SuperCars Showdown - 8880 vs. 8448 vs. 8466 vs. 8070

[DrJB]

I've had last three for a while, bought them new when they came out, and read many times on this forum that 8880 was on a league of its own ... My favorite has always been the Super Street Sensation 8448. Well, was lucky to finally get a very clean 8880 off eBay ... and must confess, of all 4, I like it most. Not sure yet if it's the 'new' factor, but for sure is one favorite. I just need to make room for it next to its siblings.

[Paul Boratko]

I'll always be in the minorty with my choice, butThe 8448 is my favorite, mainly because it actually resembles a car and was built in a modular format... The 8880 brought a lot to the table in the form of functions over it's predecessors but I just didn't like how it looked.. I also had an issue with the "HOG" steering being kind of tough, maybe because of the weight or it may have been because the tire being used for it just didn't grip well... But that was also a time before all of the new parts were introduced so I guess it was what it was...

[Kronos]

I have to agree with Paul on this. 8448 was the reason I became interested in Technic in the first place. I saw pictures of that car and was hooked. I joined forums, searched around, and finally bought my first set. I was lucky enough to have been gifted the 8448 after about a year out of my dark ages. It's still on display. That model is responsible for my addiction to Technic Supercars.

[CP5670]

I think 8880 is my favorite one too. It's all about functionality over form. It has some issues (e.g. the wheels are raised too high off the ground) but they can be fixed with simple modifications.

I got 8448 when it came out but was always a bit underwhelmed by it as a kid, especially since I had missed out on 8880 at the time. It felt like just an ordinary car compared to 8880. 8466 was a big improvement and was what 8448 should have been, although many of its functions don't work as smoothly as they should.

[nicjasno]

The 8880 has many issues, but it is also my favorite lego supercar. It just has so many things a supercar should have, while others simply don't.

8448 did indeed fix the looks, but imho it lost the cutting edge in regards to features of a car. I remember at the time, watching tthe first pics of the suspension from the side, seeing the emerging shock, i was hoping for a macpherson setup on the front. Boy was i dissapointed. :(

The 8880 needs a rebuild with 6l suspension arms to fix the horrible bump steer it had. And it needs softer springs.

[NevynPA]

While I pined for 8880 as a kid, it wasn't until I was an adult that I finally got one. I really like it, but I want to get my hands on 8448 if for no other reasons than the gull wing doors and the 5+R transmission. I'm not sure which is my favorite right now, but it's close.

[Kumbbl]

Well, here comes my shootout:

(first of all sorry for this big image but if i downscale it then i think it becomes unreadable)

I have tried to explain the sheet as well as possible. But maybe some remarks on top:

There are the following criteria:

• Innovation
  
• Building experiance: at the end lego stands for building, so this is very important (at least for me)
  
• Features: A simple feature list - this is divided into subcriterias - but only an overall value is integrated into the end result
  
• Feature performance: More important than the simple list is: HOW they perform, i.e. how well is a feature designed/build, how strong is a feature: lets have a look at an example: the quality of the gearbox feature depends on its smoothness when switching, suitable ratios, #speeds, maybe sequential switched etc. and a high quality fake engine is not only a simple V8 (this is poor standard) but has also a fan or more cylinders - this criterium is also divided into subcriterias - but only an overall value is integrated into the end result
  
• Playability: Lego is a toy so a supercar should be well playable
  
• Design: How good looks the car?
  
• Remote Control: Today this getting more and more imporant
  
• Iconic: Is the car an icon or can it become one in the future?
  

Well, now these crtiteria are not all equal important, therefore i have introduced a weight, a factor (blue column D): I have tried to weight the criterials senseful:

Most important are the features of a supercar and how well they perform: Therefore they should be count most. But beware, do not compare the overall factor in column D of the features with the much higher factors of other criterias like Innovation ... this comes because the featurelist is divided in single features and each has its own factors: if a supercar has quite all features and all perform very well then this counts almost as much as a fully innovative car with a very interesting build.

At the end we must judge. This is done in the columns named 'Rating' for each car. Possible values are: 0 = n.a., 1 = lousy, 2 = good, 3 = very good, 4 = oustanding. But oustanding must be somethinf really special! .5-values are also possible. Rating-value and factor are multiplied and give the criterium-result. All criteria-results are summed to an overall rating in the last row (row 39). But only bold marked criteria-results count into the overall-sum!

Now Have a look at the fictive reference car (grey): A car which has quite all features possible and all are very well designed and perform very well, which is innovative wither in parts or mechanisms (or both), which is well playable and well designed and is RC with steering and propulsion and has at least the chance to become an icon, this car is my fictive reference car. I have judged all ratings of the reference car with 3 (= very good). So a car with some outstanding rating can be overall better than the reference car.

well, what is my result? See above. My calculated winner is the 8880 - This proves my gut feeling ... nicjasno and CP5670 have this already expressed very well - s.a.

One remark to the fifth competitor 8466 MOD - i have included it because i think the out of the box quite lousy 8466 can be improved very well with very little effort and has also a very nice preparation for a cute pneumatic extension in its rear (see here: http://www.eurobrick...c=83136&hl=8466)

Just my 2ct

P.S.

I have uploaded my excel-sheet to brickshelf: http://www.brickshel...r-shootout.xlsx

So you can play around with your own ratings if you like. This sheet contains also ratings for some other MOC supercars, e.g. Vampire GT, Concept Car and the Shelby GT 500 of Sheepo... ;-)

[Meatman]

I really liked the way the damped shocks were used on the SSS. The gullwing door model was so cool.

[skppo]

I actually have my 8880 built into the b-model. It looks nice and has enough functions.

I actually find the a-model really boring. It looks weird and the doors don't even open.

I guess I just don't have the nostalgic feel to it as I only bought it a year ago or so.

[unimog123]

I am probably the only one to say this, but I actually really liked the supercar set 8070, because of it's good looks and functions. I will admit though I would have liked a realistic gearbox like many of 8070's predecessors, but I really liked the motorized functions (scissor doors, opening hood, retractable spoiler. If you think this is not the best set and I do, that is because I have no experience whatsoever with the other supercar models, unfortunately.

[Lakop]

I don't own any of those sets, I wish I did. But having read about them and seen images etc If I had to own one it would be 8880. It wins on features. What I would like to see are the best features of each model built into a new model. Now there's a challenge.

H

[SNIPE]

I also agree that the 8880 is the best, back then there was few studless parts and they still managed t add lots of gears and mechanisms to it, back when I didn't know better I thought the 8448 was better and more complex but I was wrong.

I prefer the studded technic era because you can have any gear combination and the beams can be attached normal or offset without needing connectors.

[kevman]

8448 is my favorite to this day. The 8466 while fun to build is a disappointment as it never really evolved from the 8448 and it had issues from a suspension and steering standpoint. I have not built the 8070, but I do like the looks. the 8070 does not appeal to me since there is not gearbox for driving. I have actually parted out my 8070 to use for Sheepo's Gt500 build which I am working on now. I never cared for the 8880- the style just never appealed to me.