Since somebody here is an expert on just about anything I thought I would throw this out to everyone. Thinking about setting up an RC track business in Frankenmuth MI. We are looking for a business that will give kids something to do when parents are shopping. Needs to start out as a rental type of track for tourist. Then maybe start to add higher level stuff later. Any info or ideas appreciated.
if you can find the large scale r/c set-up,like bowling alleys had back in the 60's & 70's,i think it would be a hit:TU: after a week long backpacking trip back in the day,we stopped at a buffet restaurant on the way home(9-10 teenage boys that hadnt eaten well for a week,they lost money on us):laugh: as we walked out the door,we saw a r/c track in a window next door & spent 3 hours racing,it was a blast & also the last time i saw one of those tracks,this was about '74-'75.i still remember what fun it was,the younger guys have no idea what i'm talking about i bet.these cars were about a foot long & the track was 30-40 feet long,road race style,ramps & crossovers.you rented a car for an hours time or more,if i remember it was like $2-$3 an hour.:TU: i would play to this day if i could find a placeo No:
We have a slot car track in a town close to me. This is slot cars,not R.C. and it has a rather large following. Might think about that, maybe cost would be less?? Mike D.
I've been to a couple of these places and I built my son a HO layout on a 4x8 sheet of plywood. The most popular size, especially for someone who just comes and wants to rent something to try, is the 1:32 scale cars from Scalextric and the like. HO cars can be fun, but the larger the cars get tons more attention. Tracks sell on ebay all the time for cheap vs having one built. You could get a great track for less than $3000 any day of the week on ebay. Then you would just need a good power supply and computer to track laps and times. Here's some on ebay right now that's at $650 with no reserve. And it's in Michigan to boot: http://search.ebay.com/search/searc...=compare&copagenum=1&coentrypage=search&fgtp=
About ten years ago there was a RC track at our local mall. It was run by this company: http://www.hobbytown.com/ After 5-7 years it went out of business as it became old news, like the laser tag places also. It was fun while it was there but I don't know how good it was on the business side.
Can I race my Buick at your track when you open it? :Brow: Slot car tracks are picking up. There's one here that does birthday parties. They have organized races almost every night of the week. I like the jalopy races. It attracts every age of kid from 7 to 70
Here is on kind of setup I am looking at. http://rcracetracks.net/gallery/004.jpg Frankenmuth is a tourist town in MI. We have a retail business there and are getting ready to open a high class coffee shop. Need to develop attractions for people spending a day or two. We are kicking ideas around so we can do better than break even. Business is off 50%. This kind of track is not cheap, 20K and would actually be looking at something custom and bigger. Have not been able to find a lot of sources for this. As far as slot cars, that would be a next step to attract more local business and club types of things. Thanks for all the ideas.
They have those at the auto shows all the time. Even my 8 year old got bored with it after 3 times. But he drives the tires off the slot car one at home and is always asking if we can go to the slot car place.
Thanks Phil Thats the kind of info I am looking for. I loved slot cars when I was a kid. Also like the Radio Shack RC cars.
I would say stay electric or mainly. The gas cars are just anoying sometimes. Also dont forget to have at least one car thats overpowered and rear wheel drive for donuts. I had a Taymia (sp) super hornet with a 70 dollar motor. Fun as all hell. Maybe keep some easy kits so some kids can build the things, just cheap ones , nothing special.
Check this place out they i think are franchising. there are 3 in the country. Raceline Motorworks http://racelinemotorworks.com It's like build a bear for boys and men. have pretty good deals on stuff too mostly 1/18th scale. they have race days and they even have a couple of the cars in 1/18th scale costing 700 bucks. but can get started with as little as $50 and the great thing is, you can get parts for these cars if you break something. I used to do the RC like your talking about. all off road stuff. I've got a super blackfoot that pulls wheelies, an old Losi JRX-pro converted to a truck and using street tires and a now old Losi xx-t truck the xx-t can do about 40 mph
As I expected lots of good ideas. I need to talk to the facility owner and manager and see where we want to go. The more I look at it the more I like the idea of slot cars to start with. The tracks are not only cheaper but look a lot nicer. You can rent cars or bring your own. Do not have to worry about radio frequency stuff. Who knows we might have it ready for the BCA nationals.
Look into Slot Car Drag Racing. They are easier for a beginner, and you can run anything that will fit on the track in your lane. You can build the track yourself, and buy the electronics. The electronics start at about $1500 on ebay, sometimes cheaper, and they dont take up as much space. Just need a long staight away. About 70-80 feet for a 1/24 scale quarter mile with shut down. There arent many around here (Dallas), but they bring in good money on bracket race nite.
