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[McGherkin]

I feel very fortunate to have a model shop literally across the road. And to ensure I keep said model shop running, I buy everything through him. Yes, I could get it cheaper online, but then I wouldn't have a local model shop, would I?


As for modelling not being very popular amongst yoofs like me, I think it's mostly due to modelling being a bit 'sedate', plus being interested in engineering isn't very 'cool' these days. Plus there's the instant gratification of just being able to buy a 40+mph catamaran off the shelf, and just charge it up and go.

[tigertiger]

FYI peeps.

H A Blunt & Sons of 133 The Broadway, Mill Hill can be seen in this 'photo t...

The shop has a black frontage and is two doors down to the right of the dairy. It's currently an estate agents .
...

 


I am assuming that most of the trees and grass in that photo have also gone now.

[robbob]

Hi tigertiger.
The roundabout is still there, slightly smaller now but still green and there are still trees on it.
The grass verges of the road you see going north of the roundabout (to Apex Corner) were reduced when the road was widened to make it a dual carriageway. The biggest change is the number of vehicles that converge at that junction, many more than the three you see in the 'photo 😕.

[Subculture]

The model shop on Parkway, Camden Town, London - what was it called before it was Ripmax, Hobbystores, Al's Hobbies?

Aeronautical Models. Was never Al's Hobbies, although Ali did start off as the manager of the store before branching off to front his own chain.

[DimReaper]

Hi all.
Just to say Midway Models is still open for business.
If not open knock on house next door.
Have been there recently.

[FsASTSyd1]

Can't think how many hours I spent gazing/drooling over the display in the Bassett Lowke shop in High Holborn.

[roycv]

Hi, yes I may have stood next to you!  Later on in life I was building an early boat kitted (Graupner Condor) but I had the plans and was scratch building and I went in to ask how much stanchions were, I was shocked!  I was told they had to come, on order,  from Switzerland and the price was equivalent now to maybe £2 - £3 each.  So it was very much a gentlemans model shop.  I ended up buyng the excellent fittings kit for the cost of 10 B L stanchions (28 needed).  As they never reduced their prices they went to the wall early on.
I think in the early 60s they sold an electric Streamlinia with radio control for £50.  I have never seen one so was later driven to building my own.
regards Roy

[robbob]

Hi Roy.
Just for you...
http://modelboatmayhemimages.co.uk/images/2017/12/03/Basset-Lowke.jpg


Robbob.

[robbob]

Here's some more old pictures of long gone model shops ...


HJ Nicholls Holloway Road



RipMax Camden



Beatties, unknown location..anyone know where in London?



Basset Lowke, Holborn


(I have been playing with the Mayhem image hosting site, I think I've got the hang of it now )


Robbob.

[Mark T]

Beatties was in Lewisham South London.  I spent many an afternoon in there wishing I had the money to buy a Tamiya radio controlled car.  It was a great shop that moved premises after a fire and became bigger and better.  Good times.

[robbob]

Hi Mark T


Beatties had quite a few in London and around the country, I remember going to the Finchley and Southgate branches.





Robbob

[Mark T]

Crickey I never knew that - mind you I wasn't that well travelled when I was 8 years old     Its amazing how you think the world works at that age!  I do remember the original shop burning down in Lewisham in about 1977 and it moved to a bigger and better place soon after.  We went to the grand re-opening and turned up a day too late 

[Peter Fitness]

I visited the Beatties branch in High Holborn during our visit to the UK back in 1997. I bought a 3 car Lima Class 101 DMU set in Network SE livery, which is still operating on my layout to this day.


Peter.

[bfgstew]

We had 2 wonderful model shops in Bedford, Goldings and Gascgoines. Think Goldings is still going as it is on the high street and you could buy anything in there. Gascgoines went years ago but it was an absolute alladins cave, one half was full of gardening stuff the other was the model shop. Back half of it was a display area and was full of all manner of models and dioramas. What the 2 lads in there didn't know about modelling wasn't worth knowing about. Very keen to show us youngsters tips and tricks, even had demo's on airbrushing and other magic tricks.........broke my heart when it shut, you could get any model on the planet you wanted. Even had credit as a kid, good old days.

[roycv]

Thanks robbob, remember it well.  I know exactly where Rip Max was I used to go to Saturday morning pictures and then afterwards go through the market and over the road to Rip Max.  I think they used to sell Meccano spare parts as well.
regards Roy

[ballastanksian]

We had Martlet Toys and Models in Chichester who boasted separate shops for each across the road from each other (Ooh the luxury in what would become an uber expensive city for shops) Dad and I bought our first kit there, I just remember the tins of blue and red Humbrol we bought to paint the balsa cabin cruiser kit*. They finally closed in the early naughties. In the ninties we had Kits 'n' Bits, who had a wee shop in an Arcade. This was my 'Hobby home' where I bought my first Dragon kit and did a couple of painting commissions. He moved to Southampton and had a three storey shop with basement for the same rent as the wee shop! All gone now 

After Trains, Boats and Planes in Bognor finally died for the third time (much to the proprietor's wife's relief financially) a friend of mine opened up a shop on the other side of town and is quite successful. He has a tidy shop and does not stock everything but can order it for you from several online suppliers. His interest is wargaming, but he keeps an up to date selection of model ships amongst other kits and model railway products.

I think things go in phases. What were kids doing 150 years ago?

[bj]

How good is your memory, Martin?
On the corner of North Street and Lincoln Road in Peterborough was OLIVER CARLEY's model shop. I am going back here to the 1950's and in Midgate/New Road there was Handicraft's.

[LJ Crew]

Nostalgia ain't wot it used to be! But oh it's good to remember. Blunts at Mill hill was one of my "locals". I went to school in Mill Hill and my mate used to build model aircraft kits for Blunts' window display. I occasionally went to "Wally's" in Wembley. Whitestone Pond has memories too. I used to take a B/L "Streamliner" on the 210 bus from Golders Green up there and sail it. How I managed Meths, water etc I don't know. It's all gone now, but the memories haven't. Oh, and I had a ruddy great PBK 2 man sailing canoe.

[boat captain]

Anyone from the dim & distant past in Liverpool/Lancashire - Wirral    would remember Stan Catchpoles in Renshaw (Bold Street ? never could remember which) , and slightly further afield Alpha Models in Ellesmere Port , Model Engineers were well catered for by a shop at the bottom of Sir Thomas Street Liverpool (   name escapes me ) where any sort of brass / copper tube , sheet preform section,  was available also the local supplier's of CASCAMITE / AEROLITE 301    how many will know what they are . . . .
Bill

The shop at the bottom of Sir Thomas Street was Precision Models.

[boat captain]

Catchpoles moved to Bold St., in the late sixties/early seventies after being in Whitechapel for many years. Lost count of the times I had my eyes glued to their big window. There was Hobbies as well, off Church St., where my Dinky cars and HO railway came from (Christmas 1959) and Revel kits @15/6; Woolies of course sold the first Airfix kits @ 2/-. All gone now of course

I can't recall who the metal stockholders were but I was often sent to a place in Duke St,. the name of which escapes me now. For non-ferrous stuff now I go to Mersey Metals in Birkenhead.

LB

The metal stockholders you refer to was Slater Metals in Slater street.

[tigertiger]

I think things go in phases. What were kids doing 150 years ago?

 


Working in the mines. A report about this (at the time) is what inspired Charles Dickens to write A Christmas Carol.
That's my addition to the Christmas trivia quiz.

[Liverbudgie2]

The metal stockholders you refer to was Slater Metals in Slater street.

In this case I was thinking of Wiggins Ester (sp) in Duke St. I remember Slater Metals as well, they moved out to Regent Rd. They are still in business by the look of things.

LB

[mrlownotes]

How good is your memory, Martin?
On the corner of North Street and Lincoln Road in Peterborough was OLIVER CARLEY's model shop. I am going back here to the 1950's and in Midgate/New Road there was Handicraft's.

Oliver Carley was on Broadway opposite the cinema when I haunted it in the mid 1960s.

Back then, to buy a kit I paid a £5 deposit, then returned the following 8 Saturdays to pay £1 instalments. Each instalment took a whole morning round trip (two 6 mile bus rides and a very long walk). Credit cards hadn't been invented. The kit was kept on the top shelf at the back of the shop until the day of my final payment of £2 (Total £14 over 13 weeks).

[tigertiger]

During those days of very strict credit control, those 'lay away' schemes kept a lot of people out of trouble, and gave other access to stuff they could not otherwise buy.

[deadbeat]

I also understand that ARTWOX, who make wooden decks forship kits is also to cease trading as the owners take on other new ventures.