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Gee Dee Models, Nottingham


Welly
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I visited Gee Dee Models when I was in Nottingham recently and would like to give my impression.

 

It's in the city centre but a bit tricky to find first time. Easiest way to find the shop is to leave the Victoria Centre through the south entrance, cross Upper Parliament Street immediately then head left along the street towards the landmark "Oceana" building ( with a big globe above the doors ) walk past "Oceana" and on the right is Heathcote Street where the shop sign can be spotted.

 

Go in the door and up the steps into the shop itself. It's quite well lit and reasonably well laid out, dominated by model railway items ( there are plastic kits and vehicles available ). The RTR locos are in cabinets along the walls, wagons and coaches on shelves.

 

Not only the usual Hornby and Bachmann rtr are in stock but there's quite a good range modelling items such as plasticard, paint ( Railmatch, Humbrol, Tamiya and one other brand that escapes me ) scenic items even tools which appear to be of good quality. The surprise was that there is a good range of railway books in stock, there's some Middleton Press, Book Law ( including a few Yeadons ) and Irwell Press books that one can have a look through before buying.

 

RTR prices are a little on the high side but still below RRP but then a city centre model shop usually have to pay higher rent for the location.

 

Yes, I will visit again, whenever I'm in Nottingham. :good_mini:

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Yep, I've been going to Gee Dees for years. The shop was bigger for a while, with all the R/C downstairs, but they have now reverted back to the "original" size.

 

Loads of stock and normally some second hand stuff and bits on sale. I bought a bunch of Oxford Diecasts a while back for £1 each.

 

The other way to get to it is to walk from the Market Square past the Council House on your right and walk up the hill to Hockley. Follow the road down the other side of the hill and keep following it until you reach Heathcoat Street on your left.

 

There is also a Maplins at the bottom of the road (Turn right and cross over the first road and its on the right) For any electrical bits you need.

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The other way to get to it is to walk from the Market Square past the Council House on your right and walk up the hill to Hockley. Follow the road down the other side of the hill and keep following it until you reach Heathcoat Street on your left.

 

 

Erm, I might be being thick, but shouldn't that be keep the Council House on your left? :unsure:

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Ah the shop of my childhood. Always dreamt of a "supermarket sweep" with 1 minute runaround to grab what I could, sweeping all the locos off the stepped display shelves B)

 

They used to do repairs and servicing in those days too. There was competition from Skills, Beatties and also Zodiac Toys in the Vic centre.

 

I suppose I ought to make the effort and visit sometime, if only for old times sake :lol:

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I wandered through the Victoria Centre as well and there were no Beatties, Skills or Zodiac Toys at all. I also felt very underwhelmed by the hideously 1960s concrete design of the place, thank God the clock tower is still up!

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I used to visit Gee Dee in the early 50s with Dad when they were in the earlier shop at the bottom end of Goose Gate.

 

It was only after I left Nottingham in the mid 60's that I realised what a good shop it was for those days!

 

I've been there a few times in recent years when visiting relatives and nearly always find something to buy and after all these years the staff are still friendly - though the young staff who were there when I was a child must now be retired!

 

David

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Erm, I might be being thick, but shouldn't that be keep the Council House on your left? :unsure:

 

 

You can go either side!

 

Follow the tram lines up the right hand side and when they turn at the top of the hill, go straight on.

 

The left hand side simply joins up just after the trams have turned away.

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...head left along the street towards the landmark "Oceana" building ( with a big globe above the doors ) walk past "Oceana" and on the right is Heathcote Street where the shop sign can be spotted.

Possibly the first time I've seen a (faily poor IMHO) nightclub used in the directions to a model shop. B)

 

Anyway, back to Gee Dee - I'd agree with the comments here. They are one of the few large old fashioned model shops left these days, with a good selection of stuff and reasonable prices compared to the local competition. They don't have quite the same selection of kits and bits that they once did - bizarrely ModelZone have a much better selection of Parkside wagon kits these days. The slightly scary blonde lady is no longer with them these days either.

 

I wandered through the Victoria Centre as well and there were no Beatties, Skills or Zodiac Toys at all. I also felt very underwhelmed by the hideously 1960s concrete design of the place, thank God the clock tower is still up!

It smells of fish from the market upstairs, and is full of chavs :blink: The Broadmarsh centre at the opposite end of the city centre is even worse.

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Ah the shop of my childhood. Always dreamt of a "supermarket sweep" with 1 minute runaround to grab what I could, sweeping all the locos off the stepped display shelves

 

You probably would not have been all that happy even if you could - the sheer amount of duff locos I had from them when I lived in Nottingham, a good two decades plus back, that I began to think on exiting the shop with a new purchase I should just turn round and take it back before wasting a trip home and back.

They used to do repairs and servicing in those days too. There was competition from Skills, Beatties and also Zodiac Toys in the Vic centre.

Beecrofts as well (Market stall and shop right before the bus station doors in Broad Marsh). Seem to recall Zodiac having a store in Broad Marsh for while. Also going way back in time the Co-Op and dear old Pearsons (recall the admirmal like lift attendent) departmental stores that had reasonably decent model sections. They did open up a small store right in the city centre just off King Street for a while -"Beattie bashing" they described it as.

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Back in the early 50s there was AMR, a model shop on Arkwright Street but it closed a very long time ago.

 

When I went in there as a small child it always seemed quite scary.

 

David

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You probably would not have been all that happy even if you could - the sheer amount of duff locos I had from them when I lived in Nottingham, a good two decades plus back,

My italics - at that time RTR locos were all duff no matter where you got then from! Pancake motors, crude details and those terrible ribs on the Hornby Duffs!!! {shudder}

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  • 3 years later...

Been in today and got some coaches and I must say its a very well stocked shop and nice people I could have spent quite a lot in there.

I got the coaches at a very good price good job they don't check the internet or I might have had to pay more.

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Back in the early 50s there was AMR, a model shop on Arkwright Street but it closed a very long time ago.

 

When I went in there as a small child it always seemed quite scary.

 

David

 

Oh I remember the Arkwright Model Shop shop very well! I bought my first Triang Jinty in there - 17 shillings? I used to love going in there.

 

Used to go to GeeDee during the 60s as well. I am so glad it has survived and still seems to have a good reputation. I will try to visit next time I am in the City.

 

One Nottingham shop that has not been mentioned in this thread though was the toy section within the Pearsons department store for a few years. The model railway bit was superb for a time. I think the main guy's name was Mike Skidmore? He used to build kits and hand paint many models - a great place to visit.

 

Edit: Additional query: Did Skidmore go to Millholme Models situated north of Nottingham many years ago and what happened to them?

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AMR used to run a spotters club as well. Went on a good few shed bashing trips with my dad on their buses. They also ran a rail tour, the Don-Yor-Dar Flyer, with the Midland Compound. 

We also went on a mammoth bash around Glasgow and Edinburgh with the then manager of Gee Dees in his Bedford CA(?) minibus in 1963, I still have the notebook written by my dad. Somehow we got lost in the gorbals, next thing there's housebricks being thrown at the Bedford and a quick escape to somewhere safer :O

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  • 4 years later...

One of the comments:

 

"What's sad about video games? Far less sad than watching a toy train going round and round in circles."

 

 

Personally I think video games are utterly ridiculous, but still....

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Seems to be the way of things sadly.  I remember going in there with my Grandad in the '70s whenever he was visiting from the South coast and him buying me a wagon or something out of the secondhand cabinet.  Still got the Triang small crane!

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Would often pop in during my Midland Mainline days, (just enough time when working HST's, xx38  arrival [i think] &  xx32 return departure).  Even if I did not intend to buy anything I would quite often leave the shop with something. 

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One of the comments:

 

"What's sad about video games? Far less sad than watching a toy train going round and round in circles."

 

 

Personally I think video games are utterly ridiculous, but still....

I keep well away from the Nottingham Post website, full of ads and that will be one of the milder comments. Some real nasty stuff, often inciting violence, posted there and the paper don't police it unless you complain.

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