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Review of the LRP S8 Rebel BX 2.4Ghz / Part 1

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Published on Friday, 29 July 2011 12:00

Review of the LRP S8 Rebel BX 2.4Ghz

Part 1: Basics
Part 2: Checking the buggy
Part 3: On the track
Part 4: Roundup
 

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Review of the LRP S8 Rebel BX 2.4Ghz

Part 1: Basics
Part 2: Checking the buggy
Part 3: On the track
Part 4: Roundup

1. Basics

Times are changing. This applies to the progress in R/C-technology as well as to the reviews on buggy-sport.info. For the first time, our review is not about a competition buggy. This time, our subject is a new challenger in the RTR-class: the LRP S8 Rebel BX. Fans of the LRP product line may wonder about this. With the S8 BX2 RTR, a buggy of this class already exists. So what’s the reason for LRP to present another one? Taking a look into LRP’s price list gives the answer: While the S8 BX2 claims to be a premium version, the Rebel will mainly try to catch price-conscious customers. So what can we expect? A cheap version of a budget buggy? Not at all, as the following review will prove.

Although the S8 Rebel BX comes completely pre-assembled to his new owner, we wanted to take a look at some of his basic parts as we usually do. One of the most important parts of an offroader in the 1/8-scale are the three differentials. While the parts in the front and the rear are the same, the center one offers a noticeable larger size which increases the amount of silicone oil inside. As a result, the silicone oil’s temperature in the centre diff remains on the same level even during longer runs.

Four short bevel gears from steel characterize the 4-Spider-construction, all differentials are factory-filled with grease. Besides that, you’ll find two little bottles of silicon oil in the package: 3.000 cps for the rear diff, 7.000 cps for the front and center one. This offers a good opportunity for beginners to do some early setup work.

To transport the engine’s power to the four wheels, the Rebel uses dogbones from steel. We accept this type of driveshafts in the rear and centre drivetrain, but unfortunately, we also found them at the front axle. Even at a buggy of the entry-class, we would prefer cardan- or CVD-shafts at this point.

Four large Bigbore-shocks from nylon are responsible for a smooth ride even under rough conditions. They cooperate with white coloured springs and are filled with silicon oil right out of the box. Of course, aluminum shocks would have been a more solid solution, but for a RTR-buggy, those parts are absolutely adequate – except for one fact: There are no rubber shock boots that could save the shock shafts from dirt and mud.

Last but not least let’s have a look at the standard wheels of the Rebel. We found LRP’s famous Kamikaze-tires in “J”-compound pre-glued on a set of shiny chrome wheels. The optical impression is really nice, but we’ll see later if those tires will keep what they promise during the test runs.

Stay tuned for part 2 of the review

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