A sad day in the hobby

[DaveKennedy]

I wanted to let you all know about the passing of Bob Haines of REH Distributing last night in Cincy. Bob was one of the first slot car distributors in the US. He supported the hobby over his entire adult life. He supported racing in the 60's going so far as to let the factory teams (who raced on a shoestring budget) regularly stay at his own home during race events in the city. He and REH have distributed most of the slot car brands that have ever been made, they have sold here and around the world. He was one of the people that helped the hobby get a start in the US, in a very real way we have lost one of the founders of the hobby here.

I just talked to Kim Fields (his daughter) just now on the phone to express my deep sadness to hear this.

Bob was one of those people in our business that I looked to as a model to be emulated. He knew the business and he understood the importance how small this hobby is and how to treat people.

I remember one evening during the Hobbytown Convention a few years ago we talked for hours over many, many drinks and it became clear to me how much the hobby of slot racing owes a debt to him... and how much I now am really glad to have known him. That easy smile and warm, gravely voice were just a pleasure to be around...

There will be no services.

I've know Bob and Kim for a long, long time... I'm just absolutely gutted by this news.

[Cincyslots]

Well put Dave. He was a great man and business associate as well. He will be missed.

Bruce

[DaveKennedy]

Just to add a bit more... he was a slot guy... you could talk slots with him. He didn't just sell the cars, he knew what made a car perform well or not. Through their distribution of so many brands REH Distributing really helped so many companies get their products sold here. Yes it was a business but he actually gave a damn about the people at these companies who were trying to make a living selling something they were trying to get sold. Without them selling so many different brands, I would argue the modern era of slots wouldn't have done as well as it did. The importance alone of Fly slot cars having good distribution is one of the building blocks of the modern era of slots. Their printed in the cars and design (which now have of course been at least equaled) were crucial to people looking at slot cars in a different way than they had before. Had Bob not brought in SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO many Fly cars and Ninco cars and NSR - Factory and Spirit Slot and SCX cars and Sloter cars early in the distribution of those brands here i'd venture to say what we now look back at would have been a VERY different slot world.

My friend Maurizio Ferrari told me once that we stand on the shoulders of giants in this hobby... well, by any measure he was one of those people.

[chappyman66]

A sad day indeed. My condolences to Kim and the rest of the family.
REH certainly did provide a great deal of support.
We live in the golden age of slot cars, partly due to Bob.

RIP.

[HomeRacingWorld]

Yes my thoughts are with Kim and the family.

He truly was a great slot car enthusiast. Had the pleasure of talking with him at the trade shows and you are spot on, he knew slot cars.

Thank you for the update sir, much appreciated.

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Bob was legendary. The stories about trailer trucks with stashed Aurora stuff he had stored, warehouses other than the REH building, all kinds of things. When I visited REH on the way to Chicago for the big show, (a brief partnership in a LHS), I was impressed with the girls who picked orders who led me around in that wonderland, happily taking me to see anything I thought of, and happily climbing ladders. One of these girls had a broken arm in a cast, and still insisted on climbing a ladder just to show me the part I asked about. A guy like Bob doesn't come along very often, and when someone like that does come along, you start to think he'll always be there without meaning to think it. It makes his passing that much more sad. This afternoon, there was a post about another friend of slot cars, Frank, from Slot Car World, who died years ago, and is still missed by thousands. For Bob, it may be millions.

[mattb]

For quite a few years, REH kind of kept alive 1/24 slot car racing and restoring.

[BIG E]

Very sad news. I purchased a lot (all, basically) of my vintage HO slot parts from REH, usually with Kim on the other end of the phone line, when I had my commercial slot car raceway. A few years after I had let go of that business, I had a nice long chat with Bob at one of the old East Coast Hobby Expo shows which were held in Fort Washington, PA. And I fully understood his reasons for not allowing me to purchase from him any more since I no longer had the brick and mortar storefront. He was protecting the retail hobby store owners from guys just trying to flip the merchandise working out of their garage and similar business set ups. We spoke for quite a while about the hobby, from both the store/raceway owner's perspective, and from the racer's point of view. He will be missed greatly, and what he has done for this hobby cannot be passed off lightly - REH was THE source for the vintage stuff wanted by racers, restorers, builders, and collectors. I am glad I was able to meet the man and spend some time with him discussing the hobby we all love and enjoy.

My sincerest sympathy and condolences to Kim and the entire Haynes family. Rest in peace, sir. -- Ernie