Stampede Monster Truck

1:10 Traxxas Stampede Electric RC Monster Truck

Photo © M. James The Stampede is one of many off-road trucks made by Traxxas. I bought this awesome monster of the dirt-track at my local hobby shop for under $200.00 dollars (US). I've had my Traxxas Nitro Rustler for some time now and I enjoy racing it on a daily basis. I've also had hobby-grade electric RCs. The Stampede is an electric RC monster truck that lives up to the Traxxas reputation for quality. I have been a true believer in Traxxas products for a long time due to their rugged durability and selection of replacement parts for their top notch line of RCs.Before you can get this bad boy out on the track you have to do some minor assembly. Slip the receiver's antenna wire through the antenna tube, install a freshly-charged battery, and add decals if you so desire. Only Minor Assembly Required

Photo © M. JamesMy son is very impatient. When he wants to run his RC, he's wants to run it "right now." If you or your little racer are impatient as well then I recommend getting a quick charger for the batteries. You will get a variable runtime of 10-15 minutes depending on how hard you race or how big the track is — which isn't bad at all.When it's play time at the track I can give the Stampede to my 7 year old son and tell him "race like there's no tomorrow" knowing that this tough truck is going to take what my son can dish out. He's hard on racing RCs and has flipped, rolled, and did some unintentional wild acrobatics. The Stampede just kept on going — now that's true durability.

The turning ability of this off-road monster truck is amazing. The main advantage of electric RCs over nitro engines is that they go in reverse -- making it easy to correct that "Oh man I turned that corner too sharp!" mistake. Don't get me wrong, there are nitro RCs out there that have reverse but you have to come to a complete stop to engage the reverse in the transmission. That can cost you some valuable time during an intense race.

Stampede Monster Truck Digs Monster Dirt

Traxxas Nitro Rustler Review

Out-of-the-box, without upgrades or modifications, the 1:10 Traxxas Rustler 2.5 Nitro Stadium Truck is a force to be reckoned with. Sporting the most powerful engine designed by Traxxas, 4 wheel independent suspension, high torque off the line, and precise steering; not many stock vehicles out there will upstage the Rustler come race day. Worth much more than the price tag. A definite bargain. And a few simple upgrades make it even more fun to own.Although the Rustler is Ready-to-Run, there are still some essential extras you'll need immediately or very soon after purchase including: Batteries for the Controller 7.2 volt Battery Pack (for included electric starter) Nitro Fuel After-Burn Oil 7.2 volt Battery Pack Charger

These items are not included and must be purchased separately, also having a couple of extra glow plugs and a can of compressed air on-hand doesn't hurt either.

Assembly is a breeze. Pre-assembled and ready to run out of the box this beast is itching to tear up turf. All you really need to do is apply the included decals in any way you wish (design freedom), prepare the antenna, glue the tires, insert the batteries in the controller and the receiver terminal which is located on the back, fill the fuel tank with your choice of Nitro Fuel (20% is what I use), start 'er up and go. OK, as you can see "Ready-to-Run" doesn't mean just take it out of the box and go.

With the stock tires, gluing the tires down is a must. This can be done with super glue or glue recommended by your local hobby shop. Be careful though to not get it on the foam inserts as it will eat straight through them.

When breaking in the Traxxas Nitro Rustler RC truck, for your own sake and for the sake of your wallet do not give it full throttle immediately. Take the time and effort to break in the engine; this also gives you the opportunity to learn how this vehicle responds and to adjust the steering and idle speed according to your own personal preferences. Patience is the keyword here. I know it’s hard to not start racing immediately but the truck and your bank account will thank you for waiting.

Drive in circles and do some straight aways at about a quarter throttle for about 10 minutes, then do short spurts of speed equal to about one third throttle for another five minutes or so. Remember, this thing is fast and it is very easy to either lose control and crash, or destroy the engine if you do not properly break it in. The whole process should take about 30 - 60 minutes, but it doesn’t hurt to go a little longer. You only have to do this once. When the engine is set and properly broken in it will run at optimum performance.

At as little as a third of the throttle this vicious vehicle will spin and pop wheelies without effort. On-road use is not what the Rustler was built for, but if you must, ease into the speed. Lucky for me this RC truck was built very strong. I have personally flipped it over a few times and half of those were within a couple of hours after breaking it in for the first time.

Get the Rustler off-road and now you're talking. After breaking it in and getting use to the vehicles attitude; (yes, it does have an attitude) taking it off-road is the next step to showing its full potential. Off-road handling is a lot better than on-road handling. The suspension system is durable and easily absorbs whatever the terrain throws at it. Jumps, hills, mud, dirt, rocks, grass; this nitro-powered monster will chew it up and spit it out... literally. You learn to dodge flying objects quickly if you don’t already know how. The torque is amazing. With all the room in the park that I have access to, I still haven’t been able to get it to maximum speed, but who cares! Fast, light and durable; the Traxxas Nitro Rustler RC truck owns the off-road track.

Traxxas Revo 3.3

Since its debut the Traxxas Revo 3.3 has been a favorite of many RC race competitors. Both the Classic Revo and the 3.3 continue to dominate in the off-road monster truck category due to their reliability and performance. The Revo 3.3 improves on the Classic with a bigger engine, better suspension, and lengthened chassis. What I like most about the Traxxas Revo 3.3 is that the chassis has been lengthened an extra 30mm. This helps make the Revo 3.3 more stable on both short, close jumps and over really tough terrain. Of course, I was happy to see a bigger engine. I know they say bigger isn't always better, but to me a bigger engine means more power and I'm what you could call a RC Power Freak. The more power, the happier I am.

There is a lot more to the Revo than just the engine and longer chassis. For instance, instead of the standard ratio, two speed transmission found in the Revo 2.5R, a more agressive wide ratio, two speed transmission gives the Revo 3.3 better acceleration and overall top-end speed. The suspension has also been upgraded, from the standard Progressive 1 Rockers to more stable Progressive 2 Rockers. The Revo 3.3 is an awesome nitro machine and one of this site's top Reader's Choices in RC Nitro Monster Trucks.