SPZA

i think i heard rumors of it being belt drive!
haha jokes, but i wonder what they have up their sleeve for this one.

as for AE, i would like to see a new RC10GT and maybe a truggy, they are getting really popular these days, maybe a new market for AE or Losi to enter?
i guwess we will see in time.....

DJG24

Alot of stiff competition in the 1/8 world. Losi better spen the time getting it right before it releases a buggy. It is very hard to go head to head with mugen and kyosho.

squirrel

iTrader: (12)

I guess AE is working on a new gas truck, I wonder if it will be called the RC10GT4, I don't know they might have to get some special copyright from Sony.

Davidka

iTrader: (86)

A Losi 1/8th will be successful in the US market just for having reasonably priced replacement parts. The market is changing with the Jammin, Mayhem, and TTR all being primarily Tiawanese builds. The cars are very competitive, well made and the parts are less expensive for these, drastically so in some cases.

squirrel

iTrader: (12)

That would be cool if they developed a quick release hub design, and still use standard 1/8 scale rims. It definitely would have to be a stout design to handle the rigors of 1/8 scale racing.

squirrel

iTrader: (12)

Has anyone seen any spy photos or things of that sort on the web anywhere for the buggy?

fhm101

Rumors of a Losi 8th scale have been floating since before Losi and Horizon merged, and that's been how many years now? Should the report in RCCA be true, will it be a cheapo imported RTR POS from the Sport division or a USA made top shelf real race car from Gil and company.

NitroLuver

iTrader: (48)

who knows maybe it'll be like the lST with it's inovative design

squirrel

iTrader: (12)

I would say that the mayhem takes care of the RTR Department. I am sure this one will be a competitive kit buggy.

squirrel

iTrader: (12)

That would be cool if they could put an 1/8 scale version of their LCD driveshafts on it.

Sorcerer001

iTrader: (20)

Associated would and Losi would both get a pretty good shot at the market share here in the US simply because of who they are. But the fact of the matter is that no one 1/8th scale buggy had a distinct advantage over another at the moment. The fact that we're seeing less expensive cars like the Mayhem and Ofna buggies on the podium all around the country should be proof enough that the cars aren't as much a factor as some would like to think.
So I guess I don't agree with your statement - it's not that hard to go head-to-head with Mugen and Kyosho. Frankly, as long as Losi doesn't completely blow it with the car, parts support alone would probably be enough to make them the most common manufacturer at the local track.
A good example is XRay's onroad sedans, which are arguably the best made sedans on the planet. Tamiya is up there, as well. But for good reason, the Associated and Losi cars are still the most popular throughout the US. I'm not saying this doesn't have anything to do with their car's performance, but availability of the kits and parts does play a significant role.

fhm101

I'm afraid I have to take exception to the statement regards seeing more OFNA, etc. on podiums around the country. While it may be true at the local level, it has always been that way at the local level. Whatever the local fast guy(s) is running is what the locals consider to be the best buggy available because they see it win more than not. When you move up to the regional and national level where it's the sponsored drivers and the dedicated privateers with proven legit skilz, the platform becomes very important and it's more often either Mugen or Kyosho taking the top spots. In short, at the local level, you have one or two drivers that will always turn better lap times than the rest of the local crowd by a usually lopsided margin due to skills rather than platform, but at the regional and national level the cream has risen to the top and the skilz are so closley matched the top ten or twenty qualifying spots will all be within a second or two of TQ no matter what they are driving. It is in these situations where the platform and/or luck will make the difference between finishing in the money or not. The Wheelers are a prime example of my point. When they were privateers runing K cars they were usually in the top three at any race they attended, but once they signed on with OFNA they still made the A main but usually finished mid pack or lower. I've been to several national level events where the top 5 finishers in the 8th buggy A main were less than half a second apart after a 30 or 45 minute main. I've also seen the same level of racing turn into a 1 buggy runaway not because one driver was that much better than the rest, but they just had the best luck that day.

That said, I can't imagine any platform that Gil and pops had a hand in being anything less than a world beater at the highest levels, and even though my skilz (or lack thereof) would never justify spending the cash on a world class buggy, you can bet I'd be queing up with the rest of the Losi faithful to get one.

squirrel

iTrader: (12)

Kyosho and Mugen can be considered stiff competition, but Losi is always coming out with fresh and innovative ideas.

Davidka

iTrader: (86)

1/8th scale buggies present a difficult puzzle when it comes to innovation. The platform has very little flexibility in design (ie. the engine has to go in this spot, the pipe has to go in this spot, the radio has to go in this spot...) There is very little room for improvment.
The real innovation will be when a company builds a competitive buggy that they can sell to a dealer at a price that allows the dealer to build in profit so that the dealer can make money on the car sale, not just the parts. Ofna is probably capable of this. Losi/Horizon apparently are not.

fhm101

When I first started in 8th buggy the average buggy kit was around $300~$350 for the handful of TOL kits available and the quality was spotty in regards to included items such as flywheels, clutch packs, air filters, and the like. Unless you lived in California it was an order only item when you could find a local shop that would even bother. These days the TOL kits are more inclusive in their offerings but are pushing the $1,000 mark for the latest and greatest kits. Oddly enough, sales seem to be better than ever as evidenced by the chronic shortage of these in demand kits. When the "new" has worn off, or the next greatest thing hits, the $700~$800 kits fall to around $450~$500 and you know a profit is still being made on them, so I don't think price point is near as important as hype and brand loyalty. A current example is the MP777 SP1. When it first hit, the hardcore Kyosho faithful were ordering them from Hong Kong and paying over $700 before they were even available in the US or on ebay. Today the SP1 can be had from any one of several places for around $450~$500, but the queue is already forming for the soon to be released SP2 with a price that will be very close to $800. The SP1 and the also soon to be released SP2 update kit can both be had for less than the cost of the SP2, but a distributor that has recently signed up to handle Kyosho told me they already have over 20 prepaid orders in hand for the SP2. If Losi does in fact produce an 8th buggy, and I'm talking the real Losi, not the Horizon overseas connection AKA Team Losi Sport division, I have no doubt it will be right up there with the rest of the current TOL kits in pricing. I also doubt it will be easy to find, at least for the first few months following it's release.