Model Hop in Andorra

Andorra Model Shop

On a recent trip around the Pyrenees we took time out to visit this excellent model shop in Andorra

Hobbys Basar Valira, 7 Avenue de les Escoles, Escaldes Engordanay

https://www.basarvalira.com/index.php?idioma=en

Its located in a one-way street with parking about 5 minutes away before you get to the shop.

A shop with two floors well stocked with current diecast/resin model cars and older releases, slot cars & kits.

Prices were much lower than we were used to eg Minichamps around 35 euros, IXO around 24 euros, due entirely to the lower tax rate in Andorra which is not in the EuroZone but does use the euro.

Chris

Thats in Andorra la Vella itself ? There many years go. Glad to see its still survives

James

Actually just a bit north of the capital, but yes possibly the same one.

Chris

James

We also visited a model in Carcassonne and in Limoges. But I have not given too many details because both are closing down

There used to be two shops in Carcassonne but there is only one left and the owner said he was also closing at the end of 2018 as the rent was too high. Small but interesting shop with a few old ones and some more modern stuff.

The other shop was in Limoges. Blimey it was like the model shops we used to find in Paris 15 - 20 years ago. It was absolutely stuffed floor to ceiling with old diecasts not so much modern. Once you got your head around where things were it was just a matter a moving model after model to see what was behind. The French shops tend to show their models by car make rather than model maker. So the Alfa shelf was two boxes wide, three high and ten deep!!! Despite the mountains of stuff I didn't find anything I needed. The owner could speak no word of English and I only speak a bit a French, but we had a good chat. It transpired he had run the shop for 47 years and at the end of September 2018 he was closing for good. He also owned a 1920s Amilcar.

Over the years its been really sad to see so many model shops closing in France. There used to be more decent model shops on the inside of the Paris Peripherique than in the UK, now its down to a handful. Its the usual reasons the owners are getting older and the internet. Its still fun finding a shop like these, you just never know what you are going to find.

Chris

Ebay is good but almost no cchance of finding say an old VW Beetle kit, old Corolla kit, Datsun kits , Mitsubishi WRC kit etc like one could a few years back. Pretty much everything now modern on ebay. Old shops are like goldmines for the likes of us.