Big Squid RC

Everybody’s getting retrospective with the closing of the New Year, and Brian (not our Brian, another Brian… seriously, there’s at least two guys named Brian in this world…) from Roger’s Hobby Center offers up his thoughts on the year passed in the r/c hobby world.  He’s got some interesting, thoughts:

And finally, I think 2010 is going to be known as the year electric power became cool. Electric cars have always outsold the nitro variety before, mainly due to price. But now, the comparison is so lopsided, it’s a wonder anyone is still making the nitro cars. We’ve pushed electric hard, and it’s paid off. And with all the fun, but a third of the hassle, it’s no wonder that electric cars and trucks have taken center stage in the last year. I expect to see that margin grow in 2011.

And then closes with a good question:

And to those that would rather purchase your hobby wares online – what are we doing wrong? How can we better serve your needs, and earn your loyalty? While there are some things that, admittedly, we simply can’t do that the “e-tailers” can, if there is anything I can do to earn your business…

Overall, another interesting read, so go check it out.

Model Retailer Magazine, a trade publication aimed at hobby shop owners and others in the industry has a new article up on their web site looking back at what they thought were the biggest news items of 2010.  Being business and industry focused much of what they talked about had to do with the state of the economy and business.  A couple that caught my eye were:

4. Rising cost of doing business with China
Chinese manufacturers have had to raise wages to get and retain workers. This in turn will lead to a rise in the cost of finished goods — perhaps as much as 30% — much of which will be seen in 2011. Some of the increase will be borne by the importers, but much of it will go to the consumers. How it will affect the latter group depends largely on the rate of improvement of the economy.

Which is basically saying that we can probably expect higher prices for the things we enjoy over the next year.

9. Micro R/C continues to be hot
Once just a niche of the radio-control hobby frequently associated with the toy market, micro R/C has turned into big business.

Since 2007, the number of micro R/C aircraft and vehicles to choose from has grown enormous, with robust airframes and chassis like their larger cousins, and interactive elements like guns that fire infrared beams at targets.

In scales from 1:36 to 1:18, these little planes, helis and trucks have expanded the market by keeping prices low and reducing the barrier to entry, while still attracting experienced hobbyists.

In R/C, as with computers, if smaller is better, what’s next? A scale R/C butterfly?

This is something we’ve been seeing on Big Squid as well.  Articles about mini and micro rc, such as Kyosho’s Mini-Z line, Losi’s Micro SCT and Rally, and Traxxas 1/16 scale vehicles have been among the most popular during the last year.  Though, on the opposite end, we’ve also seen a lot of interest in 1/5 scale news.

If you’re interested in the state of the hobby industry, this article would be a good introduction to the issues that are troubling the industry.  Head on over and read the whole thing.