Lightweight thermoplastic composite including bi-directional fiber tapes

A fiber reinforced thermoplastic composite having an improved combination of flexural, impact, and heat distortion characteristics. The composite comprises a fiber reinforced thermoplastic core containing fibers bonded together with a first thermoplastic resin in which the core has a first surface and a second surface and at least one first skin applied to the first surface. The first skin comprises one or more bi-directional continuous fiber tapes having a plurality of continuous fibers bonded together with one or more thermoplastic resins. The fibers in each first skin are arranged in a first and a second direction, with the fibers in each direction being unidirectionally oriented within the skin. Bi-directional orientation of the continuous fiber tapes is present in at least one of the tapes, or is achieved through the use of two or more tapes having unidirectional continuous fibers.