The RTL team: (L-R) Rich, Lisa, Crystal, Kathy, and Tamara.
RTL Fasteners
“I’ve always had a fascination
with airplanes,” Rich Bastone,
owner of RTL Fasteners, shared
with me. That interest led him to
model aircraft approximately 25 years
ago when he made his fi rst fl ight with
a Cox PT-19 CL model. His brother
convinced him to try RC and he found
success with a Great Planes Sturdy
Birdy.
Although Rich continued to progress
and move on to other aircraft, owning
several RC variants
in different sizes, he
found that sharing his
hobby with others and
providing training has
been the most fun and
rewarding.
Drawing from his
experience in building and fl ying
models, and listening to comments
of others in his club, Rich realized
that there was a need for quality and
affordable hardware. A discussion with
his wife, Tamara, across the kitchen
table, resulted in the birth of RTL
Fasteners in June 2001.
They launched with a basic
inventory of the most common items
a modeler needs such as hex nuts,
locknuts, washers, etc. He laughed on
the phone when he described the early
days of having hardware throughout his
house.
“We took out an ad in Model Aviation
and began selling through mail order
immediately. After two years, we had
hardware in every room of the house,
including the bathroom, and decided it
was time for a commercial space.”
The goal from the beginning was
to provide customers with quality
hardware in the quantity they need.
Available in various quantities, all of
the fasteners are prepackaged and
marked.
Rich felt that there was a demand for
a bundle of common items to satisfy
the modeler who might have a need
in the middle of a project. The Master
Builder Assortment was created to fi ll
that gap and more products have been
added as it has evolved, including the
plastic parts bins that were supplied at
the request of several customers.
Although many products have been
added to the RTL inventory, none
have been discontinued, which has
necessitated moving to a larger facility.
The current building is 2,500 square
feet.
Company growth and ordering large
volumes of hardware has positioned
RTL to have some hard-to-fi nd
products, such as the M2 nylon insert
locknuts, manufactured. RTL requires
that all of the companies it purchases
from be certifi ed, ensuring the products
are high quality.
RTL Fasteners sells its products
worldwide, with Australia and Canada
bringing the most business outside of
the US. Several manufacturers purchase
RTL materials for the hardware
supplied in their ARF aircraft. Outside
of the hobby, NASA and people
working in robotics regularly require
RTL’s parts.
“Your satisfaction is
guaranteed or your money
back, no questions asked.”
www.ModelAviation.com JULY 2013 Model Aviation 67
Jay Smith
ABOUT US [email protected]
067-068_MA0713_AboutUs.indd 67 5/20/13 4:38 PM
Enter to win
your own
Master Builder
Assortment!
The importance of customer feedback
and satisfaction was mentioned several
times during our call. I asked Rich what
he was most proud of, and he shared the
following:
“The respect that I have for my
customers in terms of how I treat them
and respond to them [is important]. If
something is not right, I make it right.
I’m proud to be able to maintain that
level of service.”
Rich also said that RTL is committed
to keeping prices low, which has been
done by absorbing many of the price
increases.
I was curious whether SAE or
metric hardware sold better and which
products were his top sellers. As it
turns out, SAE and metric sell equally
well, and socket-drive, servo-mounting
screws with built-in washer heads have
the highest demand.
It’s common for many fi rst-time
customers to call in their orders,
often because they are unsure of the
hardware sizes they need. The staff at
RTL can help determine the proper
size, composition, and quantity.
At the end of the conversation, I
asked Rich if he had goals for RTL.
He shared that even after 12 years it is
common to fi nd customers who hadn’t
known the company existed. He hopes
to continue to get the word out.
Other goals include adding to the line
of tools that the company carries and
tracking order history online to make it
easier for shoppers to reorder products
they have purchased in the past.
I am impressed with the quality of
the Master Builder Assortment and
the Complete Metric Assortment,
which I’ve used on several projects.
The company’s commitment to the
customers was evident when Rich
made the following statement: “I don’t
want to oversell someone. I never
have and never will. Your satisfaction
is guaranteed or your money back, no
questions asked.”
RTL Fasteners provides its customers
the right mix of quality and quantity.
So the next time you have a hardwarerelated
question or need help, RTL is
only a telephone call or email away.
—Jay Smith
[email protected]
For an opportunity to win a Master
Builder Assortment or a Complete
Metric Assortment, submit your
answer to the following question: How
many total pieces are in the Master
Builder Assortment #5000? You can
fi nd the answer on the company’s
website.
To submit your entry via email, send
your answer, full name, postal address,
and telephone number to MA Editorin-
Chief Jay Smith. Please include
“About Us” in the subject line. To enter
via postal mail, send the preceding
information to MA at AMA, to Jay
Smith’s attention. Readers can also
enter to win at www.ModelAviation.
com/aboutusRTL.
Entries will be accepted through
July 31, 2013. Two winners will be
selected on or before August 2, 2013.
One entry per person is allowed.
Those that are lost, late, misdirected,
garbled, or incomplete for any reason
will be ineligible.
This contest is open to legal
residents of the 50 states, District of
Columbia, and US military members
with APO/FPO addresses. AMA
employees are ineligible.
The winner will be selected in
a random drawing from among all
eligible entries with the correct
answer by an Academy employee or
employees. The winner will be notifi ed
by telephone or email and his or her
name and state of residence will be
published in a future issue of MA and
posted on the AMA website.
SOURCES:
RTL Fasteners
(800) 239-6010
www.rtlfasteners.com
Jay Smith
[email protected]
AMA
5161 E. Memorial Dr.
Muncie IN 47302
(765) 287-1256
www.modelaircraft.org
from MA and RTL Fasteners!
Win merchandise
68 Model Aviation JULY 2013 www.ModelAviation.com
067-068_MA0713_AboutUs.indd 68 5/20/13 4:38 PM
Edition: Model Aviation - 2013/07
Page Numbers: 67,68
Edition: Model Aviation - 2013/07
Page Numbers: 67,68
The RTL team: (L-R) Rich, Lisa, Crystal, Kathy, and Tamara.
RTL Fasteners
“I’ve always had a fascination
with airplanes,” Rich Bastone,
owner of RTL Fasteners, shared
with me. That interest led him to
model aircraft approximately 25 years
ago when he made his fi rst fl ight with
a Cox PT-19 CL model. His brother
convinced him to try RC and he found
success with a Great Planes Sturdy
Birdy.
Although Rich continued to progress
and move on to other aircraft, owning
several RC variants
in different sizes, he
found that sharing his
hobby with others and
providing training has
been the most fun and
rewarding.
Drawing from his
experience in building and fl ying
models, and listening to comments
of others in his club, Rich realized
that there was a need for quality and
affordable hardware. A discussion with
his wife, Tamara, across the kitchen
table, resulted in the birth of RTL
Fasteners in June 2001.
They launched with a basic
inventory of the most common items
a modeler needs such as hex nuts,
locknuts, washers, etc. He laughed on
the phone when he described the early
days of having hardware throughout his
house.
“We took out an ad in Model Aviation
and began selling through mail order
immediately. After two years, we had
hardware in every room of the house,
including the bathroom, and decided it
was time for a commercial space.”
The goal from the beginning was
to provide customers with quality
hardware in the quantity they need.
Available in various quantities, all of
the fasteners are prepackaged and
marked.
Rich felt that there was a demand for
a bundle of common items to satisfy
the modeler who might have a need
in the middle of a project. The Master
Builder Assortment was created to fi ll
that gap and more products have been
added as it has evolved, including the
plastic parts bins that were supplied at
the request of several customers.
Although many products have been
added to the RTL inventory, none
have been discontinued, which has
necessitated moving to a larger facility.
The current building is 2,500 square
feet.
Company growth and ordering large
volumes of hardware has positioned
RTL to have some hard-to-fi nd
products, such as the M2 nylon insert
locknuts, manufactured. RTL requires
that all of the companies it purchases
from be certifi ed, ensuring the products
are high quality.
RTL Fasteners sells its products
worldwide, with Australia and Canada
bringing the most business outside of
the US. Several manufacturers purchase
RTL materials for the hardware
supplied in their ARF aircraft. Outside
of the hobby, NASA and people
working in robotics regularly require
RTL’s parts.
“Your satisfaction is
guaranteed or your money
back, no questions asked.”
www.ModelAviation.com JULY 2013 Model Aviation 67
Jay Smith
ABOUT US [email protected]
067-068_MA0713_AboutUs.indd 67 5/20/13 4:38 PM
Enter to win
your own
Master Builder
Assortment!
The importance of customer feedback
and satisfaction was mentioned several
times during our call. I asked Rich what
he was most proud of, and he shared the
following:
“The respect that I have for my
customers in terms of how I treat them
and respond to them [is important]. If
something is not right, I make it right.
I’m proud to be able to maintain that
level of service.”
Rich also said that RTL is committed
to keeping prices low, which has been
done by absorbing many of the price
increases.
I was curious whether SAE or
metric hardware sold better and which
products were his top sellers. As it
turns out, SAE and metric sell equally
well, and socket-drive, servo-mounting
screws with built-in washer heads have
the highest demand.
It’s common for many fi rst-time
customers to call in their orders,
often because they are unsure of the
hardware sizes they need. The staff at
RTL can help determine the proper
size, composition, and quantity.
At the end of the conversation, I
asked Rich if he had goals for RTL.
He shared that even after 12 years it is
common to fi nd customers who hadn’t
known the company existed. He hopes
to continue to get the word out.
Other goals include adding to the line
of tools that the company carries and
tracking order history online to make it
easier for shoppers to reorder products
they have purchased in the past.
I am impressed with the quality of
the Master Builder Assortment and
the Complete Metric Assortment,
which I’ve used on several projects.
The company’s commitment to the
customers was evident when Rich
made the following statement: “I don’t
want to oversell someone. I never
have and never will. Your satisfaction
is guaranteed or your money back, no
questions asked.”
RTL Fasteners provides its customers
the right mix of quality and quantity.
So the next time you have a hardwarerelated
question or need help, RTL is
only a telephone call or email away.
—Jay Smith
[email protected]
For an opportunity to win a Master
Builder Assortment or a Complete
Metric Assortment, submit your
answer to the following question: How
many total pieces are in the Master
Builder Assortment #5000? You can
fi nd the answer on the company’s
website.
To submit your entry via email, send
your answer, full name, postal address,
and telephone number to MA Editorin-
Chief Jay Smith. Please include
“About Us” in the subject line. To enter
via postal mail, send the preceding
information to MA at AMA, to Jay
Smith’s attention. Readers can also
enter to win at www.ModelAviation.
com/aboutusRTL.
Entries will be accepted through
July 31, 2013. Two winners will be
selected on or before August 2, 2013.
One entry per person is allowed.
Those that are lost, late, misdirected,
garbled, or incomplete for any reason
will be ineligible.
This contest is open to legal
residents of the 50 states, District of
Columbia, and US military members
with APO/FPO addresses. AMA
employees are ineligible.
The winner will be selected in
a random drawing from among all
eligible entries with the correct
answer by an Academy employee or
employees. The winner will be notifi ed
by telephone or email and his or her
name and state of residence will be
published in a future issue of MA and
posted on the AMA website.
SOURCES:
RTL Fasteners
(800) 239-6010
www.rtlfasteners.com
Jay Smith
[email protected]
AMA
5161 E. Memorial Dr.
Muncie IN 47302
(765) 287-1256
www.modelaircraft.org
from MA and RTL Fasteners!
Win merchandise
68 Model Aviation JULY 2013 www.ModelAviation.com
067-068_MA0713_AboutUs.indd 68 5/20/13 4:38 PM
