I'm wondering, Does your local hobby store promote ho slot cars near the ho trains?. I have 2 local hobby joints, both carry slots, (but don't like to). and neither one cross merchandises the two.
If It was my store I would run the 2 of them in the same aisle and clip strip the tyco train/track crossover track. I think people would think about extending their layouts and branching into the other.
just my 12 cents

Most of the stores I've been in during the last 5 years are corporate owned and are following some form of a planogram created by someone who just collected slotting (not car related ) fees. I really miss the days when places were run by Mom & Pops were plentiful. I think a local Hobby shop would want to do as many tie-ins/cross promotions as possible as well as doing seminars in each hobby they deal with. It seems the internet has spelled certain doom for most LHS, partly because they don't choose to adapt to the new market/marketing conditions. This is just my 2 cents. :freak:


Bob

The hobby store we race at has the H.O. cars and trains seperated. I like where the slots are at because people looking at the slots can here us in the basement on Thursdays and usaully come down and check us out, then they return upstairs and buy sets and or cars. If we had all the people that bought slot stuff racing with us we would have a very busy race night each week.
It's a local hobby shop. It can't compete with the big ones like Tower Hobbies but there's a strong demand for RC stuff in our area. Ernie (owner) said that there was idea considered for the local hobby stores to buy together to cut prices. I don't think they went with it though.
Service has been there strong suit. Right now the hobby store is pulling business from a larger one in South Bend because there not as friendly after the sale. And Ernie's is willing to order parts and such for the RC guys where as the one in South Bend has been reluctant.

Does Mattel still make the Road & Rail track piece? I've never seen a set like that since Mattel bought Tyco.

It would be nice if someone would produce a Road & Rail intersection using the newer quick lock rail system. The old Tyco intersection is only good if you're using the older style train track. The newer style train track snaps together just like the slotcar track. It's built on a plastic base, so you don't have to nail it to a piece of plywood. It makes it easy to set it up and take it down again.

Hey, cap'n!
I use the standard tyco RR & slot intersections WITH* the new RR snappy track.(life-like) I carefully cut away the hooks from the snappy track and snapped them into the holes that they were intended to fill and added the standard rail connectors instead of using the snappy type connectors that press against each other. Though the slot car track is in the air a bit (suspended between the RR track) it works great! I have 2 in my current layout.

Hmm.....Thanks for the idea joez. I guess I never really thought of trying to modify it a little. I have been wanting to re-do my track and integrate a train track into it. I have a couple of extra pieces of train track that I could experiment with. Maybe I'll give it a try!


:thumbsup:

I can't find an HO slot car here in Dallas that's not Lifelike or a tjet and then I only find them at Hobby Lobby and places like that. I know the hobby's not huge, but you'd think in a metroplex this size there would be something. All the hobby shops are completely train and RC oriented and some of them have 1/32 cars. And when I do find HO cars, they're priced at least at MSRP if not more :rolleyes: . If anyone here in the area can turn me on to a good shop, I'd appreciate it. :thumbsup:

I can't find an HO slot car here in Dallas that's not Lifelike or a tjet and then I only find them at Hobby Lobby and places like that. I know the hobby's not huge, but you'd think in a metroplex this size there would be something. All the hobby shops are completely train and RC oriented and some of them have 1/32 cars. And when I do find HO cars, they're priced at least at MSRP if not more :rolleyes: . If anyone here in the area can turn me on to a good shop, I'd appreciate it. :thumbsup:

Hey Ron, have you tried Neils wheels in lewisville? He has a ton of stuiff

http://www.slotcars.org/neilswheels/