Sadly, Wings-n-Things of Tulsa is closing it's doors forever this Saturday. Apparently, more and more people don't want to put their R/C cars/trucks/planes/etc together from kits. More and more people, young and old want to just pull it out of the box and run with it.

http://www.ktul.com/news/stories/1205/285588.html


That is sad. I was really looking forward to taking my sons there as they got old enough to get into the hobby. They had a good display of r/c models and a nice elaborate working train set and selection of stuff.

 

I might actually miss WnT's, but I doubt it. It wasn't the new era of ready to run cars and planes that killed them, it was them. Nobody will go to a place and be treated poorly when they can go a few miles and buy the same thing for the same price (or cheaper) and not have to deal with attitude. They have had several employees over the years that have done a great job, but there are some things you just can't make up for.

 

If that isn't the most grabasstic thing I've ever seen. I can't click on the ktul link because they are a competitor of the site sponsors. I wasn't aware that any of our local news affiliates were cutting checks to FTE every month.

 

Huh, that's different. Well, of the times I was in there I guess I was lucky and never met those bad employees or attitudes. And the new FTE external link format brings up a new window with a chart of supporting advertisers on it. The KTUL link is not quickly noticeable, but it is right above that chart of advertisers. You have to click on that to bring up a new window for KTULs article.

 

Thats sad. The plane community is going to be taking a hit for this one. From what i heard in there the last month they were gettting into rc cars and trucks. But refused to carry anything except traxxas, and traxxas parts only. While that might be a ok idea since traxxas is the best selling rc company out there. They didnt carry many hop ups because of it.

Theyre also closing down because we got a hobbytown now. you know ....they have everthing. WIngs and things is mom and pops and hobbytown is walmart....

Back in the day. About 5 years ago. Wings N things was the only major rc plane depot. They didnt haft to advertise. Now that hobby town came in. They struggled. I guess they ultimatly lost. Im not saying the hobbytown was the culprit.

In the last years ive only seen ONE advertisement for wings n things...So i guess it might have been there fault.

I know somethings may not be right, as i havent been in there in about 2 years. I have a friend that helps out hobbytown. And he says there getting customers say, "well i used to go to WNT and they would haft to order w/e i needed for w/e plane i have, and it would take about a week, But noW i can just come here and get it immediatly"

Personally i perfer kits, WHat has been going on, is companys offer RTRs(ready to run) out of the box.This person would buy it not nowing how it runs or works just that, i push this button and it goes. They would Buy ONE then break it, get pissed and never return to the hobby.

Traxxas, THe truck and car rcs that they carry, dont offer kits, there all RTR, my truck HPI offers a kit, I bought a rtr, Well it was one, I bought mine as a roller, and built it from ther.


For planes, i went to WNT , for rc trucks and cars. I didnt...

Ill miss them,
Goose

 

I find it hard to believe that Hobbytown (walmart) had much to do with them (mom n pop) closing down when there are several other mom n pops in town that are thriving. Model Works, Adams Creek, Ultimate RC, Action and probably a few others are doing fine even with the Hobbytown.

WnT used to have the most valuable thing a business can have: loyal customers that will pay a few dollars more to do business with you. They lost that because too many people had experiences like I had and voted with their wallets.

If RTR is what people wanted then WnT should have been stocking that stuff instead of kits. Putting things you can sell on the shelves is basic business sense. Trying to force people into buying what you want to sell them is foolish. It worked when they were the only game in town, but killed them when people could go where they want and get what they want. That's the same thing that killed their racing program a few years ago.

 

yea, im just speculating.

But as a suggestion. Dont ever go to ultimate RC. I had problems with them
I had a traxxas vehicle. back abou t2 years ago. Id order something from them. Id check over the course of a month. And it would never come in. Id order through tower, who they order from. And get ti there faster.

 

Hobbytown? Never heard of it. Wel, there is some good news in that. I can look forward to bringing my boys there since WNT are leaving.

BTW, I was happy with WNT, but it only took one or two visits to the other mom n pop shops in town to make me keep returning to WNT, even though they were the farthest away. The other shops did not impress me with the non proffessional looking, smelling and acting "staff" behind the counters. Some didn't greet you verbally but gave you a once over in a flagrant attempt to see if you looked shadey. Some of the people behind the counters were immature kids more concerned with flippin through r/c mags or eatin their lunch than asking if I needed help or was lookin for something specific.

Oh well, off to Hobbytown for us now.

 

hobbytown is like the walmart of hobbystores. They haver EVERYTHING imaginable. At decent prices. The local one is in partners with action rc on 51s tand memorial. If hobbytown doesnt have it, he does. He also works on rcs.

They have everthing from Gi joes. To trains.
there on 71st and memorial. behind everast battery. OWell i cant really explain it to yall.

Nice place. They had some stupid people working there when they first opened. Now they have vere knowledgeable people.

 

The reason Ultimate couldn't get you the part is because they don't sell cars. It was foolish of them to try since they have no car knowledgable people working there, nor do they have the space. They use Horizon Distributors just like everyone else, but HD doesn't let you place an order until you meet a certain dollar requirement. When I need stuff for planes I go to Ultimate, for cars it's Hobbytown. Adams Creek might get some of my car business under the new ownership since they are only 1/4 mile from home.

A few of my experiences with WnT are as follows.

Several years ago (before nitro power was mainstream) I bought my first nitro truck from them. It was used and Dave (the owner) said he would give me half the factory warranty on it. That statement was witnessed and later confirmed by his employees when I called him on it. According to Dave the previous owner allegedly bought the truck, ran about 2 tanks through it and decided nitro was too much work. I took the truck home (which was in Stillwater at the time) and the engine wouldn't run. I called him and told him that I was having trouble getting it to run and he said to bring it over and they would help me with it. A month or so later I was back in Tulsa and brought it with me. I was even nice enough to call in advance to see if they would have time. The employee that helped me told me the engine was junk and it would never run right, so I mentioned to him about the warranty. He asked Dave about it and Dave said there was no warranty, but another employee spoke up and said that he remembered otherwise. I never did get a new engine for the truck that I saved money for months to buy, and the truck still sits collecting dust on my shelf at home. It's not like Dave didn't remember me when I went back in. At that time I was a very regular customer and everyone in the store knew me.

Another problem I had with WnT was their racing program. I thought it was a little wierd how the rules and classes changed every year until I realized that the changed forced everyone to buy new cars and parts every year. I figured that out after my first year of racing the spec truck class. That class was one of the most popular they had with 12-15 trucks every week. The second season about 10 of us showed up to race the class and it no longer existed and "If you want to race you have to buy a new car". That was pretty much the end of my involvement with WnT.

Which shop smells? SCR has been closed for a long time. That's the only one I can think of that had a BO problem.

 

Yea well i was foolish to believe them. At one point they had 2 tmaxxes. That was when the 2nd gen came out.

Adams creek AKA coweta hobby. Yea they Got LOADs of stuff, All racing oriented. Since there right at the track. I dont race there. BEcause there mains are to short, and there track is tiny.
i race at TORC on 21 in lynnn lane

www.tulsaracing.net

Cool people i like em, There laid back To. Its not a business like adams creek rc raceway is. We have our own mini goverment. We hold a meeting one tuesday out of a month at a restraunt to discuss changes to the track etc.

Right now we only race, MTs and buggys. If you have a mini we race those with the MTs, we are working on a oval. And we have access to a oklahoma Highway patrols skid pad, Where we race street cars. Come check out the site.

On te mt side. Theres about 10-12 revos, 2 LSTs and one savage (me)

 

I had been told a couple years ago, Wings & Things was going to shut down. For a while, they were looking to sell or lease 1/2 their store. If I had the know how & money I'd love to open a hobby store here in Owasso. since I have neither, It will just be a dream.

Mike B

 

Heya Mike, Great minds think alike. I was toying with that idea too. But alas, I don't have the money or know how either.

 

I'm familiar with TORC. I've been a member almost since they started. I haven't raced there for months for a variety of reasons. The main reason is that if you aren't in the inner circle you are going to get screwed. That's why I left Adams Creek 2 or 3 years ago. I seriously doubt we will renew our TORC membership and there are many more that feel the same way I do about it. If it hadn't all been deleted you could read all about it on their forum.

 

So hows that Silver streak. Im curious. I know capp pretty well even tho hes a yank.

I dont have a membership three. But i do race accisonaly.

Who are you at the track?

Iono if you where there. But my first race. I went for a back flip and it died mid air. Up side down. i was full throttling that big launcher i got like 15 feet of air. And smack on the roll bar.
One roll bar, spur, motor plate, engine head, various other parts.

My diff went..

Peace,
Goose

ps i just picked upa mach .28