What? No more Spektrum?!

[Grantham Kid]

There is a place making aluminum replacement scrolling wheel/buttons. Quite an improvement.

I broke the scroll wheel on my DX-18 (the wheels have a weak point) and they wanted me to send the radio in, which costs shipping both ways and then $50 service fee and then the cost of the oem part... and no radio for an estimated 6 weeks due to service dept waiting list... The replacement aluminum part was about $15 and arrived in 3 days.

Thanks Huber. My fingers are 70 years old so they get impatient real quick. I may just sell it yet. My first DX6 had a dud scroll wheel and they replaced the whole radio as it was only a few days old.

[Bandiferous93]

I know this is a business and there should be healthy competition. I buy many models and accessories every year and have bought from MotionRC and Horizon. Both have been outstanding and I am sad to see a rift brewing between them.

I don't see any "rift" happening because of MRC. This is all Horizon's doing in becoming the evil mega-corporation of the hobby. They're screwing over their vendors like MRC. I wonder when HobbyTown is going to suffer, too, and drop Horizon products which is like 50% of their stock in my local store. I wouldn't be surprised at all that, in the future, you'll only be able to buy Horizon stuff...from Horizon...

[JamesonC]

I don't see any "rift" happening because of MRC. This is all Horizon's doing in becoming the evil mega-corporation of the hobby. They're screwing over their vendors like MRC. I wonder when HobbyTown is going to suffer, too, and drop Horizon products which is like 50% of their stock in my local store. I wouldn't be surprised at all that, in the future, you'll only be able to buy Horizon stuff...from Horizon...

In my opinion, I think they are just trying to bully MRC. Motion was not only a vendor, but a competitor. And the fact is, HH can't compete with MRC/FW in the EDF market. They are WAAAY late to the EDF game and it takes more than a few FMS repaints to catch up to what MRC and FW have been doing for years.

Personally, I don't have a real problem with them not wanting a competitor to sell their products. I think it is a dumb decision, especially with Motion's customer service reputation, but I just see it as HH seeing a threat and trying to minimize it. What I do have a problem with (just MY opinion) is when they bring a 3rd party vendor into the mix. When HH and MRC are both buying products from a company that isn't owned by either one of them but then HH wants to control who that 3rd party can sell to?? Just doesn't seem like ethical business to me. Imagine if you own a parts store and there are two repair shops in your town. One smaller shop and one larger shop. One day the larger shop comes and says I'm not buying anymore parts from you if you continue selling parts to the other, smaller shop. Like I said... ethics.

In the long run, I am sure MRC is gonna be just fine. They keep pumping out great stuff from FW and FL and now even got into the balsa game as well. I went and looked out of curiosity at how much money I have spent with HH vs MRC over the past few years and it was funny to see that MRC was getting the majority of my money anyway! :)

[anwudgf]

I think HH is trying to beef up the industry and hobby as a whole, and personally I don't think their business ethics can be seen as defamatory but relentless to improve the hobby. With their policies toward MRC, I'd expect the two will no doubt be joining alliances with each other, perhaps in a parent company and subsidiary matrix reporting basis, with HH possibly acquiring MRC for quite a premium and MRC offering an expansion of product lines into the high end market with HH taking on the Freewing brand of planes and EDFs. I think we as customers should be excited for that kind of consolidated company because customer service is an expensive part of the business and cutting corners to save costs and raise margins without a competent customer service part of the business hurts customers, and we all know how good and large of a customer service base HH has and they will no doubt only add value to MRC by merging their customer service and achieving excellent synergies that will be reinvested by lowering start-up costs and continuations for customers who need an excellent customer service base that Horizon Hobby and MRC will have as a single company. Best for the customer in the long run.

[fhhuber]

somehow I don't see HH as wanting to acquire MotionRC.

[anwudgf]

Why not? HH has practically acquired almost every other company in the industry. It comes down overall to business and if the two companies can't do business as separate unaffiliated entities then that means they can do business as an integrated combined entity. This combination of both companies would ultimately result in the cost savings being passed on to the customer, we'd all win at end of the day after the employees are better paid there would be some type of excess pool of capital earmarked for orders that have had warranty issues such to provide the customer with improved customer service, which is what it's all about...

[anwudgf]

It comes down to higher margin businesses, which MotionRC can enter by acquiring brands that are premium builds as they already operate in a market that's premium to HH, yet they lack the economies of scale and scope, which is what HH can bring to the table. HH can scale up MotionRC into a larger, better capitalized company to target and focus on building better brands that HH could run and manage. HH has the expertise and the resources to improve MotionRC, not to mention themselves into a better hobby distributor and company, which improves the hobby for everyone.

[xviper]

I think HH is trying to beef up the industry and hobby as a whole, and personally I don't think their business ethics can be seen as defamatory but relentless to improve the hobby.

That may or may not be true. Some may see it as HH trying to secure a monopoly on the market and monopolies aren't always a good thing. We've already seen price fixing from HH and in many instances, the prices went up after they acquired FMS. You make the assumption that HH wants to acquire MRC but leave out the part of the equation that involves MRC "wanting" to be acquired.
I'm also curious that with only 3 posts and such strong feelings on the matter, are you a HH "insider"?

[Valkpilot]

That may or may not be true. Some may see it as HH trying to secure a monopoly on the market and monopolies aren't always a good thing. We've already seen price fixing from HH and in many instances, the prices went up after they acquired FMS. You make the assumption that HH wants to acquire MRC but leave out the part of the equation that involves MRC "wanting" to be acquired.
I'm also curious that with only 3 posts and such strong feelings on the matter, are you a HH "insider"?

Just call him Locutus of Horizon. Look what Horizon has done to Force RC and Tower after they assimilated them. The Force RC brand is gone, Flyzone, is a shadow of itself, Great Planes is practically non-existant,
and I fought with Horizon's "customer service" for three weeks to get them to send me a set screw for a Tower P-51. Ended up jurry-rigging a part from my junk bin. Back when MRC carried E-flite, I had a problem with the micro B-25. They were going to send a replacement servo, but I told them I was reluctant to cut into an air frame. Guess what MRC did? They sent me a NEW PLANE, no problems. And their Admiral RXs have been working better for me than the new Spectrum bind button RXs. It'll be a dark day indeed if MRC does sell out to Horizon, because all that will be left is Hobby King, Banana, or ordering from China.

[xviper]

Just call him Locutus of Horizon. Look what Horizon has done to Force RC and Tower after they assimilated them. The Force RC brand is gone, Flyzone, is a shadow of itself, Great Planes is practically non-existant,
and I fought with Horizon's "customer service" for three weeks to get them to send me a set screw for a Tower P-51. Ended up jurry-rigging a part from my junk bin. Back when MRC carried E-flite, I had a problem with the micro B-25. They were going to send a replacement servo, but I told them I was reluctant to cut into an air frame. Guess what MRC did? They sent me a NEW PLANE, no problems. And their Admiral RXs have been working better for me than the new Spectrum bind button RXs. It'll be a dark day indeed if MRC does sell out to Horizon, because all that will be left is Hobby King, Banana, or ordering from China.

Now, that was funny! The facts don't lie. A monopoly is only fun when it's the board game.

[AirHead]

I love MRC and how their company policies are supportive and interactive with the hobby and all of it's members. It's rare that a company actually "works" for it's purchasing public by asking questions; getting involved and responding to feedback; having fun with RC Modelers and presenting products to a large group who are "definitely" onside with their ethical and retail treatment. In this society, there are few companies existing like MRC. But, when you have a growing gargantuan like HH eating up all the smaller companies; retailers; distributors; LHS's and playing Capitalist politics with the fanbase? I'm sorry, but eventually, the bottom will fall out of the hobby and there won't be anywhere to buy anything because they shot both their feet off! MRC needs to go to the Feds and find a way to create an "IRON CLAD" protective shield against being bought up. Maybe everyone could do an investment and privately own the company as a "private symbiotic relationship company" where no one is allowed to wrangle the business...Perhaps a pipe dream; but the sun may set on Horizon....

[Aros]

This is seriously enjoyable to read anwudgf as a Motion RC employee of nearly 6 years.

If ya'll only knew how steadfast and principled the owners really are when it comes to this company. I am proud to be affiliated with this company on so many levels.

The thought of Motion RC being bought and absorbed by Horizon is seriously just the laugh I needed today, so thank you.

[F22trainer]

This is seriously enjoyable to read anwudgf as a Motion RC employee of nearly 6 years.

If ya'll only knew how steadfast and principled the owners really are when it comes to this company. I am proud to be affiliated with this company on so many levels.

The thought of Motion RC being bought and absorbed by Horizon is seriously just the laugh I needed today, so thank you.

And I found you need another smile - your new thermal machine is ready!

[AirHead]

This is seriously enjoyable to read anwudgf as a Motion RC employee of nearly 6 years.

If ya'll only knew how steadfast and principled the owners really are when it comes to this company. I am proud to be affiliated with this company on so many levels.

The thought of Motion RC being bought and absorbed by Horizon is seriously just the laugh I needed today, so thank you.

I may be known around here as a "thread killer" on this forum, but what I said was not really that different than the last guy. I can imagine that the owners of MRC are really not going to let things "cave in" like some people think. My opinion is that they won't. HH needs to reinvent itself as an online discounter of broken companies....Long live MRC and all the great gear it sells. After I regain 100%, stereoscopic, 20/20 vision, I'll be buying more planes!!!!...BooYah!!!

[Aros]

And I found you need another smile - your new thermal machine is ready!

[Valkpilot]

Now, that was funny! The facts don't lie. A monopoly is only fun when it's the board game.

I hope you do realize that I was referring to anwudgf and not you viper.

[xviper]

I hope you do realize that I was referring to anwudgf and not you viper.

Yes, it seemed clear.

[Valkpilot]

[anwudgf]

I'm also curious that with only 3 posts and such strong feelings on the matter, are you a HH "insider"?

Not a HH insider (yet?) just an avid flyer and hobbyist longtime first-time on the boards and just wanted to get my point out and across that for me personally as being a customer of HH, I don't think my business benefits with buying from both HH and MRC, only because A) I have a limited hobby allowance and with that my business tends to go to HH because I purchased last year my Spektrum DX6 - I like buying German, and "Spectrum" is spelled Spektrum in German - so its a German/W. European Brand; B) If you pour your money to one of the two more skewed the other likely will not give you the same service as like a better customer and vice-versa

I don't see how anyone who is a retail customer could not agree more that HH and MRC forming a partnership and alliance whereby a merger of customer service capacities gets delivered to the ground floor where MotionRC customers get service from Horizon Hobby reps, and Horizon Hobby customers get service from MotionRC reps, where everyone gets to know each other and business is held all "under the same roof" then favoring one customer over another won't become much of an issue because in my example I'd be buying from one company and my service wouldn't change depending on exogenous variables that most of us today tend to be constrained by?...

[RCjetdude]

Not a HH insider (yet?) just an avid flyer and hobbyist longtime first-time on the boards and just wanted to get my point out and across that for me personally as being a customer of HH, I don't think my business benefits with buying from both HH and MRC, only because A) I have a limited hobby allowance and with that my business tends to go to HH because I purchased last year my Spektrum DX6 - I like buying German, and "Spectrum" is spelled Spektrum in German - so its a German/W. European Brand; B) If you pour your money to one of the two more skewed the other likely will not give you the same service as like a better customer and vice-versa

I don't see how anyone who is a retail customer could not agree more that HH and MRC forming a partnership and alliance whereby a merger of customer service capacities gets delivered to the ground floor where MotionRC customers get service from Horizon Hobby reps, and Horizon Hobby customers get service from MotionRC reps, where everyone gets to know each other and business is held all "under the same roof" then favoring one customer over another won't become much of an issue because in my example I'd be buying from one company and my service wouldn't change depending on exogenous variables that most of us today tend to be constrained by?...

Based in what we have seen with how HH has dealt with other acquisitions I think you are mistaken. Your model is only one scenario if what could be but in reality it is highly unlikely.