I have no expeirence with the rc8 but I love my hyper 7! It takes abuse really good too. Only had two parts break on it so far. I got a loose battery and the car ran away into a rod iron pole at full speed. Well it was only a $12 fix! It looked way worse, but it took the hit good. It has been smashed into by my friends hyper 7 at full speed broadside. I was expected something to be smashed, but nope! lol. Still went strong. I've shot it through the air getting 7-9 feet and landing bad, but no damage. On the weekend I like to take it to the track too. It rips good around the track. I put in steering and throttle servos, rechargable battery pack, and some new wheels and tires for the track. The engine is zippy but slow off the line. But all in all, great buggy.