New Models at Hobby Lobby?

Surely, they jest.  I haven't seen anything new or worthwhile at HL for years, and nothing has changed as of today.  Whole bunch of car models, if anyone is interested in that, and a mediocre selection of old Revell airplane models-  They're good for an occasional paint or tool purchase, but that's about it.

They get their new layouts in late August. Not sure what's coming, though. 

I would assume it depends on what they have in the main warehouses and how much they have of it in stock. I've noticed that a lot of items will stay in stock for months, but new items show up from time to time, then dissapear and never come back.

Hobby Lobby has a better rotation than Michael's though. Nothing has changed on Michael's shelves in two years around  here lol.

Just for fun, and apropos of almost nothing, the current HL headquarters sits on my in-law's former farm.

The one here seems to slowly rotate some stuff in and out. They now have Bandai Star Wars kits which was a shocker. Their website shows a Tamiya new tool 1/35 M4A3E8, which if the store gets it I will have to pick up at 40% off. Or the Gamma Goat. They seem to rotate the new Revell aircraft kits in quicker than other kits.

I stopped by over the weekend and saw nothing that caught my eye. Lots of auto kits though.

We had a Hobby Lobby open two blocks from where I live just last weekend! In the past week, I've used their 40% off coupons to pick up two Tamiya M4A3E8s, several of the 1/72 Star Wars kits, the R2/AMT Klingon Bird of Prey, a couple of resin casting kits, a few paints, and miscellaneous stuff like X-Acto blades and a set of polishing pads.

So far, I'm impressed. It's a huge improvement in my local hobby scene. Glad to have it in the community and so close to the apartment.

The wife is not impressed, but she's grateful that we no longer have to drive 200 miles to pick up Tamiya primers and cement.

I saw that on Saturday when I was in there. Too bad they don't fall in my budget!

I'll be keeping an eye on those new M4A3E8's to see if I can catch one going on clearance. Might be a while, but I've learned a lot of patience over the last 10 years lol.

One of these days.... Pow! I'll get one.

Chemteacher

My HL will have new kits every now and then. I check periodically since they often put kits on clearance. Almost picked up the pro-modeler ME-410 for a little over $16.00 but decided to save some coins for a while. They usually carry a descent amount of kits however more 1/72 than 1/48 in planes.

 

You should've grabbed that 410 when you had the chance lol. That price was less than they are asking for the 1/72 Academy P-51D. 

First, that's an impressive haul. I was happy when HL showed up down the road from me as well. Before HL there was only Michael's (who's selection is stagnant) and Fred Myers (very limited and mostly snap tight).

All of the local hobby shops have died off in my area. So HL is my best supplier of paints and supplies. The local airport has the best selection of kits though lol.

M. Brindos

I saw that on Saturday when I was in there. Too bad they don't fall in my budget!

I'll be keeping an eye on those new M4A3E8's to see if I can catch one going on clearance. Might be a while, but I've learned a lot of patience over the last 10 years lol.

One of these days.... Pow! I'll get one.

 

I think it runs for around $50 before the 40% off... one thing I've noticed from grabbing stuff on clearance there-the clearance price is usually the  40% off price... go figure

So how do I go about getting these 40% off coupons? I don't have a modern phone with internets. Lol.

Well, how about a home computer with a printer? Do you have that? All you need is internet access. Go to their website, mobile or desktop, look for the 40% off coupon, and print it up. The discount code and dates change weekly, so you could theoretically print up 6 per week, and use one a day if you're feeling miserly. Since they're closed on Sunday and only allow one customer one coupon and one item per visit...

Yep! I got all that. Looks like there may be a new Armour kit in my stash soon.  :D

Mike ;

   That's so you can't use the coupon . It cannot be used for marked down items . T.B.

Last week while looking at their website I saw the Gamma Goat for $16.95 (regularly $50).  I went to the store where they were still at $50.  They honored the website price but the manager said the website price was wrong. I give the guy credit for doing that, and it turns out he is a fellow modeler....

It does seem like late summer is when they rotate new stuff in, but I seem to see new stuff in about once a month or so.  It's probabaly a good thing for my wallet actually lol!

And you only use it on ONE item PER DAY. It's not like you can use multiple coupons per item on one shopping trip like Bed Bath and Beyond does.

stikpusher

The one here seems to slowly rotate some stuff in and out. They now have Bandai Star Wars kits which was a shocker. Their website shows a Tamiya new tool 1/35 M4A3E8, which if the store gets it I will have to pick up at 40% off. Or the Gamma Goat. They seem to rotate the new Revell aircraft kits in quicker than other kits.

 

Both of my local Hobby Lobby stores have the new Tamiya M4A3E8 (not the old motorized kit nor the rebox Tasca kit) as well as the Gama Goat. They have the two Bandai Star Wars kits, the 1/72nd scale TIE Interceptor (I bought) and the dual X-Wing kit with a 1/72 and 1/144 scale kits inside.

They have many of the World of Tanks kits by Italeri, about a half dozen different ones like the Chaffee, Type 59, Elefant, Leopard, Sherman, etc.

I mostly buy tools and supplies from them.  They have a better selection of polishing pads and fine sandpaper than my LHS has.  I have on occasion bought a Revell kit with the discount coupon, since those are reasonably priced already, and with 40% off are a bargain. They have a much bigger range of Testors paint than my Michaels store.

I look for tools in other areas than the model section, too.  They have a swivel knife that looks good and a good price, and I'll use my coupon on it pretty soon.  I bought a pair of nippers from the jewelry section that is the best sprue cutter I have ever had!

I mostly buy supplies as well, but when I do I'm looking for anything that catches my fancy under $20.

They are the ONLY place in town for armor kits. I did look into those Italleri 1/56 armor kits for that game "bolt action" and the local comic/game shop will order them for me at their cost. That's a cool deal for some oddball sized armor subjects. The details look a little soft, but that's never deterred me lol.

mississippivol

They get their new layouts in late August. Not sure what's coming, though. 

This essentially confirms what I was told, that they get new kits periodically throughout the year, but then get a fairly major overhaul in their selection in the summer. I'll have to check back in August!

Another quick point:

My local HL sells the Tamiya Sherman for $50. Minus the 40% coupon, that's $30. You can find the same kit online from numerous sources for around $36.

So, does HL simply raise their sticker prices to compensate for the 40% coupons?  

Roald

Another quick point:

My local HL sells the Tamiya Sherman for $50. Minus the 40% coupon, that's $30. You can find the same kit online from numerous sources for around $36.

So, does HL simply raise their sticker prices to compensate for the 40% coupons?  

 

Most likely they do. At least a small percentage. Their sticker prices are around or slightly above MSRP you see on various producer companies websites. 

lawdog114

They used to carry the good stuff back in the day, Tamiya, Hasegawa....even Accurate Miniatures when they were still around

 

They also carried Trumpeter and current Revell releases like both 1/72 Gato and Type VII/C boats. I remember a 1/350 Trumpeter USS Hornet Flat top on clearance for under $50. I had it in my hands but decided not to get it, bad move on my part.......

I have two HL's in my area and there is nothing worthwile to pick up. It's always the same old kits. Once in a while a new one pops up like the 1/48 Revell Stearman but that one has not been re stocked. I pick up stuff like glue or blades.

A couple of months ago I called the Corporate Office and spoke to a nice lady in customer service. I asked her why they had such an anemic selection of kits and paints. She said the big guys upstairs decide on what stock the stores will carry. Well, I couldn't help myself and told her that who ever decides is just purely ignorant and not in touch with the modeling community. I mentioned several products that I know would fly off the shelves. In such a large city like Orlando, I know of only two HL's and two hobby stores, all with limited choices in kits and supplies. I sure miss the days of walking into Orange Blossom Hobbies in Miami. That was modeling heaven!

I suggested bringing back the 1/72 subs and some of the ROG kits along with a better paint selection. She said she would pass the info down and sounded like she was writing things down (or just blowing smoke up my you know what.) 

plasticjunkie

 

 

lawdog114

They used to carry the good stuff back in the day, Tamiya, Hasegawa....even Accurate Miniatures when they were still around

 

 

 

 

They also carried Trumpeter and current Revell releases like both 1/72 Gato and Type VII/C boats. I remember a 1/350 Trumpeter USS Hornet Flat top on clearance for under $50. I had it in my hands but decided not to get it, bad move on my part.......

I have two HL's in my area and there is nothing worthwile to pick up. It's always the same old kits. Once in a while a new one pops up like the 1/48 Revell Stearman but that one has not been re stocked. I pick up stuff like glue or blades.

A couple of months ago I called the Corporate Office and spoke to a nice lady in customer service. I asked her why they had such an anemic selection of kits and paints. She said the big guys upstairs decide on what stock the stores will carry. Well, I couldn't help myself and told her that who ever decides is just purely ignorant and not in touch with the modeling community. I mentioned several products that I know would fly off the shelves. In such a large city like Orlando, I know of only two HL's and two hobby stores, all with limited choices in kits and supplies. I sure miss the days of walking into Orange Blossom Hobbies in Miami. That was modeling heaven!

I suggested bringing back the 1/72 subs and some of the ROG kits along with a better paint selection. She said she would pass the info down and sounded like she was writing things down (or just blowing smoke up my you know what.) 

 

We had American Eagles HS in Seattle and a smaller sattelite store in Tacoma. Both are gone. Best HS in Washington for over a decade.

lawdog114

They used to carry the good stuff back in the day, Tamiya, Hasegawa....even Accurate Miniatures when they were still around..I have 5 Tamiya P-47s in my stash courtesy of their 40 percenters. I suppose it was no longer economical

I get the impression that whoever is responsible for purchasing for the model section doesn't really understand the nature of the market. 

For example, I was there recently and the aircraft section seems sort of haphazard. They have a few cheap, entry level products (old Revell kits) which probably sell relatively well for beginners and more experienced modelers who appreciate the nostalgia.

They also had a very small number of higher end kits (Tamiya Sherman/Gamo Goat/Revell C-54) which I imagine move pretty quickly.

But then they have a slew of random stuff. Old Lindberg reissues, some Academy 1/72 kits, some slightly obscure Italeri helicopters, etc. Nothing wrong with any of that, but I wonder how many people it appeals to? 

Most modelers today are not kids, but are adults who are fairly well informed on the products. I wonder if they realize that?

Admittedly, I know nothing about how that company works but it seems that if you spent even five minutes researching the market you would quickly conclude that your limited shelf space is better utilized by selling newer, higher quality kits.