Not sure if I classify as a seasoned L5 developer but a couple of thoughts.

Regarding these lines

$product = new Product($data);
$dir     = new Direction($data);
$map     = new MapDetail($data);

You should be injecting these objects into the method, not instantiating them within the controller action -> https://laracasts.com/series/whats-new-in-laravel-5/episodes/2

Regarding your private method "createImages" you would probably be better moving into a resusable event. In the example below I use something called the "repository pattern" a well documented approach and an example store method which includes an upload reads as follows:

public function store( AttachmentRequest $request )
{
	// Merge the name of the file being uploaded into the Input array so it can be saved to the database.
	\Input::merge(array('name'=> \Input::file('attachment')->getClientOriginalName() ) );
	// Use the repository method "processRequest" to create, populate, 
	// validate then save a new instance of the model.
	if ( $this->AttachmentRepository->processRequest( null, \Input::all() ) ) 
	{
		// Fire an event to move the uploaded file to permanent storage
		\Event::fire( new Upload( $this->AttachmentRepository ) );

		return \Response::json(['status' => 'true','message' => 'Successfully uploaded']);
	}
	else 
	{
		return \Response::json(['status' => 'false','message' => 'Something went wrong']);
	}
}

You will notice a "fire an event" which actually performs the upload after successful validation. Laravel events are well documented.

I could suggest plenty of other changes but Rome wasn't built in a day.

Good luck.

i will look into your suggestions, i know my code prob sucks, but im trying to learn, from a noob point of view and after reading more about repository patterns, yeah i see what you mean.

thank you!