"Then" and "now"

[Mervyn]

Went into my local hobby shop on the weekend,looking for a kit to build over Christmas. Have a few days off with no commitments,so I want to spend a day or two in the pit building a new runner. What a huge suprise awaited me upon entering the store. There is not one kit in the store that needs building. Every single one is pre-built and ready to go. Bummer. When I started all this madness in the early 1980's my local hobby store had 3 choices on my first visit. A sand scorcher,a ford ranger f-150,and a kyosho car of some sort. All needed building. That is one of the reasons that this hobby was so appealing. I peared into the ranger box with all the parts,and screw bags etc,and was just amazed. Went home and "gave it some thought"a few days later returned and bought the ranger. Took me about a week to build it-but what great memories. I have built many kits since,all have great memories as well. The last couple of years I have been restoring/collecting and haven't paid much attention to whats out there. So now when I go look I'm blown away. What fun is buying a car thats pre-built,looks like everyone elses,and you just open the box and go? Something is missing here. The personal touch,the mods you might want to make,the paint scheme you labor over and the shear pleasure of the build-locating the right screw bag,the right suspension piece or whatever. Nope-not for me. Just has no interest in my life. Give me a kit to build,paint,love and enjoy.[8D]

[Shodog]

You need a new shop. Most of the local shops around me carry kits form Tamiya and others.

I have always been a proponent of RTR's it allows them to get into the hobby. if they can enjoy a car then they will stick with it.

I have bought several unfinished kits from ebay and I am sure the previous owners were disillusioned with having to build a kit.

Jim

[mrlexan]

Could not have said it better myself Merv. If I can't tinker, I aint interested.

BTW, can't wait to get the package. Happy Holiday my friend!

Jay

[Gixer Jay]

A lot of people are just lazy anymore these days. They don't want to take the time to build and prep.. They just want to open the box and start driving.. Then when it breaks they have no clue to fix it..

Building is half the fun!!!

Merv - Motorsport Jay has "PLENTY" of projects you could work on over your time off.. I'm sure he wouldn't mind!! ha ha ha ha[]

[kontemax]

Hi People!

Im young but I seem speak like an old man but youngher people than me have no interest in any difficoult thing. They buy, consume and trow away. What's the surprise when they all eat "FAST"?

As they are unable to cook they are unable to mount a kit. I don't know how they will do sons...

Kontemax

PS I'm only 32 years old.

[Mervyn]

Jay 1,your package is on its way.Thanks very much,nice doing biz with you. Wishing you and yours the best over the holiday season. Jim,you are correct.I have done just that-found a new hobby shop and have ordered my next project. Now the excitement of waiting. Jay 2,too bad we didn't live a little closer. I would be more than happy than to come over and help out. We could do some serious bench racing,b.s.ing in general and do a little celebrating-for any reason.lol Merv

[mrlexan]

Merv, Jay2 is talking about Jay1's projects (ie. the 959 and tons more). I have way too many projects and not enough time. Jay2 is just too dang productive and has no projects. He is only about an hour north west of me. He needs to come and help me.

Thank you sir! Same to you and yours!

Jay1

[Gixer Jay]

Jay who? Jay 1, Jay2, Jay me, Jay you!!! LOL[]

Sounds like we all just need to get together for a restore session party and for some good quality BS'ing.[] I'm sure we'd all have a great time talking about Tamiya this and Tamiya that.

Merv, hop on a plane and head to Detroit!!![] Jay and Jay will pick you up, and Merv you can stay at my place. My wife won't mind at all. Just be careful because the Sealed City Collection is heavily guarded by 3 highly trained killer guard cats!!HA HA HA ( just kidding )

[SJoerD]

quote:Originally posted by kontemax

Hi People!

Im young but I seem speak like an old man but youngher people than me have no interest in any difficoult thing. They buy, consume and trow away. What's the surprise when they all eat "FAST"?

As they are unable to cook they are unable to mount a kit. I don't know how they will do sons...

Kontemax

PS I'm only 32 years old.

---

id="quote">id="quote">

I'm not even 19 yet and speak like an old man. It's my generation of fast food and flashy new toys you are 'blaming' a bit now, and I agree. Nowadays we all need the latest newest, better, improved, and increased - and we want it instantly. In prehistoric ages we had the law of the jungle: "eat and be eaten" - it's not much different now as today it's all about consuming and being consumed...

To me the biggest pleasure is still the built of the kit, as well as the painting. I don't think I woudl ever buy a RTR car as I get only half the fun for my money. And I already have too many cars in the first place though. []

[rotor]

The hobby shop i went into when i bought my super clod is a bit like that all RTR kits, i think the lady was shocked as she said to me " oh you have to build this one" i replied " thats why i want it" took her back a bit i think, doesnt seem to be to many people areound these days that do.

Main reason i still buy Tamiya kits, get to have the fun of builindg them

Chris

[vtecboost]

Mervyn

I also feel your pain, I walked into a local hobby shop (Micro Macro Mundo www.rocousa.com) and I to was taken back buy the number of RTR's and Factory Built Kits. Now I understand that I'm and old dog and back in the day you had to build your kit, mind you that was the appeal and I speak for my self and for most if not all of us here. Now fast forward to todays market, what's happened is that the manufacture's (Tamiya, AE, HPI ) and rest of them have opened the the whole world of RC to all ages and skill levels. Now that the kit's are RTR that makes it more appealing to someone who would other wise, might not buy an RC car, boat, plane or what have you just because of the fact that they would have to build. Now In my mind this might not be a bad thing, because now you can reach so many more that in the past these people would have been a little intimidated to build a kit.

[RedFrits]

It was also a surprise to me when I got back into RC to see that there were a lot of RTR's in the store. More surprised I was by the fact that Tamiya also started with RTR and had no "fun" cars like the Frog, Hotshot, Falcon, Fox, etc.. When I was a kid (early '80s) I could sit around in our local hobbyshop and open all boxes to see how many parts there where and all differences between the cars. That was the fun of building a car!! The gearboxes where more complex, the suspension more daring, the chassis differt... When the porsche 959 came out, every one of my RC friends wanted one, just because of the nice oil filled shocks!~Also the 3 dif Celica was apealing...

Sorry to say, but Tamiya has no imagination anymore.....

[mr_pushrod]

Working in my LHS, there was a move towards RTR cars a couple of years ago, just as the Kyosho readyset touring cars came out. However of late (well, last time I was back home) kits seemed to be getting more popular. Maybe this is down to the people who work there who hold the view that in the long run, kits are less hassle. With the Kyosho readysets we got huge numbers of broken cars brought into the shop with broken wishbones, hubs etc and got asked to fix them. We would almost always say no as we would be up to our ears in no time. Whilst this may sound harsh, you must bear in mind that when we talk someone through a car, we explain it is them who has to fix it! We have taken to reasoning with people buying the cars (often a kid with parents in tow) that they will have to take the car apart eventually, so they may as well build it and learn about it. While the kids are usually not too happy with this idea, the parents usually see the reasoning. After we show the instructions and explain that it is pretty easy to build along with the fact that self build cars are usually cared for better, a kit is usually bought. Obviously some people do have difficulties, we have seen some very interestingly built cars, although once they are talked through what they have done wrong, they are usually able to complete it.

[Gixer Jay]

Your very right. I also noticed that the new Wild Willy NIB kit already has the transmission put together.[V] Building transmissions was always the most fun for me to build.[V]

RTR's suck!!

[Jamesmcc]

I usually agree that kits are more entertaining when you have to put them together. Big sense of accopmlishment and satisfaction when they're finished! But at the same time, I was relieved when I bought my T-Maxx and Savage and all I had to do was add gas and batteries to go. Unfortunately companies are going that direction without giving us a choice.[xx(]

[pleiku68(2)]

Yes Merv the fun is in the building and modifing..The RTR's do nothing for me either..Give me a NIB Super Champ..Still around $600 so you don't lose a whole bunch by building it..and the fun has value in itself..but like jim says the RTR's let people get into the hobby..and thats a good thing..Get one of the new Hornets..That would be nice one to build and display..take care my friend..heading to RI tomorrow...regards Jerry

quote:Originally posted by Mervyn

Went into my local hobby shop on the weekend,looking for a kit to build over Christmas. Have a few days off with no commitments,so I want to spend a day or two in the pit building a new runner. What a huge suprise awaited me upon entering the store. There is not one kit in the store that needs building. Every single one is pre-built and ready to go. Bummer. When I started all this madness in the early 1980's my local hobby store had 3 choices on my first visit. A sand scorcher,a ford ranger f-150,and a kyosho car of some sort. All needed building. That is one of the reasons that this hobby was so appealing. I peared into the ranger box with all the parts,and screw bags etc,and was just amazed. Went home and "gave it some thought"a few days later returned and bought the ranger. Took me about a week to build it-but what great memories. I have built many kits since,all have great memories as well. The last couple of years I have been restoring/collecting and haven't paid much attention to whats out there. So now when I go look I'm blown away. What fun is buying a car thats pre-built,looks like everyone elses,and you just open the box and go? Something is missing here. The personal touch,the mods you might want to make,the paint scheme you labor over and the shear pleasure of the build-locating the right screw bag,the right suspension piece or whatever. Nope-not for me. Just has no interest in my life. Give me a kit to build,paint,love and enjoy.[8D]

---

id="quote">id="quote">

[Mervyn]

Hey Jay,I built one of those new ww 2's with the factory assembled gear boxes. Tore it apart to install bearings....what a hassle getting the tamiya grease out.Almost lost my mind. Someone at the factory got real serious with the grease and as this was being built for "display only" I needed to get rid of it so it wouldn't go bad in the years to come while it sat around looking nice. Now I know,some of you may be thinking,why would a guy need to install bearings in something that was never going to be used? Good question. I really don't have an answer.I guess the same reason why I put alum dampers on it(without oil of course)a hopped up motor,and now I'm looking for some alum sus arms. lololololol.

[DJTheo]

quote:Originally posted by Gixer Jay

Your very right. I also noticed that the new Wild Willy NIB kit already has the transmission put together.[V] Building transmissions was always the most fun for me to build.[V]

RTR's suck!!

---

id="quote">id="quote">

As Merv said the first thing you have to do is anyway to disassemble it to install BBs, so no big problem there []

Cheers

[Stevenchat2000]

I think that both kits and RTR should be available as when I was 8 years old I had my first Sandscorcher , and would have wreaked a great car if I was left to build that my self ,I remember to this day the guy in the shop asking my what colour I wanted it painting and I had been dream colour at the time ! mint green.

2 years later I went to a model show in London and my brother bought a Martini racing kit and radio gear , he tried to build it him self at the age of 13 and totally wreaked it , I had a go after him and made some thing nothing like what it looked like out of all the parts left ! and it never worked .

So if RTR were available my brother my have been in this hobby now but that put him off for life.

The manufactures should let us decide !!!!!!!

[Mervyn]

Thats a pretty fair argument. In the mid 1980's I worked part time in a hobby shop for that very reason. People would buy a kit,take it home and if they had any problem at all,bring it back Sat morning and I would be there to trouble shoot or help out in any way. Not only did I create a lot of long term friendships,but all the cars got finished and running. The saturdays were always full of repairs,building and just trouble shooting in general.A fun time. Most of the hobby shops around here back then-had a guy just like me for that very reason. The best part of the program was always being the first guy to have the latest kit or radio gear,hop ups or whatever.

[Dingo_aus]

RTR? Why don't they just buy a computer simulation of the car? Seriously, the fun was in knowing what went into the car, how it worked, how to hop-it up and how to fix it if something went wrong.

I mean, actually driving them was just the final expression of all the hard labour and effort in building them.

[Mervyn]

Well spoken,my feelings exactly!