LOSI 8IGHT
I’ve ceased being amazed at a Losi creation. That’s not because they’re no good, quite the contrary. They are generally so good that every time I see one of their new kits I spend hours glaring at in amazement. This can become a little embarrassing, especially when I start dribbling! So I’ve trained myself not be amazed, this can be hard work when it clearly surpasses its competition in design and build. And when rumours started that Team Losi were launching a 1:8 scale rallycross buggy I was forced to start stubbing cigarettes out on myself to keep the anticipation levels down!
The day came when the 8ight kit arrived and I opened the box to see what was in store, my first impression being what a big box for such a small amount of content, but I’m sure this is just an American “supersize me” thing because it’s the ingredients of this buggy that’s already intrigued me. Being that Losi are Losi, they’ve thrown away the typical plans for a rallycross buggy that everyone and his missus has used for so long now and started from scratch, redesigning and challenging the norm to create a unique thoroughbred racer with more balance, beauty and bravado than ever before. However, I have to build it first.
BUILD TIP
Invest in some imperial hex drivers prior to building, Allen keys are provided but with the amount of screws involved, they will leave you with sore fingers.
FRONT
With the 8ight being a bit different, I should have guessed that when I opened the instruction booklet I wasn’t going to be making a differential to begin with like most other builds; instead it had me assembling the steering link and servo saver. Once completed with the steering posts in their designated slots on the 4mm thick super-slim 7075 T-6 aluminium chassis, it takes its place with the fuel tank joining it and now I can make up the front diff - a standard four-spider gear affair with the supplied 5000wt oil going into it. One of the six CVD’s is made next and finds itself butted up to an oversized inner bearing in the knuckle held in the C hub via hinge pins top and bottom which in turn both have grub screws to capture and secure them in place.
H arms are a new bit of terminology as they are introduced in place of the traditional A arms, they are a fair bit wider at the hub end to wrap around the larger hubs and at the opposite end there are more captured hinge pins to tie them to the aluminium hinge pin holders and diff housing. Running from either side of the H arms is a sway bar that’s 2.32mm thick, if you like precision, although there are two more to choose from in the option parts bag. On goes the 5mm thick CNC milled shock tower that’s shaped very much in the 1:10 scale electric buggy mould because it has a top brace to give extra strength. Some immense turnbuckles and tie rods finish the front end off along with the centre CVD before it’s time to bolt the whole lot onto the chassis.
KNOWLEDGE TIP
I would just like to point out here that the fuel tank has a removable insert inside it, and I’m reliably informed that if you take it out and don’t run an external fuel filter, this will leave you just within the legal limit of racing rules. On the other hand, perhaps you could still use a filter, get a bit of extra runtime and take your chances that it won’t be measured. Cheeky I know but well worth knowing.
MIDDLE
Building the middle section starts with the diff and it’s much the same as the one in the front but with a 48t spur gear instead of a crown and filled with 7000wt oil. Proof of Losi’s redesign comes into effect again here; firstly, the top plate features a semi-circle of curved plastic to encase the spur giving it unmatched protection from small stones and suchlike. The only E-clip on the entire buggy is also used here and holds the rear brake cam in place at the top. The fuel splashguard and air filter mount attach to the top of this front guard and then you add the newly made up throttle/ brake linkages before the staggered brake discs go on. This construction is then sandwiched into the diff mount. If you’re observant, when you attach the centre diff section to the chassis, you’ll now notice that the diff itself sits back to front in the mount meaning that the spur gear end now sits at the front – the second part of Losi’s funky redesign. So when it’s in the chassis it’s not on the centre line but is instead approximately 30mm from the left side and nearly 60mm from the right, so the centre diff is now encroaching where you would normally find the radio tray in all other 1:8 scale buggies. This does means the centre to front diff goes across at rather more of an angle than you would normally see, but this horizontal articulation shouldn’t increase any tolerances.
REAR
The reason for the centre diff being well off-centre is explained when you move onto building the rear of the buggy, since the rear crown gear on the rear diff is reversed so that the teeth face outwards. This results in the pinion gear being shoved right over in the diff casing, offsetting the entire drive train and allowing the engine and fuel tank to be placed within a hair’s breadth of the centreline of the chassis. This places two of the heaviest items bang in the centre of the buggy for the most amazing balance and weight distribution.
The rear diff has another set of four spider gears and some 2000wt oil and is sealed by the aforementioned crown gear with outward facing teeth. On the crown gear side of the diff a clever guard sits in front of the bearing and seals the gap in front of the pinion gear which enters the front of the diff house to one side.
Three more CVD’s are attached and the diff housing is sealed up with the plastic chassis brace attached to this directly. The hubs and H arms are much the same as the front but with a 2.68mm thick sway bar. In comes the rear 5mm CNC’d shock tower and with it the body mount and the braced wing mounting, and in what seems no time at all I’m installing the whole lot onto the chassis to finish this section.