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Author Topic: The sad decline of the model shop  (Read 79393 times)

Colin Bishop

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Re: The decline of the model shop
« Reply #100 on: June 20, 2014, 04:04:31 pm »

Being in the process of clearing out and renovating my workshop I have discovered that I actually already have a traditional, very well stocked model shop on the premises which is full of all the stuff that I am likely to want. Of course, like all model shops it is often the case that the specific nut size or shade of paint I want is not currently in stock but I suppose you can't have everything.....

Colin
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radiojoe

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Re: The decline of the model shop
« Reply #101 on: June 20, 2014, 04:46:40 pm »

Hi Jon
Nothing wrong with Mainly Trains and Planes at all, and has got better over time and caters more for boat building than he used to, He used to say himself he didn't carry much for boats as the name suggests, but seems to be changing track, no pun intended, is the shop in Cranleigh lane still open I thought he retired a couple of years ago. 
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John W E

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Re: The decline of the model shop
« Reply #102 on: June 20, 2014, 06:18:28 pm »

hi there
 
Hello Mr Bishop you know when you were cleaning your store room out - did you come across any tins of Kiel kraft diesel fuel? All joking aside - if you want to make yourself really depressed - get a hold of a 1960 era model boats mag - have a look on the back for the advertisements for Model shops in the UK that were advertised - there were about 4-5 in the North East - and they have all gone - 2 are still going though over in North Shields. They are pretty good for catering for model boats.    I generally find though the owners of the Model Shop tend to stock items that they themselves are interested in - e.g. railways etc.   Same as over in the North side Alans that used to be there used to have a hefty slection of model aircraf cos that is where his interests lay.
 
The thing I miss about model shops are the crowds that get there on a Saturday morning - also if you were lucky enough the person who owned the shop had a good knowledge and he was prepared to explain stuff to you.
 
aye
john
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Colin Bishop

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Re: The decline of the model shop
« Reply #103 on: June 20, 2014, 06:35:25 pm »

Hi John,

I did come across a Keikraft catalogue which I have kept as a historical document!

As you say, independent model shops do tend to reflect the interests of their owners.

The basic problem with Model Boating is that we are all getting older and the numbers who drop off the perch are not being replaced with people entering the hobby. I have a bus pass but when I attend the Warwick show I seem to be one of the younger visitors! The average age of entrants to the Model Engineer Exhibition competition is around 75!

In 15 years time or so I think model boating will be even more of a niche hobby than it is now. It won't fade away completely but it won't be sufficient to maintain specialist model shops on the high street and I expect that even online sources will be few and far between. We shall be consigned to the dustbin of history and our work will become museum pieces.

Colin
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triumphjon

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Re: The decline of the model shop
« Reply #104 on: June 20, 2014, 07:48:19 pm »

yes radiojoe , the shop in cranleigh lane is deffo still open , i visited them on Tuesday afternoon , it's now run by the sailing for the disabled charity .
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radiojoe

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Re: The decline of the model shop
« Reply #105 on: June 20, 2014, 07:51:15 pm »

Cheers Jon, I'll give them a visit,  :-))
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Peter Fitness

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Re: The decline of the model shop
« Reply #106 on: June 21, 2014, 12:24:25 am »

We shall be consigned to the dustbin of history and our work will become museum pieces.

Colin


I doubt any museum would want mine, Colin <:(


Peter.
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slug

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Re: The decline of the model shop
« Reply #107 on: June 21, 2014, 06:30:56 am »

in the 1950,s do I remember in London a basett&lowke model shop,i think I remember being taken by my father...also all the ex military electrical shops in Tottenham looking for ex mod motors etc out of aircraft to run models...also gamages for bits...sadly all gone...happy days....tony
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Nordsee

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Re: The decline of the model shop
« Reply #108 on: June 21, 2014, 10:31:16 am »

Just looked in my copy of RCM and E from August 1978, and there are 204 model Shops listed in the Directory. The Mag covered cars , boats and Planes, with Electronic Projects as well, had the plans for a DB Trainer ( the Bat) of which I built two for me, and 8 more for new members of the Club. You can learn on 3 channels and build another wing and upgrade to Ailerons with no Problems, Great model!
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html

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Re: The decline of the model shop
« Reply #109 on: June 21, 2014, 04:02:59 pm »

in the 1950,s do I remember in London a basett&lowke model shop,i think I remember being taken by my father...also all the ex military electrical shops in Tottenham looking for ex mod motors etc out of aircraft to run models...also gamages for bits...sadly all gone...happy days....tony

The Basset Lowke shop was in Holborn and at one time Beatties were there, sadly it is a Macdonalds now.
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Martin (Admin)

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Re: The decline of the model shop
« Reply #110 on: June 21, 2014, 04:53:50 pm »


Anyone remember WALLY KILLMINSTER in Wembley?



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wally_Kilmister  )
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radiojoe

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Re: The decline of the model shop
« Reply #111 on: June 25, 2014, 05:50:52 pm »

I visited Fareham models in Cranleigh Road, Portchester today what a pleasant surprise, a good model shop with adequate stock, I thought they had closed down a couple of years ago,  I got everything on my list except one item, and it's only fifty yards from Wicor park, where the dog had a swim to cool off, I'll be shopping there again.   :-)) :-))
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triumphjon

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Re: The decline of the model shop
« Reply #112 on: June 25, 2014, 06:46:07 pm »

i often shop there joe ,  good coffee machine there too with hot beverages just 40 pence a cup ! our dogs also know when ive visited the shop they are having a run in either wicor park or porchester castle !

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radiojoe

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Re: The decline of the model shop
« Reply #113 on: June 25, 2014, 06:53:20 pm »

Yes thanks for the letting me know about them Jon, I'll certainly shop there, and of course my excuse will be to SOMBO, I'm just taking the dog for a swim.   :-)) {-)
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tobyker

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Re: The decline of the model shop
« Reply #114 on: June 26, 2014, 11:35:41 pm »

SWMBO wanted to go to Lochwinnoch to get birdseed so I said we'd go to Paisley if Paisley Model Centre had a bit I wanted. Googled them to find the phone no but alas they appear to have gone out of business. Then found a very nasty spiteful article from the Scottish Daily Record saying that some old granny had dropped little Johnny's Hornby loco off to get it fixed and now couldn't get it back. I doubt Willie wanted to put the shutters up! I think we will very soon be left with a very few internet suppliers, some of whom may have shop fronts, like Howes of Oxford, and a few specialist niche suppliers who cast or make bits. The problem will be that as the hobby contracts, it won't be worth anyone's while making eg tiller arms and we will all be dismantling plugs for tiller arms - which I never stopped doing anyway! So even the internet hobby shops will be reduced to stocking nothing but RTR chinese stuff like the helicopters people keep giving me for Christmas.
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Calimero

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Re: The decline of the model shop
« Reply #115 on: June 27, 2014, 01:01:54 am »

I'm not as gloomy as you guys.


I think we'll see the same thing as other markets: the general RC model shops and also suppliers (like Graupner) will probably suffer. Niche/specialized manufacturers will offer stuff for the hardcore enthusiast. What was previously "mid range" will probably disappear.


On the lower end you'll get toys and ultra-cheap RTR (just like you said tobyker). At the same times, the Chinese also ship motors, ESC, TX/RXs for a fraction of what higher end manufacturer cost (and they can also output decent products provided you're willing to pay more than $20 for a TX, for example). I'm not going to lie: I nowadays order most of the electronics from China/Asia through eBay or dedicated sites (like Hobby King).


Now when it comes to models, kits, fittings, I think we'll have some niche suppliers with very narrow product ranges, quality products and ... probably some relatively steep prices. What you save on electronics, batteries, ... will probably be spent in those boutique shops.


Thanks to the Internet, a small manufacturer can sell worldwide.


There's also 3D printing. The cost of printers is still quite steep and it takes some learning both in term of 3D modeling and the actual printing. It's the kind of device that a club could afford to maintain, right next to laser or wood milling machines and scroll saws. Can be used to print actual parts or molds to cast resin for structural parts.


Anyway, model shop owners are probably in a hard place right now, just like many "brick & mortar" shops these days. There are so many products available; market is so fragmented, you just can't stock so much stuff. And with hot topics like drones, there's the same problem as with smartphones: every 6 month there's a faster, more advanced version ...


There's a small RC shop a couple miles from where I live. I doubt the guy makes a living out of it (in spite of what I consider steep prices - which I don't blame him for). And among younger generations like me ordering from the Internet is just the go to solution.
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TheLongBuild

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Giant Shark...Closed down..
« Reply #116 on: May 30, 2015, 07:54:38 am »

Just seen this reported on the MB forum..

http://www.myhobbystore.co.uk/giantshark.htm

U-33

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Re: Giant Shark...Closed down..
« Reply #117 on: May 30, 2015, 08:05:36 am »

Another one bites the dust....  :embarrassed:
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Netleyned

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Re: Giant Shark...Closed down..
« Reply #118 on: May 30, 2015, 08:13:06 am »

They were one of the good guys to deal with as
Giant Cod although they didn't do a lot of boaty
stuff.
However they were the first step into 2G4 for many
of us with the Radiolink gear.

Ned
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RAAArtyGunner

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Re: Giant Shark...Closed down..
« Reply #119 on: May 30, 2015, 08:38:01 am »


Is the "Hobbystore etc" link in the original post the same as for Model Boats magazine?
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inertia

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Re: Giant Shark...Closed down..
« Reply #120 on: May 30, 2015, 09:38:17 am »

As far as I know, Giant Shark is/was owned by My Hobby Store who also own My Time Media (the publishers of Model Boats magazine). This is one of the first examples of a retail business failing because it has been unable to obtain Chinese-manufactured goods for significantly less than can the customers they were trying to service - even by buying in quantity.
There will be more.
DM
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Subculture

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Re: Giant Shark...Closed down..
« Reply #121 on: May 30, 2015, 10:57:23 am »

The only way you can compete against Chinese goods is by making innovative, very high quality products that you can't get elsewhere.Try and compete in volume or price and you will lose every time- the deck is stacked in their favour.
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inertia

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Re: Giant Shark...Closed down..
« Reply #122 on: May 30, 2015, 12:21:24 pm »

How very true. I imagine that in the fullness of time they will get greedy as more and more aspire to become "consumers". At that stage they will lose their competitiveness - like the Japanese have done, especially in cars and electronics. I will have long ceased to give a tinker's cuss by then!
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SailorGreg

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Re: Giant Shark...Closed down..
« Reply #123 on: May 30, 2015, 08:54:17 pm »

  :(( {:-{

I used them a few times and found them a pleasure to do business with.  Perhaps I should have used them more often?  Too late now though.

Brian60

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Re: Giant Shark...Closed down..
« Reply #124 on: May 31, 2015, 12:56:17 pm »

There's always HobbyKing %) or order via one of the many chinese suppliers on ebay, delivery in 10 days! Seriously though, I wonder if this will mean the end of Model Boats magazine? Having said that I hadn't bought a copy for 10 months or so. To me it just seemed they were 'dumbing down' the content. Very basic articles aimed at complete beginners and next to nothing to satisfy the reading needs of seasoned builders.
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