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Aura Model Shop
Category: Shopping Toy Stores Toy Stores [Edit]
10 Dundas St EToronto, ON M5B 2G9
Neighbourhoods: Ryerson, Downtown Core
(416) 979-2872
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
4 reviews for Aura Model Shop
4 reviews in English
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Review from Tricia B.
Toronto, ON
5/28/2010
So it turns out I'm a nerd. In a major way. Plays Dungeons and Dragons, check; still manages to argue about video games more than 10 years old, check; took a grammar course purely out of interest, check. Now I can add building Gundam Models (the Japanese oddities and transformer things described by my fellow reviewers).
While they do have a bunch of Tamiya model tanks and helicopters (including a couple R/C ones!), their stock of Gundam Models is impressive and almost fills a wall. They carry Tamiya paints for the models, including spraypaints, as well as really fine-tip pens for details. Something is generally always on sale somewhere in the store, but aside from that I can't really speak to whether their prices are reasonable or not relative to other stores (they were reasonable enough for me to buy a kit, though).
What makes me a fan and this a four-star review is the service. The immediate impression upon entering the store is that if you have a question you are SOL. But really, you should just suck it up and ask, because these guys love their stock. I got a 20-minute tutorial on selecting models and paints, tips on painting the pieces and a demonstration of the sales clerk's most recent creation (it's two gundams in one!) I had to cut it short to get to a movie, and wish I was still there to pick his brain.
If your thing is more R/C car related, the owner is a big fan and will (apparently) order in stock for you, but all they have in store are the Tamiya paints and some fuel. The owner is normally in on Fridays and weekends. With the closest hobby shops for R/C nearly an hour on TTC away, this might be the best option for downtown service. -
Review from Mike S.
Toronto, ON
11/28/2008
I tried to get into models when I was a kid. I guess in a less interesting decade slowly gluing together tiny pieces of plastic to eventually make a tiny car or plane that just sat there was a lot of fun. It was a good way to take your mind off the Cold War. But today I just don't think things like this have the same cache. Fittingly Aura Model Shop is tiny, although I couldn't tell you to what scale it was, but at least one half of a normal store. The store had exactly what you'd expect from a model store and more. They had the usual assortment of cars, planes and boats, but they also had a decent selection of transformer like models which I can only assume are the future of warfare. If you are into models that don't walk on runways then I think this is a pretty good place to go. If you just have a passing interest then its probably not worth your time.
Like the review? Check out the link to my blog on my profile. -
Review from Sanzo L.
Scarborough, ON
7/7/2011
Pretty small shop on the 2nd floor of the AMC theatre plaza across from Eaton Centre. They do have a limited selection of Gundam but they carry a wide range of other models (Evangelion). Also, they have starter tool kits for any new modelers, they also carry more Tamiya paints then AnimeXtreme. As for the price, most of the items are roughly the same price as the price of the items in Japan which I liked.
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Review from Chris P.
This is a great little shop. It's not overly large but they have a decent selection of various models. It's not just your normal selection of cars and airplanes either; they have Japanese oddities and so much more.
