I've had 3 MGTs before this, never an 8.0. I can tell you they are strong and reliable. The engines are without a doubt the easiest I've ever tuned. The only time I had problems with the tranny was when I bought a truck knowing it had problems already and the centrifugal clutch needed adjustment/replaced. The transmissions are NOT weak at all, regardless of the bevel setup. They're all metal gears too. The diffs are not weak either, never had a problem there. Slipper is the same thing, never had a problem and never heard of it being a problem. The shocks are stronger than they look but everything has a breaking point. It is a bigger and better T-Maxx, but that's what every MT nowadays is. The whole reason the LST, Savage, MGT, etc came out is because of the T-Maxx.
Losi won't be getting any of my money for a while, regardless of how many people rave about their stuff. I guess we're just polar opposites linc!