Ampdraw Hobbies

Love this place. They cater to racers and the service is great! They also carry high end tools, racing tires and wheels for most ¹⁄₁₀ scale off-​road racing.

What a great shop, always VERY friends and willing to help, even without a purchase, I’ve even had them suggest other stores for something they don’t carry.
Killer store for The LaTrax Alias parts, they have it all.

A hobby shop in Encinitas, who knew?
I see this shop every time I go to ⁷⁄₁₁ and always wanted to stop in and check it out. Well, couple days ago I finally did just that. Very nice people working there and tons of stuff to look at and buy. Very cool cars, planes and helicopters.
For a little strip mall shop they have a hell of a lot of merchandise for you R/​C people out there.
I love remote controlled cars, airplanes and helicopters. Always have been fascinated by them. I’ve tried a R/​C glider. I spent months building, gluing and coating the wings only to toss it off a cliff and slam it into the ground. I glued it back together, taped up a few rips in the wings and tried again. Up it went and down it came. Perhaps I should have tried a beginner version. You hobbyists know exactly what I’m talking about. It’s quite a challenge and everybody thinks they’re the guy that can get it right the first time.
Years later I tried a R/​C helicopter and pretty much the same result. However, they are much cheaper these days so I actually had some success and it lasted
much longer. Nowadays they make dual rotor helicopters that anyone can fly. They are a blast. You can get a starter version and rank up from that to the complicated ones later. Believe me, you should start at beginner. You’ll have more fun and appreciate it more.
I had several R/​C cars and they were a blast. I loved them. Not into them right now but since there’s a nearby shop I might just throw down some cash for a new toy.
You don’t have to drive all the way to Kearny Mesa for these things anymore. Lucky you. Lucky me. Hey Santa, I’ve been a good boy. Can I have a new R/​C car or helicopter. I promise I’ll clean my room later.

Staff is great and extremely helpful. The selection of RC parts and models is fantastic; best of all the prices are very reasonable as well.
I have been to a few other shops (Vista/​San Marcos. Clairemont), and this is by far the one I prefer primarily due to the service and overall satisfied expectations.

It’s unbelievable how many RC car spare parts they stock in the store. Staff is great and they are all into RC hobbies themselves. I have no reason to order anything from the online RC vendors.

great little RC shop, plenty of parts to keep you rolling.

Amazing and very helpful staff. I’ve gone in on two occasions and both times were extraordinary. I’ve been to other hobby stores with unhelpful staff (RC Hobbies — Vista) so this is a very welcome treat.
Both times I went in, I was greeted when I stepped foot in there. — Amazing
I was asked if I needed help with anything. — Awesome
Showed them my broken helicopter and they promptly found the replacement parts. — Cool
Asked how to replace the parts and was she took the time to show me. — Very cool
I was thanked for coming in (something that has never happened at RC Hobbies — Vista) — Mind blowing
Staff is very eager to answer any question you have and it is obvious that they know their stuff!
I plan to only buy my hobby supplies from Ampdraw Hobbies going forward. You should too!

I came to this local RC hobby shop to get a car for my son for Christmas. This way, we’d be able to race our cars together… yes, I have an RC car too. Staff was helpful in selecting the proper model for him. More importantly, when I discovered that his battery had a different connection than mine (hence making me think I’d need a new charger), the staff offered to solder a makeshift cord adapter. Above and beyond the required duties of a typical store employee.

This place has the best prices and will usually have what one is looking for in stock. Other hobby stores in the San Diego Area should take note as all of them never have the inventory on hand that Ampdraw has. Whenever I have gone here, they have always had what I needed for my RC Hobby. The staff who work here are really nice and give great advice. The extra drive up to Encinitas is definitely worth it.

I have bought 5 planes, 3 helis, and 2 trucks at Ampdraw since last November.
I’ve been in the hobby for eight years –i’ve been to most of the hobby stores in the area and have purchased from many online sellers.
Every good comment about Ampdraw is true. Parts you order mostly arrive in three days; at a discount; and no shipping cost.
In my experience, there has never been a question asked by other customers that Emily, Mike, or Randy could not answer immediately.
RodM

Best inventory and best prices in SD for RC cars. Emily who usually works there knows her stuff. Their prices are even better than most online retailers. And they do sell a lot online so they can ship to you.
AND… they have online inventory! Everyone else I have to call and wait for a slow, mildly retarded counterjockey.
This is the furthest hobby shop from me but still my preferred shop.

BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE, ALONGSIDE GREAT PRICES FOR ALL RC!!!
My sons and I have been involved with remote control cars for the past 2 years, and I have been absolutely, 100% pleased with both the customer service and the most competitive prices at AMPDRAW Hobbies in Encinitas. When we first started shopping there, it was primarily the owner, Shane, and Emily. Both of these individuals had the most wonderful customer service attitude, as well as a truly shared enthusiasm for the hobby, not to mention the patience of saints when it came to my two boys! As their retail business has expanded, so has there sales team, which now includes two equally wonderful young men, Randy and Michael, two brothers who similarly share the enthusiasm for the RC hobby! It is such a pleasure to find a local store which can offer both most competitive pricing, alongside customer service which is simply amazing! In a nutshell, GREAT PLACE!!!

I stopped by here over the weekend to get some parts for my Axial Wraith build and they guy at the counter was very helpful (I’m a total RC N00b) and they actually had pretty good prices compared to what I saw for [other] online prices. I came back today to pick up some parts and an extra battery and Emily was really helpful. I really appreciated the help and advice she gave me. I got a lot of questions answered in a few minutes that I just wasn’t getting answered online. I’m glad that I have a local go-​to hobby store for times when I need something now, or just need some friendly local advice! They also have an online store (
), and what’s great about that is that if it says ‘ships immediately’ it’s something that they have in stock in their Encinitas store, so you can check first before going to their store. I did have problems with their online search engine, but Emily said that they are in the process of upgrading that. I purchased my Wraith kit at a different store in San Diego, and overall this was a much better experience.

So I came in the store to check out rc planes and helicopters. I had every intention of buying a Rtf kit but was turned off. No greeting when I came in, no assistance, and when I walked out not even a thank you for visiting! Ill buy online, the kid running the store should be fired, I would have been a repeat customer for sure.

They’ve been my preferred shop for the last 6 months… That is until today. I spoke with them 2 days ago asking if they’d exchange an item I purchased from them for another more expensive item. They said yes but I’d have to pay a restocking fee. I didn’t understand a restocking fee on and exchange but whatever.

Well, I showed up today to exchange the item and am told that they changed their mind.
So I drove 20 minutes out of my way to find out their word means nothing.
I’ll gladly pay a liitle more at a closer shop if it means I can trust them to stand by their word. I will be telling all my friends who I have sent their way as well as stop recommending them on the discussion forums online.

Ampdraw is My new favorite hobby shop. The prices are unbeatable, they have low internet pricing in the store. Inventory and selection are fantastic. The service there is just as good. They are friendly and helpful. Take time with you and get you what you need.

You can’t beat their customer service or their prices here!!!
Out of all the hobby shops that I’ve been to, this place is the winner! Their online prices and in-​store prices are the same… and they really are cheaper than the other hobby stores that I’ve been to.
They have a huge selection of parts but they don’t carry a huge inventory so if they don’t have the part you are looking for in-​store, they can order it for you… not sure how long that takes but they said they place orders every couple of days…
The staff that I’ve had the pleasure of meeting and talking to (Emily and Judy) were very easy going and friendly… which, in my experience, is few and far between… so its definitely good times coming here… if they didn’t have an answer for you, they were able to contact the owner of the store very quickly…(through online chat even!)
I don’t remember them having a huge selection of planes, but they do have helicopters and a lot of cars ranging from Team Losi’s ¹⁄₃₆ scales all the way up to the ¹⁄₈ scale cars… they even have a few mini and micro scale cars that you can demo inside the store… I was sold when I tried the Losi ¹⁄₂₄ mini SCT… very fun car to drive!!! :)
They open at 11am and close at 6pm on weekdays… and at 5pm on weekends… I do wish they’d stay open a little bit later so I could stop by after work (I’m off at 6pm) but its all good…
Anyways, if you want to get into the RC hobby but don’t want to feel like an idiot talking to elitist rc peeps, cruise by here and you’ll feel very welcome!