Bundaberg Hobbyworld

Bundaberg Hobbyworld is closed

2011-10-14T19:23:00.002+10:00

Hey folks. As of today the 14th of October 2011, Bundy Hobbyworld has closed for good. Many thanks to those of you who were loyal supporters of the shop. I couldn't have lasted as long as I did without your patronage. Also, a huge thanks to the guys who helped me pack and remove what was left! It would have been a much, much harder job without your help. You all know who you are :-)

Closing down sale!

2011-09-28T15:56:00.001+10:00

Come on in and grab a bargain! The closing down sale is still on. Ends 7th of October!

October indoor is the 19th

2011-09-26T18:21:00.001+10:00

Indoor flying again on the 19th of October. Usual drill :-)

Closing down sale!

2011-09-23T19:41:00.001+10:00

Closing down sale starts immediately and ends at close of business on the 7th of October 2011. I'm taking up to 40% off everything I have left. So, if you're looking for a bargain, now's the time!

I'm happy to continue ordering items in until I close, but it's a cash up front deal and normal retail pricing applies.

Bundaberg Hobbyworld is closing down.

2011-09-22T21:06:00.000+10:00

Well folks, the time has come to move on. As such, Bundaberg Hobbyworld will be officially closing its doors as at the end of October this year. I've tried in vain for over 3 years to turn this business into something more than a just-scraping-by enterprise, but it's simply not to be.

It's disappointing to discover just how little help is available for someone in small business in this country. At every turn, any request for assistance has been met with absolute disinterest. If I didn't know better, I'd say the government and banks *want* small business to fail. There's no other explanation for the complete and total lack of compassion encountered when attempting to seek assistance to remain solvent. The obstinate, inflexible and downright unhelpful attitude of both entities is something you have to experience to fully appreciate. Unfortunately, I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy, so if you're reading this and considering starting a small business, save yourself the trouble and just go fishing instead. After 12 months of being an unemployable welfare recipient, you'll be eligible for more assistance than you can poke a stick at.

To those of you who have been loyal supporters of the shop, thank you very much for your support and I'm sorry to be leaving you without a dedicated hobby shop in town. To those people who persisted with purchasing online and then expecting free help, well, I think I've made my opinions of that behaviour rather well known in the past, so we'll just leave it at that.

Indoor tonight!

2011-09-13T12:15:00.001+10:00

Don't forget folks, it's indoor flying night tonight!!

September indoor date has changed

2011-08-26T07:36:00.002+10:00

The date for our September indoor session has been changed to the 13th, which is a Tuesday, due to a scheduling conflict with a council function.

We've got Meccano!!

2011-08-18T22:20:00.000+10:00

Some exciting news.....we're now stocking Meccano, including the cool Space Chaos range! We've even got some Spykee Micro robots. Come in and check it out, before we open it all ourselves :)

September Indoor Flying

2011-08-18T22:05:00.000+10:00

We've got a date of 14th of September for our next indoor flying session.

WHERE: Bundaberg Civic Centre
WHEN: 14th September 2011
TIME: 6pm to 9pm
COST: $10 to fly, free to point and laugh :) ($10 extra if you want a pizza)

NB. In order to fly, you must be a member of an MAAQ affiliated club so that you have insurance. Drop in to the shop and ask us about this beforehand if you're not sure.

For our last session, we had a laptop and a projector set up (thanks Dave and John!!) so people could have a go at the Phoenix training simulator. Hopefully we'll have this going again for September, so if you want to see what flying RC is like, you can have a go on the sim!

August Indoor Flying is tonight!!

2011-08-17T15:55:00.001+10:00

Obviously this is rather late, but we're flying indoor again at the Bundaberg Civic Centre tonight from 6pm to 9pm. Come have a look!

Indoor flying video

2011-06-14T11:00:00.004+10:00

Here's a video from our indoor flying session last night.

Click Here

June indoor flying

2011-05-24T20:21:00.000+10:00

We have a date for June indoor. Details as follows:

When: 13th of June
Where: Bundaberg Civic Centre
Time: 6pm to 9pm
Cost: $10 to fly. Free if you just want to watch.

Radio controlled aircraft only!

I realise this is actually a public holiday, but it was the only suitable date left in June that we could get!

Indoor is on again, 11th of May.

2011-05-01T14:54:00.000+10:00

Our next indoor meeting is confirmed. Details as follows:

When: 11th of May
Where: Bundaberg Civic Centre
Time: 6pm to 9pm
Cost: $10 to fly. Free if you just want to watch.

Radio controlled aircraft only!

April 18th indoor flying date confirmed

2011-03-04T21:12:00.000+10:00

Our first ever indoor flying evening (3/3/2011) was awesome! The Civic Centre was the perfect venue, with tons of available space. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed themselves......so much so that I've already booked the next one! It's on April the 18th, from 6pm to 9pm.

I've got some awesome indoor models coming in, which should be here in time for the next indoor session. For those interested in 3D plane flying, check this out - Ultra Micro Extra300 33g flying weight!! The Ultra Micro 4-site is already in stock.

How about a twin engined (yes, twin!), ultra micro warbird? - Ultra Micro Mosquito Mk VI

Then, of course, there's the collection of other ultra micro warbirds, which we'll have a go at pylon racing with at the April session :-) T-28 Trojan, P-51D Mustang or the F4U Corsair. We put the Trojan through its paces and it's definitely quick at full throttle inside the hall, so the other 2 models should be too!

For those who want to fly at a more sedate pace, there's the Ultra Micro J3 Cub, which is also suitable for streamer combat use :-)

For the heli nuts, there's the new 3D, ultra micro, flybarless (no, I'm not kidding) heli, the Blade mCP X which will be in stock this Monday the 7th of March. This thing looks incredible!

For the less experienced heli pilots, there's the ForceRC battle helis, the E-Flite Blade mSR or Blade 120SR.

So come and check the shop out. I've got most of these models on display so you can see them fly!

Indoor flying, 3rd of March 2011!

2011-03-02T19:44:00.001+10:00

We've finally managed to get some indoor flying organised! It's on at the Bundaberg Civic Centre, 3rd of March 2011, from 6pm to 10pm. $10 flying fee.

Rules:

Electric, radio controlled aircraft only. (IE. No free flight, rubber band powered stuff)
Over 18's only, unless accompanied by a parent

That's it! See you there :-)

Slow trade and unreasonable requests

2010-11-25T11:39:00.000+10:00

Well folks, it's nearly xmas and I have to say I'm quite worried about the state of retail trade here in Bundaberg at present. Things are *very* slow, which is not a good thing for a small business like this one :-( Other business owners I speak to are telling me the same thing.....its terribly quiet.

I believe that for me, this is due primarily to the rapidly growing popularity of online shopping. Particularly from overseas businesses, given how good our dollar is compared to the US dollar at the moment. The number of people coming into the shop with items they've purchased on ebay (or similar) is increasing from week to week. Unfortunately, the requests for free help with those items is also increasing. Now, this puts me in an uncomfortable position. When presented with such a situation, I'm gripped by an overwhelming desire to explain, in great detail, just how rude and unreasonable that is and to ask the person to leave the shop and seek their free help on ebay or wherever the item came from. However, these items frequently require other gear which cannot be purchased on ebay (fuel for example). If I refuse to offer help for free, I lose a potential sale (assuming the person had any intention of actually purchasing something from me in the first place).

If you buy a product from me, you're not just purchasing an item. You're buying my knowledge, assistance and backup support for the product. You're also buying something that has an Australian supported warranty from an Australian distributor. If you buy from ebay, or even one of the proliferation of 'online only' retailers that are based in Australia (but import their goods directly from overseas instead of purchasing from an Australian distributor), you're pretty much on your own if something goes wrong with the product. You're also on your own if you then expect free help at your local hobby shop.

So, if you like the idea of having a local retailer who can give you advice and assistance, demonstrate products that you can actually see and touch before you buy and provide warranty and backup service if something should go wrong, then please......shop locally. Otherwise, that convenient 'free help' will be gone sooner than you think.

Will this bad weather ever end?

2010-04-01T21:45:00.000+10:00

It seems like forever since we've been able to get out for a fly. The weather has been *very* unkind to us over the last couple of months. Apart from travelling interstate to attend a gliding competition, most of us haven't done any flying of note since before xmas! Fingers crossed for some good weather soon eh?!

WBESS xmas get together

2009-12-08T07:58:00.000+10:00

The WBESS club xmas get together will be this Sunday the 13th of December 2009 at the WBESS field. We're planning on having a limbo competition, so bring something 'disposable' to fly for that one :-) There will be a bbq lunch too, so byo snags (or whatever you want to cook).

Flying on Sunday

2009-11-28T18:12:00.000+10:00

We're flying at the WBESS club field tomorrow morning (29/11/2009) from about 9am.

Awesome new micro helicopters

2009-11-13T20:10:00.001+10:00

We just got the new Twister micro helis in today and they're awesome! Check out the link for the tech details, but after flying one today, they're *way* easier to control (now that they have a gyro) than the other 3 channel helis out there. Put these on your list for xmas gifts......at $55, they're awesome value too!

Flying on Sunday!

2009-11-13T19:57:00.002+10:00

The weather forecast is perfect for flying this weekend, so we'll be at the WBESS field on Sunday (15/11/09) to get some airtime! Click HERE for a map of how to get to the field.

Slope combat session this weekend

2009-11-06T13:33:00.002+10:00

We're going to have a combat session on Saturday afternoon this weekend. The forecast is for SE to E winds, so we're aiming for 15:00 at Elliott Heads. So, bring your combat foamie and your sense of humour and have a go!

EDIT: Looks like we're going to postpone the combat session due to lack of interest :-( We'll try again for next weekend if the weather cooperates.

The Alulas are in!

2009-11-04T20:47:00.001+10:00

The first shipment of the Dream-Flight Alula Evos is here!
In case you've been living under a stone and don't know what an Alula is, check out the official site here.

We're doing these for $150, including the battery/servo combo that Michael recommends for the glider.

We've been giving ours a good workout on both the flat and the slope and they truly are an amazing glider. They will happily slope in very lights winds (average of 10kts, but will fly in way less) and are able to catch a thermal from a hand launch in the right conditions. Just awesome :-)

We've only got a few left out of this first delivery, so if you want one, get in quick. Call the shop on 07 41527286 and order one....you won't be disappointed!

Welcome, welcome

2009-11-04T20:27:00.000+10:00

Welcome to the new Bundaberg Hobbyworld blog! We're going to use this blog to let you know what's happening at Bundaberg Hobbyworld. That's going to include new products, special deals, where and when we're going to be flying.....whatever we think you might want to know :-)

So, stay tuned!!