Originally Posted by psgugrad

You hit the nail on the head...absurd for them to be charging that kind of $$$ for an engine with a nickel liner. From what I understand, a big part of the reason why they are overpriced is due to their long-standing relationship with Hobbico. I believe that Hobbico is the excusive US importer for OS and even if you buy one from someone other than Hobbico (who also owns Tower), Hobbico gets a piece of the action.

The same holds true for Futaba products. I'm more willing to pay up for Futaba as I've been flying for 20 years exclusively with Futaba and have never had a radio problem (plus, how often do we buy radios?)

If one wants a REAL top-quality engine and is willing to pay up, IMO the only engine out there worth paying up for is an Enya...REAL old-school Japanese quality that you don't even see in Toyotas any more!