Factory Direct Hobbies Reviews

Factory Direct Hobbies ReviewsSee store reviews

Charles L.
I have been purchasing from factory direct for over two years and I have had a great experience and I will continue to purchase from Hobbies Direct. On a scale of 1 to 5, 5 STARS every time. Thanks guys, Charles L. Winston-Salem, NC
BLI 8954 Norfolk & Western Business Car, #200, HO
Philip C.
Heavyweight and lightweight observation cars and railroad executive business cars have not been offered for a number of years. The pre-order and limited availability of in stock items, when they finally ship has been frustrating. BLI has made a beautiful product. My ATSF Post War passenger fleet has a welcome new addition.
BLI 8950 ATSF Business Car #37, HO
Jeff B.
I just tested the product, but haven't added it to the layout yet The interior lighting is really well done especially the simulated TV sets I know it will be a stand out feature, when I add it to the layout.
Woodland Scenics 4959 Smith Brothers TV & Appliance, N Scale
Gary B.
I like being able to get these HO building kits from here. I order a couple at a time, this one is cool because it’s easy to build and fits anywhere on my layout. They have a huge selection including harder to get items. Great service.
Walthers Cornerstone 933-3475 Hobby Shop -- Kit - 7-1/8 x 5-3/8 x 3-1/2" 18.1 x 13.7 x 8.9cm, HO Scale
Customer video review of BLI 6703 PRR E6 4-4-2, #1211, Pre-war, Paragon4 Sound/DC/DCC, Smoke, HO Scale
Ernie H.
Great running locomotive. This is my 2nd 4-4-2 PRR Atlantic. Looks Awesome Double Headed. Great service and price from Factory Direct Hobbies. Ernie
BLI 6703 PRR E6 4-4-2, #1211, Pre-war, Paragon4 Sound/DC/DCC, Smoke, HO Scale
Customer photo review of Kato USA 176-8406 EMD SD70ACe - Union Pacific (Southern Pacific Heritage), #1996, N Scale
David C.
I ended up stripping Factory Paint (Not an easy undertaking!) and Custom Painted it Santa Fe Blue and Yellow Warbonnet Runs Excellent!
Kato USA 176-8406 EMD SD70ACe - Union Pacific (Southern Pacific Heritage), #1996, N Scale
Anthony S.
GREAT SERVICE FROM THE FACTORY STORE BUT I WISH THE US POST OFFICE GETS ITS ACT TOGETHER KIT WAS SENT TO THE WRONG POSTIAL CENTER TWICE CAUSING THE SHIPPING OF KIT. 6 DAYS OF LOST DELIVERY TIME ON GETTING THIS KIT.POOR SERVICE ON US POST OFFICE AND THEY DONT CARE
AMT Model Kits AMT7591 880 Lowboy Trailer w/load 1:25
James K.
The locomotive runs great and it can pull 25 - 30 cars with no problem. I don't have DCC sound hooked up so I don't know how the sound are. But it looks AWESOME on my little train layout.
Athearn ATH73052 HO SD40T-2, SP/Speed Letter #8237
Ted B.
The end result was almost worth the wait. It was made in Vietnam not from China as I expected. I must admit that I had difficulty having to wait so long for it's release I think I prefer the old way of buying, you have a ready product and we then buy, consider taking a survey of interested buyers before building, I did not care for the $5.00 tariff fee added as well, I know, politics is politics, how did Irv Athearn handle his successful business? My intension is not to offend you but to encoura...
BLI 8950 ATSF Business Car #37, HO
Philip C.
Heavyweight and lightweight observation cars and railroad executive business cars have not been offered for a number of years. The pre-order and limited availability of in stock items, when they finally ship has been frustrating. BLI has made a beautiful product. My CNR 1954 livery passenger fleet has a welcome new addition.
BLI 8952 Canadian National Business Car #85, HO
Mike L.
When I first seen the Athearn penguin box cars at factory direct I COULD ONLY THINK OF MY GERMAN SHEPARD "TARA'... I know it sounds strange but TARA always loved penguins ,, Since I no longer have TARA I thought. having a couple of the penguin box cars would be a fitting tribute to my TARA and make her a part of my layout... After all OUR layouts should be a living part of our own past,,,At least for me there have been so many things and friends that are no longer here so putting on my lay out ...
Athearn ATH3873 50’ NACC Box, Penguin Ginger Ale #7007, N Scale
Ernest B.
Great price for an excellent model. Works flawlessly and looks nice on my layout featuring many different eras. Factory Dirent Hobbies offers very good prices with excellent delivery times (mostly). Thanks Joe!
Athearn ATH87319 HO RTR Old Time 2-6-0 Mogul w/DCC & Sound,SP #1827
James C.
The Kato N scale three-way power splitter is much cleaner than using bulky terminal blocks, and it keeps the electrical connections organized and reliable. Splits power to three sections without any voltage drop issues. Makes the wiring under the layout so much neater. Definitely worth picking up if you’re running multiple power districts.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
Kato 24-833 3-Way Extension Cord, Unitrack, 35" 88.9cm
Roxanne M.
Purchased for my layout under construction. And look forward to assembling this kit. Haven’t opened it yet, but from past experience. Walthers Cornerstone kits are excellent quality and a real value. FDH shipped quickly and were well protected in shipping.
Walthers Cornerstone 933-4106 Modern Lumber Transload - Kit, HO
Hans L.
Amazing Steam Locomotive. Have it on display for future expansion of my lay-out with large radius track for it to run. Excellent packaging, delivery etc. Thanks, Hans, from Colborne ca.
Athearn ATHG88410 HO FEF-2 4-8-4 w/DCC & Sound, UP #830
Kenneth H.
excellent detail. just plain looks great Complaint: could not use my credits. your pay for purchase web page sucks when trying to use credits. sent message for help but with no reply. your credit program for purchases also sucks. i can see where i will be cheated out of my credits again.
Lionel HO 2454330 40’ Steel Reefer, New York Central MDT #12425
Reginald O.
This engine is the exact replica of the Conrail Engines I use see in Baltimore after NS acquired this series of engines. This engine is very powerful when pulling an i8 car consist with ease. It looks great in my layout.
Athearn ATH88645 HO RTR SD38, NS #3805
Guy R.
I am an Athearn Genesis fan and this SD45-2 has been a pleasure to operate, as expected. I was never a real enthusiast of the Santa Fe pinstripe scheme, but this locomotive has changed my opinion. Athearn did a great job with this one. It has an amazing presentation, especially when operated as the lead in a multi locomotive consist with my other various Santa Fe paint schemes. The locomotive operated smoothly right out of the box with little drive train or motor noise. The only changes I wil...
Athearn ATHG65812 HO SD45-2 w/DCC & Sound, SF #5660
Derek K.
This is the first order I've made with Factory Direct Hobbies, and I can honestly say its been a pleasure at every step. Customer service is absolutely top notch. I will definitely place more orders with them in the future. This order was for the BLI 9465 EMD SD40-2, CP 6610, Golden Beaver Scheme, Paragon4 Sound/DC/DCC, N. It's absolutely beautiful. When I test ran it, it worked flawlessly. I now wish I got more of them! Shipping was quick as well. Thank you for my order. I love it. Looki...
BLI 9465 EMD SD40-2, CP 6610, Golden Beaver Scheme, Paragon4 Sound/DC/DCC, N
Collin C.
I am very happy with my new CP SD40-2. Looks and sounds great. Factory direct hobbies has been providing great service for me so far, and I plan to continue ordering from them.
BLI 7957 EMD SD40-2, CP 5668, Multimark, Paragon4 Sound/DC/DCC, N
Alfred J C.
I like the car detail is great. The only thing is I wish the containers were made separate instead of one so you could have it partially unloaded at a crane.
Rapido 194003A HO G22b Gondola w/containers: PRR - Circle Keystone (AB brakes): Single Car
Roxanne M.
Purchased for my layout under construction. And look forward to assembling this kit. Haven’t opened it yet, but from past experience. Walthers Cornerstone kits are excellent quality and a real value. FDH shipped quickly and were well protected in shipping.
Walthers Cornerstone 933-4059 Trackside Oil Dealer with Storage Tanks - Kit, HO
Roxanne M.
Purchased for my layout under construction. And look forward to assembling this kit. Haven’t opened it yet, but from past experience. Walthers Cornerstone kits are excellent quality and a real value. FDH shipped quickly and were well protected in shipping.
Walthers Cornerstone 933-4071 Modern Concrete Warehouse Background Building - Kit - Each: 16-5/8 x 1-3/4 x 4-1/2" 42.2 x 4.4 x 11.4cm, HO
Ronald S.
Purchased for my Christmas train village. You have to have great Christmas locos to set the north pole village. Factory Direct has a tremendous amount of quality locomotives for any collector. Pre ordering was a snap. Shipping and delivery was quick. Packaged very well! Factory Direct is a go to store for any hobby enthusiast.
BLI 9354 EMD SW7 Switcher, Santa’s Workshop #1, Paragon4 Sound/DC/DCC, N
John T.
I was somewhat confused that although I had "preordered" 2 cars, one black and one red and paid the 10% deposit, I initially only received one, the black one. I was going to contact you about the other car and got busy for a couple weeks and the other (red) car finally showed up. Thanks for your service.
Rapido 178008A HO Class H21E 4-Bay Hopper - Ready to Run -- Pennsylvania Railroad (Tuscan, Shadow Keystone)
Bill P.
Pre-ordered from Factory Direct Trains. When the item arrived I just sent them my credit card info and received the trains within a week. Easy transaction, well packaged and I received the correct items.
Athearn Genesis ATHG66259 HO GP39-2, D&H #7405
Frank V.
This was the perfect business car for my private road name and became my 73rd birthday present. I really like the car. So far it has survived three rear end collissions on our club layout. The detail is really amazing and and is a really nice edition to my business car collection
BLI 9016 Union Pacific Business Car, Painted Primer Gray w/ Black Trucks, HO
Richard C.
Beautifull details & paint. The interior and LED lighting is phenomenal. All lighting is flicker free ( constant) track powered.& has a wand to adjust lighting intensity. The window is optical quality clear and shows off the beautiful interior very well.
Rapido 175001 HO SP Dome-Lounge w/Fluted Sides: SP - Daylight: #3604
Al D.
I preordered this for myself because I love RS engines. I didnt care for the name of the Railroad but I did want the model. I have LOTS of BLI engines, steam and diesel. I am Chair of the Winterfest model show for Northeast NTRAK. One of our members does an extraordinary amount of work and help with the our layout at the show which includes modules and members of other clubs from Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and New England plus Maine N Scal who ties their layout to ours i...
BLI 6628 Alco RSD-7, C&O #6805, Blue & Yellow, Paragon4 Sound/DC/DCC, N Scale
John M B.
My Athearn 4-6-6-4, 3997 has been running perfectly. The sound is louder than other locomotives on my N scale layout. I would recommend this steamer to everyone.
Athearn ATH25745 N 4-6-6-4 w/DCC & Sound, UP #3997
Gary C.
Once shipped arrived as advertised. I was like years waiting for this, I understand how the industry works. Heck the layout isn't near to being finished either. But, I gotta spot for it!--Gary C
Athearn ATH3380 HO 1-Dome Tank, Union Starch/SHPX #22669
James B.
The PikeStuff 1006 Concrete block short sections are a nice complement to their 1004 concrete block long sections. They fit together perfectly and allow the modeler to build the appropriately sized structure for their layout.
PikeStuff 1006 Concrete Blocks, Short Sections, HO Scale
Matthew C.
The car rolls well, weighs pretty good even without the logs added, and is always drawing people to look and talk about it at the club layout I run it on.
Walthers Mainline HO 50915 45’ Logging Flatcar, Southern Pacific #564212
Michael B.
I'd never used the Micro Kristal Klear before but had seen several reviews stating that it was one of the best canopy glues out there. I don't build planes but I do like to build model cars and so I tried it as soon as I got it on a 2021 Ford bronco. Being that I'm older and starting to get a shaky hand I had a little trouble with the application but it cleaned up good and did a decent job of adhering the plastic windows. It also dried very clear although I could still see where the glue was at ...
Microscale Inc 460-114 Micro Kirstal Klear -- 1oz 29.6ml
Garth O.
Love all the passenger cars! If there’s ever a problem or I want to return an item, customer service is always there, willing to help in any way. Great company to order from and competitive pricing, most times the cheapest. I have a lot of pre orders still to come!
WalthersProto 920-9237 HO 85’ ACF Observation Dome Lounge Lighted - Ready to Run - Union Pacific(R) (Armour Yellow, gray; City of Portland Tail Sign)
Brian B.
Details are excellent. Car markings also correct and read clearly. Didn't check wheel gage. Did make a few laps around layout. No derailing on Peco code 83 track and turnouts. Coupler height correct out of box. Great addition to my coal hauling consist.
BLI 7371 AAR 70-ton Triple Hopper, B&O, 4-PACK, HO
Steve G.
Very nicely done model of a versatile locomotive. Crisp lines and paint, silk-smooth performance, and great detail. The factory-applied smoke lifters and awnings make this GP35 stand out among the others currently offered.
Walthers Proto HO 43301 EMD GP35 Phase II Locomotive, Atchison Topeka & Santa Fe #2890
Dennis K.
You just got to have a steam locomotive in a layout and this provided me the chance to have one with lights, sound and smoke (using DC Mater). LOVE IT!
BLI 7330 2-8-0 Consolidation, CG 223, Paragon4 Sound/DC/DCC, Smoke, HO
Greg O.
I have been looking for a small diesel locomotive with the flying Rio Grande letting for a long time, and I'm very pleased with the one you sent. It looks great and operates very well on my layout.
Athearn ATH86843 HO SW1000 w/DCC & Sound, D&RGW #148
Joseph B.
Rebuilding a large layout 600 square feet so it will come into play at some point in time not right now though I'm still laying track, as time goes on we'll send some photos.
Atlas 20007442 Offset-Side 2-Bay Open Hopper - Ready to Run -- Hallett #9704 (green, white), HO
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