RE: All of these ARFs being massed produced...
[quote]ORIGINAL: Thedrew Hangar 9, Top Flite, Phoenix. Someone has to assemble and package them. Anyone know where this is done and how one would go about obtaining this dream job? [/quote] You live in Illinois, go get a job at Horizon or Tower, they have many positions available.
Posted on: 8/16/2012 10:30 AM by Author "Tobtech" in the forum "Employment, Jobs, Help Wanted in Radio Control Industry"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11195850

Locked up Triton EQ, advice on upgrading to a better charger
I currently have an ElectriFly Triton EQ and when I plug it in, the screen comes up that says "ElectriFly Triton EQ" and then nothing else happens. I have powered it on and off several times. Has anyone experienced this? Even if it is out of warranty is it worth looking into Tower repairing it? If my charger is truly dead, maybe it is time to upgrade to the Hitec 4x charger. Any thoughts on that one? I used it for RC car packs and small electric planes up to 3S Lipos. May get some up to 4S for airplanes in the future. Thoughts?
Posted on: 7/3/2012 4:31 PM by Author "Tobtech" in the forum "Batteries & Chargers"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11141838

RE: Where is this hobby going
I think a better statement would be, "most kids will not build if no one teaches them to build".
Posted on: 6/22/2012 12:01 PM by Author "Tobtech" in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11127922

RE: congratultions, Tower Hobbies
I personally don't see Tower going belly up. Let's see; they have proprietary brands, sell wholesale to dealers, sell retail to consumers. Profit, Profit, Profit. They are at the top of the food chain. If you quit buying from Tower and you walk into your LHS and buy a Futaba radio and OS engine you just made a purchase from Tower Hobbies, they may get a $1 less from you but you still bought it from them. With that said I like Horizon better. They are the same exact animal but I think they are a little more of a class act.
Posted on: 6/22/2012 10:04 AM by Author "Tobtech" in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11127795

RE: Where is this hobby going
I disagree with many of the generalizations that kids are not interested in RC or only interested in RC if they can get in the air quickly. I think kids are interested in what they are exposed to and what they get support with. I have two boys, ages 13 and 16 and both are RC pilots. They fly park flyers and ARFs but they are very interested in kits as well. Maybe it is because kits are becoming scarce that it makes them more interesting, I don't know. My 16 year old has a House of Balsa P51 Mustang that I gave him that he works on in his room and is moving along slow because he gets stuck on things all the time and needs my help but he is way more excited about finishing that than flying his Nexstar or 3D foamie that he just got. My 13 year old is more interested in IMAC style flying and he has had several planes and just got a Hangar 9 Edge from Craigslist (sold a little electric cub he had to buy the Edge) and can't wait to fly it but he is also more excited about the framed up Goldberg Sukhoi that is hanging in the garage that I don't have time to finish. If he knew how to finish it, I have no doubt that he would. They both have the patience to build and definitely have more time than I do. (BTW the 16 year old likes video games with guns too). I think that they have more capability to build planes then I do, they have both time and patience. It is near impossible for me to build kits because between work and 3 kids and a house how can I build planes? I am very thankful for ARFs and when and if I ever get to retire I will very much enjoy building kits again.
Posted on: 6/22/2012 9:53 AM by Author "Tobtech" in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11127783

RE: RCU classifieds and the people who use them
Its been a while since I have sold anything on here but this happens to me on Craigslist all of the time. The world is full of tire kickers.
Posted on: 5/15/2012 1:03 PM by Author "Tobtech" in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11081888

RE: DX8 spectrum beware
It seems like some of the big hobby distributors do pretty much whatever they want whether you like it or not. One of the advantages of being a big player in a niche market I guess? It does seem like they packaged a few hundred DX8s with the additional recievers, shipped them to the hobby shops and then once they were gone you were out of luck. I get all the publications and I went into Ultimate Hobbies in Orange,CA days after the first ad came out and I was looking at the DX8 and the salesman said, "you should have got in on the deal for the DX8 with 3 receiever". I said that ad came out a couple days ago and he said that he already sold them all. What, did they get two of them?? Funny thing was they were not out of DX8s and recievers, they were out of the "limited quantity" of units that Horizon packaged together for them. LOL If you are going to run the ad for 3 months, go ahead and package up some more DX8s with the additional recievers to make the customers happy. Its funny how the people that say, "its out of my control" are the ones that are in control, HAHA. All that said, I have a DX8 and I am happy with it.
Posted on: 4/25/2012 9:55 AM by Author "Tobtech" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11056226

RE: RC Plane Guys Are Cheap!
I am cheap for sure[8D] I have 3 kids (2 of which are also into RC) and the only way I can afford to do this is to buy on Craigslist, swap meets and garage sales. Then when I need new parts I try to support my local hobby shop. I still think brick and mortar stores are better than the internet as long as they provide good service. Not everyone is cheap like me. When I get to the flying club and there are at least 3-4 $2000+ pattern planes and half-dozen 35% Aerobatic gassers. Someone is spending some $$ on this hobby. There is usually at least one diesel pusher RV hauling a mobile workshop behind it[:(]
Posted on: 4/19/2012 3:48 PM by Author "Tobtech" in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11049013

RE: FlySky FS-GT3B
I would image you are looking for some user feedback and not just the specs from the web[8D]. A couple of guys at the track where my kids and I drive use them and they look pretty good for the money. I would give it a try.
Posted on: 4/19/2012 3:41 PM by Author "Tobtech" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=11049004

RE: Complain about anything place
I have a lot of complaints about many things but not too many complaints about flying RC. It's what I do to get away from all the stuff that I really want to complain about! If I must find something to complain about here is what I can come up with. 1. Nitro engines are too messy. I was always a nitro guy and now that I finally have some electric planes, tuning and cleaning up after the nitro planes bugs the crap out of me. 2. It is too difficult to weed through all of the cheap chinese RC crap on Ebay to find any good RC stuff on there. 3. Speaking of Chinese crap, its one thing to have the US companies making RC products overseas. They don't have much choice to be competative, but it bugs me that now there are these companies like HK that are based in China and taking business away from American companies. At least when we buy a Chinese product from an American company (like Horizon or GP) we are helping to keep the staff of those companies employed. I don't know the full story behind these Chinese companies, I guess that some of them have a warehouse in US but I think it is better to give the business to the guys that at least R&D, market, and service the product. As someone who has been laid off in the past due to price erosion and a diluted product category in another industry, I can relate to the people that work hard to bring these products to market. 4. I need more workspace in my garage to work on RC projects, why is it a cluttered mess all the time? Everytime I clean it up, my kids go out there and make a mess again. 5. Number 1 complain is that I have to go to work instead of going flying.
Posted on: 1/25/2012 3:13 PM by Author "Tobtech" in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10927534

RE: Ultimate plane carriers/holder
Problem with this setup. I know some guys at the field that might try to swipe these from me![;)]
Posted on: 12/15/2011 8:22 AM by Author "Tobtech" in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10860745

RE: RC Flying in Orange County, CA
Hey rcphotog Yes, we have flown at Blackstar Canyon, that is the one that I called Irvine Lake. It is technically the closest to me. Good field, nice runway. I thought it was a little strange that I had to show up at the gate and convince them to let me fly there as a guest (with my AMA card in hand). I plan to either join there or Pomona Valley RC (Prado), but I emailed someone from Blackstar Canyon to get a membership application and never heard back. Prado is a really nice field and I think that we are going to join that club. Dues are reasonable and the facility is great. People were also nice. I use to live in Murrieta a long time ago and I joined Hemet Model Masters and flew there a few times. That is a great field as well. I know there are a ton of places to fly around here, I am just always looking for something closer. Price of gas is too high and I am lazy so if I can get a quick flying session in near home then I am happy.
Posted on: 12/8/2011 1:55 PM by Author "Tobtech" in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10850244

RC Flying in Orange County, CA
I would like to bring up 2 topics: 1. I don't see a forum section for RC Flying sites and clubs. That seems like it might deserve a section of its own. What do you all think? 2. Any RC pilots live in or around North Orange County, like Brea, Fullerton, La Habra, Yorba Linda, Placentia, etc that know any good spots to fly electrics close by. We just moved to the area about a year ago and we have been to Whittier Narrows, Irvine Lake and Prado Dam. We plan to join one of the RC clubs but I am getting lazier as I get older and I would really like to find somewhere closer to fly (at least the electrics). We have flown park flyers at the soccer fields in Fullerton but what I would like to know if there are any areas to fly electrics that are just a little too big for the soccer fields. It seems like that there is so much open area just north east of Brea that there must be some place that has the room. If anyone knows of a spot and/or would like to meet up and fly once and a while let me know.It would be really great if there was a spot in north OC for a new flying field, I think that there is the population and the open space to have one, just need to find the right open space, but now I am probably just dreaming. Yes, I am very lazy and hate to drive even 30-40 minutes to fly, I have 3 kids that have us running around all the time so time is very valuable.
Posted on: 12/7/2011 2:21 PM by Author "Tobtech" in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10848492

RE: ARF's ruined my hobby
My 2 Cents 1. ARFs are a great stepping stone into the hobby and I think that they build skills that it takes to build from balsa kits. My kids are now getting into RC and they can actually finish an ARF. They are learning how to make sure the wing and tail surfaces are aligned, setting up controls and balancing. They are looking forward to building from a kit and in the meantime they are learning to fly and are having a great time with the hobby. 2. I think it sucks that many great US made kit companies are going away because of lack of interest in kits and cheap labor in China, but who do we have to blame but ourselves? The first kit that I actually finished and flew was a Goldberg kit. There was a time when I was consumed by RC and wanted to build every kit that Goldberg made. Sig had some awesome kits too. Hopefully kits will make a comeback and I know there are still some good ones out there (and plenty of unbuild vintage kits too). 3. Although I do get board watching someone just hover and torque roll 12" off the ground, I have seen some 3D flying (yes, I said flying) that made my jaw drop and I definitely would be flying some of those manuevers if I could. Just getting back into the hobby and I hope to learn some of that! I like the freestyle flying that incorporates 3D into the routines. It takes talent and dedication to learn and I can respect the progression that RC flying has experienced. Again, this is also something that has captured my kids interest. I was a little reluctant to try electrics and thought that there is no way that electrics could replace my nitro planes, now the first plane I reach for when we go flying is my electric.
Posted on: 11/29/2011 9:54 PM by Author "Tobtech" in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10835716

RE: Hobby People Prices & Products
Hobby People used to be great when they were Hobby Shack. I bought my first couple pattern kits from the Riverside, CA store a Dirty Birdi and Calypso. Dad drove me up from San Diego cause they still did not have Hobby Shacks in SD yet. Now they have decent batteries for the price, Airtronics radios and Magnum engines are priced good (because they distribute them) and they have a good sale once and a while. Most LHS never have "sales" so that is cool. And their annual swap meet at the Fountain valley HQ is awesome. They are not a bad Hobby Shop, they just dont have the selection of the larger shops. Also great place to get epoxy and CA glue cheaper than other LHS.
Posted on: 11/23/2011 4:59 PM by Author "Tobtech" in the forum "The Clubhouse"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10826214

RE: Second Radio
I was only a JR guy for a long time before the 2.4ghz stuff came out, then I got out of the hobby for a few years. Now I jumped back in and bought all new radio gear. I was initially only going to buy JR but after checking out the DX8, I could not pass it up for the money and I am super happy. I have a couple planes and recievers and I love it. I would still like to buy a JR 12X someday but I will have to get some serious raises before that happens.
Posted on: 11/21/2011 4:20 PM by Author "Tobtech" in the forum "RC Radios, Transmitters, Receivers, Servos, gyros"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10822916

Any part time sales or distribution opportunities in Southern California?
I am looking for any possible opportunities to sell RC products in the Southern California area. I am looking for something part time, either distribution or trade show/swap meet sales. I would prefer to connect with someone with some innovative products that are looking to get out there and promote. I have recently moved back to California for a new job. I have an enormous amount of trade show, event production and marketing experience and I want to use my experience in the RC world somehow. I would like to work at the upcoming AMA Expo in January. I have a full time job so I am only looking for something part time to suppliment my income. I am very knowledgeable in the RC world, I had a small hobby shop and I have been modeling for over 20 years. Even more important than supplimenting my income is the opportunity to use my skills in the hobby that I enjoy. If there is an opportunity to work with a project that could make money in the future, then I am interested in that as well. I know this is a little vague, but maybe there is something out there that is a good fit. Thanks, Toby
Posted on: 10/31/2011 11:19 AM by Author "Tobtech" in the forum "Employment, Jobs, Help Wanted in Radio Control Industry"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10790779

Modeltech Mini Magic Extra Electric Setup
I have been flying RC for many years but I have no experience with electrics so I picked up a Modeltech mini magic extra to get back into the hobby. Today I purchased my power system from the local hobby shop, hoping to get some advise, but they were not much help so I had to rely on my research. Here is what I have and I am wondering if anyone has any recommendations from experience with this model or power system? Modeltech Mini Magic Extra Neodym (Cermark) 480-900 motor Thunderbird 36 ESC APC 10x5E prop After I got back to my desk I noticed the labels on the motor and ESC that said no return if I open them (lol) so I downloaded the specs from the web and it appears that I have a pretty good combination. I am concerned that the prop may be a little on the small side since the motor recommend 10x7 to 12". I also purchased the 900KV because they did not have the 1000KV or 1120KV in stock. I did not have much of an understanding of what the KV meant until I did a little research online and now I have a limited understanding of it. I think if I purchase a 3S lipo I should be good with the 900VK motor. I would also appreciate any recommendations on batteries. I did not purchase one at the shop because the guy was really useless when it came to batteries. Toby
Posted on: 5/20/2011 2:01 PM by Author "Tobtech" in the forum "Electric General Discussion"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=10531542

Brison 5.8 single advice
Thanks for the info! I found the phone number for Brison and they have a new website. If anyone wants to check it out, here is the URL. www.brisonrcengines.com
Posted on: 2/24/2003 12:08 PM by Author "Tobtech" in the forum "Giant Scale Aircraft - 3D & Aerobatic"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=13588

Brison 5.8 single advice
I am thinking about buying this motor from an individual to use in a 35% Extra 300s Carden kit. Does anyone have any advice? I cannot find contact info for Brison. I would like to make sure I can get parts before I spend the money on the motor. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Regards, Toby
Posted on: 2/21/2003 1:20 PM by Author "Tobtech" in the forum "Glow Engines"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=13589

Brison 5.8 single advice
Second question: Does anyone have contact information for Brison engines? Before taking the plunge and buying the motor, I would like to make sure I can get parts. Thanks, Toby
Posted on: 2/21/2003 1:13 PM by Author "Tobtech" in the forum "Giant Scale Aircraft - 3D & Aerobatic"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=13585

Brison 5.8 single advice
Hello, I found a Brison 5.8 for sale and I am thinking about buying it tommorow. I have been wanting to put together a 35% Extra and I think this might be a good engine for that. Does anyone have specs on this motor? The Brison web site appears to be down. Does anyone have any experience with a 35% and this motor. I am thinking about getting the Carden 35% 300s but I want to have good vertical performance and hovering capability. Any advice is appreciated. Regards, Toby
Posted on: 2/21/2003 1:06 PM by Author "Tobtech" in the forum "Giant Scale Aircraft - 3D & Aerobatic"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=13584

Best workbench top materials
Thanks for the advise. Toby
Posted on: 1/29/2003 8:29 PM by Author "Tobtech" in the forum "Tips & Techniques"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=12225

Best workbench top materials
I want to start building giant scale aircraft so I am going to build a new larger workbench. Does anyone have any suggestions for the best material to make the top? It seems like whatever I have used in the past it has always been a challenge to get it perfectly flat. Now the top is going to be much larger, it will be even more critical.
Posted on: 1/29/2003 2:04 PM by Author "Tobtech" in the forum "Tips & Techniques"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=12222

Mounting fiberglass cowls
I could use some ideas here. I have a Sig Cap 321EX and the supplied nylon screws for the cowl don't withstand the vibration. Just after one flight the glass cowl is starting to take off the heads of the screws. I thought about switching to metal screws, but I had a Extra 300 that I used metal screws to mount the glass cowl and the better screws would continually widen the mounting holes. Does anyone have any good suggestions for mounting a fiberglass cowl to these large airplanes?
Posted on: 1/27/2003 12:27 PM by Author "Tobtech" in the forum "3D Flying!"
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/fb.asp?m=12114