08-03-2025 - Newsletter #241

There are 3 brands that I want to give a try: Belkits, Battle Systems and Hornby.

Belkits is a Belgian brand that produces 1:24 scale kit sets of rally cars.

Battle Systems is an English brand that mainly deals with all kinds of stuff for wargaming.

I had my eye on Hornby for a while, but now the first stock has finally arrived. More will follow.

Robert

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26-02-2025 - Newsletter #240

A variety of stock has arrived. For the full list click here.

Kovozavody has just released an interesting kit: A 1:48 scale RNZAF BAC 167 Strikemaster!
Please show your interest by adding this product to your watchlist, so I can better estimate how many I should stock.

And several 1:18 diecast models from Solido are temporarily on sale. Up to 25% discount!

Robert

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17-02-2025 - Newsletter #239

After being closed for two weeks, the showroom is open again as normal. The pick-up option on the website is now also possible again. The opening hours are as mentioned on the website and Google:

Tuesday 11:00am - 3:00pm
Wednesday 11:00am - 3:00pm
Thursday 11:00am - 3:00pm
Friday 11:00am - 3:00pm
Saturday 10:00am - 3:00pm

This week I'm expecting the monthly Noch shipment and restocks of paint from Vallejo, AK Interactive and Army Painter.

Robert

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11-02-2025 - Newsletter #238

Reminder: The showroom in Paraparaumu is temporarily closed and will re-open on the 18th of February.
Mail orders are processed as usual.

From next week on the opening hours will be:

Tuesday 11:00am - 3:00pm
Wednesday 11:00am - 3:00pm
Thursday 11:00am - 3:00pm
Friday 11:00am - 3:00pm
Saturday 10:00am - 3:00pm

This means that during the week the showroom will be closed at 3:00pm instead of 4:30pm.
At this stage it is not feasible to have the showroom open till 4:30. Closing at 3:00pm gives me more time to work on improvements/better service that will attract more customers (the reason why the showroom is currently closed).
My apologies for the inconvenience this may cause to some visitors of the showroom.

Robert

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04-02-2025 - Newsletter #237

Just a reminder: The showroom in Paraparaumu is temporarily closed and will re-open on the 18th of February.
Mail orders are processed as usual.

A lot of brands announce their upcoming releases this time of year. Too many to list in this newsletter. For all new listings on the Mini-Kiwiland Shop website please visit the new listings page. This page also includes listing requests from customers.

Oxford Diecast is such a brand that has announced quite a few models for this year. A large Oxford shipment is expected in about four weeks. This shipment does not include any new 2025 releases however.

The Mini-Kiwiland Shop website is built using Dreamweaver from Adobe. I am considering switching to PhpStorm or NetBeams. I am just having trouble switching and was wondering if there are any customers who can help me with this.
Any advice is appreciated.

Many thanks,

Robert

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25-01-2025 - Newsletter #236

Attention: The Mini-Kiwiland Shop showroom in Paraparaumu will be closed from February 4th to February 15th.
The mail order department will remain operational as usual.
However, it will not be possible to pick up online orders in the showroom.

I would like to use this opportunity to, among other things, catch up on the backlog in the (financial) administration.
I would also like to change a lot on the website, which requires time and concentration. Something that is difficult with the opening hours of the showroom and all the distractions.
This 'break' also allows me to finally paint a number of the 120 shelving boards in the showroom. There is not enough space for painting in the current setup.
In addition to the above, there are many other things that I cannot get around to during opening hours.
So expect various adjustments in different areas in a few weeks.

A small shipment with Thunder Model kits has arrived. Thunder Model is a new brand for the Mini-Kiwiland Shop. More is expected in March.

Many brands announce new products at the beginning of the year, so expect all kinds of new announcements in the coming newsletters.

Robert

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18-01-2025 - Newsletter #235

The Mini-Kiwiland Shop showroom is closed on Mondays so I can take the time to process mail orders from the weekend.
However, this Monday the 20th is Wellington Anniversary Day, which means that NZ Post will not be collecting any parcels. Orders from this weekend will therefore be sent out on Tuesday.

Restocks have arrived from Vallejo and AK Interactive, for example.

Also, a number of 2024 releases have arrived from AZ Model and Kovozavody. All plastic kits of aircraft.
Kovozavody has introduced a new line: Hi-Tech. These kits contain extras such as masks and 3D printed parts. Stock is expected in February.

Robert

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11-01-2025 - Newsletter #234

Nearly 4000 items have been archived from the Mini-Kiwiland Shop website in the past few months.
These are mainly products that have discontinued for a while or from suppliers that are no longer being purchased or items that have simply not been in demand for a long time.
Mostly diecast and model railway stuff.
These 'archived' items are no longer shown when browsing the website, but have not disappeared completely. It is possible that these products are still on users' watch lists or that there is still an active sales history.

Not all discontinued items are (immediately) removed from the website. It is possible that there is still stock or that a manufacturer is going to re-release it in some cases.

Removing some 4,000 items from the website when browsing makes it easier to find items that can actually be purchased.

Hobby Shop or Museum?

Especially during holidays, the Mini-Kiwiland Shop is often visited by grandfathers who want to show their grandchildren what an old-fashioned hobby shop looked like when they were younger. As if they were visiting a museum.
However, almost everything in the showroom is 14+. In order to still be able to offer the children a souvenier, I will get the entire Airfix Quickbuild range in stock. These are Lego-like and for 6+.
The first 6 have been listed on the website. More will follow.

Paint Brands

A few weeks ago I asked for feedback for Pro-Acryl paint from Monument Hobbies. At the moment I will only keep their Titanium White in stock.
However, other brands were also mentioned in feedbacks. I am curious whether there is interest in brands such as Scale75 and Two Thin Coats (TTC) from Duncan Rhodes.

Many thanks,

Robert

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03-01-2025 - Newsletter #233

First of all, best wishes and a healthy new year!
Let's all hope that the economy really picks up this year.

Sales of the Mini-Kiwiland Shop increased by 77 percent in 2024 compared to the previous year.
This may sound good, but 2024 was the first full year in the new location and costs have unfortunately more than doubled. Further growth is therefore necessary to make the Mini-Kiwiland Shop profitable again.

2023 was a disastrous year after the eviction from the previous location. See newsletter 167.

The current location near the shopping center was the only option. It is a lot better than the previous building, but not ideal. It is on the first floor, which is a big problem for some customers. Deliveries can also be problematic. Especially when pallets arrive. The size of the showroom is also smaller than needed, which makes displaying stock difficult.

It was uncertain whether the Mini-Kiwiland Shop could continue to exist after the eviction. All orders from suppliers had to be cancelled, while a large pallet shipment from Europe was about to leave.

Because the move was very time-consuming and expensive, it took a long time before a new European sea shipment could leave again. More than half a year after the move.

The chaotic and expensive move meant that the new showroom had to open without it being ready. This led to great disappointment and bad first impressions from many visitors with high expectations.

The demand from visitors in the showroom turned out to be completely different from that of the webshop. The selection in the showroom had to be adjusted and also what and how stock could be displayed. This also turned out to be time-consuming and expensive.

New Brands

Nevertheless, I have managed to add more than 20 new brands since the move. Brands like 1ManArmy, ACE Models, Kinetic, ICM, Hobby2000, Dark Alliance, Excel Tools, Fujimi, Kotare, Master Box, Metal Earth, Milliput, Molotow, MPC, Special Hobby, Takom, Warhammer, Zap etc.

2025

My goal remains to be able to offer a wide range for a reasonable price.
The ideal situation for reasonable prices is to arrange regular sea shipments from the UK, Europe, Asia and America. Currently this is only financially possible from the UK and Europe. In 2024 only 2 sea shipments arrived from the UK and only 2 from Europe.
In 2025 this should be increased to 4 shipments from the UK and monthly sea shipments from Europe.

In addition to the sea shipments, monthly air shipments will of course still arrive from various brands like it did in 2024.

Sea shipments from Asia and America are currently not financially feasible. All sea shipments must be prepaid, which requires an investment of over $100,000 for all. Loans for this type of investment are only possible again with profitability and a better economy, which I don’t expect until 2026.
My apologies for this!

Feedback

Feedback on how you think the Mini-Kiwiland Shop can be improved is always welcome.
I have received a lot of this in the past, which has been very helpful.

Many thanks for all your support!

Robert

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21-12-2024 - Newsletter #232

The Mini-Kiwiland Shop showroom has special opening hours the coming week:

Sunday 22 December: 11.00am - 3.00pm
Monday 23 December: 11.00am - 3.00pm
Tuesday 24 December: 11.00am - 4:30pm
25 December - Christmas - CLOSED
26 December - Boxing Day - CLOSED
Friday 27 December: 11.00am - 4:30pm
Saturday 28 December: 10.00am - 3:00pm

The Mini-Kiwiland Shop is NOT CLOSED between Boxing Day and the New Year.

More than a 100 Academy kits are on their way to New Zealand. Most are not on the website yet. They should arrive in February (sea freight).

Kovozavody Prostejov has released a kit of a New Zealand Grumman Widgeon (NZ Tourist Air Travel), which is now available in the Mini-Kiwiland Shop.

More diecast models have arrived of the Batman Automobilia Collection.

Four Revell kits are on sale for a limited time only!

I'm considering stocking Monument Hobbies (Pro Acryl) paint, but I'm wondering if there is any demand for it. Feedback is highly appreciated.

Have a very Merry Christmas!

Robert

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