RC manufacturers: who owns whom?
11-19-2010, 08:25 AM
#46
But not old enough to remember that they did exist prior to R/C in the skateboard industry?
A couple fewer race wins and Gil Losi Jr. coulda' wound up being his generation's Tony Hawk.
11-19-2010, 09:42 AM
#48
I think the easiest way to explain it is think of Cen as Ford and Caster as GM. Both make multiple things for multiple customers and a lot of them are brands that people unquestionably recognize.
Pretend it is a few years ago before the recession as the auto market...
Think of Caster USA as Saab. Every bit as good as any other GM, popular outside of the US, irrelevant to GM for staying in business, and having the capacity to use GM parts to build their cars and the freedom to do what we want. Saab has a loyal following of a few and is pretty much not interesting to the general public. I think that is where we are in 2010.
But I also believe that on the other hand, we are more like Toyota probably around 1985 where everyone hated them in the 70s, they keep making things better and better, etc... I honestly believe that we will be Toyota of the 2000s in the near future. People see we have been around now, we actually communicate with our customers like no one else, and we strive to make improvements literally on a daily basis if we see there is an issue (real or perceived) and we always have solutions....and we try to be innovative with our limited resources.
Who knows, maybe we will end up being like Saab, but in a bad economy we are still growing slowly instead of shrinking and Saab is still here.
Pretend it is a few years ago before the recession as the auto market...
Think of Caster USA as Saab. Every bit as good as any other GM, popular outside of the US, irrelevant to GM for staying in business, and having the capacity to use GM parts to build their cars and the freedom to do what we want. Saab has a loyal following of a few and is pretty much not interesting to the general public. I think that is where we are in 2010.
But I also believe that on the other hand, we are more like Toyota probably around 1985 where everyone hated them in the 70s, they keep making things better and better, etc... I honestly believe that we will be Toyota of the 2000s in the near future. People see we have been around now, we actually communicate with our customers like no one else, and we strive to make improvements literally on a daily basis if we see there is an issue (real or perceived) and we always have solutions....and we try to be innovative with our limited resources.
Who knows, maybe we will end up being like Saab, but in a bad economy we are still growing slowly instead of shrinking and Saab is still here.
Last edited by encore75; 11-19-2010 at 10:04 AM.
11-19-2010, 10:10 AM
#49
Super Moderator
iTrader: (31)
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: RIP 'Chopper', 4/18/13 miss you bud:(
Posts: 15,480
Trader Rating: 31 (100%+)
11-19-2010, 10:34 AM
#50
But my personal favorite:
http://nosebleed.com/yo-yo/teamlosi/tlpics.html
11-19-2010, 11:49 AM
#51
I didn't know they were associated with each other. I recall Team Durango was started by two German guys, Gerd Strenge and Michael Vollmer, who were developing the Durango prototypes in conjunction with Serpent.
FYI, Saab is no longer owned by GM, but rather by a small Dutch automaker named Spyker Cars N.V. that's best known for making high performance supercars. Perhaps a closer analogy could be Opel or Holden to GM or SEAT to Volkswagen.
FYI, Saab is no longer owned by GM, but rather by a small Dutch automaker named Spyker Cars N.V. that's best known for making high performance supercars. Perhaps a closer analogy could be Opel or Holden to GM or SEAT to Volkswagen.
11-19-2010, 12:04 PM
#52
Tech Elite
iTrader: (10)
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Norwood, OH...and CCRCR and The OhioRCFactory
Posts: 2,974
Trader Rating: 10 (100%+)
11-19-2010, 12:58 PM
#53
11-19-2010, 01:04 PM
#54
The Losi camp use to run the old sk8 park in Colton the skate Ranch, and i think at that time they started or bought the Variflex brand of sk8`s. they had a
small r/c track there i think and thats how it all started.Then the park closed like all of them and they moved full time into r/c with the Ranch pit shop in pomona, my first r/c Jr-t pre slipper clutch daze.And plywood surfing love that!
small r/c track there i think and thats how it all started.Then the park closed like all of them and they moved full time into r/c with the Ranch pit shop in pomona, my first r/c Jr-t pre slipper clutch daze.And plywood surfing love that!
11-19-2010, 01:07 PM
#55
http://www.hemmings.com/hsx/stories/..._feature9.html
It even turned up in a car-set for rFactor under that moniker.
11-19-2010, 02:26 PM
#56
Opels were sold at Buick dealerships from the late '50s through mid-late '70s if I remember correctly. A couple of my relatives had them.
Anybody remember the GT? Looked sorta like a mini Corvette. (The late '60s to early '80s ones with the tall front fenders)
Anybody remember the GT? Looked sorta like a mini Corvette. (The late '60s to early '80s ones with the tall front fenders)
11-19-2010, 03:03 PM
#57
Tech Elite
iTrader: (10)
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Norwood, OH...and CCRCR and The OhioRCFactory
Posts: 2,974
Trader Rating: 10 (100%+)
11-19-2010, 03:20 PM
#58
I thought Allen Losi was? Variflex, and Losi Skate Designs, with rather interesting graphics.
But my personal favorite:
http://nosebleed.com/yo-yo/teamlosi/tlpics.html
But my personal favorite:
http://nosebleed.com/yo-yo/teamlosi/tlpics.html
11-19-2010, 03:26 PM
#59
My future brother in law had one, it was fun on the right road. Is that one yours? Recent picture?
11-19-2010, 03:29 PM
#60
Tech Master
iTrader: (40)
OK who has actually manufactured in U.S. kits? CEN I think, anyone else. Alot of companies are U.S. owned but outsource the building. Also which electronics are made in the U.S. I update cars pretty regual and wouldn't mind supporting our own people instead those who would like to see us dead. I know China hates us and thats where most of our stuff comes from. Funny they hate us so bad because if we weren't buying their products they would be living in sage grass huts and eating white rice raw with their fingers. I'm not sure why they hate us so much but I say F*ckum. In RC its hard to avoid buying Chinese but for the rest of my stuff I try to stick to American even if it cost more.