Just to clarify, Horizon and Hobbico are competitors. They're the big boys in the US model airplane business. There's been a lot of lament amongst some that have been in the hobby a long time, about how so many of the smaller companies have been absorbed into those two. Hobbico in particular seems to buy, rather than build, brands.

Personally I dislike what they've done with the Irvine Engines brand. The engines being produced now don't have that great Jetstream carb--they might be red, but they're not Irvines. I don't know who's decision that was, or if the alternative was the cessation of the Irvine brand. In any case, it's unfortunate. I am glad, however, that Horizon and Hobbico both exist. If the one didn't balance out the other, who knows how much less choice we'd have and how much more we'd be paying?

The surprising thing is how close geographically the two companies are.