Timmy C wrote:
Magic Box Hobbies, right? How's their ship selection and pricing? It's not on a SkyTrain line so I've never had the chance to visit, but I might this holiday season.
Yes, I was at Magic Box Hobbies yesterday.
They have a fair selection of model ships in 1/700, 1/350, etc., and across brands such as Aoshima, Hasegawa, Trumpeter and so forth. Their selection is not as big as that in Imperial Hobbies in Richmond, BC, where I do most of my modelling-related shopping.
They also have a wider selection of Aoshima kits than Imperial Hobbies, including rarer kits such as the super-detail seaplane tender
Chitose with PE sets included, but I am guessing most of that is just old stock since the store seemed just about deserted when I went there. It seems to be an "Mom and Pop"-run model store run by a middle-aged Chinese couple, while Imperial Hobbies is run by several younger people and one middle-aged guy.
Still, their prices are on average 4-6 dollars lower than the prices in Imperial Hobbies.
For example:
Trumpeter's 1/700 HMS
Repulse is around 35 dollars, while the same kit is 39.99 at Imperial Hobbies.
Trumpeter's 1/700 HMS
Renown is about 36 dollars, while the same kit is about 41 dollars Imperial Hobbies.
Tamiya's 1/700 HMS
Repulse is only around 49.99 at Magic Box, while the same kit is about 64 dollars at Imperial Hobbies.
Trumpeter's 1/700 DKM
Tirpitz is 26 dollars, while the same kit is about 29.99 at Imperial Hobbies.
Still, there are some kits that are nearly the same in pricing, such as Tamiya's 1/700 Hood (with the bonus E-class destroyer included) which are around 63 dollars at both stores.
*On a sidenote, Magic Box has a Boxing Day sale at 20% off on all purchases, while Imperial Hobbies has a Boxing Day sale at 25% off all purhcases. Not sure if these are better or worse to what you're used to at model stores on your side of the Rockies.
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Anyways, these 3 posts were are already off-topic. If you want I suggest you should move it to the appropriate section, if any, that deals with particular region's hobby stores and reviews, etc.