Kyosho 36216S Spark Booster Glow Igniter Orion 2200

A glow plug igniter supplied with an Orion 2200mAh NiMH cell.

A nitro engine will not start without a glow igniter. The glow plug needs to be heated electrically to light the fuel for the first few cycles, after which the plug stays hot from combustion and the igniter comes off. That makes it one of the few pieces of equipment you genuinely cannot run without, and a flat igniter at the track means a car that stays in the pit.

The Spark Booster includes a built-in condition meter, which is more useful than it sounds. A glow igniter that is partly discharged still lights the plug but does so weakly, giving hard starting and a plug that seems to fail prematurely. Being able to see the actual charge state rather than guessing removes a whole category of frustrating trackside problems.

The 2200mAh cell gives a substantial number of starts between charges. A replacement cell is available separately under its own part number, so the igniter body outlasts the battery in it.

This is a universal nitro accessory that works with any glow engine, not a model-specific part.