RC car

We see it all the time in R/C. Even the biggest companies have gotten into the habit of slapping their names on products made by different manufacturers and often sold by more than one brand. Most of the time, these companies never mention that they’re selling cheap gear made overseas. The equipment is usually subpar in quality, doesn’t work well and is poorly supported by both the brand that is selling it, as well as the actual manufacturer.

Every once in a while, though, this process of re-badging existing equipment is a good thing for the brands involved, as well as the consumers. Losi’s Nitrotec R21 engine is an example of the latter.

FEATURES OVERVIEW
If you’re going to re-badge a product, it makes sense to start with a high-quality product. Losi readily admits that Novarossi World S.r.l. manufactures the R21 in Italy; the Nitrotec engine is very similar to the Plus 21-4 we reviewed in the July ’09 issue, minus a few cuts on the head fins, different anodizing, and small changes in port and crank timing. This is good news, because the Plus-4 is an incredible engine.
Just four functional ports can be found on the R21’s sleeve, with two of those being a bridged boost port opposite the exhaust port. Twin transfer ports on each side help pack the air/fuel charge into the combustion chamber for ignition, and a tall exhaust port allows the spent mixture to be expelled quickly. The sleeve is devoid of fancy and dramatic machining, but the R21’s design, like the Plus 4, is all business.