Where have all the magnets gone?

The slow trickle of Necrons continues.  This week I've only managed to finish the Overlord and the Canoptek Moth.  I made a start on other stuff including the Necron Battleforce.  Chopping all the legs up on 20 Necron Warriors and reposing them was fun but still taking it real easy.  I decided to magnetise the Ghost Ark to double up as a Doomsday Ark.

This will require a phenomenal amount of magnets which I had to beg, borrow and steal because all the local retailers in Wellington no longer sell them.  I couldn't find any of the Vallejo Air colours I wanted, decent paintbrushes were in short supply and Grey Stuff has been out of stock for so long that it has become a myth.   I can't blame the local shops because they have limited space, need to sell products in volume and all of these things are easily ordered on the internet.  I suppose I shouldn't complain that all manner of esoteric hobby supplies are readily available at the click of a button and delivered direct to your door but I'm old fashioned when it comes to shopping.  I enjoy chatting to the shop owners and other customers.  It gives me ideas.  I like to pick things up in my grubby little hands.  This is a tactile hobby dammit.  I savour the exquisite tension of a limited budget surrounded by an Aladdin's cave of plastic crack.

 Is it just me or are local retailers going the way of the dodo? In Wellington which is admittedly not a very big city, Gordon Harris art supplies has moved to smaller premises.  Modelcrafts and Hobbies has moved to a larger site but only uses half of the available floor space.  The other half of the shop is an empty wasteland cordoned off using the old awnings pulled down from the previous building.  Weird, and not very welcoming.

Games Workshop is still hanging in there but is surrounded by empty ghosts of coffee shops and dvd/cd outlets in Courtenay mall.  I'm willing to bet that they will relocate once their lease comes up and they have the choice of not remaining open 7 days a week and maintaining a 2 man shop.

Don't get me started on Hobby Stop.  If you aren't going to stock AK products, what is the point of leaving an empty display stand in plain view, highlighting all the weathering accessories that you don't sell?

Large Man: Who's that then?
Dead Collector: I dunno. Must be a king.
Large Man: Why?
Dead Collector: He hasn't got shit all over him.

The French Art shop is still ok but, on enquiring about magnets, the shop assistant actually showed me how to search for every conceivable neodymium magnet size that I could ever want really cheaply on TradeMe.  Its just odd I tell you.  I dunno, maybe I'm getting old.  I feel old and grumpy most of the time.  Thank the Star Gods its spring already and that yellow orb in the sky has started appearing occasionally.  What was it called again?  I was beginning to think the C'tan had eaten it.