i mean. You hear so much on here praising the good retailers in shops . so can one of them please come and open a shop in essex near to southend O0
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I guess I can understand the shop owners attitude...to a degree. If you buy a kit then all the bits needed to build the thing should be included. But are they? The ones I have looked at all seem to need "extra" packs to complete the job. To my mind this is verging on a "con". As a "scratch" builder who only really buys raw materials I have no serious problems. Most parts of a model boat or ship can be cobbled together and made to work as well as (if not better) than a supplied item. I have followed with a certain amount of vicarious interest the recent posts on poorly made kits...which cost a lot of dosh. One of our club members arrived at the lake last sunday to ballast his "new" (and VERY expensive) Container ship hull...it has taken him 3 months to fair the hull up and disguise/repair/rebuild the poor quality of the supplied hull. This is reprehensible. There are good kit manufacturers out there but too many just seem to be out for the "fast buck" to the detriment of the good ones. I cannot name names (obviously) but I know of one kit maker that bends over backwards (metaphorically at least) to supply everything that is needed. We need more like him.
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OK now how about a Welshman tell you where to get your bits from,Now just around the corner to you you have Brian the Boat and how about the aladins cave in Ipswich a Massive shop,what about the shop in Chelmsford all three are excellent model shops.Which one are you on about
Stavros
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Hello dave.. i know of brian the boat in harlow and very good he is as well.....i dont actually know the other two ....my point was that more and more local model shops round here at least seem to be giving up on the boat side of things and only doing cars/helis/planes etc..........i was i one this morning and he told me he was doing away with the boat stuff in the new year because in his words " i cant be bothered with them " .
I have watched this steady decline over the last god knows how many years and its quite depressing......some people seem to be really lucky and have superb friendly shops in their locality but i have to make a fair car journey , not the end of the world i know but i was used to the personal touch and it seems to have gone round here unless you are into planes/cars etc
see you sunday
regards.....bob.
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Think you've answered you own question there Bob, Yes we are a dying breed. So many of us were brought up when "AIRFIX" was a NEW word, and there were no such words as Nintendo and Play station. When you look at some of the requests on the Forum for "Where do I get" in the numerosity of scales, 1/12th to 1/96th and all points in between for fittings,armament,civilian/military crew from ALL three services it's got to be a mighty big shop to cater for everyones needs. We used to have two shops in Bradford, one an "upmarket" type, the other, the typical friendly joint where you could get "just about everything", local fire hazard on a Friday night when everybody went in for " A gallon of Diesel for the weekend sir", but just about everything was far less than we expect today. WE were younger and SMALLER Bob, your Crash Tender acquisition would have taken a exercise in logistics to get to the local pond, Did YOUR dad have a car at the time? mine didn't, 36" was a H3lluva big boat, an lets face it, you and I couldn't trade insults and sarcasm 200miles from each other like we do now! thanks to tinternet. We do have the ability to punch a few buttons and get a reply in a VERY short time, and the power of the Plastic makes delivery times so much quicker. When was the last time you sent a Postal order for 3/6d with a SAE for "Our New Fully Illustrated Catalogue"? The only way we'll get back to how it was, is three hundred years after a thermonuclear explosion and the brave new world of Huxley. Until then, plan forward, get yer credit card out an STOP WHINGING! OK! {-) {-) {-) {-) {-) {-) {-) {-) {-) {-) {-)
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Around my part of North Wales I have to travel about 70 miles for the nearest shop, I spend my cash and they are very polite, I enjoy going in, now then how do you manage to get a cuppa out of were you go? :o
The Model Exchange in Greenfield, Holywell if anyone is wondering.
Andy.
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Me whinge.....dont know what your on about........must admit that this internet thingy is very usrful for talking to people you might otherwise never meet.
After having my account robbed twice this year through identity theft ( through use on the web ) i am very reluctant to use it on the web again.
perhaps this makes the loss of shops that cater for model boats so meaningful for me in particular.
any way B&%ger it .
merry christmas
regards....bob.
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SEPARATE TOY ACCOUNT Bob. Put in as and when required.
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SEPARATE TOY ACCOUNT Bob. Put in as and when required.
Thats what I do. have a separate Visa debit card just for toys. The balance is usually about $2 until I buy something and then deposit the relavant funds. I also use Paypal a lot and that is pretty secure and a lot more on line shops are using it.
Regards David
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hi djrobbo i wonder if you know brians shop at harlow will be closeing in march most of our club will probeley go to the model shop in hornchuch he said when brian closes he will get more boat stuff in
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Hello tommo.....didn't know brian was closing i actually make the odd trip to his shop for some bits and pieces. Do you know why he is closing ? and where are we talking about in hornchurch.............
regards.......bob.
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hi bob brian said hes not making enough profit to renew the leas on the shop ill let you know the address of the shop in hornchuch the owner nice chap said there will be a web site soon regards alan
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Cheers for that tommo . i'll look forward to hearing from you O0
merry christmas...........bob.
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Thats the other side of the coin DJ, you set up a little business, running on the love of the job to the most part, and trying to make a living for your wife and kids, then everybody and his dog from the local government/ land owner wants a piece of the action. It's got to be better to put some racks up in your garage and set up a cottage industry/website and do your own thing and keep you head down. In town, the pound shops are alternated with empty ones cos some bright spark hasn't the intelligence to recognise that if you reduce the local business rates a bit so that ALL the shops are in use instead of raping whats left, you get MORE revenue, - not rocket science is it? No, we go to the national lottery fund and ask for how much, oh yes £25million to make a "WATER FEATURE" in the middle. Wouldn't be bad if it was deep enough to sail our toys in but oh no, its a mirror pool. We already got a water feature that the cretins (sorry to insult cretins) use to dispose of their beer/coke/lemonade cans etc. and that ones only 20 X 50feet, and they can't keep that one clean, not half the town centre. The lottery fund told them to go away jerkily, but there still determined to have a go. I appreciate civic pride but stroll on, get a life.
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Dear DJ,
I can only state this.
I am in the process of the final stages of completing of a 1:96 HMS Belfast. It has cost a small fortune to date, but, after getting to this stage, what the hell, anything else doesn't matter because it's the home run!
Now, there is no model shop for what seems about 100 miles... and as it happens there isn't - at least one that stocks the parts that I need. If it hadn't been for Mayhem, I wouldn't have got as far as I have and as 'quickly' as I have done, and I must add, not without the help of 'another' as far as elecs. is concerned.
My experience is this (prev. bus., and with now modelling). I have found by simple networking that there is nothing that cannot be had. If I hadn't done this with my Belfast Project, I would have been miles away from where I a now. For example: Ron at Deans Marine sorted out numerous things that were presenting many probs., John Haynes dealt with and supplied all sorts of things that I thought were probably impossible, and numerous other suppliers have helped unreservedly with things that have made my build much easier than they seemed at the time.
Ok, so none are local at all, so one can't just call in, and, being relatively new to all of this I have never met any of them, BUT, all the suppliers involved in this project couldn't have been more helpful. Yes, my project was, is, and has been rather 'specialist', need RN 1:96 parts 1939-45, and I am not experienced in other modelling aspects, and no, I am not really a modeller per se - just quite good with my hands - but I have to say that my gnrl. experience with British suppliers by phone/Inet has been very good indeed and very fruitfull.
Just some comments that's all, but I can and do appreciate what you are saying.
Regards, Bernard
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Tubby Tomo can you pm me the add for that shop asap as me going down to the area on wekend cheers
Stavros
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Well Polaris,
I am glad you appreciate the comments but I am afraid to say that I DON'T!!!!
Moan moan moan as some shops are nearly 70 miles away........Oh dear what a shame.
What about poor old me. The nearest model shop that stocks anything like model boating gear is in Barcelona...A mere 940 kilometers away. Now that is what I call a long drive.
(Sorry about that guys but feel better for getting it off my chest)
happy Christmas to you all,
Barry
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AHOY GUYS.....there are some superb retailers on the net allways helpful and happy to advise...for instance i have just bought a fitting set for my crash tender from MODEL SLIPWAY ( no connection ) and the service was first class .........i have bought fittings from SIRMAR ( no connection ) again excellent service cant knock these sort of suppliers ...maybe its me being an old fart who is used to a local shop ........perhaps its the heavy use of the internet ,may be why the local shops are not making ends meet ! ....now theres a thought !!!!!...... :embarrassed: I have an intrepid in 1/96 which i am restoring.....also a type 21 frigate in 1/72 haven't started that one yet, so gonna need some bits etc shortly.
regards......bob.
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Hindsight is a great teacher Bob, they used to say in the 70's & 80's "Use it or loose it" with regards to our local model shops when discounted MAIL ORDER by the big few became the norm. And as for you Barry, leaving the sinking ship cos it's WARMER where you now live, my heart really bleeds for YOU! {-) {-) {-) {-)
Ian
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Well Polaris,
I am glad you appreciate the comments but I am afraid to say that I DON'T!!!!
Moan moan moan as some shops are nearly 70 miles away........Oh dear what a shame.
What about poor old me. The nearest model shop that stocks anything like model boating gear is in Barcelona...A mere 940 kilometers away. Now that is what I call a long drive.
(Sorry about that guys but feel better for getting it off my chest)
happy Christmas to you all,
Barry
Always one to go that little bit further, not a lot not a lot. ;D {-) {-)
All the best Andy. ;)
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Oh shame.....my heart bleeds.......lovely sunshine....sangria....easier way of life.... cheaper fuel........how do you cope???? {-) {-) {-) {-)
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Oh shame.....my heart bleeds.......lovely sunshine....sangria....easier way of life.... cheaper fuel........how do you cope???? {-) {-) {-) {-)
It is not easy......well not all the time anyway......Not ideal for modellling. Everything I buy has to be via the net or getting folk to bring it out for me. As an example I have now been waiting 18 dyas for a hull to be delivered and probably won't get it before Xmas.
That said, sun, sea, sangria and alot of almost crime free peace do have their compensations,
Barry
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happy christmas to you all if it helps you the shop in hornchuch is called model world 01708 630633 post code rm12 5RX
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Hi Stavros,
You mention Hornchurch and Chelmsford, I may be wrong but Southend is a bit of a drive for the coffee and chat type of pop in shopping venture. ;D
Though 2 inches on a map isnt that far ;D
R,
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Qutie correct but you don't know how often me is down in Basildon !!!!
Stavros
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What is it with model shops ? Now i know some of you have got a really good model shop close to hand , but down in the depths of essex it is not so good :(
the only shop close ish to me has said he is going to stop keeping boat parts etc in stock coz he cant be bothered with them :'(
Now i know there are some excellent shops and dealers on the net , but it aint the same as being able to pop into your local friendly shop for a coffee or a chat and come away with more than you intended to. :-\
Why are they all turning over to planes and cars etc ? we have three or four shops in the area and they all do the same stuff cars and planes >>:-(
Are we becoming an endangered species or do the shops not care any more .? This of course doesn't include the good shops that do care if you see what i mean. You hear so much on here praising the good retailers in shops . so can one of them please come and open a shop in essex near to southend O0
Essex? why not take a trip to Chatham, Kent. go and see Rob in the Dockyard Model Shop and then have a wander around the dockyard..
The pondside chat a few weeks ago was about the number of RC boat shops that have gone to the wall, then they alll discussed how they were chuffed as they had saved a fiver or so on their latest kit, by buynig it on the net!!! some were a but miffed when I told them to stop being so bloody silly and support their local shop.
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And I'll bet they'll all be round like Jackals when the next one goes to the wall looking for "bargins" in the bankrupt stock. I'm a Yorkshireman through and through, but h3ll fire?
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It's not just model shops that go to the wall but many independent businesses too. Lease comes up for renewal and the new rent is astronomical compared with the existing one and way out of the possibility of being covered by turnover. In comes a Tesco Metro.... :(
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It's not just model shops that go to the wall but many independent businesses too. Lease comes up for renewal and the new rent is astronomical compared with the existing one and way out of the possibility of being covered by turnover. In comes a Tesco Metro.... :(
Or in comes nobody. Loads of empty shop units in many cites.
Alternative is the charity shop who get a big break on rates and don't pay thier staff.
I know there is a need for charity, but...
Rant over, and I know I am going to get flamed for the charity shop comment.
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Tiger,
What you say is true of course.
Let alone Cities, business rates in most small towns (& villages), is verging - if not on - the prohibitive. I cannot understand the thinking of allowing shops to be empty when, for less tax charged, there would be someone in them trying to make a go of it. Better to have a small bit of something than nothing from something - and this includes HMRC. I still find it abhorant that there are higher charges for elec. etc., just because the supply is for a business. Just because someone is making something or selling something, why should they have to pay a higher rate than domestic users? - not the case in quite a few other countries. I suppose the reasoning is that Ind. and Business 'supports' the domestic supply rate... these days however, it's profits that count of course.
As to charity shops, it must be said that for those less fortunate than ourselves, they are a source of inexpensive clothing etc.. However, they do pose a threat to small businesses trying to survive, and when they can have good locations for very low cost, I can understand the irritation this must be to a shopholder who is struggling to keep going with high overheads. Charities are big business these days, and, as far as their shops are concerned, I do feel that they should contribute a bit more to the local community that supports them. Anyway, let's not hijack the Subject by getting embroiled in this as it's certainly off subject.
Re model shops, most seem to have good websites, and all who I have bought things off are high street shops. I have not bought any new components off eBay for example since it is cheaper to buy from shops anyway. Yes, I have had a couple of second hand bit's and pieces cheaply off eBay, but nothing that would have been of any consequence to a high street shop. The ships I have were bought off eBay, but someone had had to buy the stuff from shops, and I have had to buy off shops to finish them, so it's swings and roundabouts really I suppose. There is one battery supplier however that is Inet orientated, but I believe they have a retail outlet where they are - I will check again. As I said before, there are no model shops that stocked what I needed where I am (though I have supported them with buying paint and such from them), so I have 'done-my-bit' in this respect. Within a very large radius the model 'world' here is aircraft I am told, so anything ships is very low priority and little to nothing stocked. I am not grumbling, I don't blame them... I would run with the 'going mkt.' myself if I was them. Mass markets change of course, and I suppose the mass mkt. of today is geared to the 'excitement' aspect of aircraft as far as youngsters go these days, though there seems to be an increasing amount of plastic ship toys from China... the thinking being why build something when it can be bought for £25 to £35... it eventually breaks, and it's put into the recycling bin! All depends on the seriousness of the persons model interest... maybe we of such thinking are getting less and less???!!!
Regards, Bernard
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HI ALL.....seems to have started something here ,haven't i ...well it seems that certain aspects of my post have in some way been answered.....Most of this stems from the fact that most if not all of us old farts were bought up in an era where if you didn't make it you didn't have it.....simple really !!! now do we not think that the demise of some model shops is in no small way tied in with the plethora of ready to run toys....it seems that you can buy almost any type of boat that you want without the hassle of building it or finding the fittings etc.....This in turn leads to model shops stocking the toys and not the boat bits , because they can move the toys but only sell the bits and pieces to dedicated modelers.......this drives you to buy from the web which makes the shop sell even less, plus they cant compete with the rates and overheads that a modern shop has to find....i would gladly buy my materials etc from a local shop even if they cost a touch more , plus you save the now not inconsiderable postage charged nowadays......So i say ,,,if you have a local shop support it,,,but having said that ,,we are lucky we have so many good traders who supply online .....and long may they prosper !!!!!!!
seasons greetings to all......bob.
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It may have passed some of you by, but not all modellers (of any persuit) buy kits. Go to any of the exhibitions and marvel at the ingenuity and skill of some of the exhibitors. This skill is not "God given", more the desire to learn and develop those skills. It bemuses me a little that so many "postees" on this forum want to pay peanuts for a "model" and then complain that it is not of museum quality. (OK...thats an exaggeration). Kits are a great way to start...but please stretch the wings a little.
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Hey Footski,
You may or may not be aware but there is a very nice model shop in Seville which I think may be a bit closer to you than Barcelona. It is situated in Plaza Nuevo just north of the Cathedral. ( check it out on Google Earth)
I was in there in August during a visit from Portugal and I was very impressed. The shop has a good range of material, fittings and tools. They also sell some kits.
As for "other" model shops, where better than Redbank models of Blackpool the home of our very own Wingertaz. It is a real shop (I have been there) with good coverage of materials, fittings, kits etc. and they not only have a good, easy to navigate website but they also have a shop on ebay. I can assure you that they deliver all over the world and service is second to none.
For electronicals look no further than our own Full Leather Jacket at ACTion Electronics.
I know that there are any number of excellent model shops and equipment suppliers in the marketplace - I name the two above for the simple reason that I have dealt with them both, met and talked to the principals and I like what they are doing.
Good luck and Felice Navidad
Clegg
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What you have said Brian is quite right in one way BUT the problem is with model shops closing due to various reasons the snag is WHERE DO YOU GET YOU BITS that is the problem.It does not matter whether you are a KIT basher or SCRATCH builder no shops nothing to build with!!!! THAT IS THE PROBLEM
Stavros
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Dear Bob,
Unfortunately I think what you say is correct. Most children/youngsters want 'now' these days, and the idea of actually having to do some real work to build something is taboo. Yes of course there are some, but not that often. So, as you say, toys are stocked more and more.
I don't blame shops for following the trend, they must. As to keeping a good stock of parts, bit's and pieces, and everything else, I can understand why quite a few shy away from keeping a wide range and in quantity - cost and turnover obviously (partic. the smaller shops). As to your general comments you are right of course.
As to where I am, I have to say that I wouldn't like to try and make a living selling the sort of things I need, but, granted, they have been specialised.
Regards, Bernard
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Well Bernard, reading your comments seem somewhat like an echo, cos a lot what you've said in this link, I've already said in this and other threads. At first I was rather annoyed that you are repeating past statements, but then thought that if you're repeating what's already been writ, in isolation, then we're either both wrong OR at least someone else thinks the same way so there's a possibility that we're both right. Sorry to have the audacity to disagree with you Mr Young but the ability to construct museum quality models IS a god given skill, if religion floats your boat. If everyones skill level was the same, or could be cultured to that level, we would ALL be brain surgeons, and while I could NEVER attain the constructional skill of my father in the model aero world,HE could never have attained My aerodynamic design skills. We both worked in different areas of the same discipline. If a novice looks at the standard of construction YOU exhibit in your how to builds and admits that they could never attain the same standard, but builds to the best of their ability, and gets some self satisfaction out of doing it, WHO has the right to criticize! Some people may need sycophants to boost their egos, but on the level of this Forum lots of prospective users, who may be able to stop the rot and learn by the mistakes of us"older and wiser" will keep the modelling trade with their wants and needs HOWEVER trivial.
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I think that the reason model boat bits are difficult to get in shops is a compound one
1) Amount of damage: Model planes and model planes get wrecked easily. Most model fliers carry a roll of bin liners in case of unexpected landing, and even the best pilots write planes on a predictiably regular basis. When I was learning to fly, and training for my A certificate, I wrecked three planes and 2 IC engines. Equally with R/C cars, the amount of damage they sustain is pretty awesome. At any given race, at least 3/4 of the racers would destroy something fairly important, and that meant that the spares sales are very high.
Comapre this to the amount of damage you build up in a single year on your crash tender. It's very small in comparison.
My local model shop reckons he pays the rent, bills and salary for himself and his wife with R/C cars and their spares, and any other sale is a bonus to him.
2) Ease - As mentioned already, you can go into any local model shop and by a ( at least local ) competition quality car, and a Nationals quality plane, both of which can be ready in an evening work and another evening programming the Tx. While it's possible to get RTR boats, they are generally not very good, and there are no real "competition grade" RTR boats available at the "average" local model shop. There is nothing in my local shop that I could take to a OMRA or tug towing event and not get laughed off the pond with
3) Lack of gadgets. This is the reason why I personally ( and all my school friends who were into models ) gave up on boats - there's nothing that demands instant blwoing of your sataday job money on. In planes there is ALWAYS a new Tx, a new set of batteries, the latest plug in mixers, those new carbon fibre servo horns. Equally in model cars, theres always a new shock kit coming out, new tire compounds, new upper chassis rails etc. All of these offer miraculous powers that will turn your low end model into something that has is faster/stronger/longer than anything else in the planet. ( obviously it can't, but everyone likes to think that it might ..) and it's all accessible with your sataday job money or your bonus, or your over-time cash. There's not really anything like this in the model boating world. This means that there is less money being spent on upgrades and bits for boats than for cars and planes - so the shop owner is making less money out of these lines.
4) Lack of, for want of a better word, "sexiness". Have a look, next time your in the newsagents getting MMI, at the difference in style, layout, content etc, even just number of pages, between for example RCME ( Planes )/Model Racer ( cars ) and MMI or Model Boating. Attend a model boat club meeting and your either in a pub with the same group of 10 chaps you see every month, or your at a huge meeting run along the lines of an AGM, with minutes, apologies and a argument between 4 different guys on the whether to use Cyano or Aliphatic for gluing a keel to a former.
Attend a model areoplane meet and theres talks on aerodynamics's from chaps in the aviation industry, study classes for your A and B certs, Jet Turbine demostrations etc. Attend a model car meet, and you have the tamiya or Team Losi reps letting you have a go of next years models.
I'm 26, and I work with a group of people of similar age. I could take any one of them, even the women, to an aero meet or a car meet, and they would be buying a car, or signing up for training on planes, the next day. Or they might flick through a magazine with an interesting cover, and go and by an ARTF plane, crash it, go get a new one and this time take lessons. This just isn't going to happen with boats. They just don#'t have a lot of "sex appeal".
That means that less new people enter the hobby, so less sales are made to them, making it less profitable to keep a stock.
There are a lot of other reasons - the fact that boaters are usually older, so less likly to splurge money on silly things, the fact that they are generally more capable of scratch building small tools or components, so need to spend less money, the fact that boats have such a diverse number of possible models, so the shops have to make small orders of 100's of different things, which means low discounts and lots of space taken up etc etc etc.
But mainly I think it's becuase the ethos of boating is different. There is, compared to current day planes, and especially cars, a far, FAR higher level of pride and quality about boats. A guy will spend 2 weeks building up a set of railings, and another 2 weeks cutting out the windows. These don't add ANY value to your local hobby shop. In the time that an R/C car fan has brought 10 liters of fuel, 3 new sets of front shocks, a new battery set and 2 new tires, the boating guy will have blunted a few scalpel blades, and maybe needed to buy some more solder or flux from the DIY shop.
The big shops CAN, and probably WILL survive, such as Westbourne, but where you have a small space and a mixed stock, they shop owner has to take the route that gives him the most people walking through his door and the most sales. And, due to the image issue, the number of people who thik "I'd like a model - I'll have a boat" is much smaller than those who decide on a car or a plane, and that means that this trend will continue.
Steve
BTW: I don't want it to sound like I'm not a fan of model boating - I am, and I love it. But I love it becuase it poses a difficult and complex challenge, and I know that I can get support for questions at this forum, so I keep at it. I'm considered "Too young to take boating seriously" (actual quote from lake ) at the local boating pond, and the 2 local clubs both had me head butting the table, due to frustration or boredom. So I build by myself ( with the help of you guys ) and I sail by myself. But I'd be much more enthused if boating was as accessible as flying or R/C cars, and a lot of others would as well. And that would drive up sales.
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Steve
Here, here...... Only thing about clubs where I live is that there are only Power Boats, Sail or those strange bunch who like to spend hours on their boats just to have it peppered with holes, nothing for us people who like to just sail our electric boats. I went to a R/C Model shop a couple of days ago and I bought some servo couplings, I asked about his boat stocks and he said that he sold everything that he had and nothing more until February. So I think I will stick to on line as at least I know that they have things in stock.
Regards David
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Given the small size of the model boating market these days, online retailing supplemented with presence at key shows to show the goods is the only viable future option. (And a lot of the shows seem bent on self immolation due to their charging policies)
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Dear Circlip,
No, I hadn't actually seen your other Posts to Mayhem. My sentiments are my own. I think Steve sums things up well in his Post, and I am sure is right. To back this up further, I have been getting five ships lake-worthy (bought in various stages of sem-completion and refurb. requirement), and I have drawn a line at five! So, apart from maintenance and any breakdowns I will not (hopefully), need much more - but I know there are lot's regular builders out there... because they are on here!!! I am bound to do mods. and improvements now and then as time permits, I want to do this, but, I must admit that I am not a true and regular builder - just good with my hands that's all. The 'hobby' side that I have been aiming for from the outset is the relaxation and R&R I will get from the peace and quiet of sailing them! The building side of things I do find a touch
'stressful' as my brain unfortunately won't consider it as anything else other than work (I demand history, detail & quality as accurate as possible), but, now that I am getting near the end of my tasks and things are visually coming together quite quickly, the 'work' feeling is getting less and less, I am enjoying it that bit more - if you get my drift!
Regards, Bernard
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Hey Footski,
You may or may not be aware but there is a very nice model shop in Seville which I think may be a bit closer to you than Barcelona. It is situated in Plaza Nuevo just north of the Cathedral. ( check it out on Google Earth)
I was in there in August during a visit from Portugal and I was very impressed. The shop has a good range of material, fittings and tools. They also sell some kits.
As for "other" model shops, where better than Redbank models of Blackpool the home of our very own Wingertaz. It is a real shop (I have been there) with good coverage of materials, fittings, kits etc. and they not only have a good, easy to navigate website but they also have a shop on ebay. I can assure you that they deliver all over the world and service is second to none.
For electronicals look no further than our own Full Leather Jacket at ACTion Electronics.
I know that there are any number of excellent model shops and equipment suppliers in the marketplace - I name the two above for the simple reason that I have dealt with them both, met and talked to the principals and I like what they are doing.
Good luck and Felice Navidad
Clegg
Many many thanks for that. Don't suppose you can remember the name of the shop can you?
I have just offered to take SWMBO to Seville for the weekend in the new year as it is only 2 hours away. She thinks I'm marvelous now.
Feliz Navidad y Ano Nuevo a usted.
Barry
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Hey Footski,
You may or may not be aware but there is a very nice model shop in Seville which I think may be a bit closer to you than Barcelona. It is situated in Plaza Nuevo just north of the Cathedral. ( check it out on Google Earth)
I was in there in August during a visit from Portugal and I was very impressed. The shop has a good range of material, fittings and tools. They also sell some kits.
As for "other" model shops, where better than Redbank models of Blackpool the home of our very own Wingertaz. It is a real shop (I have been there) with good coverage of materials, fittings, kits etc. and they not only have a good, easy to navigate website but they also have a shop on ebay. I can assure you that they deliver all over the world and service is second to none.
For electronicals look no further than our own Full Leather Jacket at ACTion Electronics.
I know that there are any number of excellent model shops and equipment suppliers in the marketplace - I name the two above for the simple reason that I have dealt with them both, met and talked to the principals and I like what they are doing.
Good luck and Felice Navidad
Clegg
Many many thanks for that. Don't suppose you can remember the name of the shop can you?
I have just offered to take SWMBO to Seville for the weekend in the new year as it is only 2 hours away. She thinks I'm marvelous now.
Feliz Navidad y Ano Nuevo a usted.
Barry
Surely This Mr. Clegg is not the new leader of the Lib-Dems. Be nice to have a rank(ing) politician on the forum though!.
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Well, from what you've said Bernard, we HAVE reached the same conclusion independently so one can only draw the opinion, we ARE right! Your comments normally raise a smile Steve, but this time it was a chuckle. Being too young to be taken seriously sums up the perception, by the outsider, that the model boat fraternity in clubs are a set of elitist cliques, and I must admit that even to older age groups this seems the norm. You see it all too often, that the old guard huddle together,blow their chests out like bull seal beachmasters and carp. In all the other modelling disciplines everyone seems to ENJOY what their doing and muck in. Perhaps it is an age thing, but the world would be a far more boring place if it weren't for the rebels rocking the boat and letting some fresh air into the archives.
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Hello ripslider.......if what you say is true about the comments you recieved at the lakeside about " being too young to take boats seriously " , the pillocks who said it should be keel hauled >>:-( . what age constitutes being old enough.? i joined the victoria model power boat club when i was 14 and competed along side people like....arthur cockman and mr bowman ..both legends in the boating world , and not oncr did i hear any derogatory remarks about age or anything else for that matter....It's idiots like those that are making a bad situation worse >>:-( I do everything i can to encourage the young to get involved , otherwise when i am too old to make the things anymore i can still go and watch some of the youngsters enjoying my hobby........
Sorry to rant but those sort of idiots really p^&s me off.....take no notice and keep doing your own thing,,,,,without the youngsters it will die :'( :'(
regards....bob.
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O.K.Footski, here goes....
No! I have no idea of the name of the shop ( I count myself lucky to be able to remember what country it is in) BUT.
You can gain brownie points if you take your wife for a tour of the cathedral (Christopher Columbus is buried there) the tour takes a one way circuit around the building then you wind up in a sort of formal orangery. When you exit the grounds go across the road and down Calle Hernando Colon, this will bring you into Plaza San francisco (which is contiguous with Plaza Nueva) as you enter the plaza the model shop occupies the corner on your left.
See? now you get a bit of culture and a visit to a model shop. Good luck! O0 O0
Clegg
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O.K. Mr Young you may have found my secret identity.
Be nice to me, If I outlive every other politician and the wind is in the right quarter on the 31st February when there is a "Q" in the month I may - just may be your next prime minister!
I will have some refreshing views on being P.C. as well as giving tax refunds to modellers. ;)
Clegg
'ORL
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O.K.Footski, here goes....
No! I have no idea of the name of the shop ( I count myself lucky to be able to remember what country it is in) BUT.
You can gain brownie points if you take your wife for a tour of the cathedral (Christopher Columbus is buried there) the tour takes a one way circuit around the building then you wind up in a sort of formal orangery. When you exit the grounds go across the road and down Calle Hernando Colon, this will bring you into Plaza San francisco (which is contiguous with Plaza Nueva) as you enter the plaza the model shop occupies the corner on your left.
See? now you get a bit of culture and a visit to a model shop. Good luck! O0 O0
Clegg
Muchas Gracias amigo. I have made a note and found the place on google maps which are now secretly stored away from SWMBO. If ever you are down malaga way give me a bell. I owe you a few vinos. Have a great Xmas and new year,
Barry
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My pleasure, I hope it supplies all you need it to.
Glegg