R/Cast

Many of you have probably noticed that there have been some pretty major changes to HorizonHobby.com and HorizonHobbyTrains.com. From enhanced search features, refined field and track locator, eGift Certificates, international shipping and more, there's a whole lot going on behind the scenes. Jeff Pittelkow is one of our leads on the re-launch of HorizonHobby.com and HorizonHobbyTrains.com and sits down with us to discuss many of the changes going on with the new website. We even discuss how you can win a $1000 shopping spree. Check it out!

One of the biggest announcements out of iHobby was the new AS3X system. Mike McConville was one of the key people behind the scenes that helped bring this amazing technology to life and joins us on this week's show. John and Gary spoke with Mike about the development process, if it would be possible to retrofit other aircraft with AS3X systems, John's first experience with the Ultra Micro Gee Bee R2 and more. The boys also discussed Gary's recent headaches, including an up-close and personal meeting between his Ultra Micro Stryker 180 and a tree in a local park. Make sure you check it out!

iHobby is here once again and John and Gary are here to walk you through all the exciting announcements and products. Before heading north to Rosemont to film their 2011 iHobby coverage videos, the boys sat down to discuss the hot new gear you'll want to get your hands on in the coming months. From the new Blade mSR X and 450 X for heli fans, to AS3X technology that will be found in the new UMX Beast, UMX HyperTaxi and UMX Gee Bee, to the ECX Smash 1/18-scale monster truck and more, there's a lot of new gear coming out at iHobby.

Last week ECX announced the Torment, a new short course truck, as well as a new look to the brand, transitioning from Electrix RC to ECX. This week ECX's Lee Morrison is in-studio to talk about the new branding, the new truck and a whole lot more. We also recap John and Gary's recent travels and endeavors, discuss the new Christen Eagle II from Hangar 9 and talk about some unauthorized leaked footage. To top it off, Gary shares with you what "Beast Mode" is all about.

It has been quite some time since we've gotten a new model from Hangar 9, but the wait is finally over. Mike McConville has lent his name and talents to another fine airplane from Hangar 9, this one being the sharp-looking Katana 50. Featuring lightweight balsa and ply construction, a 2-piece plug-in wing and stab, Carbon wing and horizontal stab tubes and an amazing power-to-weight ratio, the Katana 50 is specifically designed for aggressive 3D flight. You'll want to listen to the entire show this week as Gary also provides an update on last week's Central Illinois Honor Flight fundraiser.

Both John and Gary have been out and about for the past few weeks, leaving the studio behind and hanging out with you at a variety of events. They're back now after surviving airports, layovers, rain, wind and even Hurricane Irene. Listen in as they sit down with David Payne from E-flite this week to discuss his latest project, the E-flite Phantom F-4 32DF. David has an absolute passion for ducted jets and it shows in all of his projects. The guys quiz David to find out what special tweaks and features he has integrated into this version of the "Rhino".

We've had Quique Somenzini on the R/Cast quite a few times in the recent months. From the F-27Q Stryker to the recent F27Q Stryker 180, he's been quite busy with flying wings. Now he's back again, but instead of refining an existing platform, he's come up with a new plane from the ground up. Taking what he's learned from the Stryker project, Quique has come up with a new thrust vectoring plane called the Scimitar?. While Gary is busy out in SoCal, John sat down with Quique to learn all about this awesome new bird.

Team Losi Racing completely changed the landscape of 1/10-scale electric off-road racing with the debut of the 22 2WD Buggy. Fast-forward Team Losi Racing is at it once again, this time bringing 22-style tech to the 1/10-scale Stadium Truck class with the new 22T. The 22T represents a number of changes and refinements to TLR stadium trucks. Of course, you get the rear and mid-motor configuration options which debuted on the 22, but there's more here to help raise the performance to the next level. We are joined by TLR's Todd Hodge to pick his brain on this latest stadium truck from TLR. If you're into stadium trucks, this is one rig you'll definitely want to check out.

The Stryker family of airplanes have always been among the most popular to ever come out of ParkZone. Quique Somenzini has brought many new changes and innovations to the platform with the debut of the F-27Q Stryker, and now he's at it again, this time scaling down his efforts into a totally different Stryker. The Ultra Micro Series F-27Q Stryker 180 brings Stryker performance to the smaller Ultra Micro world. Quique brought one of these new planes into the studio for John and Gary to drool over. You'll definitely want to check this one out.

We've had many special guests on the R/Cast over the years. We've been joined by some of the top drivers in the world and by some of the top people who help bring exciting products to life. This week we have both. Joining us this week on the R/Cast is one of the most magical guests we've ever had. So much so that he's earned the nickname Magic. He's gone from winning ROAR, IFMAR and Procar championships to a leader of businesses in RC. We're talking, of course, about the President of Team AKA Products, the one and only Joel "Magic" Johnson. Joel called in to discuss his storied career, some of his biggest races, coming up as a young driver, and now being a leader in the RC industry.

One of the most popular ParkZone planes of all-time was the original ParkZone Spitfire. Not only did it look sharp, but it flew incredibly well. Since that time, ParkZone has released a number of other planes out on the market. The T-28, the Wildcat, even an update to the P-51 while the Spitfire went discontinued. Fans of the Spitfire have been quite vocal in their requests for a new version of their favorite warbird, and their wait is finally over. ParkZone has a new Spitfire and it's quite stunning. Matt Andren has been a key developer behind the scenes to bring the Spitfire back to life and joins us this week to discuss the new Mk IX Spitfire.

Short course trucks and buggies are still one of the hottest segments of the hobby for a lot of good reasons. Back in 2009 we headed to the inaugural Short Course Nationals at RC Madness in Connecticut and had a great time. We're heading back there this year and are really looking forward to it. Along with his responsibilities at RC Driver Magazine Dean Berry has helped coordinate the Short Course Nationals each of the last 3 years. Dean joins us on this week's episode of the R/Cast to discuss changes to this year's race, including the addition of the new short course buggy class.

One of the best things about what we do here at the R/Cast is that we get to meet some of the coolest people anywhere. One such person is Eric Jordon or, as you may know him better as, JoeHandsome99. He's the man behind Around TuIt RC on YouTube and is absolutely passionate about all-things RC. Eric and his good friend Chris Pratt decided to visit with John and Gary on his annual cross country tour. Eric and Chris came by for a tour and to spend some flying time out at Eli field, but he was also gracious enough to visit with us on this week's R/Cast.

E-flite has a powerful 1-2 punch on this week's show. A week after ParkZone dropped a huge bombshell with their new biplane, E-flite is here to join the fun with a new Beechcraft Staggerwing. This 480-sized airplane will be coming as an ARF and the design team has incorporated a ton of great features including Z-foam construction, detailed cockpit, functioning flaps, optional retracts and a lot more. Secondly, since we teased the Super Cub 25e on last week's show, this week we'll dive even deeper into this latest entry into the Super Cub family. Ryan Smith had a hand in bringing both of these birds to reality and he joins us this week to talk about both.

ParkZone has a great history of making some of the best flying and most accurate scale warbirds out there. While WWII warbirds have garnered all of the attention up to this point, things are about to change with the ParkZone SE5a WWI bi-plane. This plane has all the features that ParkZone planes have become so well-known for, but in a totally different sort of aircraft. Matt Andren visits with us to talk about this new direction for ParkZone and what the SE5a truly represents.