Where is the 8th scale brushless revolution? Has that “trend of the day” already been surpassed?

The technology has been available to make this work for at least a year now, but there are only two non-conversion 8th scale electric buggies out on the market right now, the Caster EX-1R, and the Losi Eight-E. It’s been more than 2 years that all the internet forum fanatics have been screaming at the top of their lungs that each new 8th scale released should have been electric. Some industry insiders are still amazed that as each major trade show passes, there aren’t larger amounts of new 8th scales BL’s being shown. So what’s the freak’n hold up?

Some “in the know” say it’s strictly price point. Let’s look at the Horizon/Losi Eight E. Most hobby shops are selling it for $829. To actually get it on the road, it’ll take another $200 for a battery, at least $50 for a charger, and add another $150 dollars for a transmitter, receiver, and steering servo. That brings the total up to over $1200. This price is not Horizon’s attempt to rob every rc enthusiast in America, it’s simply a fair price for the technology needed to do a proper 8th scale electric buggy.

Others in the industry say the technology is not quite there yet. The Castle Monster speedo is now on a third revision to fix gremlins, while Novak’s HV Pro has also shown more issues than it’s 10th scale baby brothers. Both companies have relatively rock solid 18th and 10th scale systems, but it seems that all that extra weight, rotating mass, and current draw of 8th scale requires a large leap in technology. Lithium based batteries are also seeing problems when used in the big rigs. Vented/puffed cells, burnt tabs, and low cycle life is more the norm than the exception when used in 8th scalers. This is no small problem, as the typical 8th scale set-up requires at least $200 worth of cells to achieve decent performance.

My opinion? Probably a bit of both of the above, plus the fact that 8th scale buggies and truggies are nearly track specific. They are awesome at getting around a bombed out dirt track, but aren’t the preferred bashing weapon. This really leads to a limited crowd to sell to. Take that limited crowd and see if they are willing to cut the check for over a grand to get in, and that limits the field even more so.

It seems the people that really want to see 8th scale electric succeed are the guys that love electric, and drive weekly on bombed out 8th scale dirt tracks. If the industry can come out with a more 10th scale size/weighted vehicle that can get around easily on these tracks, yet can use 10th scale type BL/Li-po systems (and price point!), then that’s where the real cash will start rolling in.

On a different note, the head Squid here is looking for a Cub Report sponsor. It seems the 3 readers I have must re-read my babbling thousands of times a week. So if you are a manufacture and are looking for a good value for your advertising bucks, email Brian at Bigsquidrc dot com and jump on board. No, it won’t save your company from being blasted if you decided to start selling junky equipment, but it will go a long ways towards your brands name recognition (at least for 3 readers).

Also, if you are a manufacture, shoot Brian products for revue. You’ll be given a good honest review, and with the view numbers BigSquidRC is getting these days, you’ll get your product in front of a more core audience than any typical print rag. The reviews here really seem to matter! Most google searches bring up BSRC reviews first!

Till next week, support your LHS, your local track, and read your BigSquid every single day.

Your Cub Reporter

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Hopefully, you and yours are enjoying a long Labor Day weekend. Hopefully kicking back, drinking a few cold one’s, and even getting in some serious trigger time with your favorite hobby grade rc car or truck.

First off, let’s thank about all those people in the rc industry, those people that put in the time, money and effort (and entire lives!), that make our hobby so special. While I’m best known for ripping most of these guys new A-holes on a weekly basis, I do certainly appreciate all their hard work. Most rc companies are a LOT smaller than you think, and it’s a dern hard living coming up with the next big thing. With the current economy, finances are especially tough for these people and their families, huge props to all of them for working extra hard to keep their doors open.

Well, it’s finally here. Somebody finally did it. I placed my bet on Horizon/Losi months ago, and indeed, they are the first “big name” with a production 8th scale brushless buggy. The consumers have wanted, hell, even demanded this product, and finally Losi steps up to the plate. So huge props to them for being the first big name to have the nutz to deliver the most highly anticipated platform since the electric 10th scale “stadium” truck in the early 90’s.

So, what are the big up-sides to the new Losi (dubbed the Eight-E)? Well, it comes as a “race roller”, meaning it comes assembled, with speedo and motor, but no transmitter. Speedo is non-sensored, and looks a lot like a Monster Max. I’m not saying that it is, just say’n the likenesses are uncanny. Anyways, the next “plus” is that it is based off the popular and race tested Losi 8 platform. That particular buggy platform works especially well with electric conversions due to it’s off-set center drive line. An electric specific platform would be preferred of course, but we’ll take the nitro platform for now over waiting more months/years. Price is going to be around $879 American dinero’s. This might sound horrifically high, but is actually a plus. If you were to buy a normal 8th scale buggy, big azz speedo and motor, plus a conversion kit, it would cost wayyy more than $879. The cost of an 8th scaler plus big speedo and motor just plain isn’t cheap. Price will go down somewhat in years to come, but you will never see a $299 price point 8th scale RTR electric buggy.

Downsides? This once would have been a plus, but now days, not coming with full electronics (it doesn’t come with a radio system) is actually a downside. Next, the new Losi 8E does not come with a slipper clutch. If indeed it has the driveline from hell, it might survive, otherwise, a slipper really is a “must” have. I think we already know what one of the first “upgrades” released will be, LOL. Finally, and what I see is the biggest thumb’s down- the 8E relies only on motor braking, not servo/rotor braking. Any dirt 8th scaler drives mucho better with a bunch of brake bias towards the front. Using only motor braking, gives half the braking power to the front, half to the rear, making it mucho harder to get through corners. At least this gives Horizon/Losi some room for improvement on their next-gen electric big scaler.

Horizon/Losi also released another truck last week, and it’s perhaps one of the biggest surprises of the year. The Losi HIGHroller (Up In Smoke) totally blindsided most people in the industry. It’s basically a 2wd electric 10th scale monster truck, very much Traxxas Stampede style. Price point? $179, right in the heart of Traxxastown. To me, at a glance, it screams “Hey look, Horizon’s got a new kit source in China!”. Once again, that just might be me, but just say’n. I read on-line where someone took one glance at the HIGHroller (Cheech & Chong’s Next Movie) and said it made him want to burn his XXX-T MF2, the reason being that the Losi name used to stand for the best racing equipment you could buy. Yes, and while the looks and price point of the HIGHroller (Nice Dreams) will make it a big seller, it’s one more dagger in the heart of the Losi brand name. Horizon would be best suited to be careful with how far they drag it down. They paid good money for it, and it’s only of use to Horizon if it still means something race worthy, not bash material. Horizon’s in-house Sportwerks name would be much better suited on the HIGHroller (It Came From Hollywood).

That’s it for this week freaks. Get outside, enjoy your extra time off work by dropping buy (Freudian slip) your local LHS, visit your local bash spot, or put the transponder in and get some racing in.

Most sincerely,

Your Cub Reporter

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