THE Cub Report – The Immaculate Conception

So here we are folks, another week in rc. Hummmm, let me think. Naw, I can’t really think of anything exciting that went down at all last week. So we can probably end THE Cub Report right here don’t ya think? LOL.

Ya, so Horizon Hobby has placed an official bid to buy Hobbico. OK, so let me give some incredibly general background info for you new hobbyists out there. Hobbico (based out of Champaign IL) has generally been the biggest company in rc over the years. They not only have a powerhouse distributor in Great Planes Distributing, but they also have Tower Hobbies, one of the biggest on-line retailers of hobby products. Furthermore, Hobbico also owns brands like ARRMA and Axial Racing. When our industry suffered a significant downturn, Hobbico started having a tough time, eventually forcing them into bankruptcy a few months ago. Horizon Hobby is also based out of Champaign IL and have long been one of the other biggest companies in rc. Horizon Hobby is a large distributor of rc products to hobby shops, they sell retail via their website, and they own brands like Losi, Spektrum, ECX, Vaterra, etc.

So, what do we know? Well, a bid is a bid, so while it is highly likely that Horizon Hobby will end up buying Hobbico, that is not a 100% guarantee at this moment. We do know that Horizon’s bid is for Great Planes, Tower Hobbies, ARRMA, and Axial, but it does not included Hobbico properties like Estes or Revell. Also, we know that a new owner should be known on April 6th.

Wow, I am just now thinking about how I could probably write for days on this subject, LOL, but I do need to keep it to a couple paragraphs here. However, perhaps the biggest thing I am thinking about right now was how the rivalry between Horizon and Hobbico over all these years was one of the biggest catalysts for our hobby’s success. For years those two companies kept pushed each other to new heights, it will indeed be strange to see them together as one. However, with the combination of their collective talents and product lines, that is going to be one formidable company going forward. All in all, IMO it is good to see Horizon charging ahead, and awesome to see the opportunities that are up the road for Hobbico, we shall see how this all turns out in the coming weeks.

Up next, Tim Gluth knocked it out of the park again with his second podcast. BigSquidRC podcast #2 was recorded last week and has some really cool brushless electronics info. Gluth got with Castle Creation’s Patrick del Castillo to talk brushless life and the podcast does not disappoint. Patrick let out some really cool info, like talking about some of the low-kV/high-pole-count crawling motors they’ve been working on, as well as some of the advancements in CC’s active/passive drag brake technology. If you are into brushless ESC/motor technology, then you won’t want to miss our second podcast, which by the way should go live later this week.

Oh, and how can I not mention our March Bash-Ness tournament? So, we started out with 16 bash trucks going for the championship, then we put in our big surprise, when the Elite 8 showed up, so did 8 rock crawlers! Now we have the bash trucks on one side of the bracket with scale crawlers on the other. We’ll end up with a bash champion, a scale champion, then we’ll put the two up against each other for the ultimate battle – bash trucks vs scale crawlers! The NCAA tourney is getting insane, so is our March Bash-Ness, but we hope you are enjoying the fun of voting and of seeing who wins, and who goes home early.

Last up is a mention for our Mud, Rocks, & Tears scale crawling event. The event is now just two weeks away and we are giving You a cordial invite to come join us in a day of bashing, scale climbing, as well as general rc camaraderie. Rc really is a community of people that love cars, trucks, and technology. Mud, Rocks, and Tears gives you a chance to hang out with your fellow rc hobbyists, plus to have some fun pushing your rig to the limit. The St. Louis RC Freaks club has been crushing it laying out a fun, yet challenging, course. We can’t wait to get the chance to hang out with you guys and your scale builds. If you haven’t yet, try to make plans to come out and join us on April 7th in Crystal City, Missouri.

So there ya have it folks, I’ll let you get back to your day while I get back to working on our next review. Have a fantastic week and drop by your local hobby shops and bash spots when ya can.

YOUR Cub Reporter