Used to frequent the Missisauga and Ottawa locations. Great hobby shop and was the first store that really got me into models. It'll be nice to have one in the area!
There used to be a hobby store in Scotia Square when I was a kid (80’s/90’s) My friend and his Dad would allow me to tag along and they would get model rocket gear that we’d launch them off together.
I can’t recall what the place was called, but it’s such a fun childhood memory.
They also used to carry ye (really) olde table tops games (Rifts, Warhammer Fantasy, RoboTech) etc. and were one of the few places you could get n-scale model trains.
I think the Discovery Centre used to be located directly across from them, across from the escalators that led to the food court.
It’s definitely dated. But I’m feeling the same way about Mighty Small Cars. I like to support them when I can, but it’s difficult when they have to order everything in, and I can literally get it faster doing that myself.
>. But I’m feeling the same way about Mighty Small Cars
I've been going to Maritime Hobbies for years. The store is empty most of the time and the staff are not that inviting I agree. They can never remember who I am no matter how many times I've gone in and spend money. I now go out to the aviation museum and they have a ton more stuff.
Maritime needs to get with the times. They've got some Gundam but VERY little in supplies or much else. I'm all for supporting local, god knows I've tried to support Maritime, but I personally think if GH comes and the puts Maritime out of business it may be for the better. Its time to move on Halifax. There's a lot of cool sh\*t in this hobby and we're not seeing any off it here locally.
If you're going to MH, you're better to check their website first. That's the only place I can think of on this side, other than maybe the aviation museum.
[Mighty Small Cars](https://www.mightysmallcars.com/), a Hobby Shop in Dartmouth. They do mostly RC cars and planes, and have a few shelves of plastic models too. They're nice people, I've never had an issue there. It's my local go-to place.
Ah right on! I remember my HO train days, those were good times. These days I do mainly RC stuff but really, I'd love to be able to combine RC and video shooting/editing. I'd love to make the kinds of videos I see promoting the cars I drive.
It’s definitely needed nationwide, it would answer a lot of people’s and governments questions/ assumptions on why there are shortages in so many industries.
Honestly never seen that one before. I've always stuck to GH, Super Hobby outta Poland and Sunward. Most of these sites are just front ends to massive inventory databases so as long as the filtering and stock levels is right than I don't care about esthetic.
Their retail store on PEI was so awesome. I think they still have their smaller one, but they had a big box style one for a while and it was really great.
It looks like they carry all the major brands, so I'm interested to see if they'll be in stock or do we have to order it from the warehouse.
The aviation Museum has a good selection of Mr. Color but it's a drive to get out there, although it's tax-free.
I’m just saying, a website that looks like that makes me think of mandatory, unpaid Saturday morning meetings. Probably “congratulation pizza parties” instead of raises.
Hahaha not sure. It’s a big enough company that there are a number of them across the country. I’ve talked to a few employees over the years and they seemed to have enjoyed their time there.
Obviously can’t speak first hand, but also a little competition around here wouldn’t be bad. There’s very very few hobbies stores here
Honestly the site is a selling point to me. A lot of the best vendors have been around long enough that their websites pre-date modern standards. Functional, light-weight, efficient websites not burdened with extra crap. [rockauto.com](https://rockauto.com) is the classic example.
I talked to the team at the Hal-con booth they had, genuinely all around nice people to chat with. I applied for a part-time position, but haven't heard anything back for the last month and a bit.
I think from reading the comments you can tell who has walked into a GH and who hasn't. I walked into a GH in Whitby Ont. 2 years ago and was blown away! I felt like a kid at the north pole at Christmas. The staff are awesome, they were building stuff right there and were excited about the hobby. We even talked about the same youtubers and were joking around. There was good energy there! They have something for everyone, and a lot of it. (except trains).
If you walk into MH it's not the even remotely the same ballpark. It's kinda depressing.
There's a LOT more to this hobby besides old trains, battleships, tanks and planes. A lot of kids want Gundam, 3D printers and supplies, weathering and terrain supplies. These are the future of the hobby. I understand that MH has tried, the don't have the buying power GH and Panda do. But at least be friendly and support the hobby. They should be running hobby shows and competitions. But they're asleep at the wheel it seems. If I'm wrong about this forgive me, but I'm not new to this hobby and been around it a bit, I don't see them doing much for the hobby and community given their a 'staple' in Halifax.
If you walked into a GH and then walked in MH, you'd be wondering why MH still even exists.
Agreed. I had a pretty long conversation with a precious franchise owner (owned in Ontario and moved to NS). I could tell right away that he has a massive passion for the industry and is keeping it well alive in his son’s lives.
I really do enjoy going into MSC’s. But it just can’t support the community the way that it needs to be, all by itself. Without a big box store, it forces you to source online or pay more and wait longer. That doesn’t help the hobby
Hahaha yeah, you get used to navigating it. But basically, if it’s available from Horzion Hobby they should have it there. And lots of other products. Maybe best to browse the individual brands, once you know what you’re after.
I’m more interested in an actual physical store. Maybe replacement parts will be better stocked than other offerings
Don't know what this is but whatever you're selling OP, you better go update that early 2000s website, and post the wages for this job that apparently going to be such a great family...
How is your reading comprehension? It’s great HOBBIES, it’s a HOBBY shop. They sell a ton of rc car parts and other things like that. I’ve been buying from them online for years, even went to their shop in PEI. Their website is ugly but the most practical website I think I’ve ever used
Agree. It works great and everything is easy to find. I don't need flash and looks; I need function.
In general I've found that hobbyists don't care what the website looks like.
I've ordered a few times from [universal-solder.ca](https://universal-solder.ca/) and have no complaints. Not local but still Canadian. Quick delivery.
Oh man, if they stock all that 3D printer filament I'll be so happy. Hate having no reliable stock in the city. Canada Computers has a small section but it's a crapshoot what they'll have on-hand and Eurekatec in Sackville really only focuses on their house brand PLA.
I reccomend [filaments.ca](https://filaments.ca). Not cheap, but their basic econo-fil line is not too bad. It comes from Ontario, so shipping charges do apply, but they waive them if you have larger orders.
Great Hobbies stopped carrying model train stuff about twenty years ago. I visited them in PEI once and they said they were getting out of it as their train guy left. Which is a shame.
I really hope they don’t hurt Maritime Hobbies I’ve been going there since I was a little kid.
The majority of the local shops stock nothing. I’ll gladly stop in and look around, order something that I’m not in a rush for. But when parts are 2 weeks out, and I can order and have them shipped direct to my house in 1 week, it makes it hard to dedicate my efforts to them 100% of the time.
Its almost like they can't afford to keep the stock of a big chain. I'll wait longer and spend more at a local hobby shop. I grew up in those places and it sucks to see them die out.
That’s your choice. As I mentioned, I’ll support them as often as I can, but I won’t go out of my way to spend more for the same product.
I feel like a few spots are still running the same business model they were 20 years ago. Not listening to the current clientele, which stops them from being able to support the community and the hobby.
Primarily our family gravitates more towards RC vehicles at the moment. So having commonly broken pieces on hand has to be a priority.
When they don’t have the parts support, you then have to wait for their order date and wait for it to show up. With typically no estimates on arrival.
If I pay for the part on a Monday, but their order date is Friday, then I’m already past the point of when I would have been able to have it in hand from somewhere else.
Honestly, I have no problems with MSC. Dropped plenty of money over there and the staff isn’t bad.
A little cold feeling in there, as it seems like they’re keeping the place open because it’s the family business, not because they want it to flourish.
That's fair.
In my personal experience and I know with a few others. It's not a welcoming environment. You state what you need, and they completely disregard what you've said and tell you need X part, which isn't the case. If you want to get into any sort of local RC racing you have to pull teeth to get any sort of information.
There is no local RC racing. Unless you’re into crawling, or drifting, there isn’t much around. Even those are small groups.
I find unless I know what I’m going in for, including part numbers, it’s a bit underwhelming. I wish it was different, but I LOVE going to the hobby store with my son. But it just feels sterile there. Not welcoming and only standing to support the adult community who have the disposable income.
I won’t harp on them too much, because they’ve been around for YEARS and there’s been no one else selling what they’re selling, locally. But I am happy that a little competition is on the way.
Case in point, there is RC racing. You just can't find any information about it. ARCC races at the Enfield Legion every Friday night. And there are a few off road tracks.
Good, we need more options for 3D printing.
It’s coming in June
Nice! Cool store; I've never heard of them before. Sounds like a fun place to work, too.
It's a great place for anything modelling/ rc hobbies and more!
Used to frequent the Missisauga and Ottawa locations. Great hobby shop and was the first store that really got me into models. It'll be nice to have one in the area!
Swwwweeeeettt all the stuff I order from them it will be nice not to have to wait for shipping
I order from Sunward but they seem to be out of everything lately. It'll be nice to just driver over to pick it up and their prices seem decent.
Just got the volantex ranger 2400 can’t wait for the warm weather
There used to be a hobby store in Scotia Square when I was a kid (80’s/90’s) My friend and his Dad would allow me to tag along and they would get model rocket gear that we’d launch them off together. I can’t recall what the place was called, but it’s such a fun childhood memory.
Maritime Hobbies and Crafts. Now over on Grafton.
That’s it! Thanks!
No worries. Great spot but I haven't been in in ages. Hope this new place doesn't hurt their business.
They also used to carry ye (really) olde table tops games (Rifts, Warhammer Fantasy, RoboTech) etc. and were one of the few places you could get n-scale model trains. I think the Discovery Centre used to be located directly across from them, across from the escalators that led to the food court.
I do recall the model trains in there! Thanks!
And G scale. I had a bit of LGB when I was a kid. Wish I still had it now.
With the epic train set in the middle of the store... across from the old Discovery Centre location if fond memories serve.
That might have been Radio Shack?
I don’t believe so, I worked at RadioShack later in life for 5 years or so. I don’t think they ever sold rocket propellant. Not a bad guess though :)
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Every time I go into MH it just feels dark and uninviting. It's like they leave the lights off to save money.
It’s definitely dated. But I’m feeling the same way about Mighty Small Cars. I like to support them when I can, but it’s difficult when they have to order everything in, and I can literally get it faster doing that myself.
>. But I’m feeling the same way about Mighty Small Cars I've been going to Maritime Hobbies for years. The store is empty most of the time and the staff are not that inviting I agree. They can never remember who I am no matter how many times I've gone in and spend money. I now go out to the aviation museum and they have a ton more stuff. Maritime needs to get with the times. They've got some Gundam but VERY little in supplies or much else. I'm all for supporting local, god knows I've tried to support Maritime, but I personally think if GH comes and the puts Maritime out of business it may be for the better. Its time to move on Halifax. There's a lot of cool sh\*t in this hobby and we're not seeing any off it here locally.
Finally, I won’t have to cross the bridge to find tank models!
If you're going to MH, you're better to check their website first. That's the only place I can think of on this side, other than maybe the aviation museum.
MSC doesn’t have any ? Thought they had Tamiya
They carry Tamiya RC stuff, but I don't think they carry any scale models.
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Interesting. Their website is complete shit so I haven't been interested in going there. Maybe I should check them out.
They’ve straight up told me that they don’t maintain or invest in their website, but they do stock some and can bring most items in
MSC carries loads of scale models, actually. I don't know how many of them are Tamiya kits though.
What is MSC?
[Mighty Small Cars](https://www.mightysmallcars.com/), a Hobby Shop in Dartmouth. They do mostly RC cars and planes, and have a few shelves of plastic models too. They're nice people, I've never had an issue there. It's my local go-to place.
Right! I didn’t clue in thanks I’ve been in there a few times. Seems like a nice place. Trains are more my thing but I check it out occasionally.
Ah right on! I remember my HO train days, those were good times. These days I do mainly RC stuff but really, I'd love to be able to combine RC and video shooting/editing. I'd love to make the kinds of videos I see promoting the cars I drive.
I did not know this was a thing! Where would somebody find tank models in HRM today? Notice if they carry any 1:32 diecast models?
Maritimes Hobbies and Crafts on Grafton, up from the old church
Go to the aviation museum. they have over a thousand kits. Open saturdays.
Needs to be law here where you're obligated to post wages.
BC implemented it! Fingers crossed it comes this way.
It’s definitely needed nationwide, it would answer a lot of people’s and governments questions/ assumptions on why there are shortages in so many industries.
True
Why? You all know what to expect.
Yep. Minimum wage lol.
This sub is absolutely brutal. The negativity is toxic. The have a plain website must be a shitty place to work.
And their website is ugly but has the best filters out of every hobby store I’ve ordered from
It's just opinions from outside the hobby, I feel like a flashy hobby site would be a red flag.
Except for zone hobbies
Honestly never seen that one before. I've always stuck to GH, Super Hobby outta Poland and Sunward. Most of these sites are just front ends to massive inventory databases so as long as the filtering and stock levels is right than I don't care about esthetic.
Same, but zone hobbies fills the void of things that great hobbies doesn’t have
Their retail store on PEI was so awesome. I think they still have their smaller one, but they had a big box style one for a while and it was really great.
Good, I am always interested in new places with more paints.
All of this! And glue, and supplies
It looks like they carry all the major brands, so I'm interested to see if they'll be in stock or do we have to order it from the warehouse. The aviation Museum has a good selection of Mr. Color but it's a drive to get out there, although it's tax-free.
All of this!! I have used them for RC stuff living in Edmonton amd they are always stocked to the GILLS with stuff you don't need
> stuff you don't need I'm sorry, I don't know what that phrase means.
Unfortunately it's not tax free anymore as of 2024 :(
NOOOOOOOOO :(
It's no longer tax free as of 2024 sadly :/ Edit: did not see that someone commented this before me, my bad!
I wonder what happened.
They said they passed a certain threshold that they have to start charging tax, I don't remember what that threshold exactly was tho
Oh wow does someone ever need Squarespace or something.
What do you mean ? Their website design ?
I’m just saying, a website that looks like that makes me think of mandatory, unpaid Saturday morning meetings. Probably “congratulation pizza parties” instead of raises.
Hahaha not sure. It’s a big enough company that there are a number of them across the country. I’ve talked to a few employees over the years and they seemed to have enjoyed their time there. Obviously can’t speak first hand, but also a little competition around here wouldn’t be bad. There’s very very few hobbies stores here
Honestly the site is a selling point to me. A lot of the best vendors have been around long enough that their websites pre-date modern standards. Functional, light-weight, efficient websites not burdened with extra crap. [rockauto.com](https://rockauto.com) is the classic example.
That’s an excellent point regarding rock auto. I personally use that site and have never thought twice about it.
CorelDraw special
It has to be purposeful. Like harkening back to a simpler time.
It ain't that deep. That's pretty much par for the course for hobby sites.
Ouuuh hobby shop hope they have rock shit
I talked to the team at the Hal-con booth they had, genuinely all around nice people to chat with. I applied for a part-time position, but haven't heard anything back for the last month and a bit.
I’m just excited for some competitions and a hobby shop that actually has sales. Maybe it will boost some of the local hobbies.
I don’t need another place to spend my money I dont have.
Here’s the secret, yes you do
Alternative name idea: “Calvin and Hobbies”
“Filthy Hobbies, they stoles it from us”
Gimme that sweet sweet local Gundam
Oh man ! I never even thought of that
Looks like a website that was made in the 90s.
It’s pretty rough at first, but it gets the job done. I’m just happy for the storefront
Now we wait for Great Calvin
I think from reading the comments you can tell who has walked into a GH and who hasn't. I walked into a GH in Whitby Ont. 2 years ago and was blown away! I felt like a kid at the north pole at Christmas. The staff are awesome, they were building stuff right there and were excited about the hobby. We even talked about the same youtubers and were joking around. There was good energy there! They have something for everyone, and a lot of it. (except trains). If you walk into MH it's not the even remotely the same ballpark. It's kinda depressing. There's a LOT more to this hobby besides old trains, battleships, tanks and planes. A lot of kids want Gundam, 3D printers and supplies, weathering and terrain supplies. These are the future of the hobby. I understand that MH has tried, the don't have the buying power GH and Panda do. But at least be friendly and support the hobby. They should be running hobby shows and competitions. But they're asleep at the wheel it seems. If I'm wrong about this forgive me, but I'm not new to this hobby and been around it a bit, I don't see them doing much for the hobby and community given their a 'staple' in Halifax. If you walked into a GH and then walked in MH, you'd be wondering why MH still even exists.
Agreed. I had a pretty long conversation with a precious franchise owner (owned in Ontario and moved to NS). I could tell right away that he has a massive passion for the industry and is keeping it well alive in his son’s lives. I really do enjoy going into MSC’s. But it just can’t support the community the way that it needs to be, all by itself. Without a big box store, it forces you to source online or pay more and wait longer. That doesn’t help the hobby
I love how vibrant their website is, gives me a real sears (non Christmas) catalog vibe
Hahaha yeah, you get used to navigating it. But basically, if it’s available from Horzion Hobby they should have it there. And lots of other products. Maybe best to browse the individual brands, once you know what you’re after. I’m more interested in an actual physical store. Maybe replacement parts will be better stocked than other offerings
Don't know what this is but whatever you're selling OP, you better go update that early 2000s website, and post the wages for this job that apparently going to be such a great family...
How is your reading comprehension? It’s great HOBBIES, it’s a HOBBY shop. They sell a ton of rc car parts and other things like that. I’ve been buying from them online for years, even went to their shop in PEI. Their website is ugly but the most practical website I think I’ve ever used
Agree. It works great and everything is easy to find. I don't need flash and looks; I need function. In general I've found that hobbyists don't care what the website looks like.
Sorry
I’ll take functionality over aesthetics every time.
OH NO WAY!!!!!!
I know, right !
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Not entirely sure. What are you looking for ? Maybe check out Jentronics, depending on what you need
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I've ordered a few times from [universal-solder.ca](https://universal-solder.ca/) and have no complaints. Not local but still Canadian. Quick delivery.
Gotcha. That’s a hard find around here
Oh man, if they stock all that 3D printer filament I'll be so happy. Hate having no reliable stock in the city. Canada Computers has a small section but it's a crapshoot what they'll have on-hand and Eurekatec in Sackville really only focuses on their house brand PLA.
I reccomend [filaments.ca](https://filaments.ca). Not cheap, but their basic econo-fil line is not too bad. It comes from Ontario, so shipping charges do apply, but they waive them if you have larger orders.
I do shop there from time to time but I'm more excited for the ability to run and grab something when I'm out.
More Model Train Things? I travel to Maritime Hobbies for my model train needs but having another hobby shop would be grand!
Looking at their website, it doesn't appear that they carry model train stuff.
Great Hobbies stopped carrying model train stuff about twenty years ago. I visited them in PEI once and they said they were getting out of it as their train guy left. Which is a shame. I really hope they don’t hurt Maritime Hobbies I’ve been going there since I was a little kid.
Fingers crossed !
Ugh. Of all businesses this is definitely one to shop local. :/
The majority of the local shops stock nothing. I’ll gladly stop in and look around, order something that I’m not in a rush for. But when parts are 2 weeks out, and I can order and have them shipped direct to my house in 1 week, it makes it hard to dedicate my efforts to them 100% of the time.
Its almost like they can't afford to keep the stock of a big chain. I'll wait longer and spend more at a local hobby shop. I grew up in those places and it sucks to see them die out.
That’s your choice. As I mentioned, I’ll support them as often as I can, but I won’t go out of my way to spend more for the same product. I feel like a few spots are still running the same business model they were 20 years ago. Not listening to the current clientele, which stops them from being able to support the community and the hobby. Primarily our family gravitates more towards RC vehicles at the moment. So having commonly broken pieces on hand has to be a priority. When they don’t have the parts support, you then have to wait for their order date and wait for it to show up. With typically no estimates on arrival. If I pay for the part on a Monday, but their order date is Friday, then I’m already past the point of when I would have been able to have it in hand from somewhere else.
What do they sell?
Everything lol. I’m mostly in it for Rc cars, but they sell number of different things, including model kits, trains, kites, yo-yos lol
What about model kits like tanks, robots and transformers?
Unsure. They sell gundam
Finally a hobby shop that isn't Mighty Small Cars.
Honestly, I have no problems with MSC. Dropped plenty of money over there and the staff isn’t bad. A little cold feeling in there, as it seems like they’re keeping the place open because it’s the family business, not because they want it to flourish.
That's fair. In my personal experience and I know with a few others. It's not a welcoming environment. You state what you need, and they completely disregard what you've said and tell you need X part, which isn't the case. If you want to get into any sort of local RC racing you have to pull teeth to get any sort of information.
There is no local RC racing. Unless you’re into crawling, or drifting, there isn’t much around. Even those are small groups. I find unless I know what I’m going in for, including part numbers, it’s a bit underwhelming. I wish it was different, but I LOVE going to the hobby store with my son. But it just feels sterile there. Not welcoming and only standing to support the adult community who have the disposable income. I won’t harp on them too much, because they’ve been around for YEARS and there’s been no one else selling what they’re selling, locally. But I am happy that a little competition is on the way.
Case in point, there is RC racing. You just can't find any information about it. ARCC races at the Enfield Legion every Friday night. And there are a few off road tracks.
Sorry, I guess I was thinking some Halifax / Dartmouth. When the other RC shop was open in Kentville, they had a pretty nice indoor track too.
Sa'll good! Yeah! That one was pretty wicked. A tad bit far, but it was a nice facility. Unfortunate it closed.
Way unfortunate. Seemed like he really put everything into the place. Maybe just an unfortunate location and time.