They awesome signature slabs for sale. Great covers of Absolute, Batman's and awesome grades and…read moregreat staff. Thank you Arkady Itskov

Great selection. Friendly, knowledgeable staff. The owners also have a nearby gaming center, the…read moreFortress of Gaming. A purchase here covers the entry fee there.

I read the previous review and i have a different perspective. the hallway smells different like…read morethe smell of old books or cardboard or a kids toy train set. They sell things for model trains close to the entryway so i'm not suprised. as far as it being dusty well it might be a little dusty, however its a model shop not a restaurant and i think it gives the store a very underground quality. I did see a large room which was unoccupied when i went in and im assuming that was the track. Didn't take a look in there because i was there to sell my RC cars and not get into it. It took a little while for someone to help me, but that was because they were very busy helping other people. I waited patiently for about 10-15 minutes and then the store owner (while still helping another customer) greeted me and said he would be right with me. Once he was finished with the previous customer he came up to me and we discussed business. I had never met him but his name was George and he said he owned the store. He seemed very laid back and was very matter of fact. He wasn't trying to sell me anything which i liked. He was just trying to help me get what i wanted and cut through all the BS of a normal salesperson which i personally appreciated. He showed me some products gave me a brief overview, offered me (what i considered to be more than a fair trade in value for my RC cars) and told me to think about what he has in the store do some research and get back to him next week. Overall i would give it a 5/5 stars for three main reasons. 1) They are one of the few stores left in this type of business that will do anything with used goods, and thats very good for people like me who did things on a whim and then don't have a use for them anymore. They are like a play it again sports hobby store and i love it. 2) They weren't trying to sell me anything. 3) They were very knowledgable when talking about with all of the products they showed me. Would recommend to anyone interested in R/C Cars, Drones, models, microscopes, or general hobby kits ( i saw some paint by numbers and other random model/art kits). Neat store.

George is great! very knowledgeable.doesn't try to pressure people into buying things they don't…read moreneed.just gives his honest suggestions.they have a good variety of rc cars/trucks and lots of replacement parts in stock as well as batteries,tires,chargers etc...it's definitely my go to for rc needs prices are fair

10 stars? Is that a thing. By far the most professional and yet casual game shop I've ever been…read moretoo! Outstanding service, once in a life time stock. Welcoming atmosphere, this was my go to shop for cards.. now it's my only!!

I celled to ask questions about product because I live one hour away from the shop and have no car…read morei take the bus guy on the phone was super rude and not customer friendly told me he was dealing with customers why answer the phone then proceeded to tell me if I want to know what they have i to go down there in the most rude way possible like I was wasting he's time or something they also over price like scalper level prices nasty rude people dont bother wasting your money

I brought a group of people to the Albany area to check out this shop. We were greeted with…read morerudeness and hostility. I'm assuming it is/was the owner. He pointed his finger at us and with wild eyes, he told us the " we better not touch anything...If you break it, you'll buy it!" He also told us that we'd pay more than their value. My group was sad and disappointed. This was probably the rudest individual I've ever met. One must learn how to "conduct" one's self.

I'll preface my review: I have NO knowledge of model trains (not a hobby of mine), so take my…read moreopinions with a grain of salt. I've purchased a locomotive from this store before, along with the train set, and have been really happy. I'm having trouble with the set now, but that's because I'm no train buff and probably haven't kept up with it as well as I should (I only use it for a miniature Christmas village). Now, I'm ready to purchase a new set. I spoke with the owner, Vince, on the phone, as he's always friendly and helpful. He's very accommodating about meeting time and explaining some of the trains to me. It's nice to be able to trust someone if you don't know all about the hobby yourself. I'm planning on visiting Delaware Trains at the show in Albany tomorrow, where I'll be purchasing a new steam locomotive. I wouldn't go anywhere else for this hobby!

I love Hobby Lobby and this store is about as good as the one in Latham. They don't seem to be…read morearranged exactly the same, which means that I sometimes wander around a bit more looking for things that I need (balsa wood, beads, paint, glue, etc.) Then again, there are much worse fates to have then being stuck in a craft store. True, there is what appears to me to be a lot of useless kitsch junk in the middle section. However, I sometimes go visit places and see that same kitsch so apparently someone is buying it. And, around the holiday season their Christmas display can be overwhelming (I bring my wife at my own risk!). But, in general, I like what the store is and what it stands for.

Way overpriced, I mean you can google amazon while you're looking at an item in hobby lobby and…read moreamazon beats it by a longshot. But the kicker for me was when I asked for a bag the cashier said it's .53 $ for a plastic bag. Are you fking kidding me. This is disgusting. FU hobby lobby.

The Fortress is a gaming space spun off from the Zombie Planet games+comics store. Instead of…read morehaving to shoe-horn gaming into the retail space, there's ample room. There's food options and a library of games, so it also works a bit like a boardgame cafe.

The Fortress of Gaming is a new all things gaming event center referred to as, "A Country Club For…read moreGamers". It is located in the warehouse district of Railroad Avenue and a bit tricky to find until the signage is updated but it is more than worth the time you spend searching for it. The Fortress of Gaming is owned by the same person that runs Zombie Planet. The ambition of this place is as grand as the size the venue offers with a small storefront for things like paints, play mats, and dice, the majority of the other two large sections of the location are dedicated to running events and offering space to play games. A flat $5 entry fee gets you access to the facility, their large gaming library, on site concessions, and many tables. Currently, they have spaced out tables, a new HIPPA rated HVACC system with plenty of ventilation, and a requirement to prove you are vaccinated to enter. Masks are optional once inside as a result which is a nice upside to the requirement to prove you are vaccinated. I went for my first visit to try out a event called, "Paint and Take" which is where you buy a $25 kit that includes a pre primed miniature, the paints and brushes you need, and a cup for water so that you can essentially sit and paint with others and have a good time. Eventually, there are plans to get a liquor license and to possibly host "paint and sip" instructional events as well. The venue currently runs magic the gathering, digimon, Warhammer 40K events and really, the potential is vast right now for future events from regular board gaming nights to conventions. This is the gamer equivalent of a field of dreams. He built it, the only question now is, will they come? I hope so. This is a great space and I plan to visit often and see everything they have to offer. This is a local small business that is very niche and it is my hope that it is one of the examples of how we have built back better since the pandemic threw a wrench in all our lives. For those who know about Zombie Planet, note that the store is still there and not closing. It is going to be a full retail location now with more product to offer. It is shifting all it's event business to The Fortress of Gaming. This is an exciting new place to visit and I recommend doing so. It is not crowded, it is not noisy, it is clean and they follow current covid best practices. The owner is open to new ideas too. If you happen to have some nifty and feasible ideas for events you'd like to host at the Fortress, try talking to George about it. You may just find yourself with a venue that meets your gaming event needs :)

As a forty-year collector of model vehicles, primarily 1/18 scale resin and diecast, numbering into…read morethe thousands, I have had only one other occasion to purchase from Mint Models. The first transaction was totally without drama. My reason for limited patronage is due to the fact that Mint Models carries some of the best, and sometimes expensive, offerings from a variety of manufacturers and unfortunately most are out of my budget. Still, it is fun to visit their beautiful, comprehensive website and dream. On occasion I will treat myself to a model a little more than my usual price range as I like to sample one or two examples from different manufacturers to scrutinize their detail. I have a handful of Exoto, CMC, BBR, MR, etc. but most of my large collection is moderately priced. I was interested in the Mclaren Speedtail as it was featured at Mecum Monterey this year and I had been looking at a future Top Speed release. In my search, I found Mint Models offering a Tecnomodel version, in stock, and in my color preference. This model is normally about twice as much as the Top Speed but Mint Models had it on sale at a HUUUUUGE discount. Almost too good to be true. Having never owned a Tecnomodel, I decided to go ahead and purchase the model. Although I had trouble having my account identified in their system, likely because I hadn't purchased from them in such a long time, once in, my order was received. I placed my order in the midnight hour on the West Coast and Mint Models had it on its way within a few hours of their morning opening on the East Coast. I only paid for standard shipping but the model arrived far earlier than expected. I have to admit to having anxiety about all my model orders arriving safely when coming cross country and have received boxes that looked like they had been dropped from a five story building probably embarrassing the delivery driver who had to deliver them. Not in this case. Mint Models double boxed and double "popcorned" my model and it arrived in absolutely perfect shape. Once I unboxed the model, it did not disappoint as it was beautifully finished, detailed and even came in a display case that I was not aware of. As nice as the model was, Mint Model's service was even better. I have to admit, in my reconnecting with Mint Models, I was a little concerned with some of the negative reviews but took a chance anyway. I am in the habit of never giving bad reviews in favor of giving no review at all. If you have an ugly baby I won't stretch the truth and say it's cute, I'll say nothing. Fortunately, with this purchase I'm not in that position and felt inspired to write this "short novel." I'm sorry some people felt they had a bad experience but I can only speak of mine and in forty years of collecting and sourcing my models from dozens of vendors, this is one of the best if not "the best" transaction I have participated in. If I can find it in my budget, I won't hesitate to purchase from Mint Models again.

Bought a diecast through eBay from Mint Models a few years back. Diecast had a defect of a decal…read morethat was misplaced. Gave Mint Models a bad rating even though they knowingly shipped the diecast with that defect. This business was so petty that they barred my eBay account from any future purchases from them.

I've yet to see thousands of people packed in here to watch a game, so clearly the store name is…read morefalse advertising. This is a pretty cool sporting store with two different names located in the heart of the massive Crossgates Mall in Albany. It's definitely one of the better stores I've been to in malls for sporting goods. I'm not sure what sort of customer they expect to be able to pay these prices, but people must have paid them anyway because they've managed to stay in business. That's pretty good for them. This store is more fun for me than Barbie when we're walking around Crossgates, so we didn't stay long, but I'm glad that it's here and it surely adds something to the mall.

Lots of items for different seasonal times. Love this store!! Will continue to shop here.read more

They have fabric but it's a pretty crappy selection very basic stuff. Very limited colors and…read morefabric makes. It's sad. As for their non sewing stuff saw a lot of stuff some of it's just junky.

FlipSide Gaming SAVED THE DAY! Huuge shoutout to Kailer who helped me out…read more I'm not knowledgeable about TCGs but my partner was really excited for a new release. I pre-ordered the booster packs to surprise her without realizing that we can't even play the game without the resources from the "starter/trial decks". By the time I realized we needed these decks, NONE of my local game shops had any in stock and online listings were all scalpers selling for 2-3x MSRP. I contacted FlipSide gaming about re-stocks on the trial decks and they said they don't have an ETA but to sign up for their notifications. Perfectly reasonable response and I thought that was that. However, later in the day, Kailer contacted me back and said they received some returns for the starter decks and set up an invoice so I could place an order!! They totally could have just sold these in store or increased stock online - they would absolutely sell. But Kailer went out of his way to contact me back and manually set up an invoice for the purchase. Now we can actually play this game without having to pay scalpers!! THANK YOU KAILER AND THANK YOU FLIPSIDE GAMING!!

Very disappointed with my recent experience with Flipside Gaming…read more I purchased a booster box case when it was $850. Instead of being properly protected and double-boxed, Flipside placed the shipping label directly on the case and shipped it that way. The case arrived damaged. I reached out to customer service expecting an exchange. Unfortunately, they would only offer a full refund -- no replacement. What makes this even more frustrating is that the same case is now listed for $2,000. I'm left with a refund for an $850 purchase while the company can sell that inventory for significantly more. Regardless of the market price, customers should receive the product they paid for, especially when damage occurred during shipping and the packaging provided little protection. If you're ordering a case from Flipside Gaming, be aware that it may not be double-boxed or shipped with additional protection. Very unhappy with how this was handled and the overall customer service experience.