Jim,


I don't really know what all the 12X is going to incorporate so making a comparison is futile at this time. I have spent some time with the Futaba 14mz and 12mz radios and they are first class systems. Futaba has always made a good product.

This wasn't suppose to be a brand war. I just think lots of guys are jumping around claiming that JR is not doing anything to compete with the 14 channel radio.

My personal opinion is after some experience with some of the 14's locally I don't see a reason to compete with the 14MZ. I think there are some programming features that are nice but I would buy the 12MZ over the 14 if I was set on a new Futaba system. To me if I wanted to stay Futaba I think the 12MZ is an excellent system. That system while not as flashy, being able to play music and have a color picture of your model on the screen...I think incorporates a most of the software features of the 14.

I expect the JR 12X to be a straight forward approach that is not going to try to dazzle you with voodoo, and play MP3's. I don't have any inside information to share. But fully expect the 12X to be on a par or more advanced that the 12MZ.

The debate is a Ford and Chevy head butting match but what I will do is tell what I really like about my 10X since I switched from the 9Z about 8 years ago. I feel its a much more stable platform to fly from. Not from signal perspective but the Box in my hand is a stable platform to hold the gimbals. The Case of the radio is very durable being a cast magnesium chassis. This makes for a stable gimbal platform. The feel of the system is solid and precise. I like the feel and positioning of the gimbals better. The TX is very robust and has taken a ton of abuse flying. My systems are 8 years old and really only had some minor maintenance issues usually caused by me. The gimbals feel great and are very precise.

I flew the 9ZAP and ZAW for many years and they just didn't take the kind of flying I was doing. Every year I was having issues with the case of the radio. I take good care of my stuff, but I had problems with the plastic case. I also had some issues with the Elevator pot slipping on the gimbal. When switching D/R the trim on the elevator would change. Seems this was a never ending issue for me. Every year I had the problem and had to send it in for repair based on this issue. Radio South was good at doing the work but it never got resolved. At the end of 6-7 years flying the radio I felt like it was on its last legs. Today after flying my 10X's for 8 years, they are in much better shape than the 9Z's after the same amount of time. Also in the last 8 years I have probably flown double or triple the amount of flights as I had on the 9Z systems.

The new JR 12X will be an excellent system. I'll be flying one next year. When we get some details I can make a comparison. What I really like and I think is going to be a huge selling point for the 12X is the built up system in 2.4ghz. I have been flying the Spektrum technology since I had a test version of a DX6. To me the way Spektrum has done the 2.4g stuff has distinct advantages. I have not seen these from the other 2.4 systems. I have been flying module 2.4ghz setups in my 10X since early June. The Flight log data port is an outstanding tool. The model match feature would have dramatically changed a contest for me this past spring as I took off on the wrong model. The servo synch is going to help us match up multiple servos better.

I'll be happy to do a full expose on the system when I get mine. They are due out this winter as far as I heard last. I suspect Horizon will release some specs and features coming soon. Again I have no inside information but there is a big hobby show in October in Chicago. Since the radio is due out this winter I would suspect some info coming around the Chicago show. Again these statements above are my opinions only. I know that Horizon Hobby is re-working the software like they did on the 9303. This 9303 radio is a huge leap forward in my personal opinion. It blows the other radios in the 8-9 channel class out of the water. I think JR and Horizon Hobby have worked very hard to develop the 2.4ghz technology and are definitely leading the way in this arena. I would rather have a solid link to my model without the worry of the frequency board and mistakes at the field. I also like the features that the Spektrum brand of 2.4 bring to the table over what I have seen from other manufacturers.

Its a Ford and Chevy debate. Both are really good products.

To be honest I'm excited about the new radio as I think its going to take the leap forward like the 9303 did over the JR 8103.my advice would be to wait until the 12X comes out and we see what it has to offer. Only then can you really compare the radios.

Troy