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July 23, 2012, 9:03 a.m.
7/23/2012
By Mike Garrison
LiveRC.com
For many people the design and look of a body is all that matters, for others it is all about performance. FTW (For The Win) has combined unique style and design, with performance, and introduced their all-new TLR 8ight 2.0 bodies. It just so happens we got our hands on the new bodies for a LiveRC Product Test!
First Impressions
As we opened the box from FTW we fully expected two clear bodies that would require us to find a painter to get something done on them, a fresh pair of scissors to start cutting, and dig out the ol' Dremel tool to clean things up. The guys at FTW shocked us with two freshly painted bodies, cut out and ready to race! The sick paint jobs were supplied by Texas native Brian "Smiley" Henn and features some very cool purple marble effects.
At first glance we immediately noticed the unique body lines and scoops on both of the bodies. While some people prefer "lightweight" thin bodies, we personally prefer thicker more durable bodies to last longer. FTW uses a durable and very strong .040" lexan that is heavy-duty and up to the task of racing and crashing, which was a plus in our books.
Setup & Build
As we mentioned, the FTW crew and "Smiley" Henn pre-cut and painted these new bodies for us, therefore there wasn't much setup time to get on the track. We were impressed with the accuracy of the cut-lines to fit the body on our TLR 8ight 2.0 buggy. The body post holes, tank cut out, and engine cut out were spot on. We decided to trim slightly more out of the tank cut out, simply because our pit guy needs all the room possible to find the tank during a pitstop.
The Test
FTW "Tactic" 8ight body
First up we put on the "Tactic" body to test out. The "Tactic" body features some VERY unique lines in which we haven't seen from other manufacturers. The body features a cab-forward design with lowered bed that provides more steering and response, but ALSO features angled roof scoops on both sides. The interesting concept is designed to offer more air flow to the engine and cool things off, while also providing the steering gain of a traditional cab-forward design. After running a stock body and then the "Tactic" body, our engine did in fact cool off almost 5 degrees with the extra airflow. The "Tactic" body is a snug fit which is nice, in the sense that it keeps the dirt out of your chassis area. After multiple crashes, the "Tactic" was still in tact, and showed no signs of cracks or breakage.
FTW "Night Fox" 8ight body
Next in line was the "Night Fox" body. It just so happens that "Ocean's 12" is a favorite movie of mine, which further makes the "Night Fox" body special in my opinion. This body has a more traditional approach to the cab-forward design with it's cab and roof area, however, features some unique airflow channels running down the back of the body off of the roof. The sides of this body feature much taller and exaggerated scoops which do provide slightly more steering than the "Tactic". Like the "Tactic" body, the "Night Fox", is very durable, fits quite nicely, and looks stylish on the track.
Conclusion
In the words of a spectator watching us switch between the two bodies, "The "Night Fox" looks beefy and tough while the "Tactic" looks stealthy and aerodynamic." Both of these bodies provide a well-balanced mixture of performance and style, however, we must admit our personal favorite was the "Tactic" body. This is a stylish body that is nothing like anything on the market today.
For more information on FTW R/C bodies and accessories visit
www.ftwrc.com
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