A MODELMAKER’S LIFE: LUNCH OUT AND A VISIT TO KINGKIT…

Today I met my good friend Haris Ali for lunch and then visit perhaps the largest single collection of new and used kits you will find anywhere: Kingkit.

24th June 2025

Today I met my good friend Haris Ali for lunch and then visit perhaps the largest single collection of new and used kits you will find anywhere: Kingkit.

It had been a while since I had seen my good friend Haris Ali, so over the weekend I gave him a shout and asked if he fancied meeting up for a coffee and perhaps a bite to eat. This morning, we did exactly that.

Living in Telford, we are very fortunate to have Ironbridge on our doorstep. A world heritage site, it is home to all manner of historical sites and almost everywhere you look, gorgeous views, interesting places to visit and in order to cater for the thousands of tourists that flock to the Birthplace Of Industry every year, plenty of cool places to eat.

Haris had suggested that we go to a place called Embers. Nestled within trees on the edge of the gorge, this was once a vegetarian restaurant, but is now a normal cafe that offers coffee, breakfast meals up until 11.30am and then lunch through the afternoon – it’s also the home to a coracle museum, but we had come to eat, not discover more about the circular boats that once plied their trade upon the waters of the River Severn. 

The menu is varied and interesting, the fish tacos that I had and the cheesy portobello mushroom in ciabatta that Haris chose, more than fitting the bill. Along with our main meals, we also ordered a couple of alcohol-free beers and a bowl of crispy potatoes, the latter enough to feed four of us, let alone two! Given my love of all things potato, they were of course devoured, but I have to say that I started to feel in need of a mid-afternoon nap as the food worked its way through my system…

If you are in the area, check out Embers, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. For more information including directions and a look at their menu, take a look at their website at the following address:

https://www.emberscafe.co.uk/

And then it was on to Kingkit…

Kingkit has been an ever-present part of our hobby for as long as I can remember. Well-known for being one of, if not the, largest suppliers of second-hand kits in the UK (if not the rest of the world) they have had their home base in Telford for decades now. Recently, they moved from their previous home to a larger premises and in the process, opened a small retail outlet at the front of their industrial unit within the Stafford Park industrial estate, one of three large estates dotted around Telford. It was this new premises that we visited today.

In previous years you could order from their website and then either wait for the parcel of goodies to arrive via the post, or you could arrange ‘click & collect’ and then drive over to pick it up. Many a times I’ve been eager to have my order to hand, so driven the 10 or so miles to get it. Now though, with this little ‘shop’ opening as part of their business, you can simple travel over, tell them what you want and then pay for it as you would any other shop. No need to order online, no need to wait.

Haris and I had decided to drive over and take a little look at what was on offer. Both of us needed a few bits and pieces, Haris looking for an ICM Model T armoured car and me, a few paints and weathering products.

We knew that there would also be a collection of boxes containing older kits in the ‘shop’ to look at, so that made the trip worthwhile as well. I didn’t need any kits, but you never know what I might find to change my mind, so it seemed a as good reason as any to step foot through the door and take a look.

It was fun to look through the boxes. Some of the kits found here were older offerings missing boxes, or in some cases some parts, decals, or instructions. Most though were complete and in some cases, very old! Looking at ancient Frog and NOVO Gannets for instance, the latter moulded in a lurid green coloured plastic, brought back many memories. Haris was particularly taken with an Airfix F-111 announcing with some shame it seemed to me, how he’d lost his temper with one as a kid when the decals wouldn’t stay in place. Yeah: been there, done that! And yes, I did find a few things to buy, mainly masks and a load of Evergreen rod and strip to replace material used during many of my recent projects.

We then got talking to the owner Andy, about all manner of things related to the hobby. Much like us he’s a real font of information when it comes to old kits and historical products so we had much common ground to cover. Having chatted to him for some time he then offered to let us take a look inside the main part of his operation: the warehouse. 

Being in there to see all of the kits that Kingkit had was a real treat, this area not being generally open to the public. Honestly, the sight of all of those kits was mindblowing! I’ve been in warehouses before to see racks of model kits, but nothing really prepares you for the volume and incredible variety of kits that we saw today. Much of it I recognised of course, plenty of it though I’d either never seen before or only ever seen in photographs. An absolute treasure trove.

Along with the older kits in their collection, Kingkit also stock and obviously sell, all of the new kit releases. Though not know as a seller of new kits, they are very keen to establish themself within this world as well, so if you need anything recently released give their website a look to see if they have it in stock or if you are in the area, pay them a visit at the following address:

Kingkit, Unit 20 , Stafford Park 12, Telford, Shropshire, TF3 3BJ.

We’d really like to thank Andy for his hospitality this afternoon and being generous enough to show us around. Now that we know we have this massive model shop on our doorstep they’ll be no stopping us! I did mention to Andy that next time we visit I will definitely not be buying anything, a statement greeted with a raised eyebrow and a very loud “we’ll see”. Yeah, he might just be right…

See you tomorrow.