State of RC scene in the UK?

[Avante2001R]

Having got back into the hobby after some 20 odd years I have noticed there are not many model shops around that you can easily walk into. Back then there were loads also many Beatties shops around that you could easily find what you wanted. Tamiya also had a big presence too not sure who the UK importer is now. But having been on the forum around a month it is obvious that there are many avid collectors and enthusiasts here in the UK.

No wonder people like Stella, RC Champ, Banzai Jason RC are all flourishing not to mention Tamico and Modeulle Seibel who are European based.

Also what has happened to RC magazines like radio race car etc? Back in the 80s and 90s there were at least two and a few odd ones coming and going every few years.

[Mr Big]

Yeah I miss the days of taking a Saturday morning stroll into the town just to take a look round beatties. The whole retail sector has changed massively in the last two decades though and physical shops are definitely on the downturn (look at what happened to Woolworths!). Running a retail shop in a niche sector such as RC must be very difficult without a decent mail order business behind it.

Radio Race Car still exists and is usually available in Smiths or Tesco, although it does seem to sell out fast. There is at least one other too, Radio Control Racer possibly?

Of course the playstation generation means that practical hobbies like this one won't be as big as they were back in the day, but I do thing there is still a good RC following, it's just a bit harder to find

[Shaggy39]

What annoys me about the rc scene in the UK is that lack of foresight of the distributors like horizon and cml etc. I set up a business a few years ago which consisted of hosting kids parties and running an rc race event using the kyosho rcp track and losi micro rally's.

I bought 12 cars to be used for racing and wanted to also offer the rtr packages for parents to buy either at the party or after the event via mail order.

I wrote very lengthy letters to the main distributors incl the two above asking for a trade account explaining that there was huge potential as I was targeting a sector that may not have ever considered buying an rc car. Think about it, most people only go to an rc shop if they have an intention of buying an rc model. I however was exposing the hobby to all the friends (and dads!) of the kid whose party it was and may never have even thought of buying a car.

I was point blank refused with responses that were along the lines of unless I had a retail premises that was manned and open 6 days a week there was no chance of getting an account. If that's the case how do some of these Internet only sellers get accounts then?

What the also failed to see was that all the people that bought a car from me who go hooked on the hobby would potentiall visit rc shops in the future therefor help the industry.

[zomboided]

What's been said here is all true, but the flip side of this is that now there's a massive online resource (including this forum) which advertises new product, lets us share ideas, organise meets and constantly encourages us to engage in our hobby. And online shopping has made it so much easier to track down weird stuff, rather than constantly being at the mercy of what the LHS can source. Don't think it's all doom and gloom.

[Terz1]

I think the scene is strong, may be stronger than its ever been. Times have just changed how we buy things and get the info, that's the main difference. As everyone knows it's mostly online with the retailing side of things. As for the magazines I found an app called radio control race car and there are probably many more with online subscriptions.

On a similar subject I think the demograhic has hugely changed since the 80's for example. Those kids have now grown up (a bit ) and have more money to spend so I think it's in a good place at the moment.

[Fruitfly01]

In certain parts of the country the RC scene is strong, especially up north. It always has been. The west country has always had good RC provisions too. Of course, I'm comparing these areas to the south east, more specifically London where RC hasn't been strong in over 20 years. The high street has no RC presence. There are no clubs around. At least not near me in the outskirts of North London.

The only RC model shop near me is a Hobby Stores (Enfield) which caters to flight, mostly. I went in the other day, and it was the first time I've ever left a model shop empty handed.

The other 'local' Hobby Stores (Camden) shut down a while ago, and although there were talks of opening a new shop to replace it, nothing happened.

I have one friend who is mildly interested in RC cars, having owned a Hornet in his youth. I gave him a Hornet to rekindle his interest and maybe pass the baton onto his son. But his son is even less interested, preferring to kick a ball around. We only meet up occasionally, normally when it's warm. At least that's something, but I was hoping for more, maybe a real interest, or even setting up some sort of club.

Other friends have no interest, never having RC as a kid, or leaving all childhood things behind as they have 'grown up'.

I miss the high street. I miss the racing community I knew when I was young (20 kids in a car park). But I am thankful that the internet is helping to keep the hobby alive. Sites like this for community, Ebay for shopping for rare bits, Modelsport/Hobbyking for the essentials, and people like John Weston who have managed to spread the appeal of vintage cars and been a crucial part of vintage revival and keeping this hobby going for my generation whose early cars and hobbies have been instrumental in making us who we are today.

[Avante2001R]

That is very short sighted of them, more so as you have been trying to promote the Hobby. Doesn't help anyone all it does is pushes people to buy from abroad and that hurts the local economy is a small way but if they were doing more to has a supply like the shops in Germany at least then they will be turning over more.

Modelsport are probably one of the most comprehensive places left in the UK seems to have more in way of parts and stock compared to most.

Sad to hear Hobby Stores in Camden shut down, used to go there a lot in the late 80's early 90s. I remember when it was Aeronautical Models run by a guy called Ali, I think he also had a place in Sussex.

The only thing I have bought from Hobby Stores Enfield was some bearings and some oil, nothing else interesting there in the way of Tamiya but as you say its more flight based.

With out high street shops there is nothing to entice the kids, I know as a kid myself I would love to go to these shops to see these cars and hope my parents would buy me one for my birthday or something to keep me occupied.

Yes we didn't have the internet back then and times have changed and its all online now, but if likes of Tamico and Seidel can exist so too can others if they do it right.

[Wooders28]

Its a shame high street model shops are closing,I try and use local shops as much as I can,but they only carry limited stock so I generally only walk away with a couple of rattle cans.

I used to say in the northwest, there where indoor tracks,outdoor tracks and even had a RC club in school where they let us use the school hall! I know the outdoor in Southport is now a permanent track (along with a model boating lake and stream train track) but the indoor is derelict.

What i don't see now are kids the cars in carparks etc,inside with PlayStation Xbox etc?

You can find a list of local clubs online,I have found my local (ish) club,but life keeps getting in the way and I haven't actually made it yet!

[mactasney1984]

We do at least have a couple still in the uk,

Radshape Rc seem to be getting bigger and bigger and there internet store is brilliant. Plus they also produce some of their own parts for other Rc brands such as Tamiya.

Modelsport have always been great in store and on the internet store, they always have a wide range of stock!! The best thing for me is it is only an half hour drive away so maybe it is a bit easier for me.

Gotta admit though really miss the beatties stores, they were great as a kid and that is deffo missing for the kids of today

[bromvw]

Having had this discussion in some of the few remaining LHS's the problem seems to be two fold . Youngsters simply don't want kits . They are only interested in RTR . Sad fact but a fact none the less . The second issue from what i'am told is the Uk tamiya distributor 's attitude . You have to make a large financial commitment in terms of a large order before they are interested in dealing with you - not ideal for a small business . Not only that but supply is to un reliable and apparently getting a rep to visit you is virtually a non starter . ok so this is from the Tamiya stand point but i'am sure some of it can be applied to other Brands .

in combination with the very high business rents shop owners have to meet their having a really hard time of it and no wonder so many have closed down

[BigSteve]

Ah I remember the Beatties store in Cardiff it was every kids dream. I used to stand in front of their TV screen watching the Tamiya promotional videos. I don't think it's just the rc scene though as there are countless stores closing down throughout the UK. I think buyers are partly to blame as well. With funds being tight and on line stores offering discounted prices how many of us have been guilty in the past off finding the cheapest prices on line. It's a case of needs must. Again how many of us on here have sourced both kits and parts from the far east as their prices including delivery are significantly cheaper. As disposable funds get less and less it's only natural that we look for the cheapest options. I have a LHS about 15 minutes drive from where I work and I try to use them when their prices are competitive. But the majority of their re's are RTR which seems to be their biggest sellers. Most shops will only stock what they'll be able to turn around quickly and that's the perfect business model (pardon the punn).

Steve.

[BigSteve]

Ah I remember the Beatties store in Cardiff it was every kids dream. I used to stand in front of their TV screen watching the Tamiya promotional videos. I don't think it's just the rc scene though as there are countless stores closing down throughout the UK. I think buyers are partly to blame as well. With funds being tight and on line stores offering discounted prices how many of us have been guilty in the past off finding the cheapest prices on line. It's a case of needs must. Again how many of us on here have sourced both kits and parts from the far east as their prices including delivery are significantly cheaper. As disposable funds get less and less it's only natural that we look for the cheapest options. I have a LHS about 15 minutes drive from where I work and I try to use them when their prices are competitive. But the majority of their re's are RTR which seems to be their biggest sellers. Most shops will only stock what they'll be able to turn around quickly and that's the perfect business model (pardon the punn).

Steve.

[plouie]

Living down near Gatwick I find I have to drive for an hour at least to find a model shop stocking rc cars and spares. Or so I thought till I went on the BRCA.org website to look up local racing clubs, Most clubs also had links to local suppliers of rc spares some online but contactable for viewings and pick up and some giving race day support and sales.

[mr crispy]

Plouie, you must be virtually on RCGeeks doorstep They've always been happy to let me collect stuff in person, although they don't have a shop to browse around.

Beatties of Croydon was a large part of my childhood, mostly for the model kits but that's where my interest in Tamiya RC started. I even got to do my 2 weeks work experience in there

[lupogtiboy]

I went into RC Geeks place when they were at Battlebridge, guy was really helpful and let me have a look around. I've not been to their new place yet, but I'm glad they are going from strength to strength.

I usually go to Mick Charles Models in Ewell to get paint and spares, the guy there knows his stuff! I've also bought from West Sussex Models in Worthing in the past, bit of a trek but they do stock a lot!

I'm sad to hear that the model shop in Camden has shut down, went in there a couple of times when I needed paint for a Mk1 Golf, again the guys there seemed really clued-up.

I miss Beatties, even Model Zone to a degree, sometimes its nice to have the human factor when you are buying something.

[Nobbi1977]

I must have missed my childhood. Lincolshire is a bit of a vacuum and models were mainly train related. A couple of mates had Grasshoppers but it never seemed a big thing back then. I am 37 so the right age I think

[Mad Ax]

I think the reason the distributor won't deal with people who don't have shops is to prevent people with no shop floor overheads from completely undercutting the high street with online parts and kits and putting everyone out of business. We talk about RadShape and ModelSport as if they are online stores but they also have shop fronts that we can visit. The reason they have survived is because they have enough custom (both online and footfall) to support their shop floor costs, where other stores (usually in higher-priced city centres) have been forced out by rising rates and lowering footfall. I think the best way to go about a new business model would be to go in league with one of the big UK stockists.

Unfortunately, the economies of the world mean that official Tamiya retailers outside the UK are able to undercut UK costs so that even ModelSport et al can't always compete.

I know there are UK-based people out there selling kits and parts online and the real question is where are they getting their supplies? I think a lot of ebay sellers are alternate outlets for official UK retailers. There are plenty of good reasons for doing this.

Anyway, back in the '90s my LHS was a small room on the High Street, but it was always stocked full with Tamiya RC kits, planes, kites, boats, static models, paints and balsa wood. I could always go in and lust over a variety of Tamiya kits and they were usually priced around £140 - £200. IIRC my Mud Blaster was £150 incl. Acoms radio, 1200mah NiCd battery and 30min clockwork charger, in around 1994. But that was a lot of money for me then and it was a lot for my parents - my Mud Blaster was an early Christmas present and once I had one car, there was no chance of getting a second. My RC had to do everything. I couldn't have made £150 mowing lawns and cleaning cars if I worked all summer.

Parts support was abysmal - if anything broke, chances are the LHS wouldn't stock it. They'd give me a number for the importer, I had to call up with my mother's credit card and wait 5 weeks for delivery. My younger memories of Tamiya are usually of bitter disappointment when something broke in the first week of the summer holidays or the first hour at the beach. (I remember one time my dad left the transmitter switched on when he put it in the back of the car, we went all the way to the countryside and found the most epic RC playground in the county to discover the transmitter was totally dead. A pack of 8 AA cells for a transmitter was outside the reach of my pocket money and relied on parental charity).

There were no RC clubs - I remember trying for years to organise one. I put my number up in the LHS window and got about 2 calls a year. Once I met some lads in a car park outside Bath, my 2nd-hand Grasshopper broke after 10 minutes, one had radio issues and the other couldn't get his nitro touring car to start, so we spent 2 hours standing around in the cold waiting for my parents to come pick me up. This was long before mobile phones but long after public phone boxes had started to disappear from street corners.

Fast-forward to 2005 and my LHS was still going strong, albeit selling more static F1 and motorsport models than kits or RCs, a lot of classic Tamiya cars were coming back as re-res, cost had risen to about £200 for a full kit with radio and batteries from the LHS but parts were readily available on ebay and usually delivered in a few days. By then I had my own disposable income, so RC became fun. I found Tamiyaclub and started bashing regularly with lots of the local members here. I found a local race club and started racing.

Move on again to 2015 and my LHS is long gone, not due to lack of business (there were always people in buying static kits and trains) but rising high street costs and inability to compete online. That area of town got redeveloped and became very exclusive. But a Mud Blaster II still costs £150, OK so it needs another £30 on radio and battery but that's cheaper than it used to be and £180 in today's money is so much less than £150 was in 1995. There are at least 3 race clubs operating within easy driving distance of my home. There's a new hobby shop opened within walking distance of my home, he usually has about 10 Tamiya cars in stock but no paints, no spares, no hopups, when I asked if he could get bearings he gave me a blank look and finally admitted he didn't know what I was talking about. But he did say he'd get in any current Tamiya kit I wanted, and he's only about £5 more expensive than the online stores. I can swallow that for the sake of buying local.

On the flip side tho, it's been ages since I had a good bash. The people I used to bash with have moved on to other things, I think I'm the only one of the core posse who still posts regularly on here. It looks like I'm going to have to put in a lot of commuting in 2015 if I want to get to any of the big revival bashes...

So in summary - I think RC is cheaper (if you don't want the fastest hardware) and there's more organised competition than there ever was, but not so many people want to go stand in a car park, fewer youngsters are coming into the hobby, and those of us who appreciate vintage fun are gradually leaving it behind for the sake of family life. But that's just my opinion, and if I lived closer to the big bashes I might feel totally different about that

[drcarlos]

From my perspective, there seems to be an equal or fewer amount of racing clubs locally. I lost the one i'd raced at a couple of times but found another. There was one at my lads school (Yateley) which has a great tarmac track but it's totally locked up and I haven't heard any rumours of it starting again. I'd love to get it up and going (go for a dual use buggies and touring at the low end DT02/3 and TT02 classes for beginners and a couple of high end exhibition classes) for the local kids as I live less than a 5 minute walk away.

Shop wise I am lucky that my goto spares place 'Apex Models' is still going although they seem to have a much reduced range and don't stock many Tamiya's, the other shop that sprang up locally folded about the same time the car club closed.

Carl.

[XV Pilot]

I think that two opposing factors are at play here. It is becoming easier and cheaper to get the equipment, while it is becoming more difficult and more expensive to organise events at which to use it.

On one side of the equation, we have more quality affordable cars available than ever, and while the retail market is changing with fewer brick-and-mortar hobby shops, it is easier than ever to buy them online.

On the other, we have a compensation culture causing anyone in authority to be paranoid over health and safety in order to cover themselves in case someone gets greedy and tries to sue for millions in compensation for a broken fingernail. It is thus more difficult and expensive than ever to arrange organised racing.

[Nobbi1977]

I have a huge indoor sports hall, a huge MUGA and and huge astro turf at work, plus massive grass and hard standing area. If anyone wants to set something up in Grimsby I am sure we would be happy to help. If not I will keep driving around on my own and try and work out how to sneak some jumps in without anyone noticing

[plouie]

It is so difficult now for these indepent shops I am on RC Geeks doorstep which is helpful and have visited both their new and old battlebridge sites in person with their older site being office and storage lockers but prefer their new place (its closer)☺ but also its about 45 mins drive to Mick Charles models northwards and the same heading south to Sussex models in Worthing and they have to be visited for my inspiration and improvisation as nothing beats staring at racks and shelves of rc parts. Walked into Sussex Model Centre the other day as the owner was explaining to a regular customer how he believed his business could earn a lot more money by just sacking half his staff and buying quadro copters direct from manufacturers in bulk then selling them online, as footfall into the shop is steadily decreasing and online sales increasing.