were back from the usa !

[mcevoyi]

hi all

well were back form the usa .. and a fantastic time was had by all ....

i did wisconsin this year ,and a wounderful state it is and well worh the visit .. i am truly lucky to have family there .

i guess the internet with all its power to chat .. and show evey one what kind of armour we can all build is just fantastic .. imagine how hard it would be to have our club ... just showing our creations to other member would be a night mare .. by the same return .the power of the internet is killing our local model shops .. i did wisconsin about the same time last year and spen many many hours woundering thru some fantstic model shops .. i spent a fortune in just postage alone getting my latest finds home ...

many of the shops i visited were family run with kitts in vast quantities many kitts i have not seen for years .. and much to my pleaseure the kits were priced seriously cheaper than i can get here in good old blighty .... some may rememer from a few day ago my question about which tam sherman about whcih was which  ... well i got the early sherman with dmd 1 .. for $250 plus state tax which was 5.4 % .. nothing realy ...the shop was on its last legs .. truly heart breaking as the retailer had been in business for 50 years and was finding the current ression a true killer

george the shop owner always has a pott of coffee on the go and alway with out fail offers it to his customers .. in its own way a small club of like mined folk exchangeing storys of the last kit and the next ... i was in his shop for 4 visits and walked away with 2 tam shermans 2 king tigers and a panther all full option and a total of $1850 plus tax ( £1046 in english which is just about the price of the panther here in the uk )

geroge is planning to close just after christmas .... the ressession i the usa has hit wisconsin hard ... just going along interstate i94 you can see the truck and car dealrs lotts that have closed even large chain store gone to the wall ...sites abandoned and left to nature and the vandells a very sorry site to see.... america is hurting ..... but still .. the folk of wisconsin always welcome the vistitor with a warm  smile and a friendly greating america will bounce back .. but what damage will this ressesion will have done to the small independant retailer will our choise of kitts be controlled by the likes of walmart /  toys r us .. i hope not ......

weather we like it or not the power house that is america needs to get well soo .. as the kit manufactures look to the usa first for there sales and if things continue the way thay are .. the future looks poor for our hobby ... we see so often may new items .. listed .. and then put on the back burner

well ... from doom and glume .. to the future ...

i have plans .... i have ideals .. glue ..plastic card and the drive to start to build again ...

watch out ... were back ...

iain

[Mackem]

Welcome back Iain.
So, you've got yourself 4 Tamiya kits, lucky b*gger. 
Can't wait to see what you have planned for them.

Cheers
John

[Matdragon]

5 i thinkg you'll find John!!!!!

great job iain,

Matt

[Mackem]

Even luckier b*gger then! 

John

[[ICE]monkey]

glad you had a good trip ,5 tamiyas nice  , its a real shame about the local shops , i try to support the ones near me but sometimes the price difference is to large to be loyal
regards, cliff

[Saxondog]

Hi Iain,the Sherman numbers were correct then? Do you have information on the shop you spoke of,perhaps we here in the US can give them alittle business during the up coming holidays.And you are correct about America right now,auto dealers closing everywhere,Saturn has gone belly up,closing all dealers and stopping all production which hits hard here in Tennessee,springhill plant closing and some fear the corvette plant here in Tennessee will close soon,it's not the people,it;s the criminals in Washington.Well I am glad to here you speak so well of Americans,we are a great Nation,just having some problems.Blake

[sevoblast]

Agreed, Blake, the current mess is in large part due to the idiots in DC, but with giant help from the criminals on Wall Street, of whom rather few have been charged you will notice. However, USA is a great and strong country, and we will pull thru this mess as we have pulled thru others, and survive the current gang of thieves as we have others. Brings to mind the old joke: how do you know when a politician is lying? When he's talking. 
I always supported my local shop, and he's still there. Been going for over 40 years now, and although business is tough at this time, and has, because of the net, been getting tougher over the last 10 years, he will survive I believe. Hope so anyway, as he's a good lad. Of course, we don't have the confiscatory 19 or 20 percent VAT that they have in Merrye Olde or EU.....yet.
Glad you enjoyed your trip, iain. Intesting place is the USA.
Sev

[STEINER]

Sev, We not only have VAT    but like your selves we have our own bunch of crooked Wa*kers / Bankers and for good measure, our politicians have had their noses in the trough too. ( Expenses scandal )  All animals are equal. Some animals are more equal than others.

[Saxondog]

I depend on and support our local shop,mid-south hobbies even though they really don't have much 1/16 scale armor,lots of the smaller scale stuff,I'm sure that things will turn around.And very glad that Iain had a positive experience in the US.And agree 100%with Steiner

[mickyb]

Never having been to USA I don't know prices and postage so can I ask a daft question....Iain bought a Tamiya for $250 plus state tax, then posted it to UK...what was the all up cost of the tank?

I would pay about £400 for a Sherman in Modelzone and £650 for a Panther or PZ4 last time I looked, is it worth getting one posted over to UK from USA???

Mike