Alert! Is HOBBICO Next? Hobbico files for bankruptcy

[Balsaboy]

But the other OEMs had piped and high nitro engines that would out last any OS in the same environment.

I was showing that OS had chosen poor machining practices in the making of the engine.

I happy you were satisfied with the product you received from OS.

I think objectively if you were to put the engine from OS on a dyno or even in an engine dominated contest you would have found that just about any of the Italian Stallions I mentioned would out perform the OS in both power and durability.

My beaf with OS and Great planes was in the marketing and warranty of the product. I never expected an OS engine to be a fire breather (well not after I learned what was what in P&L design).

I loved my OS Surpass 70 as a fine sport engine.

OS/Great Planes had a very effective marking strategy. My hat is off to them for having the sales they did. Unfortunately I think it was as a result of dissipative, if not down right dishonest, marketing.

I love my Supertigres, I even have one of the made in China Supertigres and it runs, well, SUPER! I never owned a Rossi but was always impressed by their performance. I am very tempted by the Nova rossi line and I would really liked to add one to my stable.

 

[dhal22]

I have an OS .55AX on a pipe will flat out hum as well as a .65ax that pulls a classic pattern plane around just fine but they aren't an OPS or a JETT.

 

[SleepyC]

This is where the entire hobby is going... Sad but true. Get ready for the collapse.
The price for toys is getting insane. Foamy airplanes for $450... good grief.

Add to this the horrible economy. I work 40 - 60 hours a week (when we have OT) at a decent job and have no money for anything extra.
A hobby is a luxury, and in since 2014 I can't afford that luxury.

I just wish it was Horizon instead of Hobbico...

 

[pawnshopmike]

I just wish it was Horizon instead of Hobbico...

Ouch. Not me. Horizon takes much better care of their dealers than Hobbico does.

 

[Snoopy1]

As these big boys fall it may help the small guys back into the market and give us more of a selection and cutting out out the middle men prices may improve, if anything there may be work for people with our own country, which may not be cheaper but will get a lot better product.

 

[Jetpainter]

I had a lot of OS and other brands over the years. Most of the OS engines were fine as sport engines.
I have 2 OS 120 Surpass engines that never qualified for more than paper weight status.
I was never a fan of their ducted fan engines, of course once you ran the BVM/Nelson .91 all else paled in comparison.

 

[Snoopy1]

I had a lot of OS and other brands over the years. Most of the OS engines were fine as sport engines.
I have 2 OS 120 Surpass engines that never qualified for more than paper weight status.
I was never a fan of their ducted fan engines, of course once you ran the BVM/Nelson .91 all else paled in comparison.

Cannot believe that you have 2OS 120 Fs and not used them I just put one on my SUNDOWNER F1 to try it before I have buy a 35 cc gas engine. Love the OS120. Mine is getting a little old but still doing its thing.

 

[pawnshopmike]

As these big boys fall it may help the small guys back into the market and give us more of a selection and cutting out out the middle men prices may improve, if anything there may be work for people with our own country, which may not be cheaper but will get a lot better product.

I wish that would be the case. But what will most likely happen is that Hobbyking will increase it's stranglehold on the market.

 

[Jetpainter]

Cannot believe that you have 2OS 120 Fs and not used them I just put one on my SUNDOWNER F1 to try it before I have buy a 35 cc gas engine. Love the OS120. Mine is getting a little old but still doing its thing.

Oh I used them alright, or I should say tried to use them. Between the two (which were bought at the same time) they were in 4 different airplanes. They were total garbage. you couldn't keep them running to save your life. They both made trips back for service with no change. They were the most unreliable unpredictable things I've ever had the displeasure to own.
I had one of them in a Goldberg Ultimate bipe. One day it ran absolutely flawlessly. I took it out the next day without changing anything and it wouldn't run for more than a few minutes or so no mater what we did to it.

 

[konrad]

Guys,
I’m sorry I even mentioned OS engines (the power plant). My main focus was OS engines (the corporation) and their business practices with Great Planes being their business agent.

It was these practices that I attribute to the down fall of some of the great high performance engines. The marketing of the ABN as ABC was just down right dishonest! Combined with the sale price being 85% or less than the true ABC performance engine and we lost most of the real high performance engine from the glory days of the 2 stroke (70’s through the 90’s before the lipo). Then there was the subjective term use to negate the warranty (Do to the “high performance” nature….). When we engine men knew OS never made a real high performance aircraft engine. Even the long stroke era the Hanno was a dud when looked at against the Webra red head and YS offerings. Again great marketing sponsoring paying Hanno to fly your junk. For the 4 stroke crowd it was Enya and Saito that pulled the 4 stroke from the mundane existence of the Sunday flier. And now we have the YS as top dog.

It was somebody new to the performance engine arena that had issues with me calling OS engines junk from a performance perspective.

Discussion of OS Engines the "power plant" really belongs in another thread. OS Engines "the corporation" and their business ties with Great Planes/Hobbico might be a better focus for the bankruptcy discussion.

All the best,
Konrad