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Great model stores/LHS between Wash D.C., NYC and Cape Cod?

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  • Member since
    January 2012
  • From: Belgium, EU
Great model stores/LHS between Wash D.C., NYC and Cape Cod?
Posted by Ninetalis on Friday, April 13, 2012 12:05 PM

Hey all,

If all goes well, I will be in the US between 31 of june and 12 of july.
I would go from Washington DC to Cape Cod, by car
So I'm wondering, are there any great model stores to be found between those 2 places which is worth visiting as an aircraft builder?

Adding the websites of those stores would be great, so I can find 'em more easily.

And yes, I will be visiting NASM and USS Intrepid!

With regards, Ninetalis.


EDIT!

Also, I wonder if wall-mart or any other frequantly found giant warehouse, any good finding model planes?
I'm very much on the lookout for Monograms and pro modellers, since you can't get 'em so easy in europe...

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Western North Carolina
Posted by Tojo72 on Friday, April 13, 2012 12:26 PM

 I really like this place

 Avenel Hobbies - (732) 382-7717

1111 Saint Georges AveColoniaNJ 07067

They don't seem to have a site,but a big selection,also lots of AM and supplies

  • Member since
    January 2012
  • From: Belgium, EU
Posted by Ninetalis on Friday, April 13, 2012 5:30 PM

Nice thanks Tojo72, do they have a lot of monogram airplanes?
Also, are the prices good? or are they a bit above average?

With regards, Ninetalis.

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Western North Carolina
Posted by Tojo72 on Friday, April 13, 2012 8:05 PM

I spend more time looking at the armor,but they seem to have some of a lot of different companies,price wise they are average for hobby shop,higher then online.

  • Member since
    January 2012
  • From: Belgium, EU
Posted by Ninetalis on Friday, April 13, 2012 8:24 PM

I don't do much buying online anyway so I'm okay with it.
How about a wall-mart or something? Or like a big toy store company? like Toys r Us?
They got any model kits? Or you know any where they sell some?

Regards Ninetalis.

  • Member since
    September 2009
  • From: Guam
Posted by sub revolution on Friday, April 13, 2012 8:54 PM

This place:

http://www.timemachinehobby.com/index.php

advertises itself in FSM as being the largest hobby store in New England. Went there a couple times and it's pretty cool. They even have model trains set up and running on certain days.

If you're interested in museums also, don't miss the New England Air Museum in Hartford, CT. That's the largest air museum in New England and is very good.

The former Quonset Point NAS has a small, but interesting air museum.

The USS Nautilus in Groton, CT was the first nuclear sub, and the USS Massachusetts is a museum ship along with a few others in Fall River, MA if you like ships.

Just a few ideas to get you started. Welcome to the US and to New England!

NEW SIG

  • Member since
    October 2009
Posted by PANZERWAFFE on Friday, April 13, 2012 10:53 PM

I use to visit and enjoy this place regularly when I lived in Cape Cod.  Good staff and good selection of kits.  I always went for the armor but they had aircraft, ships, figs, trains, cars, and everything else in between.  They also had styrene and scratch building material, a little bit of AM stuff, paints, tools, books / reference material, etc.  I wouldn't mind going back there myself.

http://www.centerlinehobbies.com/

Sub Revolution, do you know what ever happened with the Russian submarine they were pulling up in Providence, Rhode Island?  They had just brought it to the surface and I had moved a few days later.

Rob

  • Member since
    September 2009
  • From: Guam
Posted by sub revolution on Friday, April 13, 2012 11:40 PM

Panzer- Only thing I ever heard was before I even lived there. Just one article about they were going to make it a museum, but it sank. They raised it, but I think they said repairing the water damage would be too much work. That's all I ever heard.

Oh and one more thing Nintalis, when you go to NASM in DC, don't forget the Udvar Hazey annex! It's a handfull of miles south, but you will regret missing it!

NEW SIG

  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: Carmel, CA
Posted by bondoman on Saturday, April 14, 2012 12:44 AM

There used to be a number of good railroad hobby shops on 42nd street in Manhattan, just east of Times Square. Probably gone now.

There's a nice Christmas Tree Store out in Chatham Mass that has a nice outdoor layout in the LGB scale.

  • Member since
    October 2008
  • From: SE Pennsylvania
Posted by padakr on Saturday, April 14, 2012 6:38 AM

sub revolution

If you're interested in museums also, don't miss the New England Air Museum in Hartford, CT. That's the largest air museum in New England and is very good.

I agree, that is a nice museum.  There is also the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum (http://www.maam.org/) in Reading, Pennsylvania.

For relatively inexpensive Revell/Monogram kits, I go to Michaels (http://www.michaels.com/) a craft store chain with stores up and down the east coast.  If you sign up on their web site, they e-mail you 20-40% off coupons every week.

Have a good trip,

Paul

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Massachusetts
Posted by ajlafleche on Saturday, April 14, 2012 6:41 AM

In addition to Centerline (behind the Cape Cod Mall in Hyannis off route 134) and Time Machine (easy access from I 84) , previously mentioned, on your way through there's Craftec (route 140 east off I-91 0n East Windsor CT), Pioneer Valley Hobbies off route 5 near I-91 in West Springfield MA and Spare Time Hobbies route 20 a couple miles east of the intersection with I 495 in Marlboro MA. This is likely the oldest shop in New England, at this same location since 1973 or so. There's also Tom's Trains in Wethersfield CT and The Hobby Bunker in Malden (just north of Boston) MA.

Other shops who vend at local shows include Darlington Hobbies (Warren RI), harry's Hobbies and Collectibles (Norton MA) and AA Hobbies (Warwick RI).

The New England Air Museum is actually in Windsor Locks CT, adjacent to Bradley International Airport..

Remember, if the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

  • Member since
    June 2008
  • From: Piscataway,NJ
Posted by jtrace214 on Saturday, April 14, 2012 7:25 AM

I agree with Avenel Hobbies,also in NJ is Hobbymasters in Red Banks NJ I belive they have a site,Maplewood Hobbies in Maplewood I also believe they have a site and AAA in southern nj they are part of Stevens International only been there once as its a haul for me but the store was huge.

 

John

the pic to the left is my weekend condo lol

  • Member since
    January 2012
  • From: Belgium, EU
Posted by Ninetalis on Saturday, April 14, 2012 8:56 AM

Thanks guys!

Only thing is, I'm not able to go that far north that I will be in Massachusetts...
But thanks anyway guys!

Now I'm trying to figure out where would be the best thing to go to... I would like to visit one or two stores...
I can't 'afford to visit more than 2-3 museums allready.
The Udvar Hazey annex was allready on my list, since it keeps the most WW2 aircraft. (I think)
But thanks for pointing that out to me, I didn't know the museum was split up in 2 parts.

I really would like to know if there are any members here from DC, NYC, Philadelphia or Cape Cod itself? Where do you guys get your stuff?
I'm driving through the 95 from DC up to cape cod, so that's where I more or less need to stay,I can't afford to go off and go a few 100miles east or something (sadly enough)

With regards Ninetalis.

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Fort Knox
Posted by Rob Gronovius on Saturday, April 14, 2012 9:10 AM

There's AA Hobbies in Warwick, RI and a pretty decent one that is about an hour outside of Boston, a little more north than where you'll be, but it is often a Mecca for New England modelers. It is called Spare Time Shop http://www.sparetimeshop.com/

 

  • Member since
    January 2012
  • From: Belgium, EU
Posted by Ninetalis on Saturday, April 14, 2012 9:12 AM

Yes Rob, it looks like heaven to me, but I don't think that I will be able to get there, I will go to Boston to take a plane back to Europe, but I don't think that I'm able to go that far north...

Now AA hobbies is smack on my route! So I'll probable visit that one anyway.

Regards Ninetalis.

  • Member since
    September 2010
Posted by scootertrash on Saturday, April 14, 2012 9:40 AM

Ninetails,

 

The NASM and the Annex at Dulles Airport are both FREE!  If you have to choose between the two, I would do the Annex!  Also if you like firearms the NRA musem is in Fairfax, VA real close to the NASM Annex and is also free.

 

Mark Gauding

  • Member since
    January 2012
  • From: Belgium, EU
Posted by Ninetalis on Saturday, April 14, 2012 9:42 AM

Thanks for the info Scootertrash, I had just read on their website that they're indeed both free,
But I will do them both anyway since I really wanted to see the hangar with the Boeign hangar and the other part is next to the capitol where we have to go, I will probable to do them both anyway!

I have to add a question about AA Hobies, what do they actually sell there? because I find reviews saying that they sell only train models and they don't seem to have a website...

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • From: USA
Posted by mstazz62 on Saturday, April 14, 2012 10:50 AM

Web address: stevenshobby.com

AAA Hobbies in Magnolia NJ is the store in front of Stevens International which is probably one of the largest hobby distributers in the USA. I know cause I used to work there part time. The store is huge, has a nice display case with finished models, has a very large selection of kits, plus they have catalogs of every company's products they sell and the staff can get whatever you want from the warehouse in back. I go there every Saturday morning to brouse the store and "talk shop" with the guys who are very knowledgable on modeling and history.It really is a must see for the modeler!

Hope to see you there-

Mark

mstazz62
  • Member since
    September 2009
  • From: Guam
Posted by sub revolution on Saturday, April 14, 2012 10:59 AM

When I lived in Groton, CT which 95 goes right through, I shopped at Lee's Toy and hobby shop. It's not a huge store, but they had a pretty big selection of models at slightly high if not perfectly reasonable prices. You can google that store easily, and it's only a few miles from 95.

NEW SIG

Dre
  • Member since
    June 2007
  • From: here, not over there
Posted by Dre on Saturday, April 14, 2012 12:18 PM

If you're going to be in NYC, there's an odd little basement RR shop http://theredcaboose.com just a few blocks off Times Square that also has a decent selection of model kits.  It's very small, dusty and slightly overpriced but dude has some interesting kits lying about... my girlfriend thinks that it is possibly the strangest place that I've ever taken her.  

There are things literally glued to the wall because there's no place else to put them!

  • Member since
    January 2012
  • From: Belgium, EU
Posted by Ninetalis on Saturday, April 14, 2012 12:18 PM

Mstazz62, I didn't mean AAA hobbies but still thanks!
I've found that site of AAA hobbies about 2 hours ago and I'm still on it,
I'm definitely stopping there! they really seem to have a lot and the prices are very reasonable,
I think this one will be my main stopper, I hope I can't find most of the kits there,

I mainly looking for testors, monogram/promodeller/revell and lindberg kits, and they've got 'em all

Sub revolution, thanks for the info, I will look it up!

Dre, If I'm in the neighborhood, I will definitely drop in, I just hope my girlfriend is going to kill me after we leave for taking her to such a strange place, they don't appear to have to many planes, do they?

With regards, Ninetalis.

Dre
  • Member since
    June 2007
  • From: here, not over there
Posted by Dre on Saturday, April 14, 2012 3:49 PM

Ninetalis,  their main focus is on RR stuff but there seems to be enough traffic for models for them to keep them stocked...  it's not a great selection overall, but it's worth a visit just for the experience

Look for a small sidewalk sign and listen for a train horn- that's how you'll know that you've found it.  

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Massachusetts
Posted by ajlafleche on Saturday, April 14, 2012 6:38 PM

Ninetalis

 

Only thing is, I'm not able to go that far north that I will be in Massachusetts...I'm driving through the 95 from DC up to cape cod

Ninetalis.

Cape Cod IS in Massachusetts.

AA Hobbies vends at Baycon each November and has a great deal of regular plastic.

Remember, if the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

  • Member since
    January 2012
  • From: Belgium, EU
Posted by Ninetalis on Sunday, April 15, 2012 8:42 AM

thanks Dre,It's allready on the list,

Aljafleche, I know, but I'm staying at the shoreline, I will probable not go into the mainland itself.

With regards Ninetalis.

  • Member since
    March 2012
  • From: Kingsport, TN.
Posted by 01JeepXJ on Sunday, April 15, 2012 11:08 AM

Ninetails, the NASM will keep me busy for a DAY!! I love that place and have visited several times. My wife has a brother that lives just outside of Ft. Meade, Md.

The giftshop/hobby shop at NASM used to have nearly every airplane kit made along with all sorts of patches etc. The prices are retail but the entire museum is a thrill. I did spend 6 hrs. there on one visit we made and went back again before we left!!!

Enjoy your visit, come back again.

Never try to teach a pig to sing. It's a waste of time and only annoys the pig.

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: NYC, USA
Posted by waikong on Tuesday, April 17, 2012 11:49 AM

Udvar is free, but the parking isn't -lol. If you had to choose between NASM at the Washington DC Mall or Udvar, Udvar is wins in my book.

The museum of United States Marine Corp is also worth a visit.  Only opend a few years ago. They have 3 or 4 'life size' dioramas with light and sounds effects.  It's only 15 minutes or so away from Udvar..

  • Member since
    October 2005
  • From: Warwick, RI
Posted by Kolschey on Tuesday, April 17, 2012 8:50 PM

One of my personal favorites here in Rhode Island is the Apponaug Color Shop. I highly recommend it.

http://www.hobbyri.com/  

Krzysztof Mathews http://www.firstgearterritories.com

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