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Visiting the LHS

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  • Member since
    January 2013
Visiting the LHS
Posted by BlackSheepTwoOneFour on Wednesday, November 27, 2013 9:29 AM

My wife thinks it's weird that I "hang out" at the LHS I go to from time to time for an hour or so to just BS, talk shop with the owner and some of the regulars that fequent there. I don't. But hey, at least I'm giving him the business, learning new things I didn't know and get discounts time to time.

In turn, I ask her why everytime we get a family get together at a restaurant, all the ladies get up to go to use the restrooms at the same time. That... is weird especially if they don't need to use the potty. Women.... they just don't understand our hobby.

LOL!

  • Member since
    January 2009
  • From: hamburg michigan
Posted by fermis on Wednesday, November 27, 2013 8:00 PM

BlackSheepTwoOneFour

 Women.... they just don't understand our hobby.

LOL!

 

I have found...that they don't understand much at all!

  • Member since
    November 2010
  • From: Florida-West Central
Posted by Eagle90 on Wednesday, November 27, 2013 8:07 PM

You have a LHS!!!!!!!!!!!!  Indifferent Tell us more, what's it like?  

Eale90

 

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Sonora Desert
Posted by stikpusher on Wednesday, November 27, 2013 8:33 PM

My two are having Black Friday events... I know where I will be... Eagle... It's better than a candy store...

 

F is for FIRE, That burns down the whole town!

U is for URANIUM... BOMBS!

N is for NO SURVIVORS...

       - Plankton

LSM

 

  • Member since
    November 2010
  • From: Florida-West Central
Posted by Eagle90 on Wednesday, November 27, 2013 8:44 PM

stikpusher

My two are having Black Friday events... I know where I will be... Eagle... It's better than a candy store...

Better than a candy store!?  Ahhh man!  Sad  All I can hope for is Someone like Squadron doing something big for black Friday!  Think of us while making your purchases!  Wink

Eagle90

 

  • Member since
    July 2004
  • From: Sonora Desert
Posted by stikpusher on Wednesday, November 27, 2013 9:20 PM

Squadron is doing something. I got some emails from them but already deleted them. Just imagine a place that is well stocked, and all the latest "must have" new release kits are at the front counter, open for your grubby little mitts to inspect and drool over... don't get any on the decals...

 

F is for FIRE, That burns down the whole town!

U is for URANIUM... BOMBS!

N is for NO SURVIVORS...

       - Plankton

LSM

 

  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: near Nashville, TN
Posted by TarnShip on Thursday, November 28, 2013 2:29 PM

Ahh, the hobby shop

You walk in the front door, and a little bell dings as the screen door hits it, the owner and his wife stop building their models and say "hi Rex" to you. When they ask if you have any certain thing in mind today, you just say "no, I will look around some", and they go back to their models, answering any comments you blurt out across the store.

You flip through the plastic page binder full of US and UK made decal sheets, noting any of the 2 dozen new sheets for this month. You go around that counter, and peer into the tools on the top shelf of that case, putting some knives and brushes up onto your small pile of items to purchase today. Next to that counter is a carousel standing on the floor, full of models in baggies from far away England, you spin it around and there is the Blue Plastic Spitfire,,,,,,you finally give in and add it to the pile.

you pick out 4 bottles of Pactra paint at 19cents each (the bottles with the "hand grenade" pattern on them), and 6 bottles of Testors,,,,,,,,,,and decide that you need one more of the Humbrol boxes of RAF colors, to do that Spitfire

The owner tells you that there are 4 new Profiles, and the lastest Airfix Magazine,,,,,,this one has detail pics of the F-4 Phantom, with drawings to correct the kit parts for the pylons

When you are done, you quietly stand and watch the owner's build for a while, when they get to an easy to stop place, you go and check out

You take the items out to your 3 Speed, with the "dweeb basket" on the front (installed when you made the bike, just for the purpose of carrying your model stuff home)

It sure was cool to be a model dweeb at 14 years old in 1971 in Southern California

Rex (we were dweebs because Geek and Nerd hadn't been invented yet, lol)

almost gone

  • Member since
    November 2003
  • From: Naples, FL
Posted by tempestjohnny on Saturday, November 30, 2013 5:49 AM

There used to be a great LHS that I could ride my bike to when I was a kid.  War and Pieces. Sadly it closed about 6 or 7 years ago because the landlord wanted to double the rent.  Now all I have is Amatos which is good but it is also toys and trains and r/c. Not the intimacy of a real hobby shop.  Also have Time Machine, again good selection but the employees don't have a clue. If your looking for a specific thing good luck

 

  • Member since
    September 2012
Posted by GMorrison on Monday, December 2, 2013 5:41 PM

Probably my first, the lady had to get the cat to move off of the magazines on the counter.

My second had a slot car track in back. Think it was 1/25. Used to have a shoebox full of oil, brushes and spare bodies.

Next one had an RC counter in the front with a real loudmouth who ran it and couldn't get through a sentence without an F bomb. Too bad too because it was a good one, and right next to where I picked my doaughter up from school carpool twice a week. But it got to be too much, even though trains and plastic were in the back. Don in trains was a great guy. He used to put aside stuff for me when they bought estate consignments, no purchase required if I didn't like it. Got a lot of good used books that way.

Current one is in the basement of a hardware store. Owner has maybe 25% of his stock on display. If I want an old kit, all I need to do is ask and he might have it the next week. But then I do have to buy it.

Ever been with your wife to the beauty salon? Talk about jabber.

 Modeling is an excuse to buy books.

 

  • Member since
    January 2013
Posted by BlackSheepTwoOneFour on Monday, December 2, 2013 10:08 PM

Yes but I never stick around. Either I run errands or sleep in the car. LOL!

  • Member since
    August 2008
Posted by tankerbuilder on Friday, December 13, 2013 9:00 AM

AHA ! I

I have a LHS if you could call it that .Thirty five miles from me .But still the best game in town . Gary has everything a modeler could be happy with .That is if you are a plastic modeler or resin freak .Books , why they are the Cat's Meow ! Aftermarket stuff falling off their hooks . Aisles so narrow you get up close and personal with the models and any other customer who needs to pass .That's okay though .Gary is a retired Air Force weenie and he's as lovable as they come .His Missus is a sweetie too .The guys that are there when I get there are fun to spend time with .

Now that said , This is still the definition of a LHS . Small , neatly packed with an owner concerned with our needs and the ability to insult you with class .He won't do that to casuals , only customer/friends he's made over time .I am glad to count myself as one . May the LHS , NEVER die out completely ! The only thing about the shop that is not friendly , there's so much stuff in there I cannot use my walker .That's alright though .When I get there I get so wrapped up in it all , I often leave my cane at the counter .

  • Member since
    November 2008
  • From: Far Northern CA
Posted by mrmike on Friday, December 13, 2013 12:45 PM

We're really lucky to have a great LHS in a small city (80,000). The shop is family owned and operated, and while their mainstay is RC, they stock a good selection of kits in a range of subjects. Plus lots of paint, tools and supplies including wood, plastic and metals.

They recently hosted a scale model contest broken out by subject and age of modeler, and awarded small trophies and cash discount certificates. Everyone who entered got a 10% off coupon good thru January. Support them...you bet! The nearest alternative is 160 miles or the internet. It's great to have a place to bop into, look stuff over, and BS with people who share the hobby!

Happy Holidays!

Mike  

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