| Sanwa Denshi | |
| Native Name: | 三和電子機器株式会社 |
| Native Name Lang: | ja |
| Type: | Kabushiki gaisha |
| Traded As: | Sanwa |
| Predecessors: | --> |
| Successors: | --> |
| Founders: | --> |
| Hq Location: | Higashiōsaka |
| Hq Location City: | Osaka Prefecture |
| Hq Location Country: | Japan |
| Areas Served: | --> |
| Key People: | Seiji Suzuki |
| Revenue: | 60 million yen |
| Profit: | --> |
| Profit Year: | --> |
| Assets: | 3.1 billion yen |
| Assets Year: | 2013 |
| Num Employees: | 80 |
| Parent: | SMC Group |
| Subsid: | Airtronics |
| Website: | |
, widely known as Sanwa, is a brand of wireless equipment best known for its high end radio-control gear for scale modelling use. The company have been a subsidiary of the SMC Group since 1965 and began to diversify into the manufacturing of radio-control equipment (transmitters and the devices which they control) in 1974 and remote control devices for home and industrial use since 1985.
In North America, Sanwa transmitters were marketed as Airtronics up until early 2016, which began as an independent company producing model airplanes.
Sanwa, originally as part of Sansei Electric Industry, specialized in the research and development of remote control devices in 1959. It merged with Sanwa Denki Manufacturing in 1965 and then became part of the SMC Group. In January 1974, Sanwa entered production and sales of transmitters for radio-controlled models and in December, became a member of the Japan Radio Control Model Industrial Association (JRM).
In 1975, Sanwa became a division on its own, with an office in Tokyo. In August that year it launched its first radio-controlled transmitter, the Mini Propo, and in 1976, Sanwa became an independent company. Its M-sechs wheeled transmitter was the recipient of the Good Design Award in 1990.[1] In 1985, Sanwa diversified into the production of remote controls for domestic and industrial purposes.[2]
Due to its reputation in the radio-controlled modeling industry, its main competitor is Futaba. KO Propo and Spektrum.
F. Lee Renaud began his hobby in model aviation in 1942 with a Joe Ott kit; he began to fly competitively in 1947.[3] While recovering from a heart attack in 1970, Renaud used his medical leave from his office-equipment company job to build radio-controlled airplanes. He formed Airtronics in 1971 to build and sell model airplanes and radio remote-control devices. In his first year, he turned over $40,000. Renaud earned a reputation with model aircraft such as the "Olympic", "Aquila", "Grand Esprit" and "Sagitta", amongst others. In 1980, he introduced the XL transmitter.[3] Renaud died in January 1983, and his wife Barbara took over the company.
In 1982, realizing that his company wouldn't expand on its own without financial backing, Renaud took on a partnership with Sanwa, which bought an undisclosed large stake in the company while the family retained a controlling interest. Under the agreement, the Renauds built airplanes whilst Sanwa took charge of manufacturing radio-controlled transmitters for the Renauds to distribute. As a result, Airtronics increased its sales from less than $1 million in 1983 to $3 million in 1985, and to $8 million in 1989 with a staff of 18 employees.[4]
The company continued as a family business until 2007 when Global Hobby Distributors took over distributorship. Following business restructuring in Japan, the distributor announced that their partnership came to an end in 2016 and the brand will itself be discontinued although still continuing under a new distributor, Serpent America, as Sanwa.[5] [6] [7]
The library of Academy of Model Aeronautics's National Model Aviation Museum is named after Renaud.[3] Sanwa's Aquila 6 is named after his airplane.
The Airtronics Caliber 3PS (known internationally as the Sanwa M-zechs) became the first of twelve consecutive Radio Control Car Action's Readers' Choice Award for Best Transmitter in 1996 by Airtronics; eight of those was achieved by its successor, the M8.[8]
Following is a list of users who won the IFMAR World Championships, a biennial world championship for radio-controlled cars, using Sanwa/Airtronics transmitters.
| Year | Class | Name | Model | Report | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 1/10 Off-Road Stock |  Jay Halsey | Airtronics XL2P | Report | |
| 1985 | 1/10 Off-Road Unlimited | Gil Losi, Jr. | Airtronics XL2P | Report | |
| 1987 | 1/8 IC Track | Pete Fusco | Airtronics | Report | |
| 1990 | 1/8 Off-Road |  Koji Sanada[9] | Sanwa Machine-1 | Report | |
| 1991 | 1/10 Off-Road 4WD | Cliff Lett[10] | Airtronics CS2P | Report | |
| 1992 | 1/12 On-Road | Tony Neisinger | Airtronics Caliber 3P | Report | |
| 1992 | PRO 10 | Joel Johnson[11] | Airtronics CS2P | Report | |
| 1992 | 1/8 Off-Road | Kunihiro Toge | Sanwa M-zechs | Report | |
| 1993 | 1/10 Off-Road 2WD | Brian Kinwald[12] | Airtronics CS2P | Report | |
| 1995 | 1/10 Off-Road 2WD | Matt Francis | Airtronics Caliber 3PS | Report | |
| 1995 | 1/10 Off-Road 4WD | Mark Pavidis[13] | Airtronics CS2P | ||
| 1996 | PRO 10 | Mike Swauger[14] | Airtronics Caliber 3PS | ||
| 1997 | 1/8 IC Track |  Lamberto Collari | Sanwa | ||
| 1997 | 1/10 Off-Road 2WD | Brian Kinwald | Airtronics Caliber 3PS | Report | |
| 1998 | 1/10 IC On-Road 235mm Sports | Michael Salven | Report --> | ||
| 1999 | 1/10 Off-Road 4WD |  Jukka Steenari[15] | Sanwa M8 | Report | |
| 2000 | 1/10 IC 235mm Touring Car | Michael Salven | Report | ||
| 2001 | 1/8 IC Track | Kenji Osaka | Sanwa M8 | ||
| 2002 | 1/10 Off-Road 2WD | Matt Francis | Airtronics M8 | Report | |
| 2002 | 1/10 Off-Road 4WD | Jukka Steenari | Sanwa M8 | ||
| 2002 | 1/10 IC 235mm Touring Car | Brian Berry[16] | Airtronics M8 | Report | |
| 2003 | 1/8 IC Track | Lamberto Collari[17] | Sanwa | ||
| 2003 | 1/10 Off-Road 2WD | Billy Easton | Airtronics M8 | Report | |
| 2004 | 1:10 ISTC |  Marc Rheinard[18] | Sanwa M8 | Report | |
| 2004 | 1/10 IC Touring Car |  Adrien Bertin[19] | |||
| 2003 | 1/10 Off-Road 4WD | Ryan Cavalieri | Airtronics M11 | Report | |
| 2005 | 1/10 Off-Road 4WD | Ryan Cavalieri[20] | Airtronics M11 | Report | |
| 2005 | 1/8 IC Track | Lamberto Collari | Sanwa Super EXES | ||
| 2006 | 1/10 IC Touring Car | Keisuke Fukuda[21] | Report | ||
| 2007 | 1/5 Touring Car | Martin Lissau | Sanwa M11 | ||
| 2007 | 1/8 IC Track | Lamberto Collari | |||
| 2008 | 1/10 IC Touring Car | Daniele Ielasi | Report | ||
| 2008 | 1:10 ISTC | Marc Rheinard[22] | Sanwa M11 | Report | |
| 2009 | 1/8 IC Track | Lamberto Collari[23] | Sanwa EXZES Plus | ||
| 2009 | 1/10 Off-Road 2WD | Martin Achter | Sanwa M11X | Report | |
| 2009 | 1/10 Off-Road 4WD | Martin Achter | Sanwa M11X | ||
| 2010 | 1/12 On-Road | Naoto Matsukura[24] | Sanwa M11X | Report | |
| 2010 | 1:10 ISTC | Marc Rheinard[25] | Sanwa M11X | Report | |
| 2011 | 1/8 IC Track | Robert Pietsch[26] | Sanwa EXZES-X | ||
| 2011 | 1/10 Off-Road 2WD | Ryan Cavalieri[27] | Airtronics M11X | Report | |
| 2011 | 1/10 Off-Road 4WD | Ryan Cavalieri | Airtronics M11X | ||
| 2012 | 1/12 On-Road | Naoto Matsukura[28] | Sanwa M12 | Report | |
| 2012 | 1:10 ISTC | Jilles Groskamp[29] | Sanwa EXZES-X | Report | |
| 2012 | 1/10 IC Touring Car |  Meen Vejrak[30] | Sanwa M12 | Report | |
| 2013 | 1/8 IC Track | Tadahiko Sahashi[31] | Sanwa M12 | ||
| 2014 | 1/8 Off-Road |  Ty Tessmann[32] | Airtronics M12 | Report | |
| 2014 | 1/12 On-Road | Marc Rheinard[33] | Sanwa M12 | Report | |
| 2014 | 1:10 ISTC | Naoto Matsukura[34] | Sanwa M12 | Report | |
| 2014 | 1/10 IC Touring Car |  Alexander Hagberg[35] | Sanwa M12 | Report | |
| 2015 | 1/10 Off-Road 2WD | Spencer Rivkin[36] | Airtronics M12S | Report | |
| 2015 | 1/10 Off-Road 4WD | Bruno Coelho[37] | Sanwa M12S | ||
| 2016 | 1/10 IC Touring Car | Dominic Greiner[38] | Sanwa M12 | ||
| 2016 | 1/12 On-Road | Naoto Matsukura | Sanwa M12S | ||
| 2016 | 1:10 ISTC | [39] | Sanwa M12S | ||
| 2016 | 1/8 Off-Road | David Ronnefalk[40] | Sanwa M12S | ||
| 2017 | 1/8 IC Track | Dario Balestri | Sanwa EXZES-ZZ | ||
| 2017 | 1/10 Off-Road 2WD | Ryan Maifield[41] | Sanwa M12S | Report | |
| 2017 | 1/10 Off-Road 4WD | Ryan Maifield | Sanwa M12S | ||
| 2017 | 1/5 Touring Car |  Santiago Meirinhos | Sanwa M12 | ||
| 2018 | 1/12 On-Road | Alexander Hagberg | Sanwa M12S | ||
| 2018 | 1:10 ISTC | Bruno Coelho | Sanwa M12S | ||
| 2018 | 1/10 IC Touring Car | Naoto Matsukura | Sanwa M12S | ||
| 2018 | 1/8 Off-Road | Davide Ongaro[42] | Sanwa EXZES-ZZ | ||
| 2019 | 1/10 Off-Road 4WD | Bruno Coelho | Sanwa M17 | Report | |
| 2019 | 1/8 IC Track | Shoki Takahata[43] | Sanwa M17 | ||
| 2020 | 1/12 On-Road Stock |  Andy Murray | Sanwa EXZES-ZZ | ||
| 2020 | 1/12 On-Road | Marc Rheinard[44] | Sanwa M12S | Report | |
| 2020 | 1/8 IC GT | Jörn Neumann | Sanwa M17 | ||
| 2022 | 1/8 Off-Road | Davide Ongaro[45] | Sanwa EXZES-ZZ | ||
| 2022 | 1:10 ISTC | Bruno Coelho[46] | Sanwa M17 | ||
| 2022 | 1/10 IC Touring Car | Tadahiko Sahashi[47] | Sanwa M17 | ||
| 2023 | 1/10 Off-Road 2WD | Davide Ongaro[48] [49] | Sanwa EXZES-ZZ | ||
| 2023 | 1/10 Off-Road 4WD | Tater Sontag[50] | Sanwa M12S | ||
| 2023 | 1/8 IC Track | Dario Balestri[51] | Sanwa EXZES-ZZ |