Jim, I agree with you totally. But lets face it, over the past year (05 especially) 1/8th has serioulsy taken off. So now we have nearly everyone wanting to run this more expensive class. This is EVERYONE, from the first time racer, to the backyard basher. (at least around here) Everyone wants a 1/8th scale. So budget racing has become something thats very popular around here. When we get LHS's selling mayhem RTR kits (dencently competitive) then you see why staring at a 600+ dollar price tag on a Kyosho SP2 might look a little overboard.
And I know how much can be spent on everything else (tires, parts, etc.) But not everyone (on a local level at least) goes head first. Although it normally makes you more competitive and more prepared, is it all ways needed? I think I ran the same 3 sets of tires all year. And that was at like 5 different tracks. Outdoor racing around here seems like it only asks of a minimal amount of tire selection.
So is it really too much to ask, for a kit to be "top quality" with all the latest features without paying an arm and a leg. I hope this is what Losi can accomplish. Its not going to matter for me, as I will be buying it either way
but for the new guys (which we can always use more of) a lower tag may be the perfect start.