WELCOME TO THE MINI-KIWILAND SHOP WEBSITE
To support the creation of a New Zealand miniature park!
To support the creation of a New Zealand miniature park!
On this page you will find links to the newsletters that customers receive by e-mail every week.
A year ago it was our intention to take big steps to become an all-round hobby shop.
Although we did not achieve what we wanted, there is still reason to celebrate with a sales increase of almost 50%.
To celebrate this achievement I have selected more than 1000 (!) Items in stock to go on sale on top of the 500 that were already on sale.
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
Business will be as usual for the Mini-Kiwiland Shop in the coming weeks. Orders are processed as usual and usually shipped the same business day after payment is received.
It will also be possible to pick up orders and visit our office by appointment.
Last week we received a diecast shipment and Airfix kit sets. Including an All Blacks Air New Zealand plane and a HM Bark Endeavour.
More diecast and kit sets are expected this week or early next week.
There will be no newsletter next week. That will give me some more time to work on the website.
I wish everybody a very merry Christmas!
Stay safe and healthy!
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
Just one 'Open Office Day' left to visit us before Christmas on Saturday 19 December!
There will be no 'Open Office Day' between Christmas and the new year, although it is possible to visit us, but this is by appointment only.
More kit sets from Italeri and Zvezda arrived last week and a lot more is expected!
A new brand for the Mini-Kiwiland Shop is Sun Star. Sun Star produces 1:18 scale model cars mainly. First stock is expected in January. This includes rally New Zealand models!
A new direction that I would like to try is the slot car market. See 'Scalextric Slot Cars' below.
Specials this week are G scale kits and 1:24 diecast cars.
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
There are just two 'Open Office Days' left before Christmas. Next one is on Saturday 12 December. It is possible however to visit us on other days as well, but that's by appointment only.
New arrivals include kit sets from Italeri, Zvezda and Airfix. Not everything is on the website yet. This will be done in the next few days.
Specials this week are more 1:43 diecast model cars.
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
Thanks to the increasing turnover of kit sets, we will significantly increase the stock of these. Hundreds of kit sets have now been ordered and are on their way to New Zealand. Hopefully these will arrive before the end of the year. Many of these kit sets have not yet been added to the website.
The brands include products from Airfix, Italeri, MiniArt and Zvezda. For next year we expect Dragon and Meng, among others.
Specials this week are 1:43 Oxford cars and 1:32 Firemen figures.
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
The Mini-Kiwiland Shop will have 'Open Office Days' on every Saturday until Christmas. It is possible to visit on other days as well, but that's by appointment only.
New arrivals include Airfix, MiniArt, Zvezda, Italeri, Oxford, Walthers items and more.
Specials this week are ambulances and police cars from Atlas Editions.
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
The third 'Open Office Days' weekend will be on Saturday and Sunday. This time it's all about kit set modelling, military figures and wargaming. Military diecast models will also be displayed.
I'm expecting a shipment within two days with kit sets from Airfix, Italeri, MiniArt and Zvezda. Those will be displayed during the 'Open Office Days' in the weekend as well.
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
Last week products from Faller, Atlas Editions, Vallejo and HaT arrived in stock.
Specials this week are Vallejo paint dropper bottles.
There are no 'Open Office Days' on Saturday and Sunday. The next 'Open Office Days' are on Saturday 21 November and Sunday 22 November.
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
During the 'Open Office Days' the Mini-Kiwiland Shop broke a sales record: Turnover has never been so high in a year. While this seems great, it is unfortunately no longer feasible to move to a much needed larger showroom by the end of the year. See 'Record Sales' below.
The next 'Open Office Days' on the 7th and 8th of November are all about diecast collectibles. From cars, trucks and buses to tanks, planes and helicopters. From 1:12 to 1:160. Many hundreds. Much more than we are allowed to bring to Toy Collectors Fairs.
HaT figures, more Faller kit sets and Vallejo paint are expected in a few days. All new stock will also be shown at 'Open Office Days', regardless of the 'Open Office Day' type.
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
Preparations have been made for the first 'open office days' next weekend. More shelves have been placed to able to display more. Some range of products will be on permanent display for all 'open office days. These include N and OO scale items. For more details see 'Open Office Days (1)' below.
Specials this week include 1:43 tractors and Ferrari F1 models.
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
The first shipment from the USA by sea container has finally arrived!
This took a little longer than expected, but was also cheaper than expected. This enables us to lower our prices of the American model railway brands even further. See 'Import USA' below.
NOTE: Most products of this shipment have not been entered in our system yet.
Other arrivals include Faller new releases and Airfix, Italeri and MiniArt kit sets.
In Newsletter #25 I announced that I was considering organizing 'open homes', so customers could visit our office and browse some of our selection. I renamed these days to 'Open Office Days'. I want to emphasize that it will still be an office, not a traditional shop. The first days are picked. See 'Open Office Days' further in this newsletter.
More diecast models are expected this week.
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
Preiser (figures) hasn't been able to ship to New Zealand for months, but last week the first shipment arrived from Preiser since the Covid-19 outbreak. From now on we should be able to receive Preiser products once a month like most of our overseas suppliers. Stock level at Preiser is still a problem. Preiser does not even stock half of what is in their catalogue.
Among the new arrivals were figures sets from Zvezda. The Napoleonic sets were sold out quickly to watchers however.
A new brand for the Mini-Kiwiland Shop this week is Road Kings. A diecast Manufacturer that produces 1:18 scale truck cabs only.
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
I am considering organizing 'open office' in Paraparaumu. During these days it is possible to visit our office without an appointment and to browse through our range. Just like a store. See 'Open House' below for more information.
New arrivals last week included products from Noch, Kibri, Vollmer, Oxford, Atlas Editions, MiniArt and more ...
Specials this week are HO scale models by Brekina and Ricko.
NOTE: Some 'subscribers' may not receive this weekly newsletter from next week. See 'Website Improvements (15)'.
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
Last week a large variety of models and kit sets arrived. From Faller structures and military figures from Zvezda, Italeri and Pegasus to different scales of model cars and more.
Specials this week are more 1:43 supercars and models from the Taxi Collection.
The Humbrol Acrylic pots line has come to an end. Humbrol has withdrawn these pots due to a design fault. They are replaced by dropper bottles (similar to Vallejo).
Coming week shipments with products of the following brands are expected: Noch, Brekina, BoS, Ricko, Oxford, Whitebox, Atlas Editions and more...
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
Last week shipments from Faller, Noch, Italeri, MiniArt and several diecast brands arrived.
More Vallejo paint came in and some are on sale.
Other specials include various 1:43 diecast models.
More items from Italeri and Zvezda are expected coming week. Mostly figures sets.
Two brands are new for the Mini-Kiwiland Shop: Hachette Collections and Trofeu.
Hachette Collections is similar to Atlas Editions. They produce series of models that come with magazines.
Trofeu produces 1:43 scale rally cars, including rally New Zealand models.
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
New shipments with diecast models and kit sets from Kibri, Vollmer and Italeri arrived in stock last week.
Coming week kit sets from MiniArt and models from Noch and IXO Models are expected.
Now that we receive monthly shipments from most of our overseas suppliers, we are able to re-stock faster and special customer orders are arriving much quicker. Providing the manufacturer still has stock. Customers who have placed special orders will be notified when manufacturers are out-of-stock (OOS). See 'Website Improvements (14)'.
A new brand to the Mini-Kiwiland Shop this week is Jada Toys.
Specials this week are various 1:43 diecast models.
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
New stock with Noch, MiniArt and Italeri products has arrived.
This week we're introducing a new brand for the Mini-Kiwiland Shop called Waterloo 1815. The name of this Italian brand is somewhat misleading. Besides Napoleonic they also produce WWI and WW2 model figures and more (1:32 and 1:72 scale).
Oxford has announced new releases for later this year. IXO Models will release some more truck cabs.
Specials this week are HO and N scale kit sets.
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
Last week another shipment from Faller arrived. The long-awaited Strelets shipment also came in. Many of the Strelets figures quickly sold out to watchers however. Other watchers missed out. To avoid future disappointments, I will do things differently next time and give some tips. See 'Strelets and HaT Shipments' further in this newsletter.
The first paint items arrived and some went straight on sale. It's a very small selection, but stock will grow in the coming months.
A new brand for the Mini-Kiwiland Shop is Wiking from Germany. Wiking is best known in New Zealand for its agriculture 1:32 models. The NZ distributor does not offer any of the Wiking's HO scale range unfortunately, so we will give it a try. First stock is expected in October.
Shipments with MiniArt and Italeri kit sets and Noch products are expected to arrive this week.
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
Now that Germany can ship to New Zealand again, we can finally provide some certainty about delivery times and prices. Especially for customers who would like to order items that are not in stock.
To provide more clarity for 'special (out-of-stock) orders', the 'my account' page of users should be improved. See 'Website Improvements (13)'.
BoS has lowered its prices. Viessmann, Vollmer and Kibri made their annual price adjustments in July. Noch is about to change prices on September 1. See further in this newsletter for more information about the prices of each brand mentioned.
We received our first shipment with Brekina HO scale models. This is just a test to see if there is any demand for this brand in New Zealand. At this stage, we hope to receive new stock once a month.
Specials this week include a Suzuki Melbourne police model plus Ricko and Brekina HO scale models.
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
After four months, the first model railway shipments from Germany have arrived in Auckland. Delivery in Paraparaumu is expected in the coming days. It's still a just part of what is on its way. Brands in these shipments include Viessmann, Vollmer, Kibri, Brekina and Ricko.
A shipment with diecast models arrived last week. See further in this newsletter for details.
Specials this week are some 1:24, 1:43 and 1:72 scale die cast models.
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
This week a new product theme is introduced (Ruined and Rusty), our Brand Top 20 has been published on our website, many new listings and the arrival of various kit sets.
Specials this week are some 1:72 scale HaT figures sets and Noch products (N and HO scale).
Oh, and a small request for positive public feedbacks...
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
This week we have great news for (European) railway modellers: After 4 months, Germany is able to ship to New Zealand again!
See below for more details under 'Model Railway Stock'.
And even more good news: unexpectedly, July turned out to be our second best sales month so far! Our best month remains 'Christmas shopping' November 2019.
This looks promising for the rest of this year and our plans to expand. More details below under 'Sales 2020'.
Disappointing news for those who would like to visit us on events. See 'Shows and Events'.
New stock arrived with Italeri, Zvezda and MiniArt kit sets. Not everything has been booked in our system yet.
Specials this week are Faller and Vollmer HO scale products.
The users 'My Account' page has had some improvements. See further in this newsletter for more information.
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
In this newsletter a variety of new listings on our website. From 1:18 model cars to 1:35 figures kit sets and 1:72 scale airplanes.
Good news for postage of most 1:72 scale Atlas Editions diecast tanks.
Specials this week are 1:43 racing cars and N scale vehicles.
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
In this newsletter new stock from Armourfast and diecast models.
Specials this week are some 1:43 scale cars and 1:76 scale buses.
Plus more new listings and announcements!
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
Important: Some 'subscribers' may no longer receive the newsletter by e-mail anymore starting this week or next week.
When I started the newsletter 13 weeks ago, I simply placed everyone on the mailinglist who had bought something from the Mini-Kiwiland Shop in the past, including TradeMe buyers, who had never registered on the Mini-Kiwiland Shop website. This is not allowed and it does damage our online spam reputation. A reason why newsletters could end up in spam / junk folders. More information in the 'Website Improvements (8)' section at the bottom of this newsletter.
New arrivals include Oxford and Cararama models.
Specials this week are from Busch.
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
In this newsletter good news for (American) railway modellers: Prices of American import have gone down and stock is expected next month!
By ordering bulk and sea freight we are able to reduce prices of all American model railway products. This includes Atlas, Bachmann, Con-Cor, JTT, Micro-Trains, Walthers, Kadee, Kato USA, Woodland Scenics and many more.
On the other hand we do not expect stock from German model railway suppliers soon. See 'Import Germany' below.
To read the entire newsletter click here
In this newsletter you will find announcements of truck cabs and Batman automobilia. Models from Oxford and Corgi have arrived in stock.
Specials this week are HO- and N-scale model railway items and 1:43 die cast models, including another Rally New Zealand model!
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
In this newsletter I would like to highlight a new brand for us: American Diorama. A shipment with lots of American Diorama figures arrived today.
Also two more product categories from Artitec in this newsletter: Planes and World War I.
Sales for this week are various 1:43 scale model cars and tractors plus Kibri and Viessmann rail vehicles.
And good news for postage to the South Island!
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
International parcels are arriving one after the other after NZ Post announced that the domestic delays have been resolved a week ago. We are still expecting quite a lot, but are very pleased that everything arrived in good condition so far.
Product of brands that have arrived include Armourfast, Italeri, MiniArt en Zvezda.
The website saw some useful improvements when it comes to estimating combined postage by users.
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
Welcome to the 8th newsletter from the Mini-Kiwiland Shop.
In this newsletter I would like to highlight a fairly new brand for us: Artitec. Artitec started in the 80's by making highly detailed scale models for museum dioramas in the Netherlands. These days the catalogue of Artitec contains over 1500 products.
Last week new Oxford die cast stock arrived and I have some news about Strelets military figures sets that are coming to an end.
Specials this week are newly arrived B-T Models. OO scale as well as N scale.
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
Welcome to the 7th newsletter from the Mini-Kiwiland Shop.
In this newsletter we have a sale of damaged items that will not be offered on our website, but on TradeMe this time. I would also like to highlight IXO Models, which is a relatively unknown brand in New Zealand, but one of the largest model car manufacturer in the world.
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
Welcome to the sixth newsletter from the Mini-Kiwiland Shop.
In this newsletter I have news about the Taupo Hobby Expo, information about a Rolls Royce model starting at $27,000 and I would like to highlight Brekina and HaT products.
Brekina is a new brand for the Mini-Kiwiland Shop that I would like to give a try.
The latest shipment we received last week was coming from HaT, so that's an ideal opportunity to give more information about this brand.
I discovered HaT by accident when I was looking at other brands one of our main suppliers was selling. The Napoleonic figures got my attention.
Anything Napoleonic interests me. One of my ancestors once traveled with the Napoleonic army to the Russian front as a surgeon. It was a disastrous campaign for Napoleon. The Russian Cossacks took my forefather prison at some stage. He managed to return home after a few years and wrote down his adventures in a diary. This diary is still in the possession of my family.
I bought a bunch of HaT sets not expecting any interest in New Zealand, but I was pleasantly surprised there is. Not soon after the successful first trial I could buy directly from HaT and this opened the whole 1:72 military / wargamers market for the Mini-Kiwiland Shop.
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
Welcome to the fifth newsletter from the Mini-Kiwiland Shop
In this newsletter I would like to highlight Preiser products.
Preiser is by far world leader when it comes to model figures for modellers. The catalogue exceeds more than 3000 different sets in 17 scales. Besides the impressive range of products Preiser is also known for its high quality.
Preiser is actually the first brand that accepted Mini-Kiwiland as a reseller. Mini-Kiwiland started as a shop in 2016 with Preiser models only. At the time I had picked up modelling again and it surprised me that such an important brand for modellers was hardly available in New Zealand or for excessive high prices. I needed quite a few G scale figures and approached Preiser with the question how to get them in New Zealand. Starting a model shop had been my intention to support the Mini-Kiwiland attraction, but not in such an early stage. I decided to give it a try anyway.
As a newcomer in the market I tried to open accounts for existing brands in New Zealand at around a dozen NZ distributors, but not a single NZ distributor was and still is not interested in supplying the Mini-Kiwiland Shop. For some reason the hobby market in New Zealand seemed to be closed and blocked by and for certain brands.
This very limited market situation for New Zealand only encourages me to get existing and missing brands overseas instead. All our products are imported by the Mini-Kiwiland Shop. I am continuously looking out for new suppliers in different countries for fair prices. This does take time. Sometimes it takes months to set up an account. I need to take it brand by brand and check if there is actual demand for certain products in New Zealand as well. Listing products on the website is also very time consuming.
Some brands need to be taken to a higher level. Preiser is such a brand. There should be plenty of stock in New Zealand. Stock at the Mini-Kiwiland Shop is very low at the moment, but will steadily increase each month as soon as Preiser starts shipping to New Zealand again.
In future newsletters I will highlight more brands.
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
Welcome to the fourth newsletter from the Mini-Kiwiland Shop.
In the past week I listed LGB and Marklin Minitrix products on the website and updated new 2020 HO scale releases from Minichamps, Norev and Schuco.
Special offers this week are from Cararama (1:72) and Preiser (HO).
The incorrect display issues of this newsletter in the first 3 newsletters in some mailing systems seem to be resolved. If subscribers are still experiences problems, please let me know.
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
Welcome to the third weekly newsletter from the Mini-Kiwiland Shop.
In the past week I have entered new products on the website from B-T Models (OO and N Scale) and more James Bond models. More models still need to be listed.
Special offers this week include a Rally New Zealand model and other Mitsubishi rally cars plus B-T Models.
Kiro
To read the entire newsletter click here
Welcome to the second newsletter from the Mini-Kiwiland Shop.
There seem to be some issues with the layout of this newsletter at some providers. If you can not see this newsletter properly, please view the website version instead by clicking 'on the website' at the top of this newsletter. I will keep working on resolving this issue obviously.
My apologies for any inconvenience,
Kiro
In this newsletter:
To read the entire newsletter click here
Welcome to the first newsletter from the Mini-Kiwiland Shop.
In January I already announced that I will start a weekly newsletter in April. I did have a different situation in mind though. The virus and upcoming recession situation will have an enormous effect on how things will be done worldwide. During the lockdown I had plenty of time to look at all options for the future of the Mini-Kiwiland Shop and Attraction and what direction to follow.
The upcoming Mini-Kiwiland Miniature Park was meant as an international tourist attraction, but this is a market that will be pretty much non-existing for quite a while. Still only temporary, but pretty much all potential sponsors and investors have withdrawn their support due to the upcoming worldwide recession. As the Mini-Kiwiland modellers are all volunteers we will keep on working on the many models, but we simply can not make any future plans for the time being.
The Mini-Kiwiland Hobby Shop should have been part of the attraction together with a cafe and souvenirs shop. I merely started the shop at an earlier stage, because I couldn't get items that we needed for modelling locally or for a fair price. I was quite surprised how model shops in New Zealand were operating compared to shops overseas. Even though I tested the market first bit by bit and offering brand by brand, it all seemed to be very successful and this inspired me to invest more time and money in the shop.
After a very successful 2019 I had big plans for 2020. More brands, more stock, more activities, show and events and even moving to a larger premises with a large showroom. The Model Shop needs to grow to become a proper shop for all modelling needs, but the potential and demand is out there.
All these goals remain and I'm actually quite confident that these all will be achieved. Acquiring more stock and brands were already arranged before the lockdown and will arrive in the coming months. Shows and events might be a problem, but moving to a bigger place could be easier when more commercial properties are coming available during a recession. I don't have any plans to open a small shop in a city or mall. I will be looking for a large showroom for selling products with a workshop for modelers. This does not necessarily needs to be within the Wellington region.
I still need to keep a close eye on how the market develops in New Zealand and overseas obviously. Updates like new brands, new product announcements, website improvements, market changes in New Zealand and overseas will be mentioned in the weekly newsletters.
I am looking forward to all developments we will be going through and hope to see you during shows and events later this year or in our future showroom and workshop.
Many thanks for all your support so far!
Kiro
In this newsletter:
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