No More Super Tigre From Tower?
09-21-2013, 06:48 AM
#27
Flame out Fred at our club so dearly loved his super tigre's, but after buying his first small gas engine, he found that the lifespan of his fleet of planes vastly increased due to FINALLY having a reliable engine for the first time! Electrics and much smaller gas engines have pretty much assigned super tigre and most other glow relics of a past time, to the DUSTBIN of HISTORY! GOOD RIDDANCE to ALL glow engines!
Too many selling two stroke glow. OS. TT, K&B, ASP, Magnum, Evolution, Fox, HP, HB, RJL, Leo, MECOA, and others. If Tower is giving up its cheaper line, then others will step in. ST is made in China and the tooling and design is there. Bet a ST clone comes out, same engines with a different name. Bet that happens, maybe with ignition.
09-21-2013, 07:27 AM
#28
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You got the idea Sport_Pilot. The sweetie pies always try to add to, or take away from anything they don't like. I do so think you are right. Some little company will come along and find a place in the model aviation market making glo engines to replace Super Tigre.
09-25-2013, 10:30 AM
#29
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Wow, there's so much to disagree with here in this thread that I'm not sure where to start! I guess I'll work backward:
#1 - The 2004 tsunami originated near Sumatra, Indonesia and not Japan
#2 - Since it was in 2004, GMS (who actually OEMs Super Tigre) would have had their factory dried out by now IF they had been impacted by it
#3 - Good riddance to glow engines? Folks who love electric airplanes never learned to tune an engine; a shame since it isn't all that difficult
#4 - The SK and JBA glow engines offered by Kangke USA are indeed good engines and great values
#5 - If Tower Hobbies/Hobbico is the Evil Empire, than hurray for evil. I hardly think distributing, servicing, and marketing Super Tigre in North America for a decade or more was all part of some grand scheme to get rid of Super Tigre. I for one appreciate Tower's best-in-industry customer service, best-in-class web site, diverse product line-up, fast shpping, and great prices.
#6 - I fly and own a number of Super Tigre engines and Magnum engines. Super Tigre is better than Magnum. I still like my Magnums, but they're not built as well as Super Tigres.
#7 - I suppose if I was the exclusive distributor for both O.S. and Thunder Tiger for North America, I probably wouldn't worry too much about marketing another line of glow engines, either.
#8 - If Tower is planning on getting rich going after the electric and beginner markets, they need a new plan. It's amazing watching how much better that Horizon Hobby is at out-marketing Hobbico/Tower in emerging RC trends like helicopters, quad copters, bind-and-fly, micro electric models, etc. Hobbico is so flat-footed in comparison to Horizon with regard to marketing, that abandoning traditional glow pilots and kit builders to try to capture more of Horizon's dominant territory sounds like a recipe for commercial suicide.
I'm sorry to hear that Super Tigre will no longer be distributed here in North America. I really like their engines, and I think they're ideal for certain applications. To say that Tower ran Super Tigre into the ground is just silly, however, just as it would be to blame Sony for the decline of Betamax.
#1 - The 2004 tsunami originated near Sumatra, Indonesia and not Japan
#2 - Since it was in 2004, GMS (who actually OEMs Super Tigre) would have had their factory dried out by now IF they had been impacted by it
#3 - Good riddance to glow engines? Folks who love electric airplanes never learned to tune an engine; a shame since it isn't all that difficult
#4 - The SK and JBA glow engines offered by Kangke USA are indeed good engines and great values
#5 - If Tower Hobbies/Hobbico is the Evil Empire, than hurray for evil. I hardly think distributing, servicing, and marketing Super Tigre in North America for a decade or more was all part of some grand scheme to get rid of Super Tigre. I for one appreciate Tower's best-in-industry customer service, best-in-class web site, diverse product line-up, fast shpping, and great prices.
#6 - I fly and own a number of Super Tigre engines and Magnum engines. Super Tigre is better than Magnum. I still like my Magnums, but they're not built as well as Super Tigres.
#7 - I suppose if I was the exclusive distributor for both O.S. and Thunder Tiger for North America, I probably wouldn't worry too much about marketing another line of glow engines, either.
#8 - If Tower is planning on getting rich going after the electric and beginner markets, they need a new plan. It's amazing watching how much better that Horizon Hobby is at out-marketing Hobbico/Tower in emerging RC trends like helicopters, quad copters, bind-and-fly, micro electric models, etc. Hobbico is so flat-footed in comparison to Horizon with regard to marketing, that abandoning traditional glow pilots and kit builders to try to capture more of Horizon's dominant territory sounds like a recipe for commercial suicide.
I'm sorry to hear that Super Tigre will no longer be distributed here in North America. I really like their engines, and I think they're ideal for certain applications. To say that Tower ran Super Tigre into the ground is just silly, however, just as it would be to blame Sony for the decline of Betamax.
09-25-2013, 10:50 AM
#30
Glow engines are not going away any time soon.
Great Planes has not stated they were discontinuing the importation of the engines. But not having them in the printed catalogue does not look good though. So it is all conjecture and rumor at this point. But Great Planes doesn't need to tell us anything aboutn their business descisions or why they do things. No other company tells us what they are doing either.
The 2011 Tohoku Earthquake in Japan did affect production of model engines at the time. It also wiped out the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear power plants too which distrupted electric power in Japan. Saito and OS being made in Japan were likely affected for a while when it happened.
Great Planes has not stated they were discontinuing the importation of the engines. But not having them in the printed catalogue does not look good though. So it is all conjecture and rumor at this point. But Great Planes doesn't need to tell us anything aboutn their business descisions or why they do things. No other company tells us what they are doing either.
The 2011 Tohoku Earthquake in Japan did affect production of model engines at the time. It also wiped out the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear power plants too which distrupted electric power in Japan. Saito and OS being made in Japan were likely affected for a while when it happened.
09-25-2013, 10:19 PM
#32
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I only have about 60 or so glow engines, but if I need more my buddy Bruce at brucercengines.com has plenty more. We go to swap meets together and sell his engines but demand hasn't been high lately.
09-26-2013, 06:22 AM
#33
If I wear one out every year, which I won't, I could go for over 100 years with what I have. Having said that, I better not break a needle valve if all the companies decide not to carry parts. I can make my own, but it is a hassle to set up for it.
09-26-2013, 03:45 PM
#37
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It was my understanding that the Tower 75 went offline because the manufacturer (GMS) was otherwise tied up. that was the same explanation that I saw when the GMS two stroke line went out of stock. Is there any possibility that GMS might go back to two stroke production and the ST come back? Or is this "gone for good"?
09-26-2013, 03:57 PM
#38
It was my understanding that the Tower 75 went offline because the manufacturer (GMS) was otherwise tied up. that was the same explanation that I saw when the GMS two stroke line went out of stock. Is there any possibility that GMS might go back to two stroke production and the ST come back? Or is this "gone for good"?
Last edited by hsukaria; 09-27-2013 at 04:46 AM.
09-27-2013, 08:53 AM
#39
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GMS is the OEM for the Tower Hobbies brand glow engines, the Super Tigre glow engines, and their own GMS brand of engines. Presumably GMS can still manufacture engines, but it wouldn't be unreasonable for Tower Hobbies to drop these lines of engines specifically because the availability of product and of spare parts is so sporadic.
Tower Hobbies dropped Sig ARFs and Kits a few years ago for just that reason. Sig was having supplier problems and couldn't reliably deliver the product, so Tower Hobbies parted ways with them.
GMS makes some pretty good engines, and the Super Tigre engines are manufactured using Super Tigre's own tooling and production equipment. It's quite likely that model aircraft engines aren't GMS's only product line, however, and the wait for GMS to get around to making more airplane engines and parts once they're done with other products can be excruciatingly long at times.
Maybe Tower Hobbies will add a new line of glow engines to replace Super Tigre for the "value" oriented customer. May Thunder Tiger and Super Tigre are too close in price and value to make carrying both engine lines profitable. Maybe another distributor will pick up GMS/Super Tigre once Hobbico's distribution agreement runs out.
It would be a shame if two good lines of glow engines, GMS and Super Tigre, disappeared from the North American market completely. Tower Hobbies already has two of the four best engine lines still currently available, however, and concentrating on marketing O.S. Max and Thunder Tiger while dropping a niche line of engines with supply issues only makes good business sense given the waning demand for glow engines in the marketplace.
I'd sure like to still have the option to buy Super Tigre engines and parts, but I can't begrudge Tower Hobbies their decision to discontinue carrying the product line.
Tower Hobbies dropped Sig ARFs and Kits a few years ago for just that reason. Sig was having supplier problems and couldn't reliably deliver the product, so Tower Hobbies parted ways with them.
GMS makes some pretty good engines, and the Super Tigre engines are manufactured using Super Tigre's own tooling and production equipment. It's quite likely that model aircraft engines aren't GMS's only product line, however, and the wait for GMS to get around to making more airplane engines and parts once they're done with other products can be excruciatingly long at times.
Maybe Tower Hobbies will add a new line of glow engines to replace Super Tigre for the "value" oriented customer. May Thunder Tiger and Super Tigre are too close in price and value to make carrying both engine lines profitable. Maybe another distributor will pick up GMS/Super Tigre once Hobbico's distribution agreement runs out.
It would be a shame if two good lines of glow engines, GMS and Super Tigre, disappeared from the North American market completely. Tower Hobbies already has two of the four best engine lines still currently available, however, and concentrating on marketing O.S. Max and Thunder Tiger while dropping a niche line of engines with supply issues only makes good business sense given the waning demand for glow engines in the marketplace.
I'd sure like to still have the option to buy Super Tigre engines and parts, but I can't begrudge Tower Hobbies their decision to discontinue carrying the product line.
Last edited by bigedmustafa; 09-27-2013 at 09:00 AM.
09-27-2013, 09:13 AM
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GMS is the OEM for the Tower Hobbies brand glow engines, the Super Tigre glow engines, and their own GMS brand of engines. Presumably GMS can still manufacture engines, but it wouldn't be unreasonable for Tower Hobbies to drop these lines of engines specifically because the availability of product and of spare parts is so sporadic.
Tower Hobbies dropped Sig ARFs and Kits a few years ago for just that reason. Sig was having supplier problems and couldn't reliably deliver the product, so Tower Hobbies parted ways with them.
GMS makes some pretty good engines, and the Super Tigre engines are manufactured using Super Tigre's own tooling and production equipment. It's quite likely that model aircraft engines aren't GMS's only product line, however, and the wait for GMS to get around to making more airplane engines and parts once they're done with other products can be excruciatingly long at times.
Maybe Tower Hobbies will add a new line of glow engines to replace Super Tigre for the "value" oriented customer. May Thunder Tiger and Super Tigre are too close in price and value to make carrying both engine lines profitable. Maybe another distributor will pick up GMS/Super Tigre once Hobbico's distribution agreement runs out.
It would be a shame if two good lines of glow engines, GMS and Super Tigre, disappeared from the North American market completely. Tower Hobbies already has two of the four best engine lines still currently available, however, and concentrating on marketing O.S. Max and Thunder Tiger while dropping a niche line of engines with supply issues only makes good business sense given the waning demand for glow engines in the marketplace.
I'd sure like to still have the option to buy Super Tigre engines and parts, but I can't begrudge Tower Hobbies their decision to discontinue carrying the product line.
Tower Hobbies dropped Sig ARFs and Kits a few years ago for just that reason. Sig was having supplier problems and couldn't reliably deliver the product, so Tower Hobbies parted ways with them.
GMS makes some pretty good engines, and the Super Tigre engines are manufactured using Super Tigre's own tooling and production equipment. It's quite likely that model aircraft engines aren't GMS's only product line, however, and the wait for GMS to get around to making more airplane engines and parts once they're done with other products can be excruciatingly long at times.
Maybe Tower Hobbies will add a new line of glow engines to replace Super Tigre for the "value" oriented customer. May Thunder Tiger and Super Tigre are too close in price and value to make carrying both engine lines profitable. Maybe another distributor will pick up GMS/Super Tigre once Hobbico's distribution agreement runs out.
It would be a shame if two good lines of glow engines, GMS and Super Tigre, disappeared from the North American market completely. Tower Hobbies already has two of the four best engine lines still currently available, however, and concentrating on marketing O.S. Max and Thunder Tiger while dropping a niche line of engines with supply issues only makes good business sense given the waning demand for glow engines in the marketplace.
I'd sure like to still have the option to buy Super Tigre engines and parts, but I can't begrudge Tower Hobbies their decision to discontinue carrying the product line.
09-27-2013, 10:43 AM
#42
Tower has recently started selling the Magnum brand engines. So, it makes sense that there is probably too much overlap between price/quality ranges. I suppose they plan on using the Magnums as the low cost/price brand in place of Tower/Super Tigre.
But as everybody is saying, there is a glut of used glow engines out there, including my own collection. These engines typically last so long that there is no future growth in the market. I think that eventually gas engines will also hit a glut level and there won't be enough buyers to keep all the gas engine brands alive either. The only thing that will maintain a demand is electric batteries, only because they have a limited life span, and that is not a good thing for the consumers.
But as everybody is saying, there is a glut of used glow engines out there, including my own collection. These engines typically last so long that there is no future growth in the market. I think that eventually gas engines will also hit a glut level and there won't be enough buyers to keep all the gas engine brands alive either. The only thing that will maintain a demand is electric batteries, only because they have a limited life span, and that is not a good thing for the consumers.
09-27-2013, 12:16 PM
#43
Most dealers around here only stock OS and Evolution because that is the distributor they use IMHO. Anything else has to be mail ordered on your own. I seem to be able to find a glut of used OS stuff at swap meets for a song in the smaller sizes, and Supertigers too in any size.
09-27-2013, 12:18 PM
#44
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I always got the impression that Tower selling Magnum and Airtronics stuff for Global Hobby was kind of a service-in-kind arrangement for Global selling so much Great Planes and Hobbico product on the west coast through Global's Hobby People stores. I have never doubted that Tower Hobbies would much rather sell a Super Tigre engine than a Magnum engine, although I've bought plenty of Magnum and Airtronics gear through Tower Hobbies and I've always been glad they have it available.
Hobbico/Tower will likely keep the Magnum models that they carry as part of their strange relationship with their partners/rivals over at Global Hobby.
As for Thunder Tiger pricing, I believe one of the reasons that Ace Hobby was folded up here in North America was because Ace was letting too many online stores dump Thunder Tiger engines near wholesale prices just to keep the volume up. The TT Pro .46 is a better engine than the O.S. Max .46 AX, so why else was it selling for $78 a few years ago when the AX was selling for $149? Ace couldn't get hobby stores to carry the product because brick-and-mortar stores didn't want to compete against the online product dumping? It was good for consumers, but not very good for hobby stores or Thunder Tiger.
The Super Tigre GS-45 is currently priced at $89.98, the Thunder Tiger Pro .46 at $109.98, and the O.S. Max .46 AX II at $149.97. I don't think you can really complain about the pricing on the Thunder Tiger, and it's clearly closer to the Super Tigre with regard to budget. The Magnum is on sale right now for $73.99, but normally sells at the same $89.99 price point that the GS-45 does.
I think hsukaria is right about the future of gasoline engines. We've already started seeing the resale value plummet here in Nebraska, with auction prices being severely depressed for quality gasoline engines, and weed whacker conversions becoming little more than paperweights. On the other hand, as hot as the electric market might be right now, I doubt we'll ever see much interest in collectable/vintage LiPo packs anytime soon.
Hobbico/Tower will likely keep the Magnum models that they carry as part of their strange relationship with their partners/rivals over at Global Hobby.
As for Thunder Tiger pricing, I believe one of the reasons that Ace Hobby was folded up here in North America was because Ace was letting too many online stores dump Thunder Tiger engines near wholesale prices just to keep the volume up. The TT Pro .46 is a better engine than the O.S. Max .46 AX, so why else was it selling for $78 a few years ago when the AX was selling for $149? Ace couldn't get hobby stores to carry the product because brick-and-mortar stores didn't want to compete against the online product dumping? It was good for consumers, but not very good for hobby stores or Thunder Tiger.
The Super Tigre GS-45 is currently priced at $89.98, the Thunder Tiger Pro .46 at $109.98, and the O.S. Max .46 AX II at $149.97. I don't think you can really complain about the pricing on the Thunder Tiger, and it's clearly closer to the Super Tigre with regard to budget. The Magnum is on sale right now for $73.99, but normally sells at the same $89.99 price point that the GS-45 does.
I think hsukaria is right about the future of gasoline engines. We've already started seeing the resale value plummet here in Nebraska, with auction prices being severely depressed for quality gasoline engines, and weed whacker conversions becoming little more than paperweights. On the other hand, as hot as the electric market might be right now, I doubt we'll ever see much interest in collectable/vintage LiPo packs anytime soon.
Tower has recently started selling the Magnum brand engines. So, it makes sense that there is probably too much overlap between price/quality ranges. I suppose they plan on using the Magnums as the low cost/price brand in place of Tower/Super Tigre.
But as everybody is saying, there is a glut of used glow engines out there, including my own collection. These engines typically last so long that there is no future growth in the market. I think that eventually gas engines will also hit a glut level and there won't be enough buyers to keep all the gas engine brands alive either. The only thing that will maintain a demand is electric batteries, only because they have a limited life span, and that is not a good thing for the consumers.
But as everybody is saying, there is a glut of used glow engines out there, including my own collection. These engines typically last so long that there is no future growth in the market. I think that eventually gas engines will also hit a glut level and there won't be enough buyers to keep all the gas engine brands alive either. The only thing that will maintain a demand is electric batteries, only because they have a limited life span, and that is not a good thing for the consumers.
09-28-2013, 06:24 AM
#46
There is currently a $20 discount on OS AX engines right now.... Not that I'm backing them up, I think OS is ridiculous actually. But the fact that there is a rebate sort of thing from OS.. Maybe their sales arent doing so hot either...
09-29-2013, 05:04 AM
#49
It is too bad that one huge supplier can kill one other company because of a business decision. If it is their fault like not supplying spares on time or making crap, that is fine. But just because of trivial issues it doesn't seem right to have exclusive North American rights for instance. OPS, Picco, Norvel and Novarossi all have the same problems with no one stocking their stuff. They are all good motors that deserve a place on all hobby shop shelves.
09-29-2013, 10:05 AM
#50
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I started buying from Tower when they started and it was great. Now it is crap! The bean counters have taken over and that could well end them.
If you what to buy Chinese products at US made prices this is the place to go. As for there catalog, I wish they did not print it on slippery paper or I would staple it up in my outhouse so I could get some use out of it.
If you what to buy Chinese products at US made prices this is the place to go. As for there catalog, I wish they did not print it on slippery paper or I would staple it up in my outhouse so I could get some use out of it.