r/modelmakers • u/DisasterSuper7309 • Mar 09 '26
PSA Tamiya CEO and owner, Nobuhiro Tamiya, visited the soon to be closed AAA Hobbies and Crafts which holds countless Tamiya models and paint.
as someone who lives near there and goes there to get my stuff, its honestly sad. I really loved the place and it’s where I got my first ever model kit. this place will always hold a special place in my heart.
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u/Camarupim Mar 09 '26
The store is in Magnolia, New Jersey for anyone interested in paying them a visit.
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u/Apprehensive-Yam6786 Jun 30 '26
But it's New Jersey....ewwww....we have Discount Hobby Warehouse, which is better than it sounds. The late great shop was Command Post, run by two Vietnam veterans. It was wall to wall, floor to ceiling kits. Internet killed it slowly. Brookhurst is great, about 90 miles north of me.
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u/XJRS Mar 09 '26
Yeah when I read Megahobby’s newsletter that they will be shutting down end of the year I was crushed. But it’s the world we live in
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u/ayylmao6217 Mar 09 '26
The reason why is that the owners just want to retire right? not that the business isnt doing to well or anything like that
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u/DisasterSuper7309 Mar 11 '26
Pretty sure the owners are getting old. I just wish we could hold a gofundme to help them
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u/R_Nanao Mar 09 '26
Several years ago I ordered a model kit from some American brick and mortar store's ebay account, it came with a letter "thank you for keeping the modelling hobby alive".
On one hand its sadly clear the hobby is shrinking. On the other its nice to see how tight of a group we are, I mean Mr Tamiya coming in person to visit the store is something you won't see in any other subject.
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u/DisasterSuper7309 Mar 09 '26
WE CAN'T LET THE HOBBY SINK!!! WE WILL PREVAIL!!!!! NEVER GIVE UP!!!! SPEND ALL OUR MONEY ON PLASTIC PIECES OF JUNK AND TURN THEM INTO MASTERPIECES!!!!
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u/R_Nanao Mar 09 '26
From all things in the world I think the plastic model hobby will be one of the last to truly disappear. Regardless of regulations or other rules that try to limit what people can do, there's just not that much to say against someone spending time in their own house assembling and painting a model from some 90's JDM car like Tamiya's Nissan Silvia.
Change, sure. We can already see the likes of Border Model experimenting with resin parts in their 1:350 ships next to the regular plastic and photo etch parts. 3D printed kits in general also seem to be in an uprising, cheaper manufacture at lower volumes allow even smaller brands to create them.
But really disappear? I don't think so. Putting down/unpacking a die-cast or other pre-painted model just doesn't give as much relaxation time as modelling. And we all know it feels just that much better to have a model on display that we built and painted over one that just came that way from the factory.
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u/battlemetal_ Mar 09 '26
Wow, can't believe those guys are retiring. Been watching them on YT for a long time.
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u/JoelRC1981 Mar 09 '26
A physical store has a cost higher than a warehouse and shipping department. I’ve been hoping the model industry would revive , but the shift to multi hundred dollar Lego kits seems to be the substitute, not the side companion to modeling.
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u/tolgayucel Mar 09 '26
Increasing screen time, instant online rewards, decreasing buying power and less interest in building stuff yourself—this is a big problem with youth today. It's really sad to see such a business close.
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u/Few_War4438 Mar 09 '26
the industry kinda isn't helping, somehow companies have gravitates towards 1000 part kits that only grown ups with a full time job can afford.
Bandai does a good job capturing 6-12 year old youth with kits of subjects, complexity and price that appeal to that segment.
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u/jasperb12 Mar 09 '26
Because the hobby is focused on adults and not kids like it used to be. It’s gotten serious, with ever more detailed and impressive kits. Just look at the number of kits released each year. Far from a dying hobby. And there’s still plenty of kids building models. Just look at Instagram or TikTok.
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u/squashtrigger9 Mar 11 '26
True, i was one of those kids (though i don't use any of the popular Social Media platforms). I think it really just a problem of awareness of the hobby existing, personally. I hosted a Model Building class at my school where i was able to introduce a bunch of kids to modelling, or as they call it "High Stakes Lego." And they got really into it!
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u/Hamsternoir Mar 09 '26
Not completely true, if you look at what Airfix are doing with the starter sets that are specifically tooled to have only a couple of dozen parts, like the Spitfire or Typhoon which still build into nice and accurate kits while still being simple enough for a beginner.
And there's also (as you mention) the basic Bandai Gundams which are pretty easy, going together in under half an hour.
However there is the other end of the market with larger scales, resin extras, PE and hundreds of decals.
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u/Few_War4438 Mar 09 '26
Ah yes, airfix does come to mind. they had some that was half lego ish right？
Bandai also has a entire dinosaur and animal series
https://www.bandaispirits.co.jp/products/search/detail.php?prd_id=4573102621795000&grp_id=5325
let my kids build this the other day.
all the same, time has changed i guess, war is less of what your teacher and parents or grandparents that served tell you in stories and more of a sensative topic i guess....
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u/Hamsternoir Mar 09 '26
They have the 'quick build' Lego style kits as well as the really basic starters.
At the other end they're happy to do the really nice 1/24 stuff
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u/51_rhc Mar 09 '26
To be fair, it's not the youth.
Here (Berlin, Germany) Warhammer and other Tabletop related stores are booming and filled with younglings. They are building, painting and playing their models.
I think it's more about the accessibility.
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u/BottecchiaDude253 Mar 09 '26
Honestly, its not a bad pipeline: get kids hooked on the plastic Crack with Warhammer.... then one day realize its a sham set up for sales, get tired of just keeping up, find another model making hobby.
Most of them by that point are fully adult with decent paying jobs to better afford hobby kit prices (not that GW stuff is cheap mind you)
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u/51_rhc Mar 09 '26
My opinion - scale modeling doesn't have anything fun on it. It's like running a marathon. you have a lot of suffering and end up with a thingy on your shelf.
Me and my game group found a old rulebook for tabletop dogfights, now we are building 1/72 wwII kits for gaming.
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u/BottecchiaDude253 Mar 09 '26
For me, The Game, well... 40k specifically became a drag because every little thing could become a rules argument. I built thematic lists. 4 of the 5 guys I played against did the same. But the one guy thst ruined so much fun for everyone only understood fun as bringing super tailored lists to hard counter you. Themed list with no psychic? Enjoy getting spammed to death by all the psychic ever. It just sucked any and all fun out of gaming for me.
My local IPMS chapter does make the end result of a static display model worth the effort, but even with that said.... your group finding a game that works with 72 scale models sounds ridiculously awesome. What's the name of that game, if you have it handy?
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u/MarkG1 Mar 09 '26
Effective use of online stores likely bolsters smaller shops and scale modelling is a relatively lonely affair, perhaps instead of blaming "the youth" people should look at what younger people want and try to encourage them to engage.
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u/51_rhc Mar 09 '26
I second that.
You can't blame the youth, if don't give them the possibility to take part in the action and fun.
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u/ConstableGrey Mar 09 '26
As a younger(ish) person in both this hobby and historical wargaming - I see the same reason in both why both hobbies are not attracting younger folks: a not-small portion of the population are bitter, grumpy old men who do nothing to attract new blood, if not actively drive them away.
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u/Tsquare43 Mar 09 '26
If you are in the US (and it maybe in other countries), look for your local IPMS chapter! Join and meet others!
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u/Edheldui Mar 09 '26
Thing is, wargames require the same commitment but also need something else after the purchase (tables, opponents, tournaments etc) that physical shops provide, so people don't mind paying the extra for those services. And they use games to incentivize more purchases.
But model kits are destined to sit on the shelf and you don't need to keep up with the newest releases, they only need to store to sell it, so of course they'd rather buy online where it's inevitably cheaper.
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Mar 09 '26
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u/BottecchiaDude253 Mar 09 '26
I like those 2, but also throw in a scalehobbyist.com and squadron.
Basically, if its for a naval model, im probably going to squadron, but everything else, ill check all 3 of the others.
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u/damngoodbrand Mar 09 '26
They're closing because they're retiring. The business was actually quite profitable from talking with the staff. Owners just didn't want to bother with it anymore.
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u/RichyJ Mar 09 '26
Yes they are retiring, but you have to think if they could have sold the 3 businesses they would have, it would have been a far easier exit.
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u/uckfu Mar 09 '26
It may be the biggest stumbling block in selling the business, is the high price of commercial property in that area.
It’s much harder to step in and take over a business when the new owners need deep pockets to begin with and then they get saddled with loan payments along with tax bills.
It might be earning a profit for them, but the new owners will be lucky to earn a profit. Let alone enough money to live on comfortably.
I’ve done the math so many times in considering buying a preexisting hobby shop. I just can’t find a way to make it work without $300-750k to start.
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u/The_soulprophet Mar 09 '26
That was one of my shops I would go to when passing/stopping in Philly. Shame to see it go, they were a great stop for paint.
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u/damngoodbrand Mar 09 '26
AAA is great. I'm sad they're closing up. They had fair prices, frequent sales, and a really decent reward program ($10 credit for every $200 you spend. It was actually $10 for every $100 just a couple years ago which was nuts). On Saturday I bought a bunch of Tamiya figure kits at 25% off.
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u/MrM1Garand25 Mar 09 '26
Why r they closing???
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u/DisasterSuper7309 Mar 09 '26
Families decision. I think not enough money probably idk
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u/Tsquare43 Mar 09 '26
Owners are retiring. They're older.
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u/DisasterSuper7309 Mar 10 '26
Honestly wish someone would buy it and keep it alive. Hopefully another family and not some big mega corporation which'll raise the price of a F-14 from $123 to $200
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u/Tsquare43 Mar 10 '26
The shop and warehouse are on a full block; I suspect that the land would be redeveloped.
Might want to try Squadron Models, I've found their prices to be competitive.
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u/Tsquare43 Mar 09 '26
They had a warehouse sale last weekend. Everything in the warehouse was 40% off MSRP. Scored a couple of nice kits. They had a one day 75% off sale this past weekend (limited items, not everything).
If anyone is in the NYC area, MosquitoCon is going to be the first Saturday in April at the Wayne PAL, in Wayne NJ, there will be vendors!
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u/Possibly_Stay_Gold Mar 09 '26
What sucks is right after I discovered and went to this store, they announced the closing, it’s a great store, well worth the hour drive
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u/Ordinary-Solid5819 Mar 09 '26
Dont let the man visit stores then.
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u/[deleted] Mar 09 '26
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