Originally Posted by
Zerodefect
Come on guys, Ya gotta think big. Big changes at Mugen, Losi, Xray. The RC8 works well but its starting to look a little long in the tooth.
I don't think I'd go that far. More than anything, it's minor issues that got in the way of the RC8 being everything that it could be. Also, I think it's fair to assume that the big-bore shocks will be standard on the next generation buggy. As for what I'd like to see?
-More private testing and de-bugging on behalf of AE
BEFORE the new car is released, as opposed to playing catch-up and damage-control after the fact.
-A fuel tank that can actually maintain pressure (other companies can do this without batting an eyelash, so AE has NO excuse.) I know AE is capable of much greater things and I want to see them back at the top. Also, I think that a clunk in the tank is a must-have, and if they really wanted to put a cherry atop the sunday, a lip going all the way around the tank with a drain out the bottom of the chassis a la Kyosho. <--all very simple and relatively cheap things that make a BIG difference.
-Better steering geometry: the driver shouldn't have to jerry-rig the steering. Again, I feel that this is a case of learning from those who have done it better.
-Better quality plastics would be greatly appreciated.<--this is a BIG one that I feel we should all insist on.
-Better weight distribution to allow the car to jump more effortlessly.
-Lightened drivetrain; something along the lines of what Mugen/Kyosho did.
-That the new car be available in KIT form as well as RTR.
-Slightly longer screws and TI turnbuckles, especially in the steering (2-3mm here and there will make a big difference.)
-Avoid using unnecessarily small bearings on the new car; I don't feel that the weight reduction is significant enough to justify the shorter lifespan and overall fragility.
-A wall or bulkhead in the battery box (perhaps a redesign is in order?) to separate the receiver and battery; keeps the heavier battery from using the receiver asa shock-absorber while driving on rough terrain.
Some of the things AE did which I do enjoy and would like to see carried over:
-fuel tank held in place by clips.
-Split center diff mounts.
-Blue Ti turnbuckles
-Carbon shock towers, ctr diff mount and radio tray.
-Great body styling.
To summarize, I see mostly a need to re-engineer certain components, no need to add unnecessary or expensive "bling" parts. This way, the price of the car remains very competitive, and in all likelyhood, most of these revisions could probably be retro-fitted to current RC8s and RC8Ts easily... At least I THINK they could.