THE INSIDE LOOP
A TRIP TO THE CHICAGO AREA
By Jay Smith, Executive Editor | jays@modelaircraft.org
Thank you to everyone who I was able to visit for taking the time to meet with me and giving me a tour!
I RECENTLY returned from a work trip to Illinois. I had the privilege of visiting three hobby companies. My first stop was the O’Hare area of Chicago, which brought back memories of attending the iHobby trade show and Doctor Who conventions in the area.
I first visited Sig Mfg. The company completed its move from Iowa to be situated with Plastruct and Evergreen Scale Models. They were producing glue and working on cutting kits on the day that I visited. The phone number for Sig has changed since the move, so be sure to check the company’s website if you would like to contact them.
I then visited Gator-RC. I was quite impressed by how much this family business has accomplished and was able to see a couple of really cool, new airplanes. If you would like to learn more about Gator-RC, be sure to read the “About Us” article about the company in the July 2024 issue of Model Aviation.
Next up was Motion RC, which I have visited previously but not since the company’s move farther north in Illinois to a much larger warehouse. It is about to celebrate 13 years in the hobby business. I have gotten to know the owners, Mark and Tom, well since their start and rapid growth in the hobby.
Interestingly, Motion RC might be the only hobby company that carries LEGO and COBI building blocks. Having had much experience with LEGOs, I wanted to try a COBI building set. The company offers many military aircraft, and I settled on the Fokker Dr.1 Red Baron.
To ensure that I hadn’t lost my skills for locating items in a large warehouse, I was given the location of my product and set to find and pull it myself. I’m happy to report that I was able to accomplish that task in less than 2 minutes—and without running. The last time I visited Motion RC, I searched for a replacement nose gear for my A-10.
Thank you to everyone who I was able to visit for taking the time to meet with me and giving me a tour!
