Hobby One, the One Stop Hobby Shop in MacGregor

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I recently experienced a Sheldon Cooper moment. Sheldon who? You know, the brainiac physicist with absolutely no social skills on television's Big Bang Theory. Except Cooper's favourite meeting place, the comic book store, was replaced in my situation by a Hobby store.

Hobby One is a hobby retail outlet located in MacGregor, fringing Mount Gravatt, which carries a huge selection of remote control cars, slot cars, train sets, model kits and more. It is wall-to-wall Airfix kits, and to be honest, as soon as I walked through the doors I realised that I was way out of my comfort zone. Not a single handbag nor pair of shoes in sight.



So what is an Airfix kit? Airfix is the oldest UK manufacturer of scale plastic model kits and has been producing kits for the mass market since the early 1950's. Founded in 1939 the original airfix kit came into being when the company was commissioned to create a promotional model of a Ferguson Tractor, moulded in plastic and hand assembled for distribution.

The Airfix name became synonymous with these kits so even nowadays kits made by other manufactures are more generally known as an Airfix kit.

Over the years Airfix has produced a wide range of kits with subjects such as military aircraft, civil aircraft, ships, galleons, cars, space, figures, dioramas and military vehicles. These kits have since played a huge part in keeping history alive as well as fuelling the dreams of young (and old) lads with a fascination for trains, planes and automobiles - and anything in between.

Consequently, when you walk through the doors of Hobby One you are faced with Spanish galleons, spitfires, vintage cars and steam trains of all varieties and sizes that require being assembled, glued together and even painted. As a novice this can be daunting.

My first venture to Hobby One was mid week and I was the only customer. To be honest I was way out of my depth, and had no idea what I was ordering having simply been given instructions to buy a 1:72 Handley Page Halifax B.111 kit. Now, honestly, would that mean anything to you? The customer service consultant did little to enlighten me nor did he seem to get out much in the Queensland sun. There was quite a conversation about sizing to scale and replicating original colour schemes, and this is when I had my "Sheldon moment".



When I returned several weeks later to collect my order Hobby One was a beehive of activity. It was a Sunday and the vibe was totally different. There was even chatter amongst the customers about a coming Model Railway Exhibit.

The staff were hugely helpful providing instructions on how to assemble my kit. (Tip: Paint first, not Glue.) Then there was the lesson on the differences between paint brushes, and at last, selecting the correct colour scheme for your kit. Don't get excited: there is nothing Homes and Gardens about this process as there are colour codes on the kit boxes for this purpose.

Would you like to see what makes up a kit? Here are the contents of my Halifax pack: lots of detailed plastic pieces to assemble including tiny figures representing each of the air crew.
There are stickers to add on completion of the paint job as well as for the nose art. This is the reason that this, my very first Airfix kit is personal to me: this is the same nose art as that on the Halifax my father flew in WW2.



It is important to note that paints, brushes and glue are an additional cost.

This little project should see me through the summer holidays, which certainly beats watching the cricket. Do you think a splash of duck egg blue on the wings would pretty it up?



Hobby One, at 7/544 Kessels Road, MacGregor, is a one stop hobby shop. It is well worth a visit as there are kits available for beginners as well as enthusiasts.

Open 7 days a week I recommend checking their website for their availability.

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