Horizon Hobby

Horizon Hobby, LLC. is an American international hobby product distributor, headquartered in Champaign, Illinois, United States.[1] It currently manufactures various hobby-grade radio-controlled (RC) models, as well as Athearn model trains and die-cast models, which it sells direct to consumers as well as to hobby retailers.[2]

The Horizon Hobby logo

History

In October 1985, Horizon Hobby was founded by Rick Stephens, an American entrepreneur.[3]

In 1992, Hobby Dynamics merged with Horizon Hobby which led the company to direct-to-consumer sales.[4]

On December 9, 2013, Horizon announced that the company was being bought by a group of investors led by Horizon's CEO, Joe Ambrose. The group includes Minneapolis-based Mill City Capital L.P. and Champaign-based Armory Capital LLC founded by Jacob Ambrose.[5]

Horizon Hobby entered an agreement to purchase its competitor, Hobbico, in April 2018.[6]

Before being purchased by Horizon Hobby, the Losi remote-controlled car division had been a separate company founded by Gil Losi with the release of the JRX2 in 1988.[7]

In November of 2021, Horizon Hobby announced the acquisition of Realflight RC Flight Simulator from Knife Edge Software.[8]

Losi - RC Cars

Team Losi Racing, often referred to as TLR, has been designing radio-controlled cars and accessories for 40 years primarily as high end competition products. The brand dates back to the early 1980s with roots in Southern California. In 2000, Losi become part of the Horizon Hobby family. The company was founded by Gil Losi Snr and Gil Losi Jr. who won the first IFMAR 1:10 Electric Off-Road World Championships held in 1985. The car he raced was a highly modified Yokomo - YZ-834B.

History of Losi

Team Losi's first vehicle, the JRX2,[9] was a 1/10 Scale 2wd Off-Road racing buggy. Released to the public in 1988, the JRx-2 featured 5-link rear suspension arms, carbon-graphite chassis, and all-natural rubber racing tires. The JRx-T was the first "purpose built" electric stadium trucks that did not require racers to modify an existing buggy. The JRx-Pro SE was the first competition buggy to come standard with a molded composite chassis in an era where stamped aluminum and graphite plates were the standard. The Street Weapon was not only Team Losi's first on-road Sedan, but also the first IFMAR IWC Touring Car Championship Chassis. Team Losi early success in the 1/10-scale offroad electric category winning multiple world championship.[10]

In the late 1990s, Ernie Provetti's company (Trinity) bought a 50% stake in Losi. Most if not all Losi Factory Drivers were using Trinity motors or batteries at the time. However, the partnership lasted only a few months before the two companies split. Gil Losi Sr. of Team Losi sold the Team Losi brand to Horizon Hobby in 2001. Losi continues to operate in Southern California alongside Horizon Hobby.

Other, unusual items produced or endorsed by Losi include the PlayStation video game Team Losi RC Racing and a Team Losi line of high-performance yo-yos designed by Steve Brown. These were the 'Cherry Bomb', 'Da Bomb' and the 'Grim Sleeper', both using Losi race-specification ball bearings.

In March 2007, Gil Losi, Jr., co-founder of Losi, left Losi for Kyosho America.

World Championship Titles
Year Class Driver Car Host Club Venue Location Surface Source Report
1997 2WD 1:10 Elec Offroad Buggy United States Brian Kinwald Losi XX-CR Ranch Pit Shop Ranch Pit Shop Pomona, California  United States Dirt [11] Report
1999 4WD 1:10 Elec Offroad Buggy Finland Jukka Steenari Losi XX-4 Rauman Urheiluautoilijat Uimahalli Rauma  Finland [12] Report
2002 2WD 1:10 Elec Offroad Buggy United States Matt Francis Losi XXX Tshwane Raceway And Promotions Skilpad Tortoise Hall Pretoria  South Africa Dirt [nb 1][13] Report
2002 4WD 1:10 Elec Offroad Buggy Finland Jukka Steenari Losi XX-4 Tshwane Raceway And Promotions Skilpad Tortoise Hall Pretoria  South Africa [nb 1][14] Report
2003 4WD 1:10 Elec Offroad Buggy United States Ryan Cavalieri Losi Minnreg RC Car Club Minnreg RC Speedway Largo, Florida  United States [15] Report

Team Losi Racing Line-Up

This includes current ONLY TLR vehicles.

  • Electric Buggies, Trucks, and Truggies
    • 1/8 8IGHT-XE 2.0 4WD
    • 1/8 8IGHT-XT/XET Truggy (Also comes w/ nitro configuration)
    • 1/10 22X-4 Buggy
    • 1/10 22 5.0 DC Elite
    • 1/10 22 5.0 DC Race Roller
    • 1/10 22 5.0 AC Astro/Carpet
    • 1/10 22T 4.0 2WD
    • 1/10 22SCT 3.0 2WD
    • 1/10 TEN-SCTE 3.0
  • Nitro Buggies and Truggies
    • 1/8 8IGHT-X 2.0
    • 1/8 8IGHT-XT/XTE Truggy (Also comes w/ electric configuration)

Notes
  1. Because of the September 11 attacks which occurred prior to the championships, the event was delayed until 2002.

References
  1. http://www.news-gazette.com/news/print/2005/10/22/product_to_make_aircraft_unique
  2. "L&S sold to Horizon - 7/5/2007 11:52:00 AM - Playthings". Archived from the original on 2007-06-19. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  3. P., William (January 1, 2019). "The Rise of Horizon Hobby". Model Airplane News (January 2019): 10. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  4. "Horizon Hobby | Our History". Horizon Hobby. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  5. "Horizon Hobby being sold to investors". News-Gazette.com. Retrieved 2015-11-04.
  6. Zigterman, Ben. "Bankruptcy judge OKs Horizon's purchase of Hobbico's RC business". The News-Gazette. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
  7. "Vintage Losi". Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  8. T., Jim (November 4, 2021). "Horizon Hobby Acquires RealFlight Flight Simulator". RCGroups.com. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  9. Losi 40th - Chapter One - Team Losi and the Ranch Pit Shop. 2020-05-09.
  10. "History".
  11. Howell, John (December 1997). "1997 IFMAR Off-Road Worlds". Radio Control Car Action. Air Age Media.
  12. "IFMAR Off-Road Worlds" (PDF). R/C Car. November 1999. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-02-05.
  13. Lionel Troyon / adaptaweb. "RC Infos ¦ Site informatif sur le modélisme". rcinfos.com. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  14. Lionel Troyon / adaptaweb. "RC Infos ¦ Site informatif sur le modélisme". rcinfos.com. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
  15. Lionel Troyon / adaptaweb. "RC Infos ¦ Site informatif sur le modélisme". rcinfos.com. Retrieved 26 November 2015.
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