Fellow aviation enthusiasts and airplane model collectors, allow me to introduce to you the YankeeVictor400 Airplane Model Shop (YankeeVictor400.shop, not .com)
Many of you know me as an active member of the die-cast airplane model collecting online community, and as the guy who owns the YankeeVictor400.com site, but for those of you who don't know me, it shall be enough to say that I'm a passionate aviation enthusiast, and almost every aspect of my life revolves around the aviation industry.
When the opportunity to venture into the world of small businesses presented itself, it didn't take long for me to settle on starting up an airplane model online store. After all, as my professional life has taught me, one of the gifts of turning one's passion into a business is that when reality strikes one still gets to say "Hey, it could be worse, at least I'm surrounded by airplanes."
I'm far from being the only aviation lover who has taken their passion across to the business side of the house. As a long-time airplane model collector, I know that the hobby remains largely a collector-run industry, and I know there is no shortage of fellow collectors and enthusiasts engaged in retailing the lovely gems that airplane models are. I'm sure some of them are thrilled to see one of their customers turn into a competitor ;).
So, what do I exactly plan on bringing to the table?
For one, more airplane models for everyone! The aviation industry continues to grow, as well as the global population. As long as there are aircraft in the sky, there will be aircraft model collectors on the ground and someone will need to be there to help them fulfill their passion.
Additionally, I plan on bringing many of the things that, over the years as a collector myself, I have been able to identify as key elements that set good airplane model stores apart, which include: A user-friendly website that is easy to use across different platforms. Good service in the form of transparent and timely communication, and the ability to provide reasonable solutions to customers when issues arise. Ensuring products are sent out in packaging that can keep them as protected as reasonably possible from rough handling and the elements. Those are the areas where we are focusing our initial efforts the most. I have been pleased with the results so far, but as with any new venture, there are growing pains. For that, I ask that you please be patient if you encounter any hiccups during these early stages, and report any shortcomings to us so that we can fix them.
One challenge is the nature of my main bread and butter, which requires me to be gone for extended periods. Luckily, I have a few extra hands around here eager to help me serve you, but there is a learning curve involved and the system needs to be fine-tuned over time.
Finally, good airplane model stores are characterized by having a wide range of products available. This is also the costliest and one of the most demanding aspects of this type of business venture, as the line between growing the inventory and keeping the business financially viable during the early stages is a tricky one to walk. Because of that, it will probably take me a few years to build up the product catalog to my satisfaction.
In the meantime, I am pleased to start things off by bringing to you an admittedly modest, but quite varied catalog of models from InFlight200, GeminiJets, and Panda Model as well as all the other brands that are associated with them. It has been a pleasure working with each one of them. They all have been very professional, which has made the stocking-up process pretty straightforward.
But there is more, as a long-time collector I do need to prune my personal collection from time to time, which means that some of my models will be available on the site as well under the good ole "collection sale" section. There you might find some rare ones, some of which are in mint/never-displayed condition.
Stay tuned as the line of products expands slowly but surely!
A sense of locality in today's globalization.
When I was a kid (meaning younger), I loved to take trips to the local model shop. Today it is not easy to experience that, as the majority of collectibles/hobby shops are online based.
As much as I would like to set up a physical store that locals would look forward to visiting on a Friday afternoon after a long week, or on a Saturday morning with the kids, or that any AvGeek visiting the city wouldn't want to miss, it is simply not feasible for me to do something like that right now - maybe when I retire from my main job (?).
In the meantime, one thing that I can do to create some sort of connection with the region in which the store is based is to offer free shipping on all orders in the state of Texas (this also helps offset the state tax that we need to collect for in-state sales).
While on the topic of shipping, all U.S. orders of $120.00 or more qualify for free USPS Priority shipping, but other -paid- shipping options will also remain available. The minimum order value to be eligible for free domestic U.S. shipping will likely go up a bit with time, as the business gains traction, so take advantage of it while it's there.
International shipping is also available.
Wrapping up
There is not much more to say other than thank you if you read to this point. I look forward to continuing to enjoy the wonderful hobby of collecting airplane models, while also helping others do the same.
As an inaugural promotional offer, the code yv400grandopening will give you a 13% discount and will be valid for all (all as in every single one) orders placed before December 31, 2024. Join the mailing list for subsequent codes and promotions.
Check out the first iteration of our home-based operation:
Panda Model (1:400 only), InFlight200 (1:200 only), and GeminiJets (1:400 and 1:200) enable us to have something to offer to collectors of the two most popular scales in the hobby. Between them, there is also a decent balance between modern and classic, western and eastern aircraft.
Have you ever found a package out in the rain with its contents wet? I have...
All of our models will be shipped with some sort of water protection barrier (poly bags, or bubble wrap) in addition to the surrounding shock-absorbing material (packing peanuts, more bubble wrap, shipping paper, etc.). While I can't guarantee that there won't be any issues, I can assure you that we will do our best to mitigate them. Also, notice we have plenty of microfiber lens cloths and different kinds of gloves readily available. I don't like touching my models with bare hands, much less those of my customers.
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