Model Zone is a geek's heaven, situated within St. Johns market this is the kind of place where…read moreyour typical nerd can go and spend the day marvelling at the products within. There is nothing at all wrong with this but it just so happens that I am more of a games console man and as such I didn't really understand the fervour surrounding these types of products. This place as the name suggests sells models for war craft games and other related activities and to be fair the range of produce is quite astonishing. As well as this the quality of the products is fantastic and there is much attention to detail here. I was also very impressed with the staff who worked hard to help out each and every customer so they get much kudos for customer service. On the whole a well run establishment which does its best to draw you in to its slightly nerdy world and if we are honest there is a bit of a geek within all of us.

I've never made a model of anything before I don't think, but we used to come here a fair bit when…read moremy brother was a toddler because they had loads of cool trains and cars and he was interested in collecting them. Then, as he grew up and became interested in the RAF, the family would generally call in here if at a loss for presents at Christmas or birthdays, and get him a model aeroplane set. This is quite a fascinating shop if you like geeky things (or at least appreciate them, like me). You can get all the Thomas the Tank Engine trains from here, you can get Meccano sets and Scalextric and even Star Wars, Star Trek and Dr Who collectibles. If you're at a real loss for inspiration for presents, it may be worth while looking round here for ideas, as more often than not you'll see something that you know someone will love. The staff are eager to help and even if you ask them random ambiguous questions they eventually find out what you're talking about and sort you out. It's on the same avenue as the 99p shop so you know you're going for guilty pleasures (ie stocking up on £5 worth of sweets) if your feet take you in that direction.

The Bankrupt Shop is fab, it's like a big jumble sale but without the junk. This store is quite…read morelarge ad stock all sorts of furniture like nests of tables and chairs and stools, ornaments and mirrors and photo frames as well as soft furnishings: curtains cushions, throws and of course masses of material for the haberdashers amongst us. The prices are reasonable, although "bankrupt" implies something on par with poundland, its not quite that cheap, but you'll find a bargain. I'm not sure whether a delivery servce is available as lots of the items are quite large and bulky I should think there would be.

Offered me a deal at 20 Pounds for a selection of Die cast models for my son, It was Agreed cash…read morewas preferred so I went to the cash Machine and returned with £22, Then I was told It was now £40 and he had made a msitake, I was on the spot and already told my son of these purchases so I paid it, Only to Arrive home to find out that my original Purchase was missing Items from the deal that was agreed and I had a bag of old broken Hot Wheels I never selected, nor Asked for. Next time I returned the Owner was slamming boxes around the shop and refused to speak to me, so Obviously I Left never to return again, The owner will also Attack you for not wearing a Face mask, which is no longer a legal Requirement, nor does he have any signage requesting the wearing of masks. A very expensive, Frustrating, pointless experience and I would genuinely advise against shopping at this establishment. Thank You Jack

Due to the rarity of seeing hobby shops these days, particularly in town centres, Hobby Scene does…read morelook somewhat odd in its location, especially next door to an electrics shop that sells the latest HD plasma TVs and iPods. However despite its somewhat dated appearance, Hobby Scene is a very pleasant and charming shop that offers its customers a decent selection of different hobby products that are more traditional past-times than the latest next-gen gaming consoles or an iPad. They sell a decent selection of remote control cars, helicopters and boats as well as a large selection of models and scalextric, all of which are available at pretty cheap prices. The staff there are friendly and able to offer a very personal service due to it being a small, family-run business. All in all, Hobby Scene is a lovely shop that whilst might not be for everyone (particularly youngsters in today's society) is a very useful source for many different hobbies.

Kit Stop is a long-established model shop which I've just re-discovered after moving back to the…read morearea. The service is very good/helpful, prices are reasonable and the range of stock is excellent given the size of the shop. Hobbies catered for include model railways, cars and planes. There is a very good selection of second hand stuff. Thank goodness for shops like this which continue to survive despite the on line competition. Even Liverpool does not boast a shop of this calibre, so bravo Kit Stop may you carry on for a very long time!

Kit Shop is a small, independent model shop on Oxten Road in Birkenhead. If you love building…read morethings, and you like airplanes and cars, you'll probably find a fun project to work on here. Shops like this always remind me of my older brother because he used to love model airplanes, and his bedroom was littered with them over the years. My dad even built a sort of wood mobile thing across the room for him to hang them on so it looked like they were flying. Such boy toys. And, sorry, but in my opinion kind of a waste of time and money. But if you like this kind of thing, than this is the kind of shop you will like. It's small, but there is still a good variety and prices are fairly reasonable.

After visiting this shop a couple of times recently I can say that I am shocked and appalled by…read morethe way this business is run. The shop is dark and smelly and has a terrible atmosphere. The man who works there is rude and condescending and offers no or little help when asked for advice and I am made to feel very unwelcome. The shop offers a very poor selection of goods with too much emphasis on warhammer and not enough real hobbies. I find it hard to believe that a shop can operate like this in this day and age and get away with offering such awful service and shopping environment. I can see many people will be going to the nice modern and friendly hobby shop down the road over this place.

Though the Modelzone chain went into receivership some years ago, the Chester shop was one of the…read morefew that has passed on to another model retailing business. The same premises now trade as the Chester Model Centre. There is a web site as well.... The current shop is well worth a visit. It is now the only model shop in Chester I believe...Hobbycraft down by Sealand Road don't now stock so much in the model area...

This is a very good model shop, It's only small but they sell a wide range of stock including…read morehornby, farish and bachmann. They give a personal service and are always ready to help and advise and are very knowledgeable and passionate about model railways. It really is a great place to buy and will give discounts for multiple purchases.

I was shocked on calling to find this shop closed, but on returning home I found after phoning…read moretheir phone number that they have moved to better appointed premises, just around the corner, I will insert new address when I get it, but it's now in road almost oposite Bernard's the Art Gallery with County Hotel on Corner of road. Queens Road, Craig Y Don. Conwy.

What can I say about JE? Well, as my readers will know, I hold a certain disdain for large…read morecorporate chains and if they existed in the model world, I wouldn't be using them. However model and hobby shops are usually independents which mean they have to do something more to attract business to them. I have been using JE since 2007 when they were in Prestwich but now they have moved to sunny Middleton. Having had a couple of years away from RC, so much had changed it was like I was a beginner all over again. So what do JE do? Well, a lot! They have an amazing product line so you have choice - and I don't mean average choice either. This shop stocks cheap and mid range cars and bashers, to the expert and high end competition level cars so this really is a specialist place which is great for people like myself who like higher end competition level models which are rarely found in many model shops. JE is a car specialist - I don't think it does any aviation or boats but thats fine as I only do cars anyway, and there are plenty of places that do the other. JE is primarily an off road specialist however they do also stock competition level on road cars too, such as the Xray T3's (of which I am about to buy from them :) etc. Anything you want which they don't carry then they can certainly get it for you which is worth doing. Why? Sure there are other sites on the net which may already have something in stock, but if you live close to JE - I would say its always worth asking them to get you a quote for two reasons. 1) In my experience they always beat anyone else's price anyway (if price is your only motivation I asked for a quote on one car which they quoted me £90 cheaper than the other two businesses who carried it in stock). AMAZING. But more importantly 2) You then have expertise and advice on hand with any part of your car, equipment - venues to try etc. I have learnt a lot from these guys not only in respect to equipment, but also clubs and venues too. When I say expertise I mean expertise. Staff in many shops are totally knowledgable but considering two of the staff I know are pro racers too then you can't get much more experience than that. Stu Wood (who I saw on TV not long ago haha) currently races for TLR (Team Losi Racing) and has won many accolades to date so is a great source of info. Neil is also a sponsored racer too (Orion I think) so already you have two people there to give advice to back yard bashers and hobbits (Hobbits? Thats such a good typo I'm leaving it in - I meant hobbyists) to someone who may be thinking of taking things a little more seriously like national competition. They offer a great mail order service too and if you like Haribo they you will have two things to be pleased about when your packages arrive, as they do tend to send you some with your orders which is a nice little touch. Being on many RC forums like I am - this does not go un noticed by the masses as it's often a topic of conversation (peoples weekends ruined when their order came with no Haribo! haha) Are there any negatives? Not that I have found yet. I mainly buy in person but I am on the site every day and although its a nice site, maybe the site could do with some tweaking with regards to navigation but other than that - I can't think of anything to complain about. Even for someone like me who buys things then changes his mind - not a problem to JE. As they were still new and unopened items they were happy to refund what I didn't need. Superb service! So my closing thoughts... It's often the the little things which make a business - you need to get it all right such as the product line up, the pricing, the staff, the knowledge and the customer service. All I can say is JE Spares tick all those boxes twice over, so if you haven't already tried them, then I suggest you look on their website or pay them a visit soon! (point to note, although they do have a shop you can visit and buy from they are primarily a mail order company, so they are closed on Saturday and Sunday)

Wow, found this model shop today, had a look around at the large selection of models. Les, the…read moreowner was very friendly and helpfull with my questions about airbrush painting. Definately on my map now :)