Hamilton Hobbies — Local services in Hamilton

I'm really sad to be giving this a 3 star, so I'll explain. There's a lot of good about this place. My girlfriend and I were here yesterday to look around and get ideas for our layout. This was my first visit in 2 years, came here several times in early 2018. First off, there's a lot of selection here for model railroaders especially scenery, track, and paint. Love this, actually. Second, the owner is very nice. She has always been friendly to me and sometimes her daughter was there and also very friendly and helpful. Third, the place was clean, not dirty at all. So what's the problem? The prices. Oh my goodness my gf and I were shocked how high they were. Some of it was borderline ripoff territory. We understand retail has to charge more than online. Some items were doubled compared to online, which sent us into shock. When asked about price matching, the owner kindly and respectfully said no. I could see the sadness in her face while she said that. The whole thing is sad, this is why hobby shops are closing down nationwide. My gf and I wanted to buy from her but ultimately left empty handed because the prices were so crazy high. If the prices get lowered to compete with online, we'll be back immediately. We loved the store, selection and staff (5 stars). Prices are 1 star. The whole thing is sad. It really is. Oh well. My gf and I took our business...

Update included a photo of the date on the battery. 6/15/22. Bought it on 1/19/25. Makes that battery over 2 and a half years sitting on your shelf. To your comment of its out of your control. Don't sell old batteries. Or refund the $8 dollar battery. Do the right thing. And I didn't keep mentioning Amazon. I said it one time and you went off getting all loud. I had to say I'm not calling to fight. Typical BS. Make your review look good. I bet you lose more than $8.00 from my work of mouth

I bought a battery for a rc project. They do not make the drone anymore. My only option was to cut the connector and wire it in or add a new type of connector. The battery did not take a charge and was bad. I tried to return it the next day. But since I cut the connector off they would not let me return it. So just get the battery from Amazon and save your time and money. I spent an hour alone driving just to support a local hobby shop. And frankly the guy I talked to got all rude because I mentioned Amazon would take the battery back. I wasn't lying it's the truth. But why a hobby shop would lose a customer over a $8.00 battery...

I can't recommend Hamilton Hobbies highly enough. I stopped by for the first time while I happened to be in the area for a basic part. I was so impressed with the service others were receiving I decided to visit again a few days later when I had more time. I wish I had dealt with Hamilton Hobbies when making my last RC purchase. Would have saved me a lot of time, headache and money.

The entire staff is welcoming, knowledgeable and most importantly patient. They have a great selection of parts even during a time when many items are difficult to come by in store or online.

After being out of RC for almost 20 years many things had changed and created a lot of questions. All my question were answered thoroughly and in terms I could follow. We looked at builds they had in the shop to explain the why behind recommendations. I never felt like I was being sold something I didn't need or wasn't right for my build.

It's a bit of a drive for me and I could get to two other shops in less time but I will gladly make the drive for all my RC needs...