Hobbico, Inc. was a manufacturer and distributor of hobby products including radio control airplanes, boats, cars, helicopters and multirotors/drones. Other products include plastic model kits, model rockets, model trains, slot cars, crafts, jigsaw puzzles and games. The company had approximately 850 employees worldwide.[1] On January 10, 2018, Hobbico filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and announced the company is for sale. On April 13, Horizon Hobby acquired control of most Hobbico RC brands & IP (excepting Great Planes Manufacturing). Estes Industries acquired the Estes-Cox business unit and a German venture capital group acquired Revell Germany whole and the Revell-Monogram brands, IP & molds.

Its headquarters is located in Champaign, Illinois.

The company distributed over 150 brands of hobby products including about 30 proprietary product brands. Proprietary brands include: Axial, ARRMA, Dromida, Team Durango, dBoots, Revell, Monogram, Top Flite, Great Planes, AquaCraft Models, FlightPower, Heli-Max, SuperTigre, O'Donnell Fuel, Duratrax, RealFlight, MonoKote, Carl Goldberg Products, ElectriFly, Coverite, Dynaflite, Flyzone, MuchMore Racing, LiFeSource, Tactic, VS Tank, Estes Industries, Proto-X, TrakPower and others. It was the exclusive distributor for Futaba radio control products in North and South America, for O.S. Engines in North America and HPI Racing, Italeri, Novak Electronics and Nine Eagles in North and South America.

Company history

References

  1. ^ "Hobbico website". Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  2. ^ "Hobbico's Employee Stock Ownership Plan Purchases Distributor" Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette - November 2005
  3. ^ "Hobbico Purchases Revell-Monogram" Champaign-Urbana News Gazette - May 2007
  4. ^ "Hobbico acquires model rocket maker Estes-Cox" Archived January 25, 2010, at the Wayback Machine Champaign-Urbana News Gazette - January 2010
  5. ^ "Thunder Tiger appoints Hobbico/Great Planes as exclusive distributor for the Americas" Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine Fly RC - September 2010
  6. ^ News-Gazette, The (February 16, 2012). "Hobbico acquisition of German unit marks expansion into Europe". The News-Gazette. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  7. ^ "Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette". January 11, 2018. Retrieved January 12, 2018.
  8. ^ Zigterman, Ben (June 30, 2018). "Hobbico files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, beginning liquidation process". The News-Gazette. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  9. ^ "Hobbico files for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, beginning liquidation process". Retrieved July 4, 2018.