Here’s a peek into last year’s iHobby Expo in Chicago with Actor Michael Gross, who’s grandfather and great-grandfather were railroaders. He worked his way through college as a diesel locomotive fireman on the old Chicago Northwestern. Of course, many of us remember Michael Gross from his starring role on “Family Ties,” and more recently his eccentric character on the daytime drama, “The Young and the Restless.”

For those in the Chicago area, be sure to mark your calendar for the 2009 iHobby Expo on October 24-25. It will again be held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. This year is the iHobby Expo’s 25th Anniversary, and it’s sure to be great fun for the whole family.

Looking for a great way to spend a couple of hours with your children that is both fun and educational? Introduce them to the hobby of scale modeling during Revell’s National Make ‘n Take Day at a hobby retailer near you.

Scale modeling helps your child develop fine motor skills and concentration. Depending on the model, it can also provide a fun, hands-on way to learn about history or science. Strategic planning skills come into play, so that parts are prepared and assembled in the right order.

At this year’s Make ‘n Take Day, your child will have the opportunity to build a Revell Snap Tite space shuttle. Maybe best of all … he/she can do so for FREE!

Click here to find a participating hobby retailer near you, then be sure to mark your calendars for June 13, 2009 to attend Revell’s National Make ‘n Take Day.

Each hobby has its own unique tool needs. Today I’ll share with you several tools to make your hobby projects more enjoyable.

A Track Cutter for Model Railroaders

First is one that is a must have for those who find building model railroad layouts a great and relaxing pastime. As with a real railroad, the track which the trains run on is a critically important component. So the model railroader needs a track cutter that is effortless to use and delivers a precise cut each and every time. Xuron’s 2175M Track Cutter does both.

A Bead Stringer’s Tool Kit

If your hobby includes stringing beads together, Xuron also has a tool kit suitable for you. The TK2400 Bead Stringer’s Tool Kit features three tools that are essential for stringing jewelry beads on to flexible stranded bead wire, cord, monofilament and thread. Packaged in a handy canvas pouch with pockets, these ergonomic tools have soft Xuro-Rubber™ hand grips and a Light-Touch™ return spring for cutting, holding, forming and looping tasks.

The tools in Xuron’s TK2400 Bead Stringer’s Tool Kit include the Model 410 Micro-Shear® Flush Cutter for soft wire up to 18 AWG, flexible stranded bead wire, craft wire, cord & monofilament; the Model 450 Tweezernose™ Pliers for bending and forming and holding jump rings, split rings and small beads; and Model 488 Round Nose Pliers for looping and forming wire.

Tools for Cutting Carbon Fiber

If you’re into building RC projects, you’re probably aware that some of the composite materials being used today are lighter and stronger than previously used materials, and that this creates some some challenges when cutting and shaping them. Carbon fiber, for example, is lightweight and very strong, yet is difficult to cut with conventional tools. Not anymore; Xuron answers the challenge with tools for cutting carbon fiber materials.

Their model 9180 Scissor is for cutting strip between .019” and .034” thick and the Model 2193 Shear will cut rod from .20”-.80” diameter and .060” ID tube. These tools create a square cut on strip and rod, but it is recommended users insert a properly sized wire inside the tube before cutting to prevent the thin walls from crushing.

Featuring one serrated edge, the Xuron Model 9180 grips the carbon material for faster and easier cutting. Xuron’s Model 2193 is a full by-pass shear designed specifically for cutting hard materials. Standard features for both tools include ergonomic handles, cushioned Xuro-Rubber™ grips, return springs and precision ground high carbon steel blades.

The right tool for the job makes the project more enjoyable. Visit your local hobby shop for these and other specialized hobby tools from Xuron today.

Hobby ideas are everywhere. Everyone has something they enjoy doing, or an interest of study in one thing or another. Whether you enjoy gardening, stamp collecting, or shining the chrome on that motorcycle you’ve been putting together, chances are you’re not a stranger to the hobby world!

If you don’t think you’ve ever enjoyed a hobby, maybe what you need is a new perspective. All it takes is for you to develop an interest in something that probably already gets your attention. What do you enjoy? What would you enjoy learning about that you could share with your kids, siblings, or neighbors? The list is really endless:

• remote control cars
• kite building
• antique cars
• woodworking
• model planes from different eras
• model train layouts
• bug collecting and display
• native American coins
• baseball cards
• robotics

Some hobby ideas require an investment in time and equipment. Be willing to take time to develop your interest. Most hobby enthusiasts become experts in their particular hobby, and enjoy sharing what they’ve learned over time with a novice. Its fun to have an ongoing learning experience that you can share for entertainment.

Don’t think you’re being selfish spending a small amount of time on a regular basis enjoying a hobby. Hobbies can be an important part of maintaining good mental and emotional health. Life is stressful, and stress comes to us through work, home responsibilities – just being alive! People that cope well with stress have one thing in common, they have an outlet for it. Hobbies are a wonderful distraction, allowing our minds time to just think, without pressure.

You owe it to yourself to develop an interest in a hobby. Take a good browse through this site and see what interests you. We can’t wait to hear about it!

Image Credit: Revell

Jeff Cooper, H2Outfitters’ Director of Fun is an avid kayaker.  But Jeff also loves slot car racing.  As Director of Fun, Jeff has set up slot car tracks in local communities and looks for ways to introduce slot racing at events and other venues in Maine.

H2Outfitters is a sea kayak instructional and education center offering programs from Maine down to Florida through its various regional outposts. Founded by Jeff in 1982, the company has had many firsts in the areas of kayak instruction, safety, leadership as well as trips and outfitting, and he is a recognized leader in outdoor sports.  But Jeff loves to be indoors too – racing his growing collection of slot cars.

Three years ago, Jeff met a world champion slot car racer in Positano, Italy who had recently begun manufacturing high performance slot cars for the public.  Now, Jeff had raced as a kid on those 8-lane commercial tracks using 1/24th scale cars.  From the stories he tells it was intimidating for a 12-year old to race against a bunch of grownups with their professional looking tool kits and “souped up” cars.

Upon his return, Jeff tracked down an importer in the U.S. and experimented with scale model racecars and track setups that would be appropriate for all age groups over the holidays.  Surprised by the response, his little sideline business has grown and now represents cars and racetrack systems from all over the world.  Spain, Italy, Germany and England all produce cars, parts and track systems.  H2’s Slot Car Junction has got product from Italy’s Slot-It & NSR, Spain’s NINCO, Cartrix and Fly, Scalextric from England and Revell-Monogram from Germany.

Slot car enthusiasts cover a broad spectrum of the population. Boomers, kids, teens, and adults all enjoy slot car racing. There is also a strong contingent of racing Moms too, along with guys in their 60’s and 70’s, who were scale model racers back in the day of Eldon and Strombecker kits!

Slot cars are non-disposable toys. If they break, you can fix ‘em. With a “hands-on” slot car set, participants discover the ramifications of a crash… a particularly valuable lesson for children who begin to understand the consequences of their actions, getting a clear message that in real life you don’t crash and go onto the next screen.

It’s the action and excitement that makes scale model racing a great gift that’s affordable fun for the whole family. Controlling a car through the curves, down the straights and into a turn gives one a sense of really being behind the wheel. There are digital kits that allow you to race up to 8 cars on 2 lanes, and analog systems that can have anywhere from 2-8 lanes of fun.

Jeff’s slot car selection is continually growing and although slots may never overtake kayaking at H2Outfitters, it’ll be a good bet that more and more “old” racers and youngsters will be enjoying the world of slot car racing if Jeff has anything to do with it.