Toledo observations
It’s been a while since the Weak Signals’ Toledo Show: R/C Model Expo in April, but if you didn’t get to go, I wanted to share some things that came from the event in Toledo, Ohio.
I guess the no-news item would be that this was definitely the year of the multirotor offerings. It was hard to go through the booths and not find one selling some sort of quadcopter, hexacopter, or octocopter-type machine.
They ranged from toys to real business machines and most were quite impressive, even the most inexpensive ones. I bought a Dromida Ominus Quadcopter SLT RTF, distributed by Hobbico, which continues to impress me weeks later. It’s as close to indestructible, as I’ve found.
It really is worth your time to attend the show and get a feel for how much great electric power stuff is available. Hobby People had a big line of warbird ARFs. Sig Manufacturing increased its show area and had a ton of stuff on display! The Sig line continues to increase and evolve and the company has become the distributor for Seagull Models products. I’ve built a couple of its kits and they’ve been wonderful.
Horizon Hobby showed off its new racing quadcopter, the Mach 25 FPV racer, and it was a real eye-catcher. The biggest thrill for me was seeing the new E-flite P-47D bubble-top Thunderbolt. This EPS foam aircraft comes equipped with operational flaps and retracts installed.
Hobbico had its representatives flying quadcopters in the display area and samples of all of the company’s radios, batteries, and airplanes on display. Wow! Hobbico’s new line of exclusives includes ST Model, Phoenix Model, and Fliteworks.
Outstanding Static Display Models
The competition entries seem to get better each year. Forget the ordinary. It seems modelers are going out of their way to find new and unique subjects.
Keith Shaw’s Sparrowjet took second place in Non-Military Scale. Spanning 80 inches and powered by twin Hyperflow 56mm ducted fans, it should really perform. Mark Rittenger won Best Film Covering for his Lowers-Minges LM-1 unlimited racer. With 197 watts per pound, it should live up to its purpose! Gerry Armstrong scratch-built an outstanding Dave Platt Duelist Mk II. If you’ve ever seen model designer Dave
Platt, you will recognize this pilot figure by its Hawaiian shirt! It’s a perfect match. The airplane is beautifully painted and powered by twin Dualsky Xmotor XM4250CA-5 motors.
There were several other electric models entered in various categories and I’ll share them as time permits. Seeing so many scratch-built airplanes was a real treat.
On the subject of building, National Balsa had a booth with some of the most beautiful wood I’ve ever seen. The company sold a lot of wood in three days!
Rising Like a Phoenix!
It was great to see Thayer Syme at the show representing the newly resurrected Flying Models magazine. It was a great magazine under Thayer’s editorial leadership before the publisher closed its doors.
Thayer has purchased the magazine and its plans library and it should be up and running by the time you read this. Other than Model Aviation, no other magazine covers all aspects of modeling except Flying Models, and its focus is on building.
Good luck to Thayer!
Hacker Motors Is Back!
Of course, we know the company never really went away, but its distribution in the US had languished when Aero-Models closed. It is now fully under the guidance of Lee Estingoy and should be up to full speed by the time you read this. Its new website is listed in the “Sources.”
The Hacker line of products includes more than merely motors. The company carries ESCs and some interesting products previously not imported from Germany. The parasails were unlike any I’ve ever seen in the RC world.
Wrapping Up
I’m out of space! Next time I’ll look at some interesting ways to manage your precious batteries.
SOURCES:
Toledo Show: R/C Model Expo
www.toledoshow.com
Hobby People
(714) 963-0329
www.hobbypeople.net
Sig Manufacturing
(641) 623-5154
www.sigmfg.com
Hobbico
(800) 637-7660
www.hobbico.com
Horizon Hobby
(800) 338-4639
www.horizonhobby.com
National Balsa
(413) 277-9500
www.nationalbalsa.com
Flying Models
thayer@flying-models.com
www.flying-models.com
Hacker Motors
www.hackermotorusa.com
