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Hi guys! I was just curious if this is a localized thing or if it's happening all over. For starters, it's bad enough that two local "ma & pa" hobby shops closed their doors for good. I used to find the most esoteric brands and products in there. But now they're gone as are the varieties of brands especially when it comes to paint.
My local Hobbytown has now done away with Tamiya paints and so has the Hobby Lobby near me. I even swallowed my pride and went into a (shudder) model train shop where they used to carrry a generous variety of Tamiya and Alclad paints.
Now, granted, I've always been a Model Master enamels user with the occasional Polyscale bottle thrown in for good measure. But now that I'm thinking of switching to acrylics, it seems like if I want ANY of them, I have to go the on-line route. Not that it's overly horrible to do so. It's just that now I have to taking shipping charges into consideration. It also precludes me from going to the hobby shop just to pick up a bottle here and there.
Anyway, I was just wondering if all the disappearing brands is just because I live in the tiny town of Green Bay and not a major metropolitan center or are these paints disappearing from the shelves all over.
Eric
Testors discontinued a large number of the Model Master paints. It was duscussed at length at ARC.
My LHS in NJ is a small shop,but he has Modelmaster Enamel,Tamiya,and Vallejo,hopefully it will stay that way.
My LHS has for some time carried only Tamiya acrylics and MM enamels, which is fine as they are my most used anyway. But when I have asked about other types, they relate that when they do locate a distributor that carries a customer requested paint, soon enough that is no longer available to my shop.
So, for my Alclad, Vallejo and other brands, I go online. Usually to Scale Hobbyist, I find them to be efficient and cost effective, many orders, not one problem yet.
I do miss going to the HS for something when I need it, this way I have to pre-stock so much paint, in order to have a sufficient supply on hand. Not a big deal though.
Patrick
Yeah, MM paints are in every hobby and craft store here in Green Bay. I'm just wondering why every other brand has suddenly disappeared from the region. I was wondering if it's happening in other locations.
Well, PollyScale is bought out by Testors. Aeromaster still can be found on eBay. Other brands I will order from Scalehobbyist website. Sprue Brothers have other brands you can't find elsewhere.
Say Eric, I am south of you in the Milwaukee area. I have a Hobby Town near me and further west towards Waukesha is a Hiawatha Hobbies. They carry both brands and more.
So far, I have not seen what you are seeing. I hope that I don't.
Sorry to hear this though. Maybe try Appleton? A bit of a ride but ....
BlackSheepTwoOneFour Well, PollyScale is bought out by Testors. Aeromaster still can be found on eBay. Other brands I will order from Scalehobbyist website. Sprue Brothers have other brands you can't find elsewhere.
echolmberg ...My local Hobbytown has now done away with Tamiya paints and so has the Hobby Lobby near me..
...My local Hobbytown has now done away with Tamiya paints and so has the Hobby Lobby near me..
My guess is that it was a decision of the franchisees. My local Hobbytown (Whitehall, PA, just outside Allentown) carries Tamiya, as well as Testor's/Model Master, and Andrea acrylics (though I may be the only person buying those). Our local HobbyLobby never carried Tamiya, but it carries Testor's/Model Master, and Vallejo acrylics--in the model section. Of course, they carry various brands of acrylics, oils and enamels aimed at folks pursuing other hobbies.
We have an old-school local hobby shop, called Trains & Lanes, who have the expected eclectic mix of currently-available paint brands such as Tamiya and Testor's/Model Master, but they also stock Humbrols. And that's just in their scale modeling section. They have a well-stocked section for model railroading, and there are some brands of paint there that I never heard of.
The bigger the government, the smaller the citizen.
My local Hobby Lobby carries a sorry selection of Vallejo and Model Master paints. Their MM acrylics selection is pretty pathetic, while their enamels isn't something to write home about.
A LHS near me just recently started carrying Tamiya paints. He does have a great selection of Model Master enamels and a small collection of their acrylic line of paints. He also has a fair collection of Gunze/Mr. Color acrylics too. I have to be careful when buying Gunze because I have purchased a few Gunze paints only to find them pretty gummy and old.
EdGrune Place any 'blame' at the appropriate corporate level
As of late, I have been feeling a bit fortunate...although, in the 13 years I've lived here, I've seen at least a dozen shops (within an hours drive) come and go...we had one open up, just a couple years ago. For a pretty small shop, they've got just about everything you could need (with the exception of most a/m items)...the aircraft section is the best I have ever seen anywhere, all the supplies needed, paint, paint, and more paint from all the major players.
The Model Cave is a MUST STOP, if you're ever passing through the Ann Arbor Michigan area (only about 5-10minutes from 94/23).
Hey Eric, that sounds like a great plan with EAA and all. I know that they have some hobby stores in that area. It will be a fun filled day watching air shows followed by shopping at a hobby store. That sounds pretty good to me.
That is too bad about the store near you though. You should ask the owner why they stopped carrying the Tamiya. If I was to venture a guess it would be about money. Many hobby stores are hurting for business. It might be that they are cutting expenses.
Anyway... Good luck and have fun at EAA!
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