how much to spent on first RC Plane

superflyguy321

Hey Coolwings. You aint too heavy you are just trying to make your point as I was too. I was just talking from experience about a lot of Irish businesses charging 300% mark before expences which is not hard to believe. Like jewlers, fashion even construction. My point is there is pleanty of them.

You say 10-30% which is also correct for businesses with larger turnover. As concerns model shops I would not know too much about but they are expensive which boils down to their overheads in this town.

Anyhow enough said we are all brothers and are here to fly and have fun.
:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D

surf1845

Hi all.

Interesting thread this! I'm considering getting back into the hobby after a long break and have been to a couple of shops to check things out. I was impressed with the advice I got from both places even though they contradicted each other. One guy told me "go electric", the other guy told me glow engines are the only way to go. The electric outfit was approx 480 euro in one shop, the glow outfit was 450 euro in the other (both including radio). One shop has a website but don't display prices (makes me a bit wary), the other shop doesn't have a website and only some items had prices displayed. This makes me wonder what they have to hide! Why not put prices on the website? Why not put price stickers on your products? At least on the internet you can comparison shop.
I'm also into model railways and model in N gauge. I buy everything online because of the horrendous prices being charged in Ireland. I refuse to be ripped off! Having said that, I know rent etc is high in Ireland and if I think I'm getting a reasonable deal on something here, I'll buy it. Sadly this rarely happens. I think the internet is a huge, long overdue, wake up call to a lot of Irish traders.

superflyguy321

Hi surf1845. Yeah you kinda summed up my points on high prices. I guess they dont advertise prices online so you cant compare to other sites at the click of a mouse.
In store with no price tag translates to who will I charge what attitude. Your a woman buying your son a RC toy well the price might be different to a man who has many a toy already. Check out the two sites I already posted if you like a deal.

syl77

In the advice the two shops gave, they are both right, its a matter of choice and advice will vary depending on the person giving it when it comes to Glow Vs Electric.
As for not displaying prices on a website, does the shop allow you to purchase online like islandmodels.ie, if not, then they will most likey not bother displaying prices so you will actually go the the shop to buy.
As for not displaying prices in shop...I kinda aggree with superfly...

Plug

Donal94 wrote: »

Good post Coolwings. (I drive a skoda and I bleepin love it!)

Skoda's are volkswagens for mean people:p
Famous words from Hamster on TG.

surf1845

syl77 wrote: »

In the advice the two shops gave, they are both right, its a matter of choice and advice will vary depending on the person giving it when it comes to Glow Vs Electric.
As for not displaying prices on a website, does the shop allow you to purchase online like islandmodels.ie, if not, then they will most likey not bother displaying prices so you will actually go the the shop to buy.
As for not displaying prices in shop...I kinda aggree with superfly...

On your 1st point I'm actually not knocking either shop as they both gave good advice.

On your 2nd point, no, they don't sell online but I'd rather shop somewhere that's open and honest about their prices than go somewhere that hides them.

Mutz

What about this for a first plane? Would you count this deal as a good learner plane (4 channel radio!)?

http://www.boyztoys.ie/index.php?subj=itemdetails&id=2137

superflyguy321

Dont break your balls with a plane like that. If you never flown before its too fast which means part - equals dollars and an upset newbie.

Get a simulator and a brushed motor plane. Foam is a good idea as it cost less to repair than balsa wood. The type of starter plane wont look as cool as you like it but its a much better choice.

Or learn the hard and expensive way like most of us:p

r011ingthunder

surf1845 wrote: »

Hi all.

Interesting thread this! I'm considering getting back into the hobby after a long break and have been to a couple of shops to check things out. I was impressed with the advice I got from both places even though they contradicted each other. One guy told me "go electric", the other guy told me glow engines are the only way to go. The electric outfit was approx 480 euro in one shop, the glow outfit was 450 euro in the other (both including radio). One shop has a website but don't display prices (makes me a bit wary), the other shop doesn't have a website and only some items had prices displayed. This makes me wonder what they have to hide! Why not put prices on the website? Why not put price stickers on your products? At least on the internet you can comparison shop.
I'm also into model railways and model in N gauge. I buy everything online because of the horrendous prices being charged in Ireland. I refuse to be ripped off! Having said that, I know rent etc is high in Ireland and if I think I'm getting a reasonable deal on something here, I'll buy it. Sadly this rarely happens. I think the internet is a huge, long overdue, wake up call to a lot of Irish traders.

I presume not every shop has prices on their website because, they don't update the site regularly (possibly due to the fact that they try to design and update the website themselves to save a few bob?).

As for not putting prices on products in shop, this is less acceptable, but may be due to the fact that "newbies" going in would not understand the concept that you need more than the plane displayed in all its glory on the box cover. Let's face it when starting out who ever went browsing for radios or battery packs or fuel or electric motors or IC engines or servos or props?? The price on the box would only be indicative of the cost of your first crash. People who are past the "newbie" stage will have an idea of the cost of the various bits and pieces, and will have decided before entering the shop what they want, and will haggle anyway. I'm not condoning the practice, it may even be illegal, but I haven't found it a hindrance to my shopping experiences.

Coolwings said:

I agree that Ro11in seems to have "the middle road". But he may be missing an underlying trend.

In the last 5 years closures:
Owens of Bray, Starting Grid Dun Laoghaire, Planet Fun Blanchardstown, Model World Crumlin, Listowel Model Shop & car track, Arklow Model Shop, Limerick motor cycle-model place, Tipperary model shop, model shop just over the border in NIrl, one in Donegal, the shooting-model place in Leixlip.
That's 11. I suspect I missed another.

Openings are few. I think in 3 years the selection of Irish model shops will thin out a bit more.
As far as I can see the UK has the same trend for about 10 years now. Fewer permanent small model shops in the High Street. Fewer part timers in their place. Ebay and fewer bigger size shops taking up the slack.
I wonder what the model club memberships are showing?

As for the list of shop closures, I can understand this, and would certainly lay the blame (if that is the right word to use, and I'm not sure it is) at the feet of on-line shopping in the main, after all, a storeroom, a website and a pc located in a low rent location has far fewer and lower overheads than a shop in any location.
However, I firmly believe that attention to customer service, and a reliable and courteous after-sales service will attract enough customers to keep a shop going, albeit that the owner may never make his/her first million. Basically I see it that the closures were inevitable, because to compete with on-line stores, shops must enlarge their catchment area, (people who are willing to get off their backsides to shop for r/c stuff, don't usually mind if they have to travel 2 miles or 20 miles for it). When two catchment areas of two shops overlap, both suffer, and some will inevitably have to close.
That there are "terrestrial" shops left open at all these days is testament to the fact that not everybody is out to scrimp and save on what is a hobby after all, (ie a luxury as opposed to a necessity). Yes the shops are dearer, they always will be, and yes the online stores are handier, they always will be too, but surely this gives the consumer what he has always desired but never appreciated.... Choice!

surf1845

Mutz wrote: »

What about this for a first plane? Would you count this deal as a good learner plane (4 channel radio!)?

http://www.boyztoys.ie/index.php?subj=itemdetails&id=2137

Thanks for the info Mutz. I learned to fly on a 60" wingspan trainer with a 40 glow engine so this one seems a little tame for me although it appears to be a reasonable deal. I actually know a guy who is selling a similar setup and I have seen him fly it. It's useless in any kind of wind and he actually lost one recently because it simply blew away. I would be looking for something more 'meaty'.

I'm told that the bigger electric powered models are a waste of time because the flight time between charges is only 5-7 minutes and also that Lipo batteries are to be avoided because they're dangerous and liable to explode without warning. As a result of this advice, I'm sort of thinking glow powered. At least I know what to expect from that!
I am, however, attracted to the cleanliness of electric powered flight.

surf1845

coolwings wrote:

In the last 5 years closures:
Owens of Bray, Starting Grid Dun Laoghaire, Planet Fun Blanchardstown, Model World Crumlin, Listowel Model Shop & car track, Arklow Model Shop, Limerick motor cycle-model place, Tipperary model shop, model shop just over the border in NIrl, one in Donegal, the shooting-model place in Leixlip.
That's 11. I suspect I missed another.

I bought my 1st setup from Owens in Bray in 1986. I thought Willie had retired and didn't realise he was forced to close. I have never heard of any of the other places so maybe more advertising would have helped. I had never heard of Green Hobby either until I accidently found it online. That's why I think the guys who have websites and clearly display their prices will win out here. At the end of the day, most beginners are young and do not have big budgets so will be attracted to the lowest prices. Also, the majority of young people I know use the internet as their first port of call when shopping for something that is not readily available locally.

coolwings

Willie did retire. A credit union (I believe) took the premises over.