K&B Manufacturing Promotional Video of their Downey, California Model Engine Factory 1980s

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  • Опубліковано 23 вер 2024
  • Never released video of K&B Mfg with a few narration mistakes. CNC lathe refereed to as mill a couple time, Nylon referred to as plastic for our bearing retainers, etc. K&B moved from Downey, California to Lake Havasu in 1990.
    Mr Bennett, owner of Circus Circus Enterprises, purchased K&B Manufacturing in the early 1980's when Leisure Dynamics went bankrupt. He was a silent owner and John Brodbeck Sr, the "B" of K&B, retained control of the operations.
    Randy Linsalato of MECOA bought K&B in it's entirety from William Bennett in 1999 and moved it back to Southern California.

КОМЕНТАРІ • 59

  • @storminnorman1932
    @storminnorman1932 6 місяців тому +17

    What a time that was....ahh to be young. Thanks for the vid !

  • @humbertomonteiro6742
    @humbertomonteiro6742 6 місяців тому +14

    Beautiful, and made in América ...

  • @kellyodom9596
    @kellyodom9596 6 місяців тому +16

    I have a K&B 40 that was hand fitted for competition at the factory with handwritten break in notes, I’ve never had the heart to run it.

    • @generessler6282
      @generessler6282 6 місяців тому +1

      Hah! I flew two K&B .40's over a period of about 3 years. Wonderful engines.

    • @kellyodom9596
      @kellyodom9596 6 місяців тому

      @@generessler6282 They do scream!

    • @ironbomb6753
      @ironbomb6753 6 місяців тому

      It was made to run. The guys that assembled it would be sad. Run it with care and love. And castor. ❤

  • @francoisrivard893
    @francoisrivard893 6 місяців тому +9

    My first R/C engine was a K&B 40 with the Perry carb with the exhaust baffle controlled by the throttle. It was easy starting and a smooth runner.

  • @stevennagley3407
    @stevennagley3407 2 місяці тому

    These women assembling these engines! 😊 awesome work!

  • @mariebaxter473
    @mariebaxter473 4 місяці тому

    What a great video, the era of the high speed plastic bearing cage , and young ladies shy at the thought of a camera in the face.( Never getting back to that , soak it up kids )

  • @UsefulAlien
    @UsefulAlien 6 місяців тому +12

    An American icon, sadly, no more. Like much of the manufacturing industry.....

    • @tempest411
      @tempest411 5 місяців тому

      What do you mean? MECOA is still making them.

  • @5695q
    @5695q 6 місяців тому +8

    I was born and raised in Southern California, most all of the model airplane engine manufacturers were making some engines before WW2, but they all seem to have worked at the aircraft plants or other wartime manufacturing during that time. After the war they developed new engines with the technology learned during the war and over the years some were eliminated or moved on to other things. O&R lasted until the 60's, Fox moved to Arkansas, K&B absorbed the Veco line of engines and lasted until the 2000's. MECOA has bought the rights and hopefully most all the tooling for a great number of engines that are no longer made here and even some that were good engines made overseas, My engines were either Cox, K&B or Enya with a few OS engines thrown in for good measure. If you were a kid growing up in the 60's and 70's you more than likely had a Cox airplane and maybe a Testors or Wen-mac to start with. After school we would gather at an empty lot or school yard and fly, neighbors would often come watch, now I think if you fired up a Cox .049 the cops would be called, you can no longer go to the local park or school yard to fly, and the local empty lot would be posted. I know that model planes kept me out of trouble and led to a career in aviation, wonder where kids are going to find the desire to fly anymore.

    • @bootchop88
      @bootchop88 6 місяців тому +1

      may have somehting to do with kids confused and ashamed of themselves.

    • @TransAm-Jack
      @TransAm-Jack 6 місяців тому +1

      Thanks for posting brought back memories. First plane was a Wen-Mac .049, had room to fly it in the backyard, had a picnic table there. Played carrier pilot, tacking off from the table (easy) and then landing on it (hard). Had lots of fun. Graduated to junior Ringmaster's with K&B green head Torpedo .15s. Still have three of these in the basement mostly wore out low compression. Grew up in the 50s

    • @thomasplaisted3579
      @thomasplaisted3579 6 місяців тому

      😅d a KB15 and ir ran like a top. I have also owned a kb45 and flew Rc with a reliable kb60. I wish that MECOA was still making model engines. I would buy one!

    • @TransAm-Jack
      @TransAm-Jack 6 місяців тому

      @@thomasplaisted3579Those were the good old days

  • @davidg3944
    @davidg3944 6 місяців тому +7

    I'm delighted that you published this priceless (well, at least I think so) video, which does a great job following the manufacture of miniature engines. The "amateur" level of production (video, not engines) makes it even more precious, like finding old pictures made by your long-grown kids. Hope you find more such gems to put on YT!

    • @earlwheelock7844
      @earlwheelock7844 4 місяці тому

      Especially , COX, FOX and HERKIMER ( OK CUB ) and Mcoy!!!!

  • @user_16309
    @user_16309 5 місяців тому +1

    What a treat! My first R/C engine was a K&B .40, thanks for putting this up.

  • @zxggwrt
    @zxggwrt 6 місяців тому +2

    I was really glad to find out about this video. I think the end of K&B had to be their Sportster engines. I had two and ran the heck out of them but in a world where ball bearings cost a dollar or two and plain bearing engines throw oil everywhere, going for the bottom of the price market was a mistake.

  • @billdonohue2389
    @billdonohue2389 6 місяців тому +4

    Ran lots of the K&B 61 with the Perry Carburetor. Once set up they run for ever.

    • @5695q
      @5695q 6 місяців тому

      Just keep the fuel clean and a filter on the air intake.

    • @tempest411
      @tempest411 5 місяців тому

      I'm resurrecting an old one I got off E-Bay right now. I'm not sure what year it was made, but it has a Perry pump carb, and HAD a pump...before I ruined that trying to take it apart. It also has the cast aluminum drive flange with the two flats (double D) on the crankshaft.

  • @jackflash6377
    @jackflash6377 6 місяців тому +6

    First RC airplane. Das Ugly Stick with the K&B .40, home assembled ACE radio system, later upgraded to an Airtronics.

    • @mixmashandtinker3266
      @mixmashandtinker3266 6 місяців тому +3

      My brothers first plane was a Das Ugly Stick 40.
      We hooked a longstroked .62 on it.
      MAN that was a rocket!!

    • @jackflash6377
      @jackflash6377 6 місяців тому

      @@mixmashandtinker3266Sounds like fun!!

    • @leikilipi5070
      @leikilipi5070 5 місяців тому

      Awesome brada, me haved da ugly stick, fox40 , with da Kraft radio control 4 channel... mahalo 😊

  • @saito125
    @saito125 7 місяців тому +4

    I love this video! I still have a Series 91 K&B .65, the type used in foam drones (made by Carls Goldberg) for military anti-aircraft shooting training.

  • @Wilem35
    @Wilem35 5 місяців тому +1

    Everyone's first engine was a K&B .40!

  • @richb4099
    @richb4099 6 місяців тому +2

    I have a KB 45 and it's very strong......Had it on a Nobler line model that would pull me off my feet. I throttled it back a little to make it easier to fly that plane.

  • @BobABooey.
    @BobABooey. 6 місяців тому

    As a kid in the 70's I'd fly .049 line controlled planes that I would build and fly at parks and school yards. We would tie 6' of toilet paper off the tail and do dog fights. I still have a couple of scars on my fingers from the back kicks from the spring start. Good old days.

  • @dougpeterson3356
    @dougpeterson3356 5 місяців тому

    Ah, the good old days. No PPE, not even gloves. The only guy with ear cups looks to be rockin' .

    • @Chuck-se5hh
      @Chuck-se5hh 5 місяців тому

      Hearing protection definitely required, I always use ear plugs when starting my engines and that's why I have no hearing loss after 55 years in the hobby. Foolish to not wear ear plugs around these engines, hearing is so precious.

  • @SomeGuyInSandy
    @SomeGuyInSandy 6 місяців тому +3

    I have my K&B hat on while watching this! Yee-yee!

  • @asproductions6400
    @asproductions6400 2 місяці тому

    8:22 they even got grandma working on the engines💀

  • @DontCallMeGarage
    @DontCallMeGarage 6 місяців тому +3

    i have a .61 R/C and a 3.5CC outboard that are barely broke in with less than an hour runtime.

  • @TheHalloweenmasks
    @TheHalloweenmasks 6 місяців тому +3

    A gem of a video😬😬😬😬👍👍

  • @waynebuckeridge6826
    @waynebuckeridge6826 2 місяці тому

    I brought a K&B new in the 90s, it vibrated so badly the crew’s came lose.

    • @MECOA
      @MECOA  2 місяці тому

      Unbalanced prop or mount not rigged enough are the usually issue that cause this. Not necessarily the engine.

  • @Warhawk1952
    @Warhawk1952 6 місяців тому

    I fondly recall K&B!!! I used to put in some of my R/C Planes. Nobody had better customer service and their engines were great! Their power was NOT at the top end, so if you had a .40 size plane, I would use a 60 engine. They would go and go..... Too bad...

  • @sabercruiser.7053
    @sabercruiser.7053 6 місяців тому +2

    👍👍🙌🙌🙏🤲😊😊 thank you

  • @DumbCarGuy
    @DumbCarGuy 6 місяців тому +1

    I have maybe 5 airplanes or so with old K&B engines. A few I believe Green head race motors. A fly by wire plane from about 1934 and the others are 50s or pre 50s. All with motors and spare motors and parts. That’s if K&B was around back then. I haven’t looked at them for 25yrs or so. The planes are big silver bomber looking military planes and have tiny manikin drivers. You just hold the handle with two wires coming out of it which hooks through the left wing and you tilt the handle to go up or down all in a large circle. I always wondered about selling them but keep putting it off. They are wood with some sort of paper skin not flying worthy anymore due to age.

  • @ama409573
    @ama409573 6 місяців тому

    Last K&B I bought was the Screamin 48. Looked cool, still NIB!

  • @josedieguez8754
    @josedieguez8754 6 місяців тому

    Nice video ! I will love to see the OS and YS engine

  • @calescapee9642
    @calescapee9642 6 місяців тому

    I've got a New in Box K&B series 61 .29 racing engine, k&b 5.8, tons of 6.5 motors , 3.5 outboards, McCoy Black case , Dooling, Johnson,Supertigre,Fox 36bb etc....

    • @5695q
      @5695q 6 місяців тому

      And these days if you put them on a run stand and let them howl, the Karens would be calling the cops in a heartbeat.

  • @randymagnum143
    @randymagnum143 6 місяців тому +3

    Nylon is definitely a type of plastic.

    • @MECOA
      @MECOA  6 місяців тому +5

      Plastic is too generic of a term, Nylon is specific. Plastic can range from crap that cracks and shrinks to engineering plastics like used on intake manifolds on modern cars. We want it to be known, NOT CHEAP PLASTIC.

    • @DerwoodPFreen
      @DerwoodPFreen 6 місяців тому

      Work Safely has got some assembly fingernails.

  • @wayneschenk5512
    @wayneschenk5512 5 місяців тому

    Old duck was gentle with that engine.

  • @chrispoirier384
    @chrispoirier384 6 місяців тому

    Hello, does anyone know where I can get parts for my KB outboards?

    • @5695q
      @5695q 6 місяців тому

      MECOA, if they have any in stock.

  • @stanleybest8833
    @stanleybest8833 6 місяців тому

    My 4011 was way too hotrodded, when a smooth engine would have been more flexible and reliable.

  • @ianwright6893
    @ianwright6893 6 місяців тому

    I have a k&b 61 ringed ball bearing on an airboat that’ll scream. I also have a back up parts engine. I also have an os max 60 and it’s terrible. Nowhere near the power of the k&b

  • @Telephonebill51
    @Telephonebill51 5 місяців тому

    Why does this awful video look like it was shot on 16mm Ektachrome?

    • @tempest411
      @tempest411 5 місяців тому

      What do you mean? For a 38 year old video it looks great, actually.

    • @j48374
      @j48374 5 місяців тому

      Because it likely was…..,

  • @robertmaxwell8086
    @robertmaxwell8086 2 місяці тому

    Keep collecting them. Great Mtrs.

  • @robertmaxwell8086
    @robertmaxwell8086 2 місяці тому

    Roses the Riveter?