Toledo, Anyone Going?

[AndyKunz]

If I lived in Toledo I would go, otherwise not! The last time I went it was booooring and I drove TWO 11 hour days to get there and the same back!

Rule #1: You need to look at every single item at every single booth. You never know what you'll find. It's the one day a year we should act like women shopping "for nothing" at the mall.

Rule #2: Look at more than just the boats. The boat selection at Toledo is the best of the Big 3 trade shows (WRAMS, Ontario, Toledo). Smaller venues like York have better boat shows. So take a look at some of the planes on display. You have to appreciate the workmanship or you're just not human.

Rule #3: There's an awful lot of show that's not on the main show floor. Go upstairs (have your wallet ready to whip out) and wander around. Upstairs it is changing constantly, so go there several times a day. It's like a flea market, only better.

Rule #4: There's an awful lot of show that happens after the doors close. Be ready to go out with your favorite vendor. If you pick a good one, you can be out half the night laughing your head off! Some of these guys have been doing this for 50 years and have LOTS of great stories to share. That's my plan for Friday night!

Rule #5: Be nice to the ice cream lady. She can be like an adopted grandmother. Wonderful person!

And if you want a really boring show, try Puyallup. I've been to science fairs with better attendance. At least there were boat racers there, so not all was lost.

Andy

[sailr]

I used to go every year 'back in the day'. I have been into airplanes for 59 years! Never did see much in the way of boats at Toledo. It has become a show mostly for the big vendors. The size of the show is tiny. The swap shop upstairs has become a joke with high priced junk. After attending the big international shows like Nuremburg, and Beijing, the Toledo show is a pitiful showing of our hobby industry in my opinion.

But hey! That's just ME. If you enjoy it, by all means go. A tip. If you're flying in, fly to Detroit and rent a car. It's a one hour drive I'm told. The taxi ride from the Toledo airport to town is $50 ONE WAY and takes almost as long!

[Doug Smock]

It looks nothing like our pond,,,ours doesn't have yellow and red lines on the water....those Americans need them to find their way around the markers!

Smock;
I'll be applying sunscreen to the girlfriend all week long......

Hey post some pics!!

Sorry for stomping on the thread, you guys have fun!!!

Smock

[LiPo Power]

Yeah Doby, some pics..... :-)

[LiPo Power]

...so we went to see the Toledo expo/show. ( ME = first time )
Main floor, I’ll tell you it was SUPERFUNTASTIC to be able to see it all that is possible….
It was like one huge hobby shop with all you can think....
Not to many boat related displays and that was disappointing. And there was NO new Aquacat that Mr. Mike should have in his trunk for his few special people… Maybe next year…
Swap Shop area was great with millions and millions products to choose from or just look to see if you need this or that…. Most of it cheep….
If you ask me to go there next year, oh yeahhhh baby, I am going all right….
Here is few pictures
Robert

[LiPo Power]

few more....

[LiPo Power]

and few here....

[LiPo Power]

and here more....

[LiPo Power]

more....

[LiPo Power]

last few...
Thanks For Looking

[LiPo Power]

DOBY
You had few pictures, could you post it please?
Robert

[ezhitz]

I was there was little disappointing lack of boat stuff but that twin turbine cat
was awsome.Overall good excuse for my son and i to get out for the weekend and
see some different things.

[Ub Hauled]

last few...
Thanks For Looking

I know Darin is drooling over that "Beef Jerky" turbine hydro, she is a keeper!

[AndyKunz]

I was there was little disappointing lack of boat stuff but that twin turbine cat
was awsome.Overall good excuse for my son and i to get out for the weekend and
see some different things.

Actually, if you've ever been there then you know that this year's boat display was about par for the course, a little more than the past few years but not what it was 15 years ago.

One nice thing they've done is put all the scale boat vendors together in one area. That certainly kept their world a little happier. The guys who were selling race boats are always few and far between. Even the old Puyallup show, in the heart of boat racing country, was really bad as far as boat vendors went. Miserable, imho, especially considering the locale.

The Toledo show is very much an AIRPLANE show. There were a number of guys upstairs selling boats (including an original Super Hawaii in very good shape).

You don't go to the airplane shows looking for boats. Places like Cabin Fever Expo ( http://www.cabinfeverexpo.com/ ) are much more appropriate.

Too bad model boating is the red headed stepchild of the hobby world. We'll never have an RC-X equivalent of our own Even the slow scale boaters do a lot better than we do.

Andy

[Darin Jordan]

And if you want a really boring show, try Puyallup. I've been to science fairs with better attendance. At least there were boat racers there, so not all was lost.

Andy

That show isn't actually in Puyallup any longer... it's out in Monroe (my home town)... It's gotten a lot bigger on boating stuff recently (past 2 years)... Many of the local clubs are out there.