Losi 8IGHT RTR as first nitro? And beginner questions

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ptrthgr8

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  1. Bashing
Hi, all!

Many many moons ago (late 80s/early 90s) I was very much into 1/12 carpet racing (Team Associated RC12L) and I had several Tamiya buggies I built from kits, and even converted one of them (Boomerang) to be a 1/10 scale parking lot racer at a local shop. The 1/12 racing was pretty intense (required a ton of tuning and fiddling to get everything right), while the 1/10 parking lot racing was nothing but organized fun. At the time I did also pick up a nitro powered Kyosho Outlaw Rampage 2WD truck. It was a lot of fun, but I had more places at the time to run electrics, so I never really got into it and ended up selling it to a friend a few year later. I took a ~25 year hiatus from the RC world, getting back into it just two years ago. And I now have more cars and trucks than I ever had as a kid. I definitely enjoy building more than running, and I'm definitely no longer interested in the racing scene, but I do enjoy a good bashing session from time to time. And now I've decided I want to re-enter the nitro world and I've pretty well decided upon the Losi 8IGHT RTR since it seems to be hard to beat at the price point (and seems really upgradeable if I really get into it).

So, since I've been out of the nitro hobby for so long, is there anything I should start planning for now as I'm waiting for the usual places to get more stock of the 8IGHT RTR. And is there anything particular to the 8IGHT that I should be aware of going into it? I'm going to spend a lot of time reading, watching videos, etc., but I'd also appreciate any input you fine folks might have. I'm trying to use all of my resources. :)

Thanks in advance!

Greg
 
Hello my friend. If you decide to go that route, well then you made a good choice. I have the losi 8ight Truggy RTR and it’s been superb. Everything I’m about to tell you will go for the 8ight buggy you’re interested in as well. First of all, it is a really good kit with race bred capability baked in. Some of the pluses are an easy to tune engine that runs great, good plastics quality, usually well built from the factory, good parts support, and plenty of upgrade potential. Some of the downsides are plastic shocks, plastic turnbuckles, weaker differentials compared to the kit version the RTR cars are based off of, shock towers that aren’t as strong as kit version cars, and servos that have a reputation of not lasting long. With that being said, all of those downsides are subjective. If you’re not racing and your just bashing around the yard, you really shouldn’t have any major problems. My 8ight truggy has the same plastic parts and I’ve never broken any of them, no turnbuckles snapping, no shock caps flying off or anything, and my diffs went 6 gallons without major issues, which is a really good amount of run time. Even then, only one differential got funky and I didn’t even know it until I took it apart. The truck drove fine and gave no real indication of an issue.I will say I drive on the street and grass and not on the track or anything, but I used the truck whenever I could, tons of full throttle runs, and it’s been by far the most reliable and precise rc car I’ve ever owned, and I’ve had at least 12 different nitros over the years. All in all, the trucks run great, handles great, and offers plenty of potential upgrades that can fix weak points. Almost all of the 3.0 and 4.0 kit buggy parts will fit yours, and horizon hobby and amain hobbies have almost anything you could need parts wise, not to mention eBay would have the harder to find stuff. Check out Botajell YouTube videos, TDK repair YouTube videos, and just type in 8ight RTR on YouTube and you’ll find plenty of videos talking about this platform. Hope this helps
 
Forgot to mention, I now have an upgraded steering servo but I upgraded that by choice gallons into my ownership with no failures of the factory throttle and steering servo components. In fact, I’m running the original steering servo as a throttle servo now, and have close to 7-7.5 gallons on the platform now. Still no issues. Everyone said I’d have issues, but I didn’t. So again, read what you can and talk to people with experience. Overall; you’ll find that the 8ight is a better buggy then it has any right to be, its higher quality then most RTR platforms, and it’s a fun vehicle suits newcomers and experts alike.
 
@Losi215 - thanks for the response! All the positives you mentioned above are the same things that drew me to this buggy. There really seem to be few, if any, detractors. Most I've seen so far are just generally biased against RTRs and favor building from a kit. And I get that. I've generally been a "kit or nothing" guy when it comes to my models (I actually enjoy building more than running), but for the price, I just don't see how you can go wrong.

And, yeah, I don't really expect the RTR radio gear/servos to be top notch. But that's fine. I'm pretty fond of the Radiolink RC4GS transmitters and R6FG receivers, along with the Annimos 20kg high torque/metal gear servos. They've been a good combo for me over the last couple of years and I have about a half dozen of each RX/servo on hand. So, if the RTR gear wants to be a pain at all, I've no qualms about yanking it outta there. :)
 
You really can’t go wrong and it’s a great kit to have fun with. I understand people’s reservations with going racing with this, but I argue it’s a perfect tool to learn how to race with. I went overboard with upgrades for mine but I love it and it’s been wonderful. I’ve read all about those radios and servos and they seem like a good choice. I personally run eco power 350oz steering servo and futaba 3pv radio and no joke, it transformed the vehicles handling,precision, the feeling of being “connected” to the truck, and ability to make fine adjustments. I’m running a Reds r5r 4.0 race engine in mine with a starter box, and just like the dynamite engine, it starts up in 1 second and runs perfect. Every time I take it out I’m reminded at what a wonderful Truggy it really is. I’m proud to own one and it was an awesome reintroduction to the nitro hobby after being out of it for 7 years or so. Enjoy the losi and ask any questions you may have! Love talking about the 8ight t RTR
 
Great starter kit, you'll have hours of fun. They are actually really fast, and will give a lot of kit built cars a run for their money. Simple design and easy to tune, runs for hours with little maintenance. I love the design and quality of Losi products, enjoy it.

You can upgrade it to a bump start, which is good, but having a pull start is convenient if you're bashing and not just setup at a track.

This is my old rtr Losi, long before they made them like they do now. My dad has the newer one and this old thing is still going though I had a receiver fail and I blew up my motor, this was when I installed a HobbyKing motor in it and was running it in on some worn out tyres. They are a fantastic vehicle, you will really enjoy it.
20180522_211206.jpg
 

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