Model Forum / General / Models / June 2008

...In order:

1) IIRC, the VHS opened in 1974 or 1975, right around the time the
Village Shopping Center was built, right across from Austin's biggest
shopping mall debacle, Northcross Mall. I recall the place being open
that early because that was my HO slot car period, and I was finding
about 3-5 miles of track for about two bucks a set it seemed every
weekend at garage sales, and the VHS was the only hobby shop in town
that had these neat little clips that helped you keep track pieces
together whose loktabs had broken off - Aurora did some dumb things to
their track designs in the early 70's. He also carried some really
great adapters that took these wide tracks that Aurora came out with
in the mid-60's that used a completely different connector assembly -
electrically compatible with the new tracks, but not snappable - and
that allowed me to seriously make some wild tracks in the garage that
to this day I wish I had photos of. Better still, had set up today
with one of those ultrarmini wireless cameras attached to the hood of
my favorite car body at the time, the Gulf 917!

..So...1975 to 2005, three decades. Depending on how doped up I am on
the pain killers I need to keep "Stumpy" - my recent leg amputation -
in check, that's either a long time or a blink of an eye :-(

2) I'm damn sorry to hear the owner died. I never did actually get to
know him on a by-name basis, but he was always great about locating
rare kits for reasonable prices. I'm even more sorry that he didn't
live long enough to see the Voyager get released by Moebius, as he
tried to locate even an old kit assembled by some kid circa 1969 for
several people back then, and came up empty! In fact, I recall the
discussion we'd had one day in the store over that original "Aurora
Revival" scam from late 2000, and the e-mail I'd gotten from the guy
claiming to be the company founder. He was under the impression it was
a scam based on some source of his own, and his reputation was such
that I also blew off the "revival" as either a scam or a dead issue.

3) The place couldn't have been closed *that* long, because I picked
up a couple of Polar Lights Klingon kits from there...wait, lemme
think, early 2007? Maybe 18 months ago, which means time does fun when
you're having flies, alas.

...Thanks for the info, tho. Still a sad thing to see a place you knew
well as a kid go away. Especially when the only other place in town
comparable is one where you've refused to do business with for about
as long. Guess it's mail-order for me, huh?

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