Back when almost all of the R&D in this hobby was driven by the demands of the competition side of r/c (pattern, pylon, etc.) everyone who didn't compete still benefited. The high performance technologies eventually made their way into sport engines, servos and other equipment.

Without that driving force today manufacturers pour their resources into maximizing profits instead of winning world championships. That's why we get plastic backplates and carb bodies, nickel plating and weak bearings.

Well, that's my view, as subjective as it may be.

One of the main reasons why that guy is in my avatar is because he once said, "Money doesn't talk, it swears." He said a lot of other awesome things, too. Probably more than any one person in my lifetime ever has.[8D]

David