If you run a toy shop or a similar business that carries flying toys, you know that your company’s profits depend on a selection of great toys, supplies and accessories. To maintain an inventory of fun and functional toy airplanes and rockets, it’s essential to have the right types of accessories and supplies on hand. A great selection of model airplane and model rocket supplies will ensure that you meet every customer’s expectations.

When searching for supplies for toy airplanes and rockets, it’s important to know just what you’re looking for. Toy rockets need to be paired with rocket launching equipment and rocket motors, while toy planes should be coupled with the right flight accessories, paints and tools. When choosing model airplanes and rockets supplies, remember the following:

1. Model rocket kits often need extra supplies.

2. Model airplane kits need flight accessories and supplies to be complete.

3. It's important to keep paints and tools on hand for model airplanes and rockets.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find the best toy rocket ship supplies for hours of fun

A toy rocket ship requires certain accessories and supplies in order to function properly. When you own a toy shop it's important to have these supplies on hand. The most popular model rocket ships need launching equipment and rocket motors.

I recommend: Aerospace Speciality Products (ASP) offers a large assortment of model rocket accessories and supplies. Contact ASP about becoming a dealer and then check out its rocket launching supplies for great additions to your inventory. For other toy rocket supplies and motors check out wholesaler AC Supply. It also sells rockets and planes.

Gather toy aircraft supplies to complete your flying toy product selection

Whether you choose to sell single toy airplanes or model airplane kits, supplies and accessories will make useful additions to your business inventory. These aircraft supplies include items needed for successful flight and allow your customers to get the most out of their model plane.

I recommend: RaidenTech.com offers a wide variety of aircraft accessories and electric flight supplies at wholesale pricing, so you can find anything to add to your stock of toy airplanes and rockets. For a checklist of toy airplane supplies and accessories you might want to add to your inventory, check out Hooked-on-RC-Airplanes.com, this list is sure to point you in the right direction.

Select the best supplies for creating model airplanes and rockets

As a business owner, you may have customers who wish to build their own model airplanes and rockets. It's important to have an inventory of paint and other supplies for toy airplanes and rockets on hand that cater to this specific type of clientele.

I recommend: Dragon Models USA offers a large selection of paints and customizing supplies for model airplanes and rockets. Become a dealer for the best pricing from this distributor. Check out Akron Novelty for a wholesale selection of tools and trains to add to your business inventory.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Build your inventory with model airplane kits and model rocket kits. While customer can use some supplies with a kit, these kits can also function without them.

Model toy airplanes and rockets are a growing hobby especially among people looking to find fun things to do with the family at home. Airplane and rocket toys offer value, skill, a sense of accomplishment and hours of enjoyment at a reasonable price. Whether you’re a full-fledged hobby shop specializing in flying toys, or a novelty or gift shop, offering toy airplanes and rockets to your customers is a profitable decision. And, a toy rocket ship and plane wholesale supplier can be invaluable to help you build your business.

Keep these points in mind when building your inventory of flying toys:

1. Experienced staff members can advise you about which line of model airplane kits and best skill levels to carry in your store.
2. Suppliers can customize products for you to military specifications or to your own OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) requirements, usually in a matter of days or weeks.
3. When buying plastic toy airplanes, look for high quality elastic materials that are durable and can incur collisions without sustaining damage. This will save you money on returns and unhappy customers.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

When stocking model airplanes and rockets, know the skill level of your customers

Kits for toy rockets and planes come in many skill levels depending on the experience and assembly skills of your target customer. The very basic might be wooden toy airplanes for small children, although some wooden toy aircraft kits using balsa wood which can require expertise. Then there are RTF (Ready-To-Fly) planes which come already assembled and are ready to go, right out of the box. ARF (Almost-Ready-To-Fly) require some assembly as well as some radio control equipment, and are generally good for children or beginners. Most of these models are relatively inexpensive. More mature hobbyists with a higher degree of knowledge and increased skill levels will want more challenging projects, so be sure to offer them higher end, more expensive, build-it-yourself kits. These customers usually know what they want and have the spending money necessary to maintain such a hobby.

I recommend: Check out Wholesale Trains and China Topwin Industry Co. for wholesale toy airplanes at different skill levels. For model rockets, visit Scale Rockets and Apogee Rockets.

Stock electric trainer toy planes and fuel powered or radio controlled toy rockets

The electric trainer radio controlled airplanes are easier to use and suitable for the beginner or intermediate level hobbyist. Additionally, they are easier to assemble and prepare for use, safer for children, and offer a more varied product line. To cater to the more advanced customer, offer fuel, or glow power, kits. These require more skill and are more expensive. Because it can cost upwards of $200 to $300 to replace parts for the fuel models, they are typically recommended for the experienced model rocket and airplane enthusiast.

I recommend: For radio control toy planes, visit Tower Hobbies and Hobby Lobby. For electric trainers, visit RC Airplane World.

Don't overlook model airplane accessories

To increase your sales, stock a variety of model accessories. There is plethora of accessories involved in the model airplane business in addition to the model airplanes and rockets themselves. Start off with an array of tools and utensils for building the models. For the more advanced models stock up on supply control lines, latches, hinges, screws, weights, floats, wing struts, propellers, landing gear, etc. For electrical flight models have supply wires, batteries, chargers and motors. As many hobbyists know, one of the most enjoyable aspects of modeling is the painting. So be sure to carry paints, acrylics and enamels, varnish, bright primary colors and specialty military and aircraft colors. And lastly, don't forget logos, stickers and decals. Also, consider selling magazines, books and videos, on toy aircraft collectibles and How-To instructions.

I recommend: For model aircraft accessories check out Sig Manufacturing Co. Also, Oak Ridge Hobbies offers a wide selection of model paints.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Inquire if the wholesaler or distributor of model rocket kits and model airplane kits accepts small orders. When you can order specific items in small batches, you are able to react to your market more easily than if you buy (and are stuck with) large bulk orders.
• •  Look for sales on discontinued items to get good value for less money.
• •  Before buying, consult the supplier on their guarantees and warranties.

For businesses that cater to collectors and enthusiasts of flying playthings and collectibles, it's important to have information available about toy airplanes and rockets news and trends to order merchandise that will sell and increase revenue. There are many ways to get this information from reading industry trade publications to joining organizations for toy planes distributors and model airplane enthusiasts.

Attending toy conferences where you can get industry information as well as network with flying toy creators and distributors of model rocket kits is another way to learn about upcoming trends. Here are some additional things to consider about finding out the latest toy planes and rockets news and trends:

1. Learn about the latest models and trends of toy planes and rockets toys from magazines and publications.

2. Join organizations and associations for model airplane and rocket toys enthusiasts to learn about toy airplanes and rockets news and trends.

3. Attend conferences and trade shows held by industry experts that display the latest innovations in model airplanes and rockets.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Read publications to learn about upcoming trends in toy rockets and airplanes

To get the latest news and information about upcoming trends in development and construction of plastic and wooden toy airplanes, industry publications and magazines are a great resource. There are quite a few magazines devoted specifically to toy airplanes and rockets that offer articles and reviews about innovations and new designs in model airplane toys.

I recommend: Learn about the latest news and trends in new models and designs of toy airplanes and rockets at Model Airplane News. This online magazine also offers videos of daily news items pertaining to flying toys. Read about wooden and plastic toy airplanes and rockets news and trends at RCU Magazine which features information and reviews about new models of flying toys.

Become a member of model airplane associations to get news about toy aircraft models and designs

As a business owner, joining organizations and associations is another way to learn about upcoming innovations in model rocket and toy airplanes. Many of these organizations also feature conferences and trade shows where business owners can receive first-hand information as well as see displays of new flying toys and talk to model airplane and toy rockets distributors about their merchandise.

I recommend: Join the National Association of Rocketry to learn about new product developments in toy rockets. The NAR also offers a bi-monthly magazine which features product reviews and information. Become a member of the Toy Industry Association, Inc. to receive the latest toy airplane industry news from RSS feeds and press releases.

Attend trade shows and conferences to learn the latest toy airplanes and rockets news and trends

Going to toy airplane and model rocket conferences and trade shows is a great way to get information about the latest innovations in wholesale toy airplanes and flying toys. It is also a great way to network with vendors and model rocket and airplane distributors to learn about upcoming trends and releases so that you can plan ahead about which kinds of merchandise you will order to keep your business well-stocked.

I recommend: Attend the American Model Aeronautics (AMA) Expo each year to get up-to-date industry information about upcoming trends in toy rockets and airplanes. Network with model rocket and airplane distributors at the Toy and Game Conference (TGIFCon) to get information about toy airplanes and rockets news and trends that you can use to benefit your business.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Keep magazine and newsletter subscriptions on display for your customers so they can see that not only are you at the forefront of the model airplane and toy rocket ship industry, you're keeping your business stocked with the latest inventory as well.

Whether you’re hoping to appeal to kids or collectors when stocking a variety of toy airplanes and rockets in your shop, learning key terms will help you order the most appealing, sought-after and profitable models. By understanding terminology like “free flight airplanes,” “launch controller” and “trainers,” you’ll be able to find the toys and accessories that will keep sales consistent. You'll also be able to discuss models with customers searching for the perfect toy airplane or rocket.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Trainers

Consider offering a selection of trainers for customers just starting a toy airplane hobby. The models are easy to assemble with factory installed parts so beginners can start learning about flying and aerodynamics almost instantly.

I recommend: Find a selection of trainers at the Wholesale Trains website.

Quick fly

Quick fly rockets aimed at beginners feature easy assembly without measuring, cutting or balancing.

I recommend: Discount Rocketry offers a wide selection of quick fly rocket models for beginners.

Launch controller

Featuring safety keys and longer wires to ignite larger toy rockets safely, a launch controller uses a car battery to electronically power rocket motors. Look for models with additional safety features if customers will be allowing children to operate the launch controller.

I recommend: Learn more about the features, operation and benefits of launch controllers for rockets through Apogee Rockets.

Control line

Some clients may seek control line model airplanes that allow an operator to control the plane through lines that attach the plane to a handle. Look for units that are engine- or whip-powered, allowing the operator to fly it like a kite.

I recommend: Learn more about control line toy airplanes through the product descriptions and photos on the Sig website.

Free flight airplanes

Free flight airplanes are remote control toy airplanes without control lines. Often powered by rechargeable battery packs, free flight planes can often get up to speeds of 25 miles per hour and require little to no assembly.

I recommend: eHobbies offers a selection of free flight airplanes, from gliders to biplanes to jets.

Air burst rocket

Customers who don't wish to use electrically powered or combustible materials to launch a toy rocket will appreciate an air burst rocket model. These air-powered models use pressure generated with a standard bike pump to reach heights up to 1,000 feet.

I recommend: See photos and read about product features of air burst rockets through the Red Rocket Hobby Shop website.