NYC Hobby Shop visit

On the hunt for slot cars at The Red Caboose in NYC. Spoiler there really is much, but the are tons of trains on hand and lots of plastic models to check out.
The Red Caboose is at 23 W 45th St # B, New York, NY 10036
It’s worth a visit if you’re in the city.

[@Dafingers1]

Always interesting to see how the Big Apple plays with Toys.

[@BajanBert]

Its a shame that as much as slot car racing (1/32) is finding it’s groove back in the US, there are so very few vendors, especially in a city line NYC

[@buckodonnghaile4309]

I'd be in there all day.

[@salvatoreperagine1707]

Don't feel bad Dave . I live in Jacksonville Fl. and the closest hobby shop that sells slot cars is in Daytona Beach, a 102 mile ride each way . Here in Jax we have shops but they don't carry slot car stuff , it's hard to support the local when the local doesn't support us .

[@truesdel]

At around 5:35 there was a Lancer box! Probably a 1:24 body. Lloyd Asbury would be happy! Model railroading is dying. I went to several large train shows a few years ago and the only stuff that's selling is vintage ('50s - '60s) NIB brand names. We slot car people benefit from the railroad scenics products!

[@abefavela6806]

Wow all that stuff And no slot cars😮

[@_Dave_S]

I am very fortunate to have a local hobby shop near me, been going to it since the 70s as a kid! Like that shop however, it has almost nothing slot car related, just a Carrera set or two and one loose car that I bought. My late father was a WWII vet in the 6th armored division, so my favorite model kits are also the 1/35 armor kits. I have not built one in ages though, slot cars keeps me busy enough lol. Thanks for the tour!

[@gotham1-ken588]

Good video- interesting- disappointing lack on Slot cars

[@MrDarrenp40]

Wow Dave, that place is a real Aladdin's Cave for modelers. Personally, I am not surprised there are no Slot Car shops on 'the island'. (1) It's all online these days and (2) 15sq m of livable real estate necessary to set up a half decent layout will cost ...... a sixty four thousand dollar question ???

[@kennethbaird968]

It is a great hobby to be in. I enjoy it and it has a lot to offer. The racing aspect combined with the scenery builds and then the tuning which I have to get into offer a lot. But there is also a lot to compete with so it is what it is at this point of time. I am staying in this hobby and loving it. Cheers

[@bradsanders6954]

Im a 2 wheel addict, motorcycles and bicycles both, in the extreme pretty much. But my slot car track is a great night time thing, I just wish more around here knew what slots are about. I think most just think "its a little kid thing" so they are too embarrassed to try slot racing...I will race anything.

[@Racer-X-143]

Glad to see you’re in my area. Unfortunately this isn’t surprising its hard to find slot stuff anywhere around here. I will have to get some of those airfx cars though. Thanks dave.

[@SlotCarNewsOfficial]

It made me so satisfied to be able to contribute to the armor modelling hobby by getting Airfix to start making that scale of models. Maybe I take hobbies too seriously but it was like my life coming full circle to be working for the company that I'd played with as a kid. My uncle had a whole bunch of the Airfix figures that I played with for years as a very little kid. So the 1/76 figures were imprinted on me as a kid deeply.

[@FA-RACE-TEAM]

$3k for a 100sq ft studio in Manhattan. Not surprising. Maybe in the Conn. and Long Island burbs their is a slot car store.

[@bill72pa]

Good point. Slot car tracks require a decent amount of space.

[@slotcarfun7058]

Danke Dave, toller Shop und viele Deutsche Firmen Fleischmann Märklin Preiser usw.

[@bradsanders6954]

In America, you say most dont do any marketing of slot cars. I keeping hearing the hobby is growing here though.

[@SlotCarNewsOfficial]

It's sustaining itself.

[@rrrosadorr]

It's truly sad. Gone are the days of Polk's Hobby on 32nd and 5th Ave. I spent many a Saturday afternoon searching for a plastic model kit to assemble on the weekend. I live in the Bronx now and when I first moved there from Manhattan (22 years ago) I found a really nice shop, Bruckner Hobbies, on E. Tremont and Sullivan Place. They used to sell SCX track sets, cars and Fly Fast Kits. I picked up a SCX MG A "Montecarlo" there. I still have it and it still runs. Sadly, they had a fire in 2014, were closed about a year and reopened as "Hobby Heroes" but they were more focused on RC. Hobby Heroes closed three years ago. It seems like most of the NYC hobby shops are focused primarily on RC especially drones, RC cars and racing (model railroading too as in the case of Red Caboose). I would need to drive either to Upstate NY, Long Island or New Jersey to find a hobby shop that sells slot cars, track sets and accessories.

[@johnsweet8508]

I'm sure you remember Madison Hardware downtown and their huge Lionel Trains offerings.

[@rrrosadorr]

@@johnsweet8508 Oh yeah, do I! I grew up in Chelsea, Westside of Manhattan.

[@Ricky2400]

Jan's hobby shop closed as of late 2022. She passed away.

[@SlotCarNewsOfficial]

Thanks good to know

[@philclayton892]

How long has Red Caboose been there? I was last in NYC in 2008 and I didn't see it then. I do remember climbing 3(?) flights of stairs to a Railroad hobby shop though. Needed oxygen after that climb :D

[@TheDeLeonSlotCarRaceway]

It’s quite disappointing when you visit a hobbyshop that once sold slot cars and parts and you walk in and they no longer sell anything slot car related.

[@consco3667]

😂Dave you are a man of many interests! WW2 armor?

[@SlotCarNewsOfficial]

Yes, while I don't build many models I consider myself an armor model maker. I took my work with Airfix very seriously as some of my first things I played with was the Airfix military figures when I was a little kid. When I got to work for Airfix it was like my life coming full circle... we remade a bunch of the figures I'd played with when I was like 5 years old. It was VERY emotional to get to contribute to the armor modeling hobby... very emotional.

[@consco3667]

@@SlotCarNewsOfficial as a history buff I have always been fascinated by tanks as well. It is not a side of you I expected to see. Love that stuff myself! Keep it up sir

[@BigRalphSmith]

This isn't a "hobby shop", it's a basement with hobby stuff crammed in anywhere it will fit and you are expected to sort through it yourself. I know that space is at a premium in downtown NYC but this is just stupid.

[@groovyrobloxios2186]

Is there rc planes there?

[@SlotCarNewsOfficial]

Yes I think so

[@BajanBert]

Is it no demand or a lack of any advertising, so no knowledge by Joe Public

[@keithfilkins2043]

I think one of the reasons why there is no interest is that most people under 40 don't even know what slot car's are! There is no advertising, which I find shocking! I mean seriously, if I was running Carrera or Scalextric I would have commercials during indy car,F1,Nascar races. They are missing out on a huge market here in the U.S.! There's no interest because nobody knows about it!