Everyone's heart is very heavy here at RCG this week. One of our Ezone reviewers and good friend, Tim Tworek, aka sun.flyer, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday.

Tim wasn't just a great pilot and a full-on RC nut, he was very sincerely one of the most wonderful people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. He was absolutely devoted to his family as well as his church community. He was very active in his RC club and throughout the RC world, including here on RCGroups both as a member and as one of our product reviewers.

That's what Tim did that we can see on the surface. But none of that can ever fully describe the goodness of his heart, his natural kindness, the way he easily extended himself to so many in his life, and the love and respect that all had for him because of these qualities. Those are the things that are much too big for this one small post to contain.

Tim's funeral is tomorrow, so as you go about your day, maybe send a thought or a prayer to his family as they move through this time. He leaves a wife and two young children behind who will be navigating a new and difficult road without him.

I am including his obituary here with some contact information in case you feel led to reach out to the family.

He was truly one of the good guys, and all of us here will miss his presence very much.

...Continue Reading

RCGroups.com and Multiplex have teamed up to give you a chance at winning a FunJet Ultra!

All you have to do to be entered to win an awesome FunJet Ultra is:
•"Like" RCGroups.com on Facebook.
• "Like" Mutiplex on Facebook.
• Post (just once) in this official contest thread on RCGroups.com

"How do you have fun with your FunJet?"
Tell us by posting to RCGroups.com's Facebook page or Mutiplex's Facebook page ways that you do just that! Send us pictures or post to our wall! You can also tweet it to us on Twitter: @RCGroups using #funjet so we'll be sure to see it. Every day we'll repost and retweet the best posts.

That's it! Easy enough. Like us and win stuff!

Contest Rules: The winner will be chosen at random on October 27, 2010. Winner must live in the continental US and be able to provide registered RCGroups.com member email address. No duplicate entries please.

RCCars.com, Crackroll.com and Hobby Lobby International have teamed up to give you a chance at winning cool stuff!

All you have to do to be entered to win an awesome Gaui Hurricane 200 V2 SX Helicopter is:
•"Like" Crackroll.com on Facebook.
• "Like" Hobby Lobby on Facebook.
• Post (just once) in the Official Crackroll.com contest thread.

To enter to win a Losi Mini-T Turbo:
• "Like" RCCars.com on Facebook
• "Like" Hobby Lobby on Facebook.
• Post (just once) in the official RCCars.com contest thread.

That's it! Easy enough. Like us and win stuff!

Contest Rules: The winners will be chosen at random on September 10, 2010, must live in the continental US and be able to provide registered RCCars.com or Crackroll.com member email address. No duplicate entries please.

RCGroups.com and Hitec/Multiplex USA have teamed up to give you a chance at winning a new Hitec Aurora 9 2.4GHz TX!

All you have to do to be entered to win is become a fan of both RCGroups.com and Hitec on Facebook. That's it! The winner will be chosen at random on August 4, 2010.

"Like" RCGroups.com HERE!

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"Like" Hitec/Multiplex USA HERE!

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Your chance to win an Aurora 9!

We definitely have a contingency of Texans (a bevy? a flock? a pride?) in the RCGroups authors. Flying buddies even. A gang.

Mike Llewellyn, aka pda4u is one of this gang and a fantastic reviewer. I know I can always count on an easy read that's chock full of detail and gushing with love for some warbird or another or some crazy fast jet type thingy.

He's married, he's got kids, he's a Scout Master, and just a solid guy. He prefers Betty to Wilma, MaryAnn to Ginger, but his favorite movie is Monty Python and the Holy Grail so you know you can't entirely predict him (even if he is originally from Idaho).

His fellow RCGroups authors are the interviewers here.

How long you been into RC? 29 years. Started at 14yrs old after Control Line and Rockets. Self taught with GREAT difficulty!

Married? Kids? Yes and yes - 4 kids - Brandon goes to college in 4 days! Blake/15 started to get into RC again (thank heavens one of them likes it) Kevin/11 and Megan/9 (the little princess)!

Occupation? Marketing - after 19 years in Sales for the Sabre Group (computer reservations system for travel agencies/airlines/hotels/cruise/cars etc). They had no idea what a pain in the rear a customer advocate would be!

Other Hobbies? Used to be photography but now is working with the Boy Scouts. I guess that is a hobby although a LOT of work.

Fastest car or motorcycle you ever owned? Motorcycle - v65 Magna in college. My now wife then girlfriend loved it, until she started her work...Continue Reading

After this week, I officially put Albert Wahrhaftig on my list of Most Interesting People Ever Who Aren't Celebrities, Mythological Figures, Or Icons Of One Variety Or Another. I may even put him on my list of People I Would Like To Have Cook For Me, and the very short list of People I Envy For Being Able To Play The Clarinet. Now, he will definitely be on my longer list of People Who Are Much Smarter Than Me But Who Would Probably Still Cook For Me And Maybe Play The Clarinet If I Asked Nicely. He just seems the type.

Albert is just the coolest guy. As I put this together, I found myself reading every entry to my husband. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did and add him to your own favorite list (as I'm sure you all have) of Cultural Anthropologists Who Also Enjoy American Idol.

His fellows RCGroups authors are the interviewers here.

iphone: hi-tech piece of technology or really expensive piece of plastic? Couldn't care less. To tell the truth, i wish cell phones had never been invented.

What is the one RC related thing you have wanted for the longest time? If someone would just produce a Mac flight simulator, I probably wouldn't get out of this chair for weeks at a time.

What is your dream job? Job schmob! I'm retired and loving it. And working on more things than I ever did when i was 'working".

What plane or type of plane would you most like to be assigned for review? I reviewed a Ripmax Spitfire, and I think it is the best behaved and most real...Continue Reading

I immediately nicknamed Jon Barnes (aka BARNESJONR) "Jon Barnes Jovi," because it just so OBVIOUS that this is what he should have been called since high school. How did everyone miss out on that nickname? and I guess he likes it OK, because he doesn't (publicly) complain too loudly. I picture Jon as the Peter GIbbons character from Office Space for reasons still not clear to me. Maybe he also is a bucker of the corporate system? A hater of flair? If we had RCGroups Author Superlatives, Jon would be voted "Friendliest" without a doubt. Maybe even "Camper of the Week" if we had RCGroups Summer Camp.

Jon and his wife run an RC friendly B&B in Marin County, CA called the Red Star Inn which sounds like heaven on earth. He has a 3 year old, a motorcycle, a big love of all things RC and is brave enough to openly admit an admiration for Neil Diamond.

Visit Jon's blog to see a list of his reviews here on RCGroups, and as of today Jon has an article in the current issue of Quiet Flyer (go to page 14-15)!

The RCGroups authors are the interviewers here.

What was your first vehicle? What vehicle do you currently drive? First: 1971 Chevy Nova (4 tired variant) - Ancient 50CC Honda Motorcycle (2 tired variant). Current: 2003 Nissan Murano (Was my recently deceased Dad's) and as of yesterday at 5 PM, a 1993 Honda CBR600 F2.

Ever tried Sushi?Yes and I love it!!! But ONLY if I have had enough to drink!

Who is your all time favorite...Continue Reading

Ronnie Pope aka dawnron1 is one of the nicest people on the planet. He lives in Texas (near Fort Worth) and so I already have a soft spot for him.

He's the guy at Verizon who routes your DSL repair calls but who would love to be an actor (he played "Man with Limp" in his drama teacher sister's version of Arsenic and Old Lace). He's a lifelong Dallas Cowboys fan, a golf fiend and movie buff. He's married with a stepdaughter and a 3 year old grandkiddo and when he's not flying, he does things like bike and dance (hopefully not at the same time though I tried to get him to send me a video of the dancing with no luck).

Ronnie is a spectacular amateur photographer who is starting a to get a few published photos, including some covers, in some RC magazines! Visit his blog to see a list of Ronnie's reviews here on RCG and some of his fantastic photographs!

His fellow RCGroups authors are the interviewers here.

Do you have a favorite type or style of plane that you like to fly? I'd say sport planes are my favorite, followed by slow flyers (my buddy pda4you recently gave me a beautiful Herr Mini Sport that he'd built, AUW is around 12oz and it slows to a crawl, I love it!).

What was your first RC plane? My very first plane was an Aerobird Challenger RTF. Flew it twice, er, sort of (landed in a mesquite tree 10 feet up), sold it and bought a Slow Stick.

What is your favorite RC airplane ever? Man, that's tough. I guess I'd say the Multiplex Acro Master (...Continue Reading

I know I've said it before, but I am so very proud of our authors. When I stepped into this position I had no idea who I would be dealing with, and they all have been nothing but fun and fantastic to work with.

I'll be blogging profiles of these awesome guys over the next few weeks so you can get to know them too. In fact, their fellow authors are the interviewers here, asking the questions of the featured reviewer.

Jeff Williams aka Tram here on RCGroups is a most interesting cat. He's admittedly happily married, makes his living as a pilot and is a Southern boy living in Alabama. Get him talking, and all sorts of interesting things come out! (And yes, I forgive you Jeff for being too young for Springsteen).

What do you do for non-RC related fun where you live? I like to kayak, play the occasional golf game, go off-roading, camp. Most of the typical "southern boy" outdoorsy stuff..

The food you can't live without is: Typical Southern BBQ meal.. Pulled pork, baked beans, potato salad, corn on the cob, sweet tea. If I were on death row, this would be my "last meal."

What planes do you fly in real life? Currently on the CRJ-200. My father and I own an RV-6 and a Cessna 172..

What kind of car do you drive? 2000 Pontiac Trans Am. Lightly modified.

What is your current favorite RC vehicle? Oh wow. Good question. Currently, I am having a blast with my HyperFlea, but EDFs are my main focus.

How many planes do you currently have flying? 9....Continue Reading

There's something about a car, especially a really fast car, that reminds me of something.... high school? That guy from high school? Monster truck night at the municipal auditorium? All of the above plus a little bit of dirt and oil. Exciting stuff.

Recently, RC cars just keep racing to get my attention. I started throwing some car possibilities out to the RCG authors and the excited answer was "We review cars? All right!" And so, yep, we review cars.

Coming soon on RCG, we've got a review of Futaba's 3VCS 2.4 GHz Surface Radio System paired with DuraTraxx Raze St 1/8 Scale 4WD Nitro RTR Stadium Truck. But if you need to see some car action, heat (yes, you can actually see the Mississippi heat in the video) and an RCG reviewer eat some dust, visit Ray Thomas and his review of the Tower Hobbies Nitro TOWER Terror MT .25 RTR . Guaranteed to make you want to go get a monster truck, maybe even a glow powered one, and drive the you-know-what out of it.

Finally, if you need to see more more more cars, our own RCG author Get Real changed his nightowlish ways for a day and spent some time at the Byron On-Road Nitro Challenge. Lots of pictures and race video!

Starting next week, we'll have some profiles of the fellas who bring you the reviews here on RCG. Meanwhile, let me know if there's anything you'd like to see covered on E Zone/RC Power/Lift Zone!

Your Editress In Chief,
Angela

I have to say that I am so very outstandingly PROUD of the group of authors that we have here at RCGroups.com. Good pilots, builders, writers and all around nice fellas. They've been nothing but kind (and haven't even hazed me at all... mostly ) to the new girl on the block.

Prejudiced I am, I'll admit, as I think all of them are great, but a couple of reviews of note if you haven't had a chance to get around to the ezone this week:

First, Mike Heer's excellent review of Hobby Lobby's FlyCamOne. As I told Mike, he looks like he's having a leeeetle too much fun with those tanks.

And from another Mike in another state, the Great Planes 71" Seawind ARF e-conversion. Don't we all wish we had a big ol' plane to play with on our own personal backyard lake?

Coming soon that I'm looking forward to: Hobbico Infrared 1/24th scale Tiger I & Leopard 2 A5 VS Tank (there's Mike and those tanks again), lots of good things from GWS, the Multiplex Cularis Electric ARF Sailplane, the Hangar 9 Sundowner Formula 1 Racer, a couple from Fliton, a couple from Extreme Flight, boats, cars - all kinds of fun stuff.

If you have anything that you would like to see reviewed on RCGroups, send me a note! Let me know what interests you.

e Zone/RC Power/Lift Zone Editress in Chief

Angela