I also had an Axial 28 Spec 1S - a llloooonnnngggg time ago(bought it from slapmafro ha ha...) It was actually a very good engine in my Savage XSS(the truck was another story..) Very torquey, and user-friendly. Over the years though LOTS of people have complained about quality with bearings, o-rings in the carbs, etc.. Anyway, I later got a 28RR for my Muggy, and it was never that great(ran much better in the 3-speed Savage..) I then put in an LRP Spec 3 with JP-2 in the Muggy, and WHAM!!! THAT was a great combo.. One of the funnest nitro combos I've run..
The LRP has the torque of the other 28's or even bigger engines - in any case more than enough for a standard-size Savage or MGT.. Where the LRP/Losi 454 shine is in top-end though - IMO.. (with an OS A5 in particular..)
Several years ago btw there were some X-dyno tests done on the Axial and LRP. The Axial - with turbo head - did about 1.45ish or so, and the LRP pullstart version 1.81. Just for reference..(not saying dynoes are even that reliable either.. Just saying..)
The Losi silver-head 427 is also a fantastic budget basher engine.. I even have raced buggy and truggy with it.. Except maybe hill-climbing and mangling drivetrains, a silver Mach will out-do any Axial IMO. I'm not talking trash btw - just saying.. The Mach is a screamer - as well as cheap and reliable.. The perfect bashing budget engine in almost every class in 1/8 - buggy, truggy, MT, SC, GT, etc...