The price for all of these features? Well, the Spektrum DX8 comes with a transmitter and the new AR8000 receiver for $429.99 (just $30 more than I guessed at the beginning of July). And it’s due out in early- to mid-September. Judging by the conversations I’ve had with customers in the store, I’d guess this radio is going to fly off the shelves (pun intended). So pre-order one soon to make sure you get one of the first ones!

With the big Spektrum announcement, the other things Horizon announced might have gotten lost in the shuffle, but managed to garner attention as well. First off, Horizon announced another ParkZone airplane. This time, the T-28 Trojan gets the ultra-micro treatment. I’m excited about this one, as it might fill the gap between the beginner (like the Champ and Ember 2) and advanced (like the P-51 or the Sukhoi) airplanes. It features full 4-channel control and, like many of the recent ParkZone announcements, this little guy is coming in both Ready-To-Fly ($129.99) and Bind-N-Fly ($99.99) flavors, and should be out mid- to late-September.

And finally, Losi had two product announcements as well: The un-creatively named “1/24 4WD Short Course Truck” and the “1/24 4WD Rally Car”. The SC truck is billed as “the smallest short course truck in the world”. Well, I don’t know if that’s true, but I’m thinking it’s going to give the Losi Strike a run for its money in the “worst-selling short course truck in the world” category, and I think the Rally Car will probably do worse. I am completely unimpressed with anything smaller than 1/10 scale these days (but I hide it well, right?).

Anyway, if you think these little guys are going to be cooler than I do, here’s the skinny. Both are completely Ready-To-Run, and will go for $109.99 each. Both are due out in late August.

That’s it for now, denizens of the Interwebs. As always, we’re here to answer your questions and help you out with you hobby needs. So, call, click, or walk in, and we’ll be here for you.

Until next time,

-Brian



Can you believe it’s already been a year since we launched our website? To celebrate the birthday of our website, I’ve completely re-designed the look and feel of the website. The product pages have been updated, the repairs page is back up and up-to-date, and there are more pages going live every day. Here’s hoping you’ll find the re-design easier to navigate and read!

And while the re-design isn’t being accompanied by the ability to purchase things off the site, it is still something that we are thinking about very much. We’re just not anywhere near ready to commit to anything like that yet. But if we should choose to do so, our website visitors will be the first to know.

But enough about the website – let’s get to the updates!

Our Facebook page has been rather active as of late: we’re up to 163 fans, and climbing! Our fans are making sure the page is ever-changing, with pictures of their R/C car bodies and conversations about what hop-ups are the best. Stop over and join the conversation!

First, a few stories from Horizon Hobby’s ParkZone division. There’s been a product bulletin released regarding the new ParkZone Extra 300. You can read the full bulletin here, but the short version is this: Despite what you may hear on the Internet forums, there is no defect with the wingtip airfoil shape of the airplane. However, ParkZone has found that the center-of-gravity does affect the low-speed handling of the airplane, and there is an error in the manual in regards to the CG location. ParkZone also cautions pilots that the Extra 300 is NOT a 3D aircraft; it is designed for sport- and precision-aerobatics. Making the airplane tail-heavy and increasing the elevator throws to make it fly in a 3D fashion is a good way to crash it in low-speed situations.

ParkZone has also revealed a new airplane to be released late September, the Stinson Reliant. It’s going to be available in a Plug-N-Play ($184.99) and Bind-N-Fly ($249.99). It combines classic looks and a parkflyer price. This video is courtesy Horizon Hobby, and should give you a feel for how the airplane will handle. We can start taking pre-orders now.

Coming up in August, the Saginaw Valley Radio Control Club is hosting a Club Invitational airshow. It’s free to attend, so be sure to mark your calendars for this one. Full details for the show are here.

On the R/C car front, there isn’t much to announce. We finally have a good supply of Venom Lipo battery packs in again (seems like we’ve been without them for a long time, so I’m glad to have them back!).

A customer sent me a link to a video that got him excited. After watching it, I can see why! It depicts a prototype Losi 4WD Short Course truck. According to R/C Car magazine, it seems to be built on the TEN-T chassis (which is a very capable truggy in and of itself). As you can see in the video, this thing corners like few 4WD short course trucks do, and even laps a couple of trucks toward the end of the video. It’s a great looking truck, but here’s the rub: After seeing the video, I reached out (via e-mail) to my contact at Horizon Hobby to get a comment on the pricing, availability, and release date. Here is what my source said:

“[T]here were some team drivers running some modified vehicles to test the possibility of making a 4WD Short Course. Since these were not even pre-production samples it is too early to even say if Losi will make one….”

Disappointing to say the least. But we’ll keep a close eye on this one. If this comes to pass, Losi may be able to redeem themselves from the embarrassment that the Strike (which has since been discontinued) was.

And finally, for our gaming customers, just want to remind you that Magic: The Gathering Core Set 2011 has been out for about a week and a half now. Booster packs for this, and other sets, run $3.29 here. So stop in and get them while they’re here!



Even though June has drawn to a close, it seems like the summer is far from over. And for all of you R/C pilots out there, that's a good thing, especially since there are a bunch of new products that are coming out, or already here. First of all, from Horizon Hobby comes the new ParkZone Extra 300. It's a mid-wing foam airplane, with a wingspan of about 40 inches. It sports a killer paint scheme (one you're sure not to miss). This plane comes in two flavors: Bind-N-Fly, and Plug-N-Play. The Bind-N-Fly version comes with an AR500 Spektrum receiver, a 3-cell 2200mah Lipo battery, and a DC charger - all that is needed is any Spektrum DSM2 transmitter, and you're flying. The Plug-N-Play version is just the airframe and servos - you need a battery, charger, receiver and transmitter for that version. The Bind-N-Fly is here at the store, and is priced at $250. The Plug-N-Play one is a specail order only, and goes for $185.

Also fresh off the FedEx truck is the new ParkZone Nght Vapor. This is one I have covered before, and it has finally come in. A new take on a classic (can I call it a 'classic' if it's only two years old?) design, the Night Vapor boasts a new modular design and new trim scheme. Oh, and did I mention it has lights on it? While the Bind-N-Fly version is still a couple weeks away (according to the last estimate I saw), the Ready-To-Fly version now sits comfortably on our shelves. You can take one off our hands for the same price as the original: $130.

In the realm of the recently announced, Blade is coming out with a new mid-micro helicopter. Sized at between the mSR and the SR, the all-new Blade 120SR is a fixed-pitch helicopter. This little guy comes complete with a 500mAh single-cell lipo battery, an AC/DC variable rate charger, and a 5-in-1 control unit similar to the mSR. Like almost all of the Blade helis, this one comes in both Ready-To-Fly ($180) and Bind-N-Fly ($150) versions. Pre-orders are welcome, and probably necessary if you want your hands on one right away. The Blade SR came out over four months ago, and they're still hard to get. Pre-order your Blade 120SR today.

And of course, how could I forget about the new Spektrum annoucement. Likely the worst-kept secret in the history of R/C, Spektrum recently announced the DX8 radio. It features the same SD interface as the JR 11X24 radio (awesome), but tosses even more cool things in. It has what Spektrum calls "AirWare" built in. This included full range telemetry, beamed right to the screen on the transmitter. Initial telemetry options include: receiver pack voltage indicator, RPM sensor, signal quality, and a temperature sensor. Spektrum pioneered this technology on their surface radios, and now it's coming to the air radio system in a big way. Check out Spektrum's website for the latest info. No pricing or release date yet, but I'd be surprised if it's any more than $400 for the transmitter and receiver. I also suspect an August/September release date, but this is just a somewhat-educated guess. It's all up in the air (pardon the pun) until they officially announce it.

In other news, it should be noted that, as of July 1st, our Service and Repairs department are no longer working on or tuning nitro engines. Specifically, any vehicle that requires the starting or running of a nitro engine, will be turned away. This decision was made for many reasons, and certainly was not made lightly. We have noticed a growing trend: many of our customers were no longer doing any of the work on their engines themselves, and instead bringing their trucks in for us to tune. This is bad for two big reasons: first we simply don't have the staff to work on that many cars/trucks. Secondly, and more importantly, is that these vehicles are not toys. They require maintenance and work to keep them running. The hobby shop should not be responsible for your hobby; it is a hobby you picked for a reason. You are supposed to spend time with it, not bring it to someone else when it doesn't work perfectly. It defeats the spirit of the hobby altogether. If you are a nitro vehicle owner, and do not like performing engine maintenance, I'd respectfully suggest that you'd be happier with an electric car instead.

Please note that we will continue to assist customers in getting their engines running and educating them on how to correctly tune and maintain them. The only difference is that we will no longer be performing said maintenance for them.

And finally, I wish everyone out there a happy and safe Independence Day weekend. Keep in mind we are open regular hours on Saturday and Monday, so if you need parts, cannon fuse, or anything else, we'll be there as usual.

As always, thanks for reading, and thank you for being a customer.

-B

Good news - we have just received word that the new ParkZone Sukhoi 26-XP is now shipping. We should see the shipment come in on Friday, June 11th. Because supply is limited, we're only receiving two planes. If you want one, give us a call and reserve one. They will be assigned on a first come, first serve basis. I don't see these sitting on the shelf for very long, so reserve one fast!

In other news, we currently have a Losi TEN-T Nitro-powered Truggy in stock. It's going for the usual $499.99, but you get a FREE Losi Micro HighRoller truck with your purchase. This is limited to supplies on hand (which means the one that we have), and any special orders placed before June 30th. Come in and check out this truck - it's probably the best thing Losi has put out in the last few years. We've had a good response from the customers that have purchased one from us, which is always a plus. And it not only includes a Spektrum DX3S radio system with telemetry, but the engine starts with the push of a button - on the transmitter. It's certainly worth a look if you're thinking about getting a nitro vehicle.

And don't forget - Father's Day is June 20th. I'm sure Dad would love a gift certificate to his favorite hobby store... :)

-Brian

The highly anticipated Blade mCX2 has arrived at the store. Many people have pointed out that this helicopter has big shoes to fill; the original mCX was the best-selling product we carried for the last three years. After flying the new one, I can honestly say this is a true sequel to the mCX.

The new flybar greatly increases the forward speed of the helicopter, as well as the overall manuverability. The new body has proved to be just as durable as the original. The top rotor head is absolutely huge, and will help increase the durability of that part (which was a frequently broken part on the mCX). They have made many improvements, and I can't tell you have I've found a downside to it yet. Even the price is the same.

We have both the Ready-To-Fly ($129.99) and Bind-N-Fly ($99.99) in stock at the time of this writing. And we will be carrying them regularly from now on (as availibility allows).

Stop on in and have us demo one for you!

-Brian

"We have seen several e-mails from Chinese vendors offering the Spektrum AR6100 and AR6100E at very low prices. These receivers are not original Spektrum receivers, but are counterfeit copies, not manufactured by Spektrum, and do not use our specified components.

Consumers are cautioned to make sure they are purchasing o...riginal Spektrum receivers in original packaging. Vendors have the ability to make very visually similar copies, so unfortunately there is no way to easily distinguish between originals and copies. The best thing that consumers can do is to make sure they are purchasing their products from established hobby and model shops who buy directly from Horizon Hobby or from one of our international distributors (http://www.horizonhobby.com/StoreLocator/Default.aspx?Tab=Int).

In addition, some website are now offering receivers that claim compatibility with Spektrum or DSM2 technology. Horizon Hobby and our Spektrum team have not certified or authorized any other company’s claim of compatibility.

Horizon Hobby disclaims any all liability for any damages or claims arising from the use of any counterfeit Spektrum receiver or any receiver claiming DSM2 compatibility. The consumer assumes all liability for using such products.

Horizon’s is always striving to ensure your enjoyment in the hobby by developing and producing products to a tight standard of quality and performance. Don’t put your enjoyment at risk by utilizing imitation or untested generic components that could jeopardize the safety of your flying experience.

I personally have received a call from a gentleman in Bay City who imports radio control products, and he mentioned that one of the R/C helicopters he has uses a bind plug, similar in desciption to Spektrum's. So, don't think it can't happen in this area, and don't think it can't happen to you. Be sure when you purchase a Spektrum reciever, or anything else, that it is truly what it is purported to be.

Be safe everyone, and we'll see you in the store.

-Brian

Source: Horizon Hobby Facebook Page

Another update for ya: My blog about the Weak Signals Toledo Trip is live. It will be updated over the next few weeks. But for more information about the blog, read the first post here.

-Brian

Fresh off our trip to the last Ryder Center indoor funfly, we have pictures in our photo gallery. You can also check them out here, or on our Facebook Fan Page here.

In the realm of new product announcements, Parkzone has a couple of airplanes that offer a new spin on an old design. First off is the new Ultra-Micro Sukhoi SU-26xp. Utilizing the same airframe as the original Sukhoi, it sports a slick new paint scheme. It also has a bigger prop, a more powerful motor, and a carbon-reinforced horizontal stabilizer. And the best part is the plane runs only $99.99, and is only available in the Bind-N-Fly format. Due mid-May.

The second airplane recently announced is a new take on the venerable Vapor. Dubbed the Night Vapor, this iteration features a new color scheme and LED lights. It also features several enhancements in the airframe, allowing much easier replacement of parts, should they become damaged. This plane will be available in both Ready-To-Fly ($129.99) and Bind-N-Fly ($99.99) versions. Also due mid-May.

Not to be out-done, E-Flite announced a new product of their own; the Blade mCX2. Featuring a full body, navigational lights, and a more robust rotor head, the Blade mCX2 looks to be the breakout heli of this year, pending any further announcements from E-Flite. This heli will be available in both Ready-To-Fly ($129.99) and Bind-N-Fly ($99.99) versions. Coming out in mid-May.

JR Radios also debuted a new DSM2 2.4GHz radio, the 11X. Combining a sleek new design (I dubbed it the "Iron Man" radio) and Spektrum technology, this radio looks like a cost-effective alternative to the 12X24 radio (it runs $749.99). It sports a back-lit screen, 50 model memory, and possibly the smartest thing I've yet seen in a radio - an SD card slot to expand the memory for the radio. This also makes it possible to take a setup from one radio and move it to another, so long as the card is in use. Now if only they'd let you hook the radio up to a computer to set it up... Due out in May.

And coming up at the end of this week is the Toledo Weak Signals show, where you'll probably get to see these and other new products in person. If you've never gone, it's a great show. We're still accepting reservations on our annual bus trip to the show. But sign up quick; the bus leaves at 7:30AM Friday morning.

We also have added a few photos to some of our product sections. Puzzles, Plastic Models, and Trains all have images of our selection. Since all of these departments have stock that rotates frequently, it's nearly impossible to accurately list what we carry. This was the solution I came up with. It gives an idea of what we carry without having to be specific. The R/C Car and R/C Heli sections have also seen major updates, and are now better organized so you can find what you're looking for easier. R/C Airplanes is on my list to do next, but because of the sheer amount of product in that category, it's going to take a while to do. Please bear with us.

And that pretty much wraps up this update. Look for pictures and video of the Toledo show in the next few weeks; I have a new camera and will be snapping away pictures of the newest and coolest products I see at the show.

Until next time, friends. Don't forget to stop by and say hi!

-Brian