Hi people,

I basically need to try and understand the market for R/C devices (airplanes, cars, etc) for a report that i need to write. I was wondering if some of you could help me garner some more information.

I would like to understand the structure of the industry, especially in the US, the main trends and drivers of demand and get an idea of the competitive landscape. It would be great if you could also give me an idea of the key attributes that make for a competitive advantage in this industry (features/price etc).

I would be extremely grateful if some of you could take some time out and share your perspective on this industry with me.

If it would help i would be more than glad to call any of you in order to facilitate the discussion better if you could provide me with a number and a time that suits your convenience.


Thanks a ton

1st of all, RC aircraft used to be making/building your planes from kits or plans. It would take months of cutting and shaping balsa/wood and covering. Now, there are more ARF's (Almost Ready to Fly) than kits. Reason is many flyers want to be up in the air faster since kit/plan/scratch building takes time. ARF's are mainly assembly only. Most have the wings/tail/fuselage pre-covered for you. And, most have the holes pre-drilled etc. If you look at all the major hobby shops, there are more ARF's than kits.
Its nice to have many companies that make models. This gives a competitive landscape that helps keep prices reasonable. As I see it right now, the aerobatic and 3D models are the rage. All the advertisements are for 540 Extra or Cap 232.
Finally, electric powered planes are coming into their own. No clean up after flying, no fooling with the engine etc. Plus, the cost has come down. I belong to 2 clubs and each one has many E-flyers as well as glow/gas.

Dave...

I'l take one area for you. It's my opinion that the RC market is flooded with to much of one style of plane and not enough of another. We have Edge's, Extras, Suhkoi, Caps and aerobatic planes coming out our back ends.

We need a better selection of warbirds in the medium scale range

Prop jets and scale related racers are very limited. demand is high for them but the reason they willnot produce them is they say there is not demand. Well you can't get the demand if you don't produce the product.

The trainer market is saturated with excellent models -- don't go there. Inexpensive ARF scale types are wanted (both civil & warbirds), but the current crop are not very scale-like. Additionally, despite their general popularity, many ARFs have serious quality issues as well, & there is a real market "bingo" waiting for a manufacturer that produces scale-like high-quality models at a competitive price (tough to do, I suspect).


The powerplant market is now dominated by Chinese- & Taiwanese-manufactured engines, but there is a wide range of quality & performance there. Modellers tend to become fixated on a specific brand of good engine & become very loyal product boosters (sometimes without a lot of logic). If they have a positive experience with their first powerplant (price, userfriendliness, trouble free & reasonably durable) they will often stay with that brand forever.