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Model Master Paint Becoming A Snipe Hunt


ipmsusa2

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It's been an interesting afternoon. Here's what happened:

 

Needed 1 or 2 bottles each of MM Flat Gull Gray, Flat Insignia Yellow and Steel for airbrush use on a client's model. Someone in the Ft. Worth - Arlington area should have it, right? Wrong.

 

Hobby Lobby carries a fair amount of Acryl, very limited selection of MM enamel. Yellow and Steel they have...but Gull Gray is only carried in a spray can. However, Dark Gull Gray is available

in a bottle.

 

Roy's Hobby Shop doesn't carry MM line.

 

Two railroad shops don't carry MM line.

 

Hobbytown in south Arlington doesn't carry Yellow at all and only stocks Gull Gray in spray cans. Asked why and the guy on the phone said the store doesn't make that

decision. Didn't ask about Steel because I was so disgusted by that time that I hung up.

 

Internet time. Sprue Brothers had all three. $3.39 each. Total for 5 bottles? $16.45. Shipping was $10.01. Grand total? $26.46 for 2 1/2 ounces of paint...and at least 80%

of that weight is the glass bottles.

 

Incidentally, I can't be in a hurry for the paint, either. Solvent based paint can't be shipped by air, which lets out USPS Priority. It can't be shipped out of the U.S.either...or to

Hawaii or Alaska.

 

It's reaching the point that politics and EPA regulations are controlling what you can use to build a model!

 

O.K., I'm stepping down from my soapbox. Your turn.

 

 

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Try Hobby Linc- note spelling. Broad range of all colours and brands. Solvent and acrylic. Better prices, fast service. I gave up on brick and mortar stores for paint long ago for the reasons you point out. I am about 30 miles from the nearest hobby store. Between gas, tolls and sales tax, Hobby Linc is a better deal. Not to mention the time saved. I usually order MM enamel and it arrives in about a week. Nick Filippone

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Nick,

 

Checked out Hobby Linc. I like their prices, but I think Sprue Brothers has faster delivery. We'll see. On the other hand, Hobby Linc carries something from MM that Sprue Brothers doesn't.

 

Where the problem lies for me...since I build as a hobby but also build and write as a business...is when your last bottle of paint goes bad in the bottle and you're on a time critical project. Then

you really need a brick-and-mortar source. Under those conditions, a week is a l-o-o-o-o-ng time!

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Nick,

 

Here's an update for you. Placed an order with Sprue Brothers on Sunday. Order was shipped Monday. Delivery is scheduled for Wednesday. Four days from time of order, three days shipping time.

 

Hobby Linc takes a week (more to the west coast).

 

Sprue Brothers has faster delivery.

 

Hobby Linc has cheaper prices.

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Rob,

 

Squadron was out of stock on Insignia Yellow, plus I would've had to pay tax. Total would've been more than Sprue Brothers. Testors would've been the most expensive of all.

 

As it stands right now, Squadron may or may not have it in stock and they charge tax if you live inside Texas. Hobby Linc appears to be the cheapest regardless of where you live. However, shipping generally takes a week, even longer to the east coast. Sprue Brothers is about the same as Squadron in price, no tax for Texas residents and the fastest delivery. My order was shipped Monday by FedEx Ground and arrived at noon today...Wednesday. 2 1/2 days!

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  • 3 weeks later...

Same problem with paint from overseas. WEM can't ship due to air restrictions on the UK side. The blame should go to the world wide restrictions on flammable material being shipped by air not the EPA.


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Jim, I'm aware that Amazon...as well as other places that have been mentioned...carry MM. However, my point was that if you need to pick up one or two bottles without waiting for mail order, the stuff is becoming more than a little difficult to find.

 

Art, You're correct that the EPA has nothing to do with the restrictions on shipping paint by air. What's interesting, though, is that acrylics may or may not be shippable by air, depending on the specific paint brand, its chemical composition and the shipping person making the final decision. But for our purposes, ALL paint can't be shipped by air.

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Rich, HOBBY SHOPS are hard to find. I grew up in Sacramento with a choice of eight well stocked hobby shops. Now there's maybe one. There's none in Stockton where I live now. So I'd have to drive up to Sacramento, or over to the Bay Area, or even 30 miles to Oakdale of all places. Now it's a case of thorough preplanning, makes sure I have when I need before starting the kit.

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Hey Jim,

 

You're preaching to the choir. Ft. Worth no longer has any hobby shops as we used to know them. Technically there's one, but he doesn't carry any of the new kits and most of what he has no one will buy any more. The only reason he's still in business is that he owns the building, rents out part of it and sells worms to fishermen. Other than that there's Hobby Lobby and a railroad shop that is totally useless unless you're a model railroader. It's 25 miles round trip to HobbyTown that stands a fair chance of not having the specific item you're looking for and about the same to a railroad shop in Hurst that MIGHT have some small item I need. Other than that, it's Irving or Dallas.

 

Preplanning? That works if you're working on a single kit. When you do it as a business, that doesn't work all the time. Beyond that, there's Murphey's Law. All the preplanning in the world isn't gonna keep you from needing something you don't have...at least part of the time.

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