A few people have mentioned some things about their experiences of model shopping in Singapore and I thought I'd compile a few notes on the subject :)
1. Opening Hours:
Model Stores in Singapore usually keep Singaporean shop hours; roughly 11AM to 8PM Monday to Friday. If you are from the UK and like to shop early you may have a long wait on your hands!
Some stores open sundays, but with variabe hours. I would advise you to call the store first to check hours
2. Payment; very few stores take credit cards. Some take NETS (a local debit card) but most people visiting won't have that. Cash is, as they say; King. Always take plenty of cash to be sure of avoiding disappointment
3. What stores charge and what they put on the sticker are often two different things. If you are buying a lot, or if you are a regular customer you may find prices are a good bit less than the sticker (average about 20% less) This is not always the case, but it is worth asking about discounts when you arrive. Miniature Hobby for instance has 40% off all AFV Club stock, but the stickers are full price. ALWAYS ask, you might double your haul!
4. Aftermarket is not so big here. If you are used to stores carrying lots of resin, call ahead and ask what they carry. On the flipside, plastic here is a great deal cheaper than Europe and in some cases than the US, it depends on the brand (alhough not as cheap as Hong Kong). European Brands such as Italeri and Revell are more expensive though.
Hello,
ReplyDeletePricing wise, I think models in Singapore is similar to at least here in the San Francisco Bay Area. Variety wise, Singapore rocks.
As for aftermarket items, it is all relative. Again the Singaporean do carry a lot more aftermarket stuff than any of the stores here. Last time I checked, STORM had a good collection of Lion Marc items. FYI: Lion Marc stuff is only carried by Brookhurst Hobbies (300 miles south of me) in California.
Are you going to have an outlet for Inside the Armour in Singapore at some point? That will be pretty cool!
Sadly not, too many restrictions expenses and hoops to jump through to bring ITA to Singapore, so I left the business behind in the UK.
ReplyDeleteYou can visit Airplane Models @ SG at http://www.airplanemodelsg.com/
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