Sliding Power • A blue anodized aluminum motor plate links the Vector 8 brushless can to the SC8e's drivetrain. From here power is sent through a molded spur gear to the center driveshafts, which are identical to the nitro-powered version of the SC8. Universal driveshafts with a "set screw-free" joint design reach out to all four wheels .

Dual Voltage • The foam-padded battery box uses three Velcro straps to hold your packs in place, and has nice little cutouts to allow for wire clearance if you use packs that have bullet-style connectors. Designed to fit race-legal hard-cased LiPos, you can also fit in single pack 14.8 V LiPos vertically to power your ride.

Top View Callouts
1. Power Combo: This version of the SC8e comes with an LRP SPX8 brushless ESC and an LRP Vector 8 brushless motor.
2. Boom Box: The electronics tray comes out in one piece for ease of maintenance.
3. Dinner Plate: The backbone of the SC8e is a hard, anodized 7075-T6 aluminum chassis with front kickup.
4. Big Damper: Large 16 mm oil-filled emulsion shocks are on all four corners, taking care of any rough ride.
5. Bumped: Multi-piece molded front and rear bumpers aren't for show. They are tough and can handle tangents.

Powerplant Info
Our test sample included LRP's Vector 8 1/8-scale brushless motor rated at 2800 kV. Running 4S (a pair of 2S LiPo's), this motor was monstrous. I couldn't punch the trigger because the torque generated by the Vector 8 would make all four tires scream like a horror flick. Top speeds were scary fast, and, yet, the bottom end only required a lighter trigger finger to carve my way through the course. It's a pretty cool sight to see a realistic-looking truck this big fly over a triple jump as if it were a crack in the pavement!

Testing
I specifically wanted to run the SC8e at the same track where I previously drove the SC8 nitro version. That just so happens to be our local 1/8-scale track known as Revelation Raceway in Montclair, CA. It was a little breezy on test day, and the track was on the dry (read: loose) side. It also featured various combo jumps that were suited for truggies and buggies... but what about a short-course rig?

Acceleration and Speed • If you skipped ahead and read the "powerplant info" you'll know that in the configuration we tested with, the SC8e had some big guns. Acceleration was almost violent, as you could see all four tires fighting desperately to not explode as the Vector 8's power was sent to them. Full throttle standing starts on asphalt resulted in around 8 ft of wheelspin before the rig gained traction. Top speeds were scary fast.
Rating: 10/10

Handling • You wouldn't expect something this big to handle as well as, say, a 1/8-scale buggy, but this is where Associated has the cards in their favor. The SC8e with kit-stock settings was very easy to drive - even with the grossly overpowered motor and top-heavy molded roll cage. I found that I could take the same racing line as I would with a race buggy, as the large shocks controlled chassis movement well and kept the SC8e's chassis settled and in control. There was some body lean at times, and, although the truck was a blast to jump, it took a little more focus in mid-air to get the SC8e to downside the landings. Flat landings were more of a "smack" due to the SC8e's soft kit setup. Don't take any of that as a complaint at all - the fact that the SC8e made me feel comfortable enough to hit the double-double-triple at full bore tells you how well the SC8e handles when pushed to the limit.
Rating: 9

Wrenching
Maintenance • Both the body and roll cage are easily removed through the use of body clips, and, once those are off, you're basically staring at an RC8T with tweaked dimensions. The absence of a nitro engine, brake linkages, fuel tank, and pipe mean lots of room on the chassis to get to components. Access to the front and rear diffs take some wrenching but are still relatively easy. One welcome feature is the use of all metric hex hardware throughout the truck.
Rating: 9.5

Wear and Tear • First things first. The molded spur gear worried me, and, during a shake-down run when I first saw how much motor power it had, I was afraid the spur wouldn't be able to hold up. Now, here I am after a day of testing, after a day of rough driving, missed landings, a few rollovers, and so on - and the spur looks as good as new. In fact, not much of the rest of truck was worn either - other than the tires and some "cosmetic" scratches on the body. The molded roll cage absorbed a lot of hits, and the built-in splash shields were great at keeping the chassis and electronics from becoming dust magnets.
Rating: 9.5

Tuning • Whatever you'd expect in a race-ready 1/8-scale truck, you'll find it somewhere on the SC8e. Oil-filled diffs and shocks are standard, as are adjustable camber, caster, arm sweep, toe, and wheelbase. It's no surprise that there are a lot of "box-stock" adjustments and aftermarket factory hop-ups for the SC8e, since it is based heavily on their racing truck RC8T platform.
Rating: 10

Conclusion
There's big fun, and then there's BIG fun—and the SC8e falls in the latter category. Here, the fun of short-course racing is amplified ten-fold with the 1/8-scale SC8e. It drove fast, took the track without breaking a sweat, and was a blast to drive. Where other "big" machines do well in some places but not others, the SC8e is a big rig that's also an easy-to-drive, fun-to-jump, great all-around machine. Good job, AE!