If you love vintage plastic model kits, this place is heaven on earth. This is one of the VERY FEW businesses left anywhere in the Midwest, now that CRM in St Louis is mail-order only and Big Bear Hobby in Milwaukee has closed due to the passing of its longtime owner. Dean's Hobby Stop is a mecca of vintage kits, many in amazingly good condition considering they are 30-50 years old mostly, and at much better prices that you might pay on eBay. Not to mention you save the expense and risk of shipping if you come to the store in person. I live in Chicago and have family in the Detroit area, but I'll go quite a bit out of my way to come here whenever I can. Dean is a real gentleman and his wife and partner is a real gem too! read more

I've been doing business with Dean for over ten years and never had a problem getting models shipped to me. I'm in the Sacramento area of California and there is nothing like Dean's place out here. He'll always hold items for you until you're ready to call back and pay for them. Good service, friendly staff and, to say he's well stocked with models- that's quite an understatement! There might be a few others out there like Dean, but they don't do what he does! read more

Yep, Woohoo! No doubt! Excellent service, large stock and prices that run about 50% of retail. I've been a satisfied mail-order customer for more than 15 years. How can Dean do it? Easy, everything comes to the shop second hand. If you need a like-new kit something that's recently released and "sealed" will be indistinguishable from brand new. Something last made in the 1960s is going to show its age - which means nothing if you're talking about the styrene parts, but you may have to find decals from somewhere else. The live, online, catalog is cars and decals, and Dean's a car guy, but the stock of airplanes, ships, dinosaurs, tank and soldier figures and space craft, real and imaginary, is even better. There's a new catalog every 2 months, and its usually about 12-14 pages of every kind of kit except cars. 6 columns per page. Several thousand items, and a page or two of books at the end. Give 'em a call or drop in. They're likely to have at least one kit you're looking for! Bill read more

Let me just say, I rarely leave reviews and when I do they are almost always positive and I love supporting local business. I just today stopped in to this store after saving a few hundred for winter hobby supplies. I walked in with a closed lid coffee and the man working here told me ( very rudely) to leave as he's had many people spill drinks in his store. I said I understood if he could just let me set my cup down while I had a look around. He told ( actually scolded me like I was a child, I'm 35...) to leave his store with my drink immediately.... I was polite and willing to cooperate, in my opinion he was rude and very unprofessional. I will gladly take my business elsewhere. read more

Great selection of out of production models. Also has a good selection of modeling supplies. If you're looking for that old cat you can't find anywhere else at a reasonable price this is the place for it. read more

I've known Dean for over 30 years and have bought hundreds of models from him during that time. Dean's Hobby Stop has thousands of old and out of production kits as well as some of the newer releases. Recently at an area model show (Saturday) where Dean was a vendor, he had a model that I had been seeking for nearly 5 years. The model was more than I had cash on me that day and he didn't have his CC scanner with him. I told him I'd come out to the store and pick it (an hour away) no later than Tuesday if he would hold it for me. Dean put the model aside. I found out later that after I left someone saw the model (not on the tables) and wanted to buy it. Dean told him it was already sold and that the buyer was going to pick it up at the store. The determined buyer told Dean he had cash and to name his price. Dean again told him it was sold. The potential buyer wasn't happy that he wouldn't sell it to him. I drove out and picked up the kit today. That's an honest businessman. He agreed to a deal and even when offered more money, stuck to the original deal. Who wouldn't want to do business with someone like that. Dean's got a great staff and I'll continue to do business with him as long as Dean's Hobby Stop is in business. Thanks Dean! read more