XRAY XB8 EC

In many ways we’re quite lucky with this hobby, I mean if you want to get yourself a rallycross buggy, you can be up and running for just over two hundred quid but on the other hand, if you want to get serious, you can spend loads of money. Five years ago, it was easy to identify the brands that produced “pro” kits, nowadays though you have the likes of Kyosho, Mugen, Team Magic, Losi and Xray that all expect you to pay out close to £400 for the kit alone. Add an engine, servos, transmitter, receiver, plus the other parts you need and you’re not far off a grand for a toy car, so spending this sort of money requires some serious thought, unless your name is Neil McRae of course.

Building the anticipation

Before we continue, I’ll just clarify that EC stands for European Champion and like a lot of other companies, Xray have released this upgraded version of the XB8 in celebration of the fact that Yannick Aigoin (he’s from France) won said race with the XB8 in 2006. While this version of the buggy has only just hit the shops, I actually first clapped eyes on it in Nuremburg back in February so I already knew how smart it looked. Add to that I’ve heard nothing but good reports on previous versions of the XB8 and that fellow MaxBasher, Matt Ross, has sworn to me (and at me of course) that it’s the toughest kit he’s ever driven.

The XB8 is actually three years old now and as such was out before manufacturers opted into the current trend of trying to redesign the wheel. For this reason I’d consider Xray’s offering more of a clone of older, established brands like the Kyosho and Mugen kits. In normal Xray style though they’ve added their own tweaks like HUDY spring steel, Ferodo brake pads and as a company devoted to racing, a huge variety of set-up options!

Helping hand

So begins the job of building the buggy. Xray provide a very good set of instructions to help you through - actually they provide two sets! You get the original instructions and then an additional build guide with tweaks and set-up changes that have been fed back from their team drivers like Yannick and Jon Hazelwood. This is great stuff but it's a right pain remembering to check two lots of instructions all the time, add the set-up sheet you should be referring to and all of a sudden you've got more paperwork than a government official. I dug in though and soon found that once you get into the swing of things it's a pretty easy build. I say it's easy but they don't exactly help you out a lot, OK the CVDs are all pre-built but that's it, the rest is down to you; diffs, shocks and all those other tedious little things need building from the ground up. On the plus side, there's a bag for every section which contains all the screws and parts you need, so if you finish a section and you have parts left over, you missed something (I must admit this happened to me a couple of times).

The process of the build doesn't really deviate too much from the norm, so it's a matter of building the front and rear ends and slapping them on the chassis. Adding the centre diff, engine, clutch, radio gear, fuel tank and Bob's your uncle, you're up and running! Man I wish it was that simple.

Something extra?

Releasing a kit after a big win with a new name isn't exactly an original idea - manufacturers have been doing it for years. Sometimes it's a great idea as new features are ram-packed in the latest edition, but other times it's a poor attempt at a brand extension and can alienate people who have just shelled out for the latest kit, only to find it's not the latest anymore (that really bugs Mr. McRae!).

Fortunately, while Xray are of course milking their Euro win, this new EC has a shed load of new parts and the majority of them are fundamental to making the buggy a heck of a lot better (although I'd still be gutted if I'd bought their TQ model six months previously!).

Some of the new features on the EC include improved weight distribution and remoulded steering blocks (C-hubs) which promise greater steering and also benefit from steel bushings moulded in where they mount to the suspension arms. In addition the blocks form part of Xray's Integrated Suspension Settings (I.S.S.), which basically means you don't need to swap parts to change the set-up. These blocks, for example, can be moved to give you a different caster angle without the need to buy new hubs. All this doesn't escape the fact that they still use plastic knuckles, although I've not seen any reports of this being a problem and it does decrease the un-sprung weight on the suspension which is all good, so I'll let them off.

Stiffening Up

Chassis flex is always a conundrum; there needs to be a certain amount to give grip on loose traction surfaces but too much and the Weebles are going to start getting jealous. Xray seem to think the composite plastic braces are the answer to this so the EC kit includes them for the front and rear. At the front this is an upgrade over the old ball-end ones and both ends are firmly attached to the chassis with three nuts and bolts at the back and two at the front.

The servo saver has also been beefed-up and promises to be 30% stronger but still malleable enough to flex and protect your steering servo. You'll also find groovy new steering pivot balls, these are a one-piece design and the back-stop means the turn buckle will never pop off. This seems very clever although I always thought there was meant to be a degree of toleration in this to prevent something else from breaking.