Gregg, I know you like Caster, and they have a 1/8 electric buggy that is more similar to the DEX408 than the RC8Be:
http://www.casterracing.com/car/main...hp?cid=4&iid=7
I wonder how much they go for? Looks like they use a lot of 7075 aluminum, which is nice. The body is pretty fugly, though.
I'd probably still wait for the DEX408, though.