So much for branding .... Chinese spread

[solentlife]

So despite all the doom and gloom spread about by various RC users - chinese radios are getting ever wider in the rebranding game.

One of the manufacturers that seems to be widening it's re-brand market faster than most is FlySky ... providing 3ch up to 9ch sets for more than just a few labels.

So when looking at radios ... a closer look is possibly more revealing than initially appears ...

So much for doom and gloom .... maybe not so far in the future most will be using them whether they realise or not.

[A.T.]

Originally Posted by solentlife

So despite all the doom and gloom spread about by various RC users - chinese radios are getting ever wider in the rebranding game. One of the manufacturers that seems to be widening it's re-brand market faster than most is FlySky ... providing 3ch up to 9ch sets for more than just a few labels. So when looking at radios ... a closer look is possibly more revealing than initially appears ... So much for doom and gloom .... maybe not so far in the future most will be using them whether they realise or not.

Rebranding has been going on for many many years, most prevalent in the USA as each "label" sources cheaper goods, especially after WW2, to distance "Foreign brands" from what is (was then) to their market an unpopular country and promote their own "Label".
Amongst first obvious examples appears to be from Sears Roebuck labelling Sanyo transistor
and other radio systems with their own brand.
Likewise Royal & Crown kitsets rebadged Marutaka RC kits, Airtronics still rebadge Sanwa,
Circus Hobbies rebadged JR Propo, Global Hobbies (under previous name) rebadged the original
Thunder Tiger motors as "Magnum" until they could be sourced cheaper from, and transferred
copyright & contract, to Sanye Corp in China.
A few current other examples:
Great Planes/Tower Hobbbies:
Hobbico servos and Tower System 2000 servos are identical.
They vary only by label and part number. The Tower brand have a TS part number prefix, while the Hobbico uses HS.
The Hobbico brand is sold to hobby shops, while the Tower brand is only sold by Tower Hobbies.
Of course, all are marketed by Great Planes. Tower System 3000 series servos are made by Futaba.
(The rebadged digital Hitec servo are not programmable - this should result in a cheaper retail price for those units)
NB: Hitec and Futaba horns are not interchangeable as they use a different number of splines -
Hitec (24) will not fit onto Futaba output shaft (25).
Whilst the Futaba horn appears to fit the Hitec output shaft, it will slip under load. .
Oracover = Ultracote = Profilm
ex Germany is rebadged as Ultracote in USA. & Profilm in UK
Servo - Horn arm Spline Count and Inter Brand Compatibility. - a number of examples.
& as per thread header -
Flysky 9x aka Imax 9x aka Turnigy 9x aka Eurgle - Custom Firmware Facts _ DIY Thread!
Many many more examples on file.

Alan T.
Alan's Hobby, Model & RC FAQ Web Links

(quick search = Ctrl+F)

[solentlife]

AT ... well aware of rebranding and it's being around for long time ... and it's not only USA ... it affects every country in the world to similar degree.

My point was a dig at the Doom and Gloom people who post about gear invading markets ...

And lets be honest ... there are some names you mentioned there as manufacturers which in fact is not strictly true ... they do not manufacture all their gear .. certain lines are 'bought in' and labeled with the 'prestige' label. This usually happens when a well known brand wishes to expand into the economy / budget middle road sector ... cheaper to buy in than create own ...

[A.T.]

[QUOTE=solentlife;807027]<snip>And lets be honest ... there are some names you mentioned there as manufacturers which in fact is not strictly true ... they do not manufacture all their gear .. certain lines are 'bought in' and labeled with the 'prestige' label. <snip>.
This usually happens when a well known brand wishes to expand into the economy / budget middle road sector ... cheaper to buy in than create own ... .[/QUOTE]

Sorry, error in translating Q&A,
did not mean all listed were in fact "manufacturers with own factory, production team",
was trying to keep answer short and simple.
Could expand, e.g. -refer posts 16 & 24. but will refrain.
Have visited many of the actual factories in Europe
and throughout Asia, written manuals for several brands & simply
changed the "brand" and language on some of the re-brands.

"This usually happens when a well known brand wishes to expand into the economy / budget middle road sector ..
. cheaper to buy in than create own ... " - Confirmed.

Alan T.
Alan's Hobby, Model & RC FAQ Web Links