Ready, set, Go!

Gone are the days of family "projects" that took months to finish. Even the guy with the slide rule and protractor working off a blueprint is a thing of the past. While today's hobbyists are pressed for time, they are also product-savvy. Radio control (R/C) and die-cast are so simple and affordable that young consumers can be "captured" early on and turned into a lifetime repeat customer.

Ready-to-run has hit the hobby market head-on, bridging hardcore enthusiasts with the mainstream public. Today's boil-in-a-bag society wants to take it out of the box and rev it up immediately. Hobby retailers now compete for consumer time as well as dollars.

R/C cars and airplanes, die-cast collectibles and lighter weight trains that are ready to roll with better control and advanced detailing are the latest mission for manufacturers. But their ability to reach a more diverse demographic with less intimidating product has revitalized the brick-and-mortar hobby store that many worried would fade away.

"The fear that ready-to-run would take away other sales hasn't happened," says Charles Downing, owner of King R/C, a 40,000-square-foot hobby shop in King, N.C. "Some of the same people who bought a ready-to-fly plane have come back after getting that one up in the air, and are now interested in building their own. The flying comes first—the instant gratification—and the building follows. Service becomes the key to the brick-and-mortar store."

With information bombarding the Internet and national television, consumers now shop with pre-determined ideas on specific product, Michael Wenig, president of the National Retail Hobby Stores Association (NRHSA) and owner of TPA Hobby Center in Hollister, Mo., tells PLAYTHINGS . "People are telling us what they want," he says. "There's more out there that's accessible and affordable to the regular guy."

Exposure via television shows like Inside R/C and Do It Yourself Network's (DIY) Celebrity Hobbies have given hobbies national prominence in a non-threatening 'I can do that!' kind of way that appeals to people, says Kathleen Racine, executive director of the Radio Control Hobby Trade Association (RCHTA). The organization has sponsored the Annual International Model & Hobby Expo for almost two decades.

Strong emphasis is also on technical perfection and exact scale, says Louis Polk, president of Polk's Hobby/Aristo-Craft, manufacturer of primarily G-gauge trains. "Consumers are not interested in toy-like product and request authenticity across the board—from the purist to the general buyer."

Stewart Hobbies' locomotive and freight train lines replicate the precise colors, paint schemes and scales that owner Steve Stewart, a former history teacher, has traveled all over the country to authenticate, down to the last rivet. That attention to detail is the crux of Norscot Group's new kits based on the company's popular Caterpillar brand of die-cast collectibles. Available in specialty stores, the metal construction vehicle hobby kits offer the articulation and functional detail at a higher ticket price, "but they appeal to the customer who demands real die-cast and not the Happy Meal-type version," says worldwide sales manager Jeff Bender.

Ready-to-go consumer-oriented projects are not a bad thing, he adds, since they draw in new hobbyists. "When you see train sets and accessories in the mass market, it's a good year for hobbies," says Bender. "The last huge peak was 20-some-odd years ago with the start of radio control. There have been some little spikes since then and some radical innovations, like ready-to-run." One retailer tells PLAYTHINGS that when products are brought into a different type of venue—think Bachmann trains in a big-box store—the items are different than those available through the hobby stores. In addition, the mass marketed products often provide information on how to advance the hobby to the next level, which then requires a visit to a more traditional hobby outlet.

Hobbytown USA has jumped head first into ready-to-run at its Chattanooga, Tenn., store, but owner Marsha Boudrie says a recent addition of toys to the mix is a conscious effort to grab overflow shoppers from an adjacent mall. "You're going to see the hobby shops that survive will have to carry items for the entire family," she tells PLAYTHINGS.

This year the hobby trade show spotlight is being shared with a newcomer: next month's HobbyVisions International Toy & Hobby Show in Las Vegas. RCHTA, the host of this month's granddaddy of all shows, will be looking at HobbyVisions carefully, Racine admits. "The RCHTA show will continue to be the premier global arena that draws large numbers in the market with an incredible consumer side," she comments. "The trade may be split with two shows, but our board has been attuned to the shift in attitudes and will implement changes if needed."

Meanwhile, Rob Gherman, HobbyVisions show director, tells PLAYTHINGS that there have been rumblings for the new show for awhile. "Locals were chomping at the bit to do it," he says, adding the show offers an exciting venue that spotlights toys and hobbies prior to Christmas.

King R/C's Downing says both shows can survive, despite the close timing because of their varied approaches. "RCHTA is more centralized with good information as to where the manufacturers and dealers are headed," he says. "HobbyVisions is geared more toward 'strangers' who are trying to break into hobbies—the new industry people." For Hobbytown USA's Boudrie, the shows' timing forced her to choose one; HobbyVisions has piqued her interest.

As far as Bender sees it, the RCHTA show in Rosemont—just outside of Chicago—has diminished somewhat over the years. Norscot will exhibit this year in a downsized booth there, while featuring a double-sized booth at HobbyVisions.

No matter what, though, says Deborah Robinson, managing director of PlastWood Corp., to not go to either show could mean disaster. PlastWood will be a major presence at both events with its new Supermag magnetic construction set. "If you're not there, people want to know why," she says. "They assume you're out of business."

The fallout, if any, won't be known until November. "Who knows what will happen," says Polk. "But it's a giant country and we could use all the shows [we can get]. Not much is happening with hobbies at Toy Fair." Show attendees will have to see if they agree.