The initiative made by PM "Be Vocal about Local".

Most of the RC Shops do import items from China. Question is how hard will our Hobby get affected as it will be very difficult to import from Chinese in the coming days.

In my humble opinion, the time of quality has come instead of lighter on the pocket days. People may turn towards apm (original) instead of an sp racing board or use emax/KDE motors instead of sunnysky or race star. Anyway Chinese products were/are a help to the economically weaker section of the hobbyists including myself. All we can do is wait and watch.

There are handful of local companies who are manufacturing rc related products here in India, they are manufacturing engine,props,spinners,fuel tank,wheels,control horns etc even rc planes. What happens here is that most of these things that are made in India are built in low volumes so the cost remains high, since they dont usual export they cant minimize the cost by increasing the volume. The way you can support the hobby locally is to try and buy locally from the hobby shops, that would help the shops clear their stocks and invest their money to buy newer items. seeing these the local hobby shops can also ship production here in India.

few examples:
Sharma models jodhpurs have been manufacturing engines for control lines for ages, UMS technologies in Chennai are know for their scale radial engine all around the globe, Then rcbazzar has been manufacturing their Skysure aircraft locally compared to getting them form china. then for brushless motor there was some post here on the forum a year or two years ago regarding a company manufacturing brushless motor here in India for the hobby.

Again there is a tremendous plan needed to setup a manufacturing plant here in India for making hobby related parts!

But where is the market. In trying to get cheap things the hobby has been compromised and now destroyed by the community itself.

It will be worth watching what the US modellers will do as Trump announces ban of trade between US & China.

Although they will make arrangements to get hobby products manufactured in other countries. It is time that Graupner, Great Planes, Dubro

and other old brands startup again.

Definitely required. It will be the need of the hour to shift our focus from cheap items from China and go for Original Items. This forum had lists of RC websites now we will need websites which sell either original items or products from India.

I am aware it seems easy saying above things but will be very difficult to actually do it or follow it.

I entirely support the reasoning behind this

But for our hobby it will be much more difficult than it seems! China is all pervasive. Over the years their quality has improved a lot; not least because USA and Europe are buying from them and have higher quality demands. Plus many manufacturers have either gone out of business or getting their branded products manufactured in China. So many reputed companies not only in USA/Europe but also in the far East have shut shop  eg Thunder Tiger, Taiwan, MK Japan etc.

Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia etc. could emerge as new destinations. Philippines already assembles HiTec radios, Seagull is a Vietnamese brand who market in the USA through SIG, no less!

And India? On simple plastic toys for example, we are not competitive, primarily due to the multitude of taxes, duties, octroi - you name it, plus higher infrastructure costs, freight, power etc.! An importer from China just pays CD + GST once, and that's it. More often than not the Importer underinvoices and further saves

China's advent made the hobby more affordable, and many entered encouraged by this. If you are back to OS Engines, Futaba Radios, AXI motors only, all these people will be forced to exit the hobby. Sadly.

Quote from: sbajare on May 16, 2020, 11:38:47 AM
But where is the market. In trying to get cheap things the hobby has been compromised and now destroyed by the community itself.

It will be worth watching what the US modellers will do as Trump announces ban of trade between US & China.

Although they will make arrangements to get hobby products manufactured in other countries. It is time that Graupner, Great Planes, Dubro

and other old brands startup again.

And since when " Graupner, Great Planes, Dubro" Makers US became "Local" to India ? When these brands were damn costly even for Americans, do you think they will be any cheaper ?

And why this "Quasi Nationalism" , when the stark reality is, from 10 years    ago when we were (actually in 90's we were much more self reliant) mostly importing Hi-tech Equipment like Cellphones etc, today even Plastic Buckets, Children Balloons and Toys and even fire work is being imported !!

Why should the burden of "Swadesi" be on we Hobbyist ( on extreme end a Philately enthusiast wont even continue his hobby, restricted to just Indian Stamps !!!) ?

I sincerely hope the government imposes restrictions on non-critical items from China (yes, that would include toys and hobbies!) But I don't see it happening.

https://www.horizonhobby.com/support-hobby-shops?clickpath=browse-search_sidebarespot2_05132020

Quote from: sbajare on May 17, 2020, 07:48:11 PM
https://www.horizonhobby.com/support-hobby-shops?clickpath=browse-search_sidebarespot2_05132020

Horizon themselves buy/get manufactured from China - a hefty proportion of what they sell. Vocal about Local is about local manufacture!