Was at Walt's hobbies with my grandkids yesterday. I have many interests myself with RC cars, planes, trains, Carrera, race tracks and never disappointed. Always had what I need. Grandkids love wandering around the store with their eyes wide open with respect. We are never disappointed with our trips there. It's a drive that is well worth it! Customer service is #1. read more

best hobby shop around. Unbelievable stock especially for model railroads. IF they don't have it they'll find it for you. Been going there for 20 years now. read more

He sold me a DCC already locomotive when he said it would work on Bachman easy track, which that was a complete lie and I wasted $150 and I was insanely happy because I was like this is my favorite brand train and it won't work on my track and the locomotive doesn't even have a DCC code decoder in it and he sold me a bad train read more

They had a very big selection of models and hobbies it's great to see a real hobby shop

We purchased a telescope/microscope set here as a Christmas gift. After our son opened it, we realized it was not what was advertised and didn't work well at all. My husband was asked "what are you trying to pull?" when he attempted to make a return, since the slides he purchased for the microscope were not sold to him in a normal box (but rather, an Amazon-type bag). Long story short, the employee was not only insulting, but would not refund or allow an exchange of the products because the box for the microscope was torn open, and there was no box for the slides (which again, never came with a box originally). Horrible experience and never the way an honest customer should be treated. read more

Great selection on models and paints. Reasonable prices. The guy working was very nice and knowledgeable

I don't know about the other reviews but for all my paint and brush needs this place is awesome. They don't have Citadel paint but have pretty much every other brand I've ever seen and then some. Highly recommend! read more

Really good hobby shop! Honestly 80 percent of the store is just model trails but there's other things there like coin collecting, puzzles, games and many other things. It's a bit pricey but it's a great way to get out of the house and find an activity worth killing time or bond together family and friends read more

If you want to pay alot more for your next radio control vehicle this is the place. Seriously their prices are way higher than everybody else. Don't take my word for it while you're shopping Google and see the price difference. One radio control buggy that they sell for $179.99 sells for $99.99 everywhere else including amazon.com. a re-released team associate rc10 that sells everywhere for $379 sells for $410 here. Maybe if they had courteous employees with positive attitudes who are willing and happy to help maybe you would pay more. But that was not my experience , the two grumpy old men that were there either own the place or just don't care. Grumpy and just unkind. Even to the point of being rude. There is way too much competition for a small business to have such a lack of customer service. Worst experience of the hobby store ever! read more

Straight forward customer service. They have what you need. Very knowledgeable. Not overbearing. Huge selection of everything.

Absolute horrible service. I have purchased many items from this store only because it is the only local store to be able to acquire the parts I need. I have never had a wonderful experience but this last one was horrific. The individual refused to help me, talked down on me for not knowing something and insulted me all with my young son with me. Never again. Thousands spent there. Try to spend local and this is what you get... better off online. read more

Don't think my three star "A-OK" rating is a slam. I like Walt's and am glad to see they've gotten so many favorable reviews. Talk about fully stocked, it seems they have most needs covered. My three star stems from the fact that, to me, the prices are up there. Fortunately, I purchase relatively few new kits. The model companies are making very little that interests me. We're seeing many of the same cars being regurgitated. My second little gripe is about calling for info. Any friendliness that is shown at the store has flown out the window when the phone rings. I hope Walt's has a great lengthy run, I enjoy stopping in on occasion. Monday I think I'll stop at Hobby Lobby and see what I can purchase with my 40% off coupon. read more

Pretty good store, has some nice gundam models there for purchase. Fair prices on the gundam models as well

So my story w Walts is a little boring I suppose but after reading past reviews, felt like throwing in my 2 cents. I was given an older Traxxas Slash and told I needed a battery and charger. I'm from the area and had seen Walts plenty of times but just never stopped in. I had started to do a little research on rc cars / trucks but was overwhelmed w the choices, prices, and the batteries?!?! Omg! So my grandson, my granddaughters boyfriend and I made a visit. I couldn't believe how much inventory they had in that store! I brought the truck with us, and the guy working seemed ok. There wasn't anyone else in the store so we had him all to ourselves. To be honest, the guy wasn't overly friendly, nor was he rude in anyway. Just....normal I guess? I started explaining my situation to him, and he knew all about my new hobby! The longer we were there, the more opened up this guy got! We were there almost an hour, enjoyed the hell out of it! Learned A LOT! Spend way more than I was planning but that was fine, because I got a great new hobby, some absolutely awesome parts / accessories, and I will be returning w other members of my family. read more

Went to this place about once a week during the Rona! This place is the best in town. No doubt. Always very friendly and willing to help me out with my hobbies. read more

If you're looking for gunpla you can't find a better stocked stor, they have things you can't find on Amazon that you can buy and immediately go home to build and I 100% plan on going back today for even more because I have a problem, still, highly recommend read more

i buy a lionel train and i,m not hapy with it i want to return it they wont take it back i,m screwed i had it for a day it was with tax 270.00 what a waste . so i open a charge back from my bank please be careful . i should got from the internet with return i wont buy another train again from walts read more

One of the best stocked hobby shops we've been to in a long long time. My wife and I were delighted at the wide selection of HO model railroading supplies and rolling stock. In fact, Walt's has just become our go to shop when special items are needed on short notice. They even had the hard to find Noch landscaping supplies in large quantities. Great selection of locomotives and wide selection of track. Other scales covered as well. Big Lionel selection (including Lionel HO) and N gauge trains/supplies. Fully stocked Tamiya paint rack was a big bonus. Owner is friendly and helpful. read more

Really pleased to see Walt's Hobby Shop is still going strong. Having left Illinois years ago I lost track. But, now at 71 & getting back to building models in Oregon I've wonderful memories of going to Walt's as a treat near the firehouse in downtown Joliet. He was always so knowledgeable & serious, you couldn't help but learn form Walt Mueller. Family "owned" -how cool is that after 60+ years. Build On for another 60 folks. read more

This place has a large inventory of models, trains, slot cars, remote control models, ect. The owner is friendly and helpful. The prices are not too far out of line compared to shopping off the net and still allows the enjoyment of traditional brick and mortar shopping. Very nice family hobby shop, and honestly one of the best I have visited. read more

Brought a Lionel train in for repairs on 01/08/2021 and still not repaired as of 04/07/2021 Was told it would take about a month to repair. Every time I call they state should be done in a couple of weeks. It appears this item just sat and noting was done for a long time. Only thing I want from them is to be up front if they could not look at it when I originally dropped off just tell me I would have found another repairer. Very poor service on repairs read more

I've been coming to Walt's since I was a kid and the place is still amazing. At a time when most hobby shops are getting smaller or turning into "on-line only" stores, Walt's has a tremendous selection of stuff you can actually hold and test out. Their product knowledge and customer service is outstanding as well. Happy to see my son get as excited as I used to when we visit and watch the trains. read more

If you're a hobbyist in the Joliet area then without a doubt, Walts Hobby in Crest Hill is your one stop shop. The focus definitely leans toward more male driven hobbys like model trains, slot cars, R/C and model kits but you can also find stamp and coin collecting supplies too. Children oriented items like Thomas the tank engine, kites and blocks can be found there as well. Walts has been owned by the Mueller family since the beginning in the 1950's. The staff there is exceptionally knowledgable and the fact that they still have regular customers that date back to the beginning attest to the fact that Walts Hobby has the creds, the inventory and the history to satisfy even the most serious hobbyist. read more

Most "hobby stores" have a small section of model trains. Not Walt's...yes, they have "hobbies", but, they have a huge selection and huge inventory of model trains. There were products there that I've never seen in Model Railroad stores. The only catch is everything is "retail". But, they make up for it with the inventory and great customer service. read more

Easily the best costumer service, the owners help point you in the right direction. They have dcc decoders too, which seem to be hard to find in stores and other things you can only normally find online. Though it is a bit pricey as a lot of things are around retail pricing, good place to get ideas and help. read more

I've visited Walt's twice in the past year. I'm mostly an RC car and slot car fan. Walt's has a very nice selection of slot cars. Carrera, Scalextric, Ninco and other brands were available at reasonable retail prices. There are also HO scale slot cars. The RC selection seems pretty good for cars, trucks, places and boats. They have some selection of RC parts as well. Scale models and train selection is very large, there were nearly 4 aisles of glue together cars, plates, ships etc. A good selection of model railroad building supplies as well. Staff is friendly and informed. read more

Wow, this is a great resource for anyone interested in scale model railroading -- N, HO, O and larger gauge are all well represented. The store is large, neat, well lit, and the staff are very knowledgeable and friendly. They have a huge inventory of rolling stock, track and related supplies, scenery - all the name brands are well represented. They appear to have hundreds of HO locomotives in stock, ranging from modern Amtrak diesels to early steamers. Other gauges are similarly well represented. The store is huge, almost as big as a supermarket, and most of the items for sale are model railroad related, as well as some R/C aircraft and models of ships, cars, etc. at non-railroad scales. The prices are a bit higher than the lowest you can find on the Internet, (though not a lot) but this is one of those stores that deserves your support for providing a local resource for model train enthusiasts. Highly recommended. Lew P., Plano IL read more

This is a GREAT place to shop for model railroad items. I am partial toward O-SCALE (LIONEL LOVER HERE!) and must state for the record that the customer service along with the prices for items is terrific. I have not been shopping here for a few weeks, but I will make it worth my while to treat myself to a few goodies next month because it will be a three month pay period for me (YIPPIE!) This is a very well stocked store and they are definitely worth patronizing. Again, the customer service and price of their items are very nice. CHOO-CHOO! read more

Don't miss this train! With Chicagoland hobby shops closing on a regular basis, Walt's looks as good as ever. Plenty of space and well lit isles, they keep the newest stuff on the shelves. read more

Best train selection in the suburbs! If they don't have something in stock they will order it and usually have it less than a week. Good selection of plastic kits and a real good selection of paints and hobby tools. read more

I support hobby shops that have model railroad supplies in preference to mail order. Yeah I may pay a bit more, but I like being able to 'touch' stuff. Walt's has a great selection of N scale engines, cars, buildings, track, scenery and other things. Walt's also has items that I have never seen before and that is what makes shopping there fun. I encourage everyone to shop at Walt's. read more

Got a great boat with batteries, charger, etc. Walt's has a large selection (not just boats) and pretty reasonable prices. Walt's was very helpful before and after the sale. The boat I bought had problems right out of the box, the first time that I tried it. The usual procedure requires the customer to send it back to the manufacturer. However, Walt's (Walt himself, actually) took care of everything for me. Two days later I had a brand new boat that works flawlessly! I will definitely be back! Thanks Walt! read more