I was just getting ready to buy a Calmato on Tower Hobbies and I see that they now list it as discontinued. Did Kyosho really stop making them, or is there another online store I can pick one up from? Thanks.

Lot's of Kyosho models are discontinued

by the way, why is this? Is Kyosho not making them anymore, or is it Just tower hobbies, who just doesnt distribute Kyosho anymore?

Rumor has it that Kyosho and The Empire got a divorce. The rumor continues that Kyosho is in the preliminary stages of setting up another US distributor. If true, it would follow that The Empire is not getting any more Kyosho product (at least, not exclusively), and as stock is depleted, is therefore discontinued.

And if this is indeed true, it would be a breath of fresh air, in that it would show that The Empire does not (yet) have a solid lock on the majority of popular R/C products.

Who knows? Those that do aren't talking. We'll know eventually, I suppose.

You can probably get one through Ishi-Mokei, a Japanese hobby shop that has an English-speaking employee you can communicate with through e-mail. Go to one of the dedicated heli sites (RunRyder, etc.) and post a query; someone there will have the e-mail address. Just be advised that the shipping costs will give you a heart attack.