blackshark3

This is no longer true...Of course if you check out prices of HK online shops they might be more expensive than those in Japan, but if you do come to HK prices at the local shops are easily 10-20% less than the webshops. What's funny is that some local shops does operate webshops and they keep two set of prices, and that people from other Asian countries do come to Hong Kong to buy retail for resale in other countries, that describe how low prices are over here...Competition Is so cut throat that for some kits some shops are selling below their costs just to attract customer, shop keepers would make sure people would get other items together with these loss making kits...

In terms of selection, sadly I could say Hong Kong now win hands down comparing to their counterpart in Japan. For the past half year I have been to Tokyo, Osaka and Fukuoka, and except for Futaba in Tokyo and RC Champ in Osaka the other shops are jokes when comparing to those shops here in Hong Kong. About 15 years ago when RC Champ opened its branch shop at Tokyo, it was a "must visit" shop even though it Is quite far away from the Akihabara station, now I just visit it to remind me of the good old days, and their stock is simply embarrassing...I had to press myself to select just something to buy for the sake of visiting, and I can't believe RC magazine are no longer available in shops.

Japanese shops are just no longer interesting, they now stock much less than the hay-day from the 80s to the end of the 90s...Gone, sadly, are the days of "the three Titans of Asakusabashi - Mitsuboshi, Irisawa and Tamaya", where in their multistorey buildings stock full of goodies from the ground all the way up to the ceiling....These giants, and the shop fronts gave way to the net shops...