R/C Sources

Local Hobby Shops

There are currently no R/C hobby shops in Waterloo or Cedar Falls.

McCumber's R/C Hobby House in Waverly, IA carries R/C cars, helicopters and drones. Check their web-page or phone 319-352-1867 for hours as they have limited hours of operation.

A biggest selection of R/C equipment in Iowa is at Hobby Haven in Des Moines, IA - Phone 800-697-1213 to order - one day delivery to Cedar Falls - Hobby Haven is a full-service hobby store that carries Horizon Hobby, E-flite, SIG and several other product lines.

HobbyTown USA in Cedar Rapids, IA is a full-service hobby store with R/C aircraft, craft & hobby supplies, puzzles and games. You can check store inventory online. There's also a HobbyTown located in Ankeny, IA.

SIG Manufacturing based in Montezuma, IA makes and distribute R/C aircraft kits & ARFs, fuel, bulk balsa and R/C accessories. Sig products can be purchased online or from a SIG retailer. You can also purchase items at the factory in Montezuma and save shipping costs.

Online Stores

These full service online stores carry a wide range of R/C products.

AirBorne Models - Livermore, CA - US distributor for The World Models - Hong Kong
Banggood - Hong Kong & Ontario, CA - Chinese Drones & Electronics
Esprit Tech Models - Melbourne, FL
Gator RC - Algonquin, IL
Graves RC - Orlando, FL
HobbyKing - Hong Kong & Portland, OR - products from China
Horizon Hobby - Champaign, IL & Ontario, CA
Maxx Products - Mpi brand - Lake Zurich, IL
Motion RC - Cary, IL
Radical RC - Dayton, OH
Tower Hobbies - Champaign, IL & Ontario, CA - a division of Horizon Hobby

Note: When ordering from Banggood or HobbyKing, you can specify warehouse location. When ordering from overseas, your order can take anywhere from one week to several weeks due to shipping times and US Customs clearance. Ordering from a US location has normal shipping times of one week or less.

R/C Aircraft

Note: ARF = Almost Ready to Fly - EDF = Electric Ducted Fan Jet

AirBorne Models - US distributor for The World Models - Livermore, CA. Note: The World Models can be purchased at HobbyTown USA or Hobby Haven in Des Moines.
Chief Aircraft - Aircraft & Accessories - Grants Pass, OR and Deland, FL
Extreme Flight - includes 3D Hobby Shop - Cumming, GA
Fan Jets USA - EDF Jets - Granger, IN
Flex Innovations - Aircraft & Accessories - Venice, FL
Gator RC - Seagull, TopRCModel & VQ Warbirds - Algonquin, IL
Horizon Hobby - Aircraft brands include E-flite, FMS, Hangar 9, HobbyZone, Top Flite, Blade and Park Zone - also available from Tower Hobbies - Champaign, IL & Ontario, CA
Motion RC - RC Foam Aircraft including EDF Jets - Cary, IL
Northwest RC - Extreme Flight partner for West Coast - Puyallup, WA
SIG Manufacturing - ARFs & Kits - Fuel - Bulk Balsa - Montezuma, IA
Tower Hobbies - Champaign, IL & Ontario, CA - a division of Horizon Hobby
Twisted Hobbys - RC Foam Aircraft & Accessories - near Port Charlotte, FL
Legend Hobby - VQ and Seagull Aircraft & Accessories - Bryan, TX
West Michigan Park Flyers - RC Foam Models - near Grand Rapids, MI
ZigiRC - online US retailer for Phoenix Models - Oklahoma City, OK

Engines, Parts & Fuel Systems

Engines & parts

DA Engines - Desert Aircraft gas engines for giant scale aircraft - Tucson, AZ
Horizon Hobby - DLE, Saito and OS engines - Champaign, IL & Ontario, CA
Mike Goes Flying - SH engines, Magnum parts - Victorville, CA
Model Engine Company of America - MECOA - Engines & Parts for many brands including K&B, Fox and Cox 049 - Irwinedale, CA
RCEXL - R/C gas engine accessories - ignition systems, spark plugs, Opto kill switches - Jinhua City, China - RCEXL does not sell direct - sold by several retailers in the US.
Tower Hobbies - DLE, OS and Saito engines - a division of Horizon Hobby - Champaign, IL & Ontario, CA
Zenoah by Husqvarna Zenoah Co. Ltd - Saitama, Japan - gas engines for giant scale - sold by several retailers in the US.

Bearings

BOCA Bearings - Boynton Beach, FL
RC Bearings - Castle Rock, CO
Avid Racing Concepts - Denver, CO

Fuel & Smoke Pumps

Mpi Fuel Pump - Manual & Electric
Ohio Superstar - Dave Brown "Six Shooter" manual fuel pumps
Slimline Products - Manual & Electric Fuel Pumps - Fuel System Accessories
Sullivan SmokeWriter Smoke Pump - Pumps and Buna-N Nitrile tubing for smoke fluid
RCEXL - Smoke Pumps - RCEXL is in Jinhua City, China and does not sell direct. Search the Internet for "RCEXL Smoke Pump" to find a US retailer.

Fuel Tanks

Model Engine Company of America - MECOA - Hayes Fuel Tanks & Engine Mounts
Home N Hobby - Pre-plumbed Transparent Fuel Tanks & other products made in China but shipped from Florida

Fuel Dots - used to plug the fuel fill line on the airplane

DU-BRO - Wauconda, IL
Horizon Hobby - Great Planes & Hangar 9 brands
Also available on Amazon.com and eBay.com

2-Cycle Oil - mix into gas for gasoline engines

AMSOIL Dominator Synthetic 2-Stroke Racing Oil - available in Cedar Falls at Blaine's Farm & Fleet and DR PowerSports
Klotz R/C Modelube Gasburner
Red Line Two-Stroke Racing Oil - available at O'Reily Auto Parts

Stripped Glow Plug & Engine Repair - Lee Custom Engines

no web site or email - see ad in "MA Marketplace" in Model Aviation magazine

Lee Custom Engines

10112 Woodward Ave.

Sunland, CA 91040

Phone: 818-352-3766

R/C Electronics, radios & servos

Battery Chargers

Revolectrix - formerly FMA Direct - Frederick, MD

Batteries

Batteries America - All battery types and adapters - Sauk City, WI

Buddy RC - LiPo batteries - Glacier, Gens ace and Tattu Brand - Columbus, OH

Electro-Dynamics - A123 battery packs and accessories - Livonia, MI

ProModeler - All battery types and adapters - Sanford, FL

Radical RC - A123 single cells & battery packs - Dayton, OH

Taildragger RC - A123 battery packs - Park City, KY

Electronics

Tech-Aero-Design - Ignition Battery Eliminator for gas engines

Radios - Transmitters & Receivers

Spektrum

Futaba

Hitec RCD - includes MultiPlex

FrSky - Taranis brand

Cal Orr - conversion & repair of antique Kraft radios

Servos - There are many online stores selling servos

ProModeler - Servos, Motors and Electrical Components (Sanford, FL)

Servo City - Hitec & Futaba and servo extensions

Sound Systems

Model Sounds Inc - Engine and Gun sounds

Wiring & Switches

Booma RC - Mechanical & Smart Switches

Electro-Dynamics - Ultra-Switch, Wiring, A-123 Batteries & Lighting Systems

Hanson Hobbies - DIY Wiring & Connectors

Maxx Products International - Mpi - Wiring Extensions, Y-harness, Switches, Voltage Regulators and more

R/C Hardware

Bomb Release - RC bombs, not real bombs!

Adam Bomb - by Dymond USA - similar to the original Vortac bombs - Monroe, NC

Aero Accessories Bomb Release - bomb not included - Port Saint Lucie, FL

E-flite Servoless Bomb Release - bomb not included - Champaign, IL & Ontario, CA

Cowls & Wheel Pants

Fiberglass Specialties - parts for kits & plans - Garfield, AR

Fasteners

RTL Fasteners - owned by an RC pilot

Micro Fasteners

K&J Magnetics - Neodymium rare earth magnets

Hardware

Du-Bro - a wide range of RC products

Sullivan Products - Electric Starters, Fuel Tanks, Push Rods and more

Robart - Fuel Systems, Control Horns and Wheels

Pilot Figures

Aces of Iron - 1/8 to 1/3 unpainted Scale Pilot Figures

Best Pilots - will custom make a pilot figure that looks like you!

Slimline Xtreme Pilots - painted 1/6 or 1/7 scale

Warbird Pilots - 1/6 to 1/3 scale -- options for servo controlled head

Williams Brothers - Unpainted Pilot Figures, Dummy Engines & Machine Guns

Retractable Landing Gear

Robart - Air and Electric Retracts

Schulman Aviation - Electric

Scale Parts

ScaleRcParts.com - 3D printed decorative parts for scale aircraft

Spinners

Tru-Turn - Aluminum Spinners, Prop Nuts & Hubs and Adapters
Vortec Spinners - Dave Brown Products -

Wheels, Floats & Snow Skies

Ohio Superstar - Tail-wheel Assemblies & Tires
Robart - Wheels and Struts
Seaplane Supply - CNC cut foam floats
Nitro Planes - foam and fiberglass floats
Maiden Model Products - aluminum snow skies - Wayzata, MN

R/C Building Supplies

Adhesives & Sealants

Bob Smith Industries - CA & Epoxy glues - Atascadero, CA

Foam-Tac - flexible foam adhesive by Beacon Adhesives - Mount Vernon, NY

UHU por - flexible foam adhesive - Baden, Germany (can be purchased on Amazon or eBay)

ZAP by Pacer Technology - CA & Epoxy glues - Ontario, CA

422C - Silicone Conformal Coating by MG Chemicals - Ontario, Canada (protect ESCs and receivers from moisture) - available on Amazon

Caddy & Tool Racks, Magnetic Latches, Ammo Box Racks

Retro RC

Carbon Fiber & Foam

The Composites Store

ACP Composites

RC Foam - Foam & Carbon Fiber

Covering Material

Coverite - sold by Tower Hobbies - Champaign, IL & Ontario, CA

Flite-Metal - 0.0018 inch thick self-adhesive aluminum for replicating a full size aircraft finish

Horizon Hobby - Brands include Top Flite MonoKote and Hangar 9 UltraCote - Champaign, IL & Ontario, CA

Oratex - the same stuff that's used on full-size aircraft

SolarFilm - Solartex, Solarfilm, Solarkote, Solarspan - located in the UK, but available from a few retailers in the USA

Fasteners

RTL Fasteners - owned by an RC pilot

Micro Fasteners

K&J Magnetics - Neodymium rare earth magnets

Graphics

Callie Graphics - custom graphics for R/C models

B&E Graphix - stock and custom vinyl graphics

Plastics

High Tech Plastics