1/5 scale monster truck for bashing

[Demonwolf14]

Good afternoon everyone. In the next couple of months I will be pulling the trigger on a 1/5 scale RC. My first thoughts were to go with gas such as the Rampage XT/MT. Another forum I visit warned me against Redcat Racing, but a lot of them were pushing on the Losi. The Losi looks amazing but after being away from the hobby for about 25 years, I am not sure that I want to drop 1400 + the cost of the controller and other items that are needed. I do understand that gas RC are loud and put off fumes so they should only be used outside plus the shops near me only have electric in stock, but can order gas should i go that route. This got me to thinking about a 1/5 scale electric such as the Arrma Kraton 8S or the Traxxas X-Maxx. They did not have the Traxxas in stock but I did get to see the Kraton 8s, which was massive and looks like so much fun. I would like to stay with the Monster Truck style vehicle, but am open to other brands. I will mainly be using the vehicle in the dirt, and on jumps at this point in time, but once I get it I will be looking around the area to see what other largescale hobbyists are doing. So I have come to the experts of the hobby for some advice. Given it has been a long time and I want to be able to jump and thrash around with the RC. What are some other manufactures\vehicles that I should be looking at for durability, quality, speed, and stability? What are the most important upgrades to do on any largescale RC? I am sure I have many more questions, but my mind went blank.

 

[Dewalt Drill]

I just got my X-Maxx today and its insane the stock tires grip really well on grass concrete and dirt it flies through the air nice and flat the shocks are great its plenty fast for me and i already had a really big crash into a tree and the thing took it like a champ I'm not gonna recommend anything else because i dont have them

 

[Greywolf74]

The main 1/5 Scales that I'm aware of are the Redcat that you mentioned (I personally do not think Redcat is a very good brand either). The Losi ones which they have 2. The Losi 5ive is the gas one and the DBXL-E 2.0 4WD Desert Buggy is their electric one. Then Theres the Xmaxx and the Kraton 8S which you are aware of and then theres The Rovan but its also gas. There may be others out there but those are the main ones that I'm aware of.

The only one I've owned to this point is the Kraton 8S. Its an absolute monster and I love it! I dont think you can go wrong with the Xmaxx or the Losi ones either though. Rovan is an HPI Baja clone and they used to be really popular cuz 95% of the HPI parts were interchangable but since HPIs been struggling IDK if Id go that route right now but you said you didnt want gas anyway.

 

[Demonwolf14]

This gas thing is still up in the air, just not sure which is the best way to go and is more openly welcomed at parks. I want something that will be easy to, and has the space, to easily maintain and upgrade. I want to make this a fun hobby to be able to upgrade, trick out, have a boat load of fun with. I want something that will last and not break on the first jump that i dont land correctly since it will be trial and error to start. I will have to learn how to do everything again lol. Yeah the Losi 5ive is about 1700 with the remote and what not. The DBXL is about $200 more than the Kraton 8s and 175 more than the X-maxx, is the quality of the Losi that much better? The DBXL looks cool but not sure if I really want a buggy, leaning more towards the Monster Trucks style.

 

[Greywolf74]

This gas thing is still up in the air, just not sure which is the best way to go and is more openly welcomed at parks. I want something that will be easy to, and has the space, to easily maintain and upgrade. I want to make this a fun hobby to be able to upgrade, trick out, have a boat load of fun with. I want something that will last and not break on the first jump that i dont land correctly since it will be trial and error to start. I will have to learn how to do everything again lol. Yeah the Losi 5ive is about 1700 with the remote and what not. The DBXL is about $200 more than the Kraton 8s and 175 more than the X-maxx, is the quality of the Losi that much better? The DBXL looks cool but not sure if I really want a buggy, leaning more towards the Monster Trucks style.

My personal opinion, yes Losi is better quality than Arrma or Traxxas. That being said all three are good brands Losi is just more of a racing brand so they tend to be better quality. If you're not racing them and you're not a Losi fan boy an Arrma or a Traxxas will be equally as good. Both with have tons of after market part support to hop em up and make em stronger. That you will need because no matter what brand you buy stuff is going to break, especially when you start jumping them or abusing them in general. All the kits I listed should have pretty good hop up support tho so its really just up to what looks good to you and your budget,.

 

[Demonwolf14]

The good thing is that the DBXL is only about $200 more than the Arrma. I will definitely look at it. Currently I think I am leaning towards the electric vehicles, so that I can use them indoors as well as outdoors. I have been researching all of these and I will end up with XMAXX, Kratons 8s, or DBXL. Currently leaning more towards the Kraton 8s, but the jury is still out. As mentioned I want something that will survive a pretty good beating, especially since I am sure my first few jumps will be a little rough and probably a lot of impact. One thing I am wondering tho is since the DBXL is a dirt buggy and geared more towards dirt tracks that jumps and launching through the air, how good will it handle with a pretty good thrashing and being launched off large piles of dirt? Also if I am looking at Arrma Kraton 8s, how would the Kraton 8s compare to the Outcast 8s? Would that be a better comparison to the Xmaxx than the Kraton?

 

[cbaker65]

The good thing is that the DBXL is only about $200 more than the Arrma. I will definitely look at it. Currently I think I am leaning towards the electric vehicles, so that I can use them indoors as well as outdoors. I have been researching all of these and I will end up with XMAXX, Kratons 8s, or DBXL. Currently leaning more towards the Kraton 8s, but the jury is still out. As mentioned I want something that will survive a pretty good beating, especially since I am sure my first few jumps will be a little rough and probably a lot of impact. One thing I am wondering tho is since the DBXL is a dirt buggy and geared more towards dirt tracks that jumps and launching through the air, how good will it handle with a pretty good thrashing and being launched off large piles of dirt? Also if I am looking at Arrma Kraton 8s, how would the Kraton 8s compare to the Outcast 8s? Would that be a better comparison to the Xmaxx than the Kraton?

Here is an E-version DBXLE!..
Not my vid ,but is an awesome bash session!..

 

[Dewalt Drill]

I can't say anything about the durability of DBXL but I would probably think it would be worse than x-maxx or kraton seeing as it's more of a race and handling focused car while x-maxx and kraton are made for pure abuse i would say the x-maxx is more durable of the 3 based on Kevin talbots videos but take that with i grain of salt if you don't trust YouTubers what I can say for certain is that the x-maxx has the cheapest parts as most of them are plastic and the most parts support but it will handle worse than kraton or dbxl on the track and on speed runs but keep in mind they are all different classes of car and have pros and cons but before you decide you should see them all in person to get a feeling for what they really are

 

[Demonwolf14]

I actually went into the local RC shop the other day and they had the Outcast 8s and the Kraton 8s in stock. unfortunately the Kraton was still in the box. No x-maxx I have also been watching Horizon Hobby to see if they have any sales coming up, since the store will honor the online sales. I actually just finished watching Kevin Talbots comparison of the Outcast and the X-maxx, to me the Outcast seemed fragile compared to the X-maxx. Although the X-maxx seems to be a lot less stable for cornering. Once I have the vehicle in hand I will look around to see what the area has for RC meets.

 

[Greywolf74]

The good thing is that the DBXL is only about $200 more than the Arrma. I will definitely look at it. Currently I think I am leaning towards the electric vehicles, so that I can use them indoors as well as outdoors. I have been researching all of these and I will end up with XMAXX, Kratons 8s, or DBXL. Currently leaning more towards the Kraton 8s, but the jury is still out. As mentioned I want something that will survive a pretty good beating, especially since I am sure my first few jumps will be a little rough and probably a lot of impact. One thing I am wondering tho is since the DBXL is a dirt buggy and geared more towards dirt tracks that jumps and launching through the air, how good will it handle with a pretty good thrashing and being launched off large piles of dirt? Also if I am looking at Arrma Kraton 8s, how would the Kraton 8s compare to the Outcast 8s? Would that be a better comparison to the Xmaxx than the Kraton?

Sorry the electric version is the DBXLE the DBXL is the gas version. My mistake. I've never owned an Outcast but Aarma states that the Outcast is a "Stunt Truck" and the Kraton is a monster truck. The Outcast has a shorter wheelbase which makes it better for doing wheelies and standing backflips etc. The outcast is just a shade more narrow than the kraton too. They call the Kraton a MT but to me its more of a Truggy than a MT. It handles more like a truggy and even the chassis is shaped like a truggy.

As for durability, it doesn't matter what kit you buy you're gonna break it, your gonna break it a lot and your gonna have to buy after market parts to make it more durable. I'm sure one of them is inherently more durable out of the box but theyre all gonna break and your going to have to rebuild them stronger so imho I wouldnt let durability be the deciding factor. Buy what looks like the most fun and bash and rebuild, rinse and repeat

Oh and just an after thought, The DBXLE if you look at the chassis and the way its built, to me it looks more like a SCT than a buggy.

 

[Demonwolf14]

I have continued to research the X-maxx, DBXL-e, and the Kraton 8s to see what some of the known issues are and it seems the big one that stands out on the Kraton is that even though it has a metal chasis, it bends super easy. I do understand things are going to break when i start jumping and having fun with them, but some owner of the Kraton have stated that it bent on the first jump. On the other side, the X-Maxx seems to be made entirely of plastic, but seems to be more durable. The only one I was able to see in person was the Kraton, it is a monster. The DBXL-e is a buggy style and i have heard of people jumping them and they seem to be pretty good, even though it is more built for cornering and racing. Having space to work and upgrade, will be very important going forward, it seems that the Kraton and the DBXL-e has more room/space to work. IT seems like parts for the X-Maxx are much cheaper that that of the Kraton, looking at the Losi it seems to be somewhere in the middle? Anyway these are just my thoughts on the 3 so far. All 3 are monsters, granted the only "monster truck" is the X-Maxx, the Losi is more of a buggy, and the Kraton is somewhere in between. For the most part does it primarily come down to aesthetics? or does one somewhat outweigh the others?

 

[Greywolf74]

The Kraton is built like a truggy and because of that it handles a lot better than a MT (and I'm assuming the Xmaxx cuz its a MT but I've never owned one) but from what I hear the Xmaxx is pretty tough out of the box. I can tell you that you will want to replace the K8 chassis with an after market one. That one I have now youd be hard pressed to bend with a rock hammer lol. other weeknesses I've seen on the K8 is the rear tie rods are crappy and will bend/break on ya. Waiting on a replacement hop up part from GPM as I type this. Also you'll probably want to upgrade steering servos pretty quickly as the stock one is a bit weak imo but then again most stock servos are imo. So far thats my only complaints with the K8. Oh and did I mention it was fast?

As for which one to get, Theyre all 3 great companies and I'm betting that ultimately youd be happy with any of the 3. The only thing I'm not sure about is the after market support for the DBXLE but then again I'm not sure how much it really needs either.

K8 with Just Bash It after market chassis plate

If you get a K8 then at some point you'll have to replace the rear tierods. I bent my first aftermarket set so this time I went with these cuz they were the beefiest things I could find.

Heres a little running video of it. Its nothing extreme. I had just gotten it and I was getting a feel for it.

 

[Greywolf74]

Just to throw this out there. This is what a DBXLE owner told me about his kit.

I believe he meant to say you can't do really crazy jumps with it.

 

[olds97_lss]

x-maxx is probably the king of 1/5th'ish bashers available. The arrma offerings all require some upgrades to handle big stuff very well. You can go read up on them at arrmaforum.com and traxxas's forums as well for the xmaxx.

A bashing buddy of mine has the outcast 8s, kraton 8s and xmaxx. Out of the 3, the xmaxx is the worst handling, but the toughest. We bash all our trucks pretty hard. I have quite a few videos of all of them. The kraton is his latest and hasn't really run it "hard" yet because he hasn't meshed/shoe goo'd the body yet. His is the Kraton 8S EXB, so he put the castle XLX2 combo in it.

https://www.youtube.com/c/olds97lss/videos

I can't recall which videos have the k8s in it, was the past 2 or 3 bash sessions. The xmaxx has been in many of the later ones. The outcast was in them a month or two ago. I only name them for the truck I ran for the most part.

 

[Demonwolf14]

So after much deliberation and chatting with the Wifey, since I could not really decide since I really liked them all. ;-) I think I have decided to go for the X-Maxx with the Rock and Roll Body color. I was curious what batteries I should go with.. Is Smart batteries worth it? One of the batteries I was looking at is the GenAce https://www.towerhobbies.com/produc...-V9e1AbVetq_2jxwEcNy-dTauyPXtRiRoChU0QAvD_BwE
I know that I will need 4 so i have 1 set of backups but I will also need a charger. Any recommendations?

 

[Doom!]

I would skip the smart technology, Overpriced and doesn't really do much. Don't forget charging leads when picking up a charger.

 

[Demonwolf14]

I would skip the smart technology, Overpriced and doesn't really do much. Don't forget charging leads when picking up a charger.

Have to change leads depending on the charger? Doesn't the charger come with all different connections? Or do i have to get the charger dependent on the batteries? Also which are the better batteries to get for the xmaxx?? Been reading the xmaxx batteries are not all that good.

 

[Dewalt Drill]

don't forget to get a Hotracing hardened steel spur and pinion gear and some red Locktite the blue stuff isn't strong enough for 8s the pinion gear will come of if you use blue green or nothing and that's either gonna strip your spur or pinion also about the charging leads i believe they mean getting leads to plug in and out if the charger they should just have bullet connector to put the positive and negative ends in that most chargers don't come with em also don't be scared about getting the red Locktite off and you need are some good tools and a lighter

 

[Demonwolf14]

What size pinion should i upgrade to?

 

[Dewalt Drill]

What size pinion should i upgrade to?

i use a 22t one but but 18t is probably the sweet spot for torque and speed make sure its Hotracing or any other respectable brand of hardened steel