It's vinyl. I can't paint to save my life. I hope I can get better, and at least with 1/8 scale bodies, there's a bit more room to work with.

I also checked the center diff, and no leaking. I let is sit overnight, and no weeping either. I overfilled it slightly, as some came out when I assembled the diff, but other than that, it's been bone dry. WooHoo! I highly recommend sanding the diff cup and using Mugen gaskets.

Another interesting note. The kit came with the black o-rings for the diff (the old o-rings), and I bought an RC8 center diff assembly using the PN that AE has on the RC8Be page. It's for the "regular" RC8, as it came with a metal spur, but, get this, it came with the updated o-rings!!

I hope you guys checked your steering EPAs too. I had to dial mine back to 80%, as anything over that was just putting additional strain on the servo and steering assembly. The steering is super quick. Funny how I can turn the RC8 completely around in 2/3 the radius as my son's 1/16 scale Revo!

Gregg, can you post pictures of your battery wiring, and your receiver in the receiver box?