Johng

My Feedback: (4)

FWIW, I just went to the hobbypeople.com web site and it looks like it's been taken over by an operation out of Finland. Different page setup, prices in Euro's

John

warhwk

My Feedback: (3)

Their website has always been hobbypeople.net not com.

acdii

Hey Ken, you going to Toledo this year?

bigedmustafa

My Feedback: (2)

I just placed an order for a few things today, just for the sake of placing an order. I really liked a lot of the product lines that Hobby People carried over the years. I also really liked Mike Greenshields and Jack in radio repair. Good products and good people always make for a good shopping experience.

At the time that Global had dropped the Airtronics/Sanwa distribution, I'd read the announcement about Serpent Racing taking over as U.S. distributor. I thought it might be because Global was frustrated with the lack of new product designs coming from Sanwa - no telemetry, etc. In hindsight, it was more likely due to Global's business situation.

I hadn't heard it mentioned, but Hobby People also had two retail stores in Las Vegas, NV.

It's distressing to lose a quality ARF manufacturer like Aero-Works, but to have one of the top three hobby distributors in the United States folding up their tent is truly sad. Hobby People and Global will be sorely missed.

scale only 4 me

My Feedback: (158)

Is that known?? Is Global Hobby Distributing also closing or just the retail sales arm?

Sport_Pilot

Both is to close.

RCKen

My Feedback: (9)

More than likely I will not be there. It's gotten to the point that it's just not worth RCU sending a crew to Toledo to cover the event. The show has been in the decline every year for the last many years and I knew it was only a matter of time before we made the decision to not go any more. I can remember the first time I went to Toledo on a Saturday afternoon it was almost impossible to move back and forth on the show floor. The last time we went to cover the show it was easy to go anywhere you wanted to on Saturday. Although the show producers will tell you that the numbers are the same and the show is just as popular I can tell you that it's down every year. So after all of that, the short answer it probably no, I more than likely won't be there. Sorry.

Ken

RCKen

My Feedback: (9)

Ed,
Good to see you. It's been a while. Like you I made an order yesterday from stuff that had been discounted. I kind of felt like a buzzard picking meat off the bones of a dead carcass. Several guys in my club had made orders for Magnum engines only to have their money returned and the orders cancelled. So I'm holding my breath to see what happens with my order and to see if actually makes it. What was funny was one item I had ordered was a dual axis gyro and I had put a quantity of 2 in my shopping cart. By the time I got to check out it told me the quantity was unavailable. So some other buzzard was also picking the bones and I could only get one of the gyros on my order.

It's sad to see this happen. But they may not be gone. We were talking about this at my club meeting last night. Hobby People used to be know as Hobby Shack. They went into bankruptcy and came out as Hobby People. So maybe there is a chance they may go back into bankruptcy again and come out as something else.

As I stated above in the thread I'm glad that somebody is already handling Airtronics/Sanwa radios. But I'm wondering if somebody is going to take over the distributorship of Magnum engines. They were distributed by Global Hobby and then out to places like Tower Hobby and others. So without Hobby People and Global Hobby I'm wondering if we will have a source for Magnums. When I mentioned this above I was told that Saitos and OS engines were great quality engines. Yes, I know they are great quality engines and I own many of both brands. But the problem I have with both of those engines brands is that they are too expensive in my opinion. In my opinion they are sort of like John Deere lawn equipment. They are good but you pay a LOT extra for that green paint. Same with OS and Saito. I feel you pay extra for the name OS and Saito. Magnum was a good quality engine that was affordable. And if you did run into a bad Magnum all you had to do was send it back to Global and they would replace it no questions asked. So I am sad to see that go if it is indeed gone for good. That's why I'm hoping somebody picks them up and distributes them in the US.

Ok, I'll get off my soapbox now.

Ken

init4fun

I agree 100% with Ken about the Magnums . I have a Magnum four stroke and an ASP four stroke and they both perform just as well as their pricier OS and Saito competition . The John Deere comparison is also dead on accurate , my Craftsman rider mower has the identical 16 HP Briggs & Stratton "Industrial" engine as my neighbor's John Deere , and both cut the grass equally well !

This is by no means meant as a knock on either Saito or OS , just an agreement that for less money the Magnum runs just as good .....

acdii

Those JD riders at Home Depot come off the same line as a Cub Cadet, or one of the other low end riders. The ones from the JD dealer though are not. I have an X500 that is a beast, there may be lower cost ones with the same engine, but that's about it. The frame and transmission is much stronger in the dealer sold ones than what you can get elsewhere.

Kubota makes good tractors, and is the Magnum to Saito comparison when it comes to a CUT. IT is just too bad that there are only Magnum 52 and 91 4 strokes, though looks like the 91 is now discontinued too. I have been looking for a low cost 62 size like what Saito has, but there are none. There really isn't much out there anymore in 4 strokes other than Saito and OS with any variety.

Sport_Pilot

All Magnums are discontinued. And sold out. ASP is available from HK but wonder if they would replace them? I suspect they will be gone as well as OS and Saito. Then Jett would remain and he can simply wait for a few orders before firing up the CNC machine.

bigedmustafa

My Feedback: (2)

The Magnum and ASP engines are just re-branded Sanye engines. Sanye will still be manufacturing them so long as demand warrants it. Hobby King sells an ASP-branded .60 4-stroke that should fit acdii's needs.

With Global exiting the North American market, the door is open for somebody else to work out a distribution agreement with Sanye. If nobody steps up, then Hobby King should enjoy brisk sales of "gray market" ASP engines to the U.S.

Another good choice for inexpensive yet reliable glow engines is www.kangkeusa.com Kangke USA carries JBA (Jiang Blue Arrow) and their own house brand SK (Super Kraft) glow enignes, also made by JBA. The JBA .56 2-stroke is one of the best bargains in sport engines today. I own two of them, and they run like a .55 AX at half the cost.

init4fun

Well I figure if were talking Magnum/ASP engines someone ought to go and show one ....

OK , I'll do it , here's my .91 sitting next to a TT .09 .

Yep , it's big , and every bit the good looker/runner that an OS .91 is .

c/f

My Feedback: (1)

KEN, Toledo, Right on,

Been in this hobby 45 years, went to toledo many years, The must attend to get the latest inside scoop and meet/greet the faces from the magazines, then took many years off, Went last year 2016, Was sad to see what has happened to the once vendor relevant must attend trade show.

To me:

REALLY?? SAME guy has 3 booths selling servo wires.
15% Mass market dealers/distributors with no products of their own.
25% is booths Relevant RC related hobby products of days gone by.
30% is CHINA toys with circus barkers with an annoying cadence.
30% is SIG or Organization booths looking to sign members.
Swap floor is a ghost town with foot traffic less than a 100 table regional event.

Wont waste the gas anymore, STICK A FORK IN IT DONE................

LDM

My Feedback: (15)

Wow sad to hear . I always looked at Toledo from a distance thinking its the one sho that must be worth attending. I guess its going the way of the big east coast show.
This year I attended the AMA show in Cali . It was ok but same thing, not really loaded with suppliers the way the shows have been in the past. I considered going back to the NY show now that the AMA is running it but knowing the west coast guys that will not attend, I don't think the NY show will be worth it.
The best show I have attended and it just continues to grow is the East Coast swap meet held in Lituz Pa. The booths are well organized , the deal are fantastic and you get so much eye candy from new to used products you cant beat it. Last year some of the great deals -a Yellow P40 , assembled but no engine or servos with retracts $500, a Pica Giant Scale Spitfire , framed and unpainted $100 !
It's not a show filled with junk , sure some will linger but most have outstanding deals .
It's sometime in March if anyone interested , trust me its worth the ride and central Pa has other fun things to do.

By the way I ordered a ASP 180, from hobby king , you actually get shipped direct from the manufacture and I was shipped from China in under 7 days !! First class shipping !
I may get a few more , love the sound of the 4 stroke 180s and have never had issues with Magnum or ASP . You just have to keep them oiled pre start and after run.
I have some magnum goings in 10 years with zero problems outlasting there gas counter parts !
A long time ago a wise old told me that the original engineer from OS went to work for Magnum, don't know if its true but I have always owned magnum engines. Yes also owned OS and Saito, all good but at 75% more in cost

bruceal

I bought an SK 52 a couple of months ago to try. I love OS, but the price for parts makes them pretty much disposable. I'll do the bearings, but by the second set the liner is usually done. The SK runs very well and I'm glad I tried it. OS has a much better carb but with just a little patience the SK is easily tuned. The parts are so affordable and Kangke usa is very good to do business with.

scale only 4 me

My Feedback: (158)

The trade show demise topic and the LHS closing subject go hand in hand, I remember my first Hobby show in Pasadena CA,, before they called it the AMA Expo,, I was so excited to see all the new stuff and get great deals in the swap shop and from vendors,,

Now The swap shop, Vendors and all "new stuff" can be seen and bought on the internet, The swap shops is usually a bunch of over priced antic crap. Why would I drive 100 miles each way to see what I've already seen online and or buy what can be delivered to my door for the same price or in most cases cheaper by the time you add up the cost of driving, admission, parking,,etc..

The internet has changed so many things,, Trade shows are just the latest victim,,

hsukaria

I have had good experience with the SK and JBA engines also. I bought an SK 90 some 4 years ago and used it shortly in a plane and then sold it. I also have a JBA 56 and it has monster power, as Biged said. Same power as OS 55AX for half-price and true Chrome plating instead of Nickel like the OS. Only thing is they require longer break-in than the OS, but well worth it.

I have been attending the Toledo Show for the last seven years or so and have noticed the decline. I continued to attend to purchase glow fuel at good discount prices. Last year, however, I mentioned to my wife that it would be more fun to have some family members go with me (I only live an hour drive from Toledo). She agreed to come along with one of my sons. After the show, she decided we should go to a fancy restaurant. So, a trip to save money on glow fuel ended up costing a lot more. This year I will do the math and consider buying the fuel from my LHS at a little higher price and skip the drive to Toledo.

acdii

Come to think of it, I too noticed it, and I only attended a few years. When Hobby People didn't show last year, I knew they weren't doing well. My friend at BSI said they stopped attending the Chicago show due to lack of interest. Thinking I may skip it this year too, I really don't have the money to attend, and was only considering it for the swap meet. For the few dollars I can save buying the servo wire parts for making my own extensions, the cost of the trip outweighs it. There really isn't much else there I would buy that I cant get online. Used engines would be the only reason, but its hit or miss on those too.

RCKen

My Feedback: (9)

"Back in the day" (meaning when magazines were the way information was put out in the industry) the Toledo show ruled. Vendors would would kill to first get a booth at the Toledo show and then they would give a testicle to get a magazine to come by and spend some time at their booth and do a write up about their product. All of the major vendors would wait for Toledo to introduce they new products and the magazine photographers would be there to take pictures of those new planes and products. In fact, when RCU first started going to the show the big 2, Hobbico and Horizon would bring out all their new planes at the Toledo show and RCU would spend an hour at each booth shooting videos of all those new products and then come back and bring to to you guys here on RCU. But the last time we were at Toledo there wasn't one new product from either vendor that hadn't already been announced by themselves on the internet. And that's exactly what's killing a big part of the show. Vendors don't need the show to announce their products any longer. They can do it themselves on the internet just as well and save the huge expense of going to the show. So that's where the show it getting hammered the hardest.

Ken

hsukaria

The same thing happened a few years ago when Fox engines quit showing up, they quit making engines soon after.

I think you can get glow fuel without having to buy the show tickets, just meet them outside at the loading dock. That and the swap meet upstairs are still appealing to me. I always seem to find a good used plane.

Waco

My Feedback: (265)

RC has been in decline for years now, I remember back in the mid 80's RC was booming clubs memberships were over flowing, in fact my club put a cap on membership because of lack of room for what we had, now over the years through deaths and moving and just losing interest our membership is now below 20. with drones and computer RC has just lost out. We are in a valley right now maybe RC will start reviving in a few years.

hsukaria

Maybe with the advent of autonomous self-driving vehicles, people will see RC as a nice novelty? Something to control instead of being controlled? Just thinking....

DGrant

My Feedback: (4)

To bad to read about the demise of another hobby entity. We had a Hobby People that opened up last spring in a little shopping center here in Clovis, Ca. It opened up without fanfare at all, nothing in any social media(there's several local FaceBook groups/etc.. that could have been used..), and actually I was surprised when they opened it was a real nice store, well stocked with good variety. I actually spent some money there... then one day no more then 2 months after they opened, they closed, cleaned it out, and the only thing left is the sign on the building. I'm sure someone/corporate spent some dough getting the place in order, as all fixtures/shelving/displays were new and clean... It just blew me away they were here and gone that quick. I don't think I've ever seen a business that set up so nicely, and then just shut down nearly over night. I guess that's the nature of big biz though... I hope we don't loose any more favorite stores or companies.

RCKen

My Feedback: (9)

Well, here's an update to my own post. As I stated above I was able to go on Hobby Peoples's website and make an order for about $130 worth of merchandise that was sale priced. This was done last Tuesday. This morning I was looking at my bank account and I noticed that my card still has not been charged by HP for the items that I purchased. Now if they are on the way to me I have no idea, but I still haven't been charged for them if they are. And I just went to their website and there is a graphic up that says "Going out of business sale. Everything must go". Now this makes me mad that they are taking orders like they did for me last week and they have not even processed my order. If they are going to have a going out of business sale then fine, have the sale and for pete's sake have the sale and process orders from clients. Otherwise, just shut the dang website down and quit tempting people. And I say this because I know I'm not the first people they have done this to. There are several members of my club that ordered Magnum engines just recently that had the very same thing happen to them. Actually, those guys had their cards charged and then the money was refunded back to them. So I think it's time for HP to simply quit playing games. I've seen other companies go out of business that have done so with some amount of grace and style. Right now from what I've seen, Hobby People is lacking all of that.

Ok, back off my soapbox again.

Ken