Saving Money On Hobby Tools: Part 2

Hello, welcome to the Trackage Video blog my name is Robert Reynolds CEO of Trackage Video. Today’s blog is about how to save you some money on model railroad hobby tools Part 2.

Again I would like to say that in no way am I discouraging anyone from buying products from any number of hobby tool suppliers. But if you are like me on a limited budget I have built this presentation for you. This month I am in Entertainment Business Finance, and thought how can I do a post on finance for the Model Railroader well here you have it. Saving Money On Hobby Tools so lets get started on part 2.

Last time we talked about several items that you will need to do model railroad projects. I had said to you that next time I would show you how to save money on some more advanced modeling tools. I have decided to go a different rout for this post today, and show you some great deals that I found on Amazon to help you save money on hobby tools. We will look for several products on Amazon, and I will compare them back to some of the most well-known hobby tool suppliers like Micro-Mark, ModelExpo, and others. So lets look at these great deals that I have found to get an air-brush compressor, air-brush, and paint booth all in one location for a lot less then getting them from one of the for mentioned stores. We will need to pay a bit more then the $80.00 that I mentioned in my first post. The reason is that I am going to find you an airbrush compressor that has an air tank on it.

I have been using my tank-less airbrush compressor, and finding out that it is very important to have a tank version. You can use a tank-less but I think that a tank will work better. I have been working on a model of a UP Big Boy, and had some problems with airflow of my paint as the compressor started to loose air presser having a tank on your airbrush compressor will fix this problem. We will need to make sure the compressor has an air regulator too. There are air settings for different types of painting in the hobby without an air regulator you only have one setting.

So this is what you need to do. First, log on to Amazon.com then in the search bar type in airbrush compressor with tank as of today you will get 276 results. The very first item that comes up is a great deal, and a great compressor, and it comes with a free hose for $100.70 that is a good price to a $265.00 Paasche at Micro-Mark. Lets keep looking to see if we can find a package deal that comes with a nice airbrush to go with the compressor. So you can find an airbrush, and airbrush compressor package for about $150 to over $300 on Amazon even a Paasche that is like our first pick with an airbrush for around $180 that is a better price that most hobby stores sell them for. You can get a tank-less airbrush with a regulator for about $70. As I always say shop around find the best deal. It is not always necessary to buy the name brand most of the time the same company made the two anyway.

On to paint booths, and this one can be very ruff. I have been having a hard time finding any paint booth that is less then $200 in a hobby catalog, and I found some on Amazon that would work for small projects. I am not sure how great some of these smaller booths would be for all model railroad projects. I will show you what I have found, and tell you that you could build your own booth to save money too. Again go to the search bar on Amazon.com and type in paint booth then check it all out. The first one that came up today is a small portable type that I was talking about. I am possibly going to buy this product myself in the future. This one is $69.95 it has a small turntable so you can rotate your project, and it comes with an air hose to vent fumes to the outside. I would say that this would work for you to paint your rolling stock, and locomotives but it is made from plastic, and I would only use water-based paint with it. The solvent-based paint would most likely eat away at it over time. On this same page you will find other paint booths at some astounding expense several offerings over $200 to over $400.

I have found a nice airbrush on Amazon for you it is the Master S68 Multi-purpose Dual-action Airbrush for Auto-hobby-craft. It is being sold for $28.96 this looks like a nice airbrush, and the cost is nice. Many airbrush set can cost up to $100 or more. I know that you can get a nice double action airbrush from Harbor Freight Tools also for about $20. I have these and they work great.

I would like to tell you about a nice tool set that I found so that you can have a nice rotary tool without having to buy it from Dremel. If you can afford a Dremel rotary tool then go for it. I encourage you not to buy cordless rotary tools I have lost two so far to date from battery problems. One was a Dremel, and the other Chicago Tools version so one expensive, and one cheap. If you do wish to spend top dollar on a rotary tool buy a Proxxon instead of a Dremel this is my opinion take it or leave it. On Amazon you can buy a rotary tool for just over $10 to over $150 but I found a nice hobby package deal last time that I will now share with you from PJ Tool & Supply a rotary tool set with other needed hobby tools for $44,50.

Set contains:

•     Dremel type rotary tool with 40 accessories and a heavy-duty carrying case.

•    4 pc. Dental Pick Set

•    5" Curved & Straight Hemostats

•    Needle file set

•    Riffler file set

•    13 pc. Hobby Knife Set

•    Head Magnifying Glass

•    Inspection mirror

•    Magnifier Tweezer Combo

•    4 pc. tweezer set 

          

These are some of the items that we talked about last time with a rotary tool not a bad price.

I think that I am going to have to do a part 3 because this post has gotten kind of long so next time I will get to the specific HO Scale specialty tools.

Please let me know if you like this feature on the Trackage Video Blog.

Thank you,

Robert Reynolds

Saving Money On Hobby Tools

      

Hello, welcome to the Trackage Video blog my name is Robert Reynolds CEO of Trackage Video. Today’s blog is about how to save you some money on model railroad hobby tools. 

First I would like to say that in no way am I discouraging anyone from buying products from any number of hobby tool suppliers. But if you are like me on a limited budget I have built this presentation for you. This month I am in Entertainment Business Finance, and thought how can I do a post on finance for the Model Railroader well here you have it. Saving Money On Hobby Tools so lets get started.

The most basic tools that you may need are listed here; hobby knife, needle files, screwdrivers, and tweezers, pliers, sprue cutters, pin vise drill, and drill bits. You can get them from a number of suppliers. These are the tools that you would need to build model railroad rolling stock. They are needed to work on cars, and locomotives. Some of these tools would be used to scratch build model railroad rolling stock, and locomotives as well as buildings, and model scenery.

You can buy a hobby knife set from a handful of places. The set shown in my video is a 33-piece set that has a plastic caliper, tweezers, mini screwdriver, and a bunch of other things that will come in handy. The price is about a dollar cheaper for more stuff at Harbor Freight Tools then the set at Micro Mark. The set at Micro-Mark is only three handles with 13 blades no extra tools. For a dollar less I would go for this set, and I did. This set from Harbor Freight tools is only $15.99.

The set of diamond needle files costs $16.99 at Model Expo, and at harbor Freight only $7.99 for 10 not 5. I cannot tell you if the files are better at one place or not but you can buy almost two sets for the price of one plus it is 10-pieces to 5. So you can get 20 for the price of 5 not a bad deal at all. 

There are two sets of precision screwdrivers the one on the left in the video is $33.25 from Micro Mark, the one on the right $6.99 from Harbor Freight. The one from Harbor is a 33-piece set in a case. There are a number of different places to get this type of product. You can get them from Wal-Mart, and Big Lots even. But even if I had the money I would never pay over $33.00 for a set of screwdrivers to work on my car let alone on a hobby.        

Both sets of the tweezers in the video are available at Harbor Freight. The one on the left is a 7-piece set with three coated in rubber so they can be used during soldering. This set is $3.99 compared to a set of two coated at Model Expo for $1.99 a dollar each. The set on the right is a 6-piece set of fine point tweezers for $5.99 as apposed to $21.75 at some other retailers.

Both of the plier sets in the video are very similar to each other. The 6-piece set in the presentation I have, and have had no problems with them at all. They are made by Pittsburgh Tools, and have a limited lifetime warranty. Are they better I don’t dare say but they are cheaper. There is a second set that you can get from Harbor that has a pair of pliers that is good for bending trip pins on your cars and locomotives that is about $3.00 that you could add with this set and have about all the pliers you need for small jobs working on the railroad.   

Hobby Town USA has Xuron’s sprue cutter for $13.49 and Micro Mark is selling it for $17.95. This is not a really big difference but as you add your tool costs up it will make them worse then they need to be. There are several different kinds of sprue cutters. The one on the left in the video is a tweezers type that is a good suggestion to have. This product from Micro Mark is $18.75 if you need them you may have to pay this for them. I have not found a cheaper alternative for this product at this time. I will keep looking, and let you know. 

I have an example of a pin vise drill in the video, and micro drill bits used in modeling. The pin vise on the left is $4.00, and the bits are $6.00. This is a good deal from PJ Tool & Supply. Micro Mark and Model Expo plus a number of hobby shops sell this product for much more. They can cost you $20.00 or more from some of the specialty stores. That covers the basic tools to start you out.

So for the items that we covered already there has been a big savings by shopping at Harbor Freight Tools, and by shopping around. If you do not have a Harbor close to you then look for them online. You can shop anywhere you would like to, but if you are on a budget I would look around first.  Buy shopping around I have paid $90.18 for the listed items. I have showed you how to save $71.83. The average hobby tool shop price would be $162.01, and don’t forget to add the tax to both numbers. This is still a nice savings on hobby tools. You could buy a locomotive for your layout for $71.83 and get change back. (Not a great one) Not to mention like I said in the video some of these cheaper tools had more to them then the expensive ones.   

There are a number of other tools that you will need to go into your model railroad toolbox. That is all for now next time I will tell you about some more tools that you will need and want. I will help you find airbrushes, and airbrush compressors at a great price. Then I will help you find a good rotary tool without paying over $80.00 for it. We will look into paint booths, and a few specialty items; like an N.M.R.A. HO gauge, an HO scale ruler, some more tools that you can find at Harbor Freight to save money to buy that Walther’s DCC Proto 2000 locomotive you wish to have on your layout. Till next time, thank you for stopping at the station.

This is a list of Internet sites to buy your hobby tools, and remember shop around. I will point out that sometimes buying tools from a cheaper tool store may mean that it is not as good as the name brand. I am giving you the best information that I can. All of the products that I have listed here I do own. I have had no problems at this time.

Harbor Freight Tools

Hobby Lobby

HobbyTown USA

Micro-Mark

Model Expo

PJ Tool & Supply

Walther’s

 

Model Railroading Industry Trade Association

I would first like to say hi, and welcome to all my readers. This post is going to be about the model railroading’s industry trade association the National Model Railroad Association (NMRA). This is an assignment in my Business Storytelling and Brand Development class at Full Sail University. This is meant to get me in touch with my current industry’s trade association, and to understand my market. Since my business is making model railroad how to videos the only place that I could really think about that best fit my business was the NMRA. There are other trade associations that cover model railroading like the Hobby Manufacturers Association (HMA) that hold the I Hobby Expo. They cover the companies that make, and sell toy trains. I think that the best one for me is the NMRA because they are the association that sets the standards for the manufactures to make the toys, and other materials needed to build a layout.

The NMRA is a world wide non-profit organization that is meant to help advance the model railroader through education, and fellowship with like-minded individuals. They have also worked hard to insure that hobby product manufacturers make products that can be interchangeable with each other according to a specific scale. There are a number of different scales in the hobby of model railroading; such as O, HO, N, S, Z, and On3 just to name a few. HO 1:87 being the most popular of all the scales. So as I said the NMRA have standard rules for manufacturers to build their products in specific scales. For example with HO 1:87 scale all products can be used on a layout together. This doesn’t mean that modelers don’t use other scales with HO for different purposes. An example of that is using N scale trains in the background of an HO layout for the purpose of forced perspective.

The NMRA has 15 regions in North America that cover the United States, and Canada. The region that I live in would be the North Central Region this region covers parts of Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana. In each region there are different divisions. My division is Division 1 in Toledo, Ohio. Each region, and division has officers that run the day-to-day operations of the organization. The NMRA have a magazine publication that you can subscribe to with your membership that lets you know about news, and events that pertain to model railroading/rail fanning. The NCR also has a newsletter for their specific region with more of the same. Their newsletter is called the HotBox, and the local division has one called Train Order. These publications have ads for products, news, dates for events, pictures of trains, pictures of model layouts, and articles written by members of the clubs on how to do different aspects of model railroading.

There are a number of things that you have access to by being a member of the NMRA. One for my area is if you are a member of the NMRA you are automatically a member of the NCR, and Division 1 model railroad club in Toledo, Ohio. The best thing is that you are entitled to get insurance on all of your model railroad products through an issuance company that works with the NMRA. You can be protected incase of fire, theft, and loss in an accident travelling with your model railroad products plus a lot more. The NMRA also has a program to get modelers to become the best they can. This is called the NMRA Achievement Program. A modeler must do different tasks that are model railroad related, and have them judged by their piers to earn points to get awards. There is an advanced achievement award called a Master Model Railroader that means you really know your stuff. I hope to get that title one day myself. So if you are not a member you should look into becoming one. The organization is meant to benefit the hobby as a whole, and you can reap a number of rewards from being a member too.

You can join the NMRA Here.

Thanks for stopping by I will see you all again soon.

Robert Reynolds

 Trackage Video  

                          

Online Marketing In The Model Railroad Industry

Online marketing in the model railroad industry is booming. New technology that is available today, in sales of model railroad products is way better than ever before. There was a time not that long ago that you were limited to going to a hobby shop, and buying what they had on the self. You would also be able to order from that shop by catalog, and then wait for the product to come in. You could still do this today, but you don’t have to. Companies now market directly to their customers online. Some hobby shops have adapted to the change in technology. Then there are some that have gone out of business, because of these changes. It is not my intention to put down stores that have not changed with the times. I personally like to be able to walk into a shop that sells trains, and get information from someone that truly knows what they are selling. I do like the change in prices from shopping on Amazon, EBay and other Internet based hobby shops.

I subscribe to a number of hobby stores that market directly to me by email. These companies show me new products, and let me know when there are sales. One of these hobby stores is Train World, and they have a very large selection. They have a physical location and an online sales platform. This is one of the ways that hobby stores are surviving in this economy; instead of being able to sell just to one neighborhood, they are now able to sell to the world. You may have to wait to get your product unless you live in New York, but they have customer service numbers and cheaper prices. This is only one of many mom and pop stores that have grown into major players in this industry. So with this in mind I say: “if you have a hobby store and it is not doing well, then try to expand into Internet sales, and if you have no money or customers then you need to close down and try something new.” This is the nature of Capitalism to make money. So if you are a modeler that is not tuned into new technology then you should get into it soon, because times are changing.

Other new technologies in this industry that are marketed online: magazines, video sales, how tos, and anything that you can buy that relates to the hobby. Video of how tos are a bit behind the times. I am planning to change that real soon. First off on that topic, how many of you have a working VHS player anymore? I can tell you that in the last few years I have had a few, but they never last long. How many times can you play that Allen Keller VHS before it is no good anymore? (I am not downing Allen at all) Nowadays it is hard to find a VHS tape to record on, but train videos are still being sold that way. Allen Keller has even taken some of his old VHS and put them on DVD. I say make them on Blue Ray Disc, you can add PDF files to them and much more. Look at Model Railroader Magazine stepping up to the plate with an online downloadable magazine, and how to books. This is the future my friends. How about Model Railroad Hobbyist Magazine with it’s free online subscription, they are making money just selling ad space on there website, it cost the modeler nothing. The magazine is comparable to Model Railroader and it’s free. (Not putting down MR, I am a subscriber)

I Told You

I know that it may not mean much to my readers, but I am learning a lot at Full Sail University getting my Entertainment Business Degree. I was a person that did not really care for shopping online, downloading music, or think that online education was any good. I also thought that big block stores are terrible, but have changed my mind a bit about it. (I have a Sam’s card now even) I still like the individual attention from a sales person at a store, but say God Bless to the big block and Internet store. Without these stores I could not even begin to have anything that I have now. Having said this now, I have alienated my fellow modelers that sell goods at train shows. Here is the glory of it, I plan to sell direct to the public from tradeshows. With technology being the way it is, I can show my videos from Trackage Video at the show. I will then have some videos on DVD, Blue Ray, and then I will have cards (Like at the Wal-Mart checkout) to sell for a downloaded video. This is much cheaper for me; I don’t have to make as many duplicates at Disc Makers, and then can pass the savings on to you. This is just one of my plans for the future, I do hope that I don’t put anyone that makes railroad videos out of business. It is my plan to try to work with as many railroad video makers as possible to get their videos out in the same way as mine. (If there is anyone willing to work with me; Allen, Model Railroader, TM Books and Videos get in touch we can build a team.) I have many good ideas very little money.

Trackage Video Online Marketing

That will wrap things up for today, and if you are interested in being part of the evolution of model railroad videos contact me. I hope that you liked this post and I will be back again. If you are a rail-fan or model railroader follow me through my journey through a masters degree and the start up of Trackage Video.

Robert Reynolds

I am linking a few good online sites that direct market to the model railroad hobbyist, and I do not get paid for this or endorsement products (Yet).

MTH

Model Railroader

TM Books and Video

Train World and Train Land

Model Railroad Hobbyist

Walthers

Model Train Stuff

Factory Trains Direct

 ExactRail