The vehicles I'm contrasting are the 1:10 scale Axial Yeti kit version against the 1:10 scale Vaterra Twin Hammers RTR after having some some upgrades done to it. Why do I have both? I really like the Twin Hammers, and my son really likes the Yeti. They're different vehicles, that I think are different enough that if you really like one, you probably wouldn't like the other. My son doesn't want to drive my Twin Hammers, and I don't want to drive his Yeti. Then again, if you like RC cars and don't mind watching money disappear, then buy both (and one for me while you're at it)! You'll see from the build lists that these are both "ordinary guy" builds that have been built with run-of-the-mill parts you're likely to find at your hobby shop, or easily online.
Upgrades done to the Twin Hammers:
GCM front plate with shock hoops & Axial SCX10 shocks
GCM rear axle truss
Dynamite Fuze 3300kv system
Dynamite 2S LiPO, 4000mah, 50C
Spektrum DX4C radio & Spektrum SRS4210 receiver
Traxxas 2075 steering servo
Vaterra aluminum wheel hexes
500k weight diff oil
Upgrades done to the Yeti:
Stock "kit" upgrades
Dynamite Fuze 3900kv system
Venom 2S LiPO, 5000mah, 40C
Hitec HS-5646WP steering servo
Spektrum DX3E radio & Spektrum SRS4210 receiver
500k weight diff oil
Differences between the vehicles:
Speed: The Yeti is hands down faster. Sure it has a faster motor & nicer ESC, but even if I put the exact same system in my Twin Hammers, the Yeti would still be faster. Why? Well, wheel size is the dead giveaway here, but really the Yeti handles it's speed way better. If the Twin Hammers was made to be as fast as the Yeti, the Twin Hammers would be damn near impossible to control, and it would break a lot. If racing, in the time it took to recover the Twin Hammers from rollovers and flips, the Yeti would be done and waiting at the finish line. I know this because my son & I race a lot. He's 6. I'm 34. He usually beats me. Hill climbs, rock bouncing, bash courses we make up, he consistently (not always) beats my Twin Hammers with ease.
Durability: With the upgrades I've done to the Twin Hammers, they're both pretty even. Both rarely break. Prior to those upgrades though, the Yeti would be the clear winner. My Twin Hammers broke the standard wheel hexes, wheel hex pins and top brace from regular use within a few hours. My son (once again, he's 6) has yet to break anything on the Yeti and we've been driving it for about 2 weeks, and really testing the Yeti. He's had a few crashes from jumps that made me cringe as $$ signs flashed before my eyes...nothing broken yet.
Ease to build/work on: Pretty well tied I'd say. They both have ups & downs. The Yeti's cage comes off way more easily, but the Yeti's wheels are a pain to work on if something goes wrong. Changing batteries is simple on both and both require the same, short list of tools to work on.
Fun to drive: Well, this one depends on you. I prefer my Twin Hammers because I think it looks cooler, and I enjoy having to try the same obstacle/jump/hill again, and again, and again, and again, and again before finally nailing it on the 94th try. The Twin Hammers forces you to consider physics and try to anticipate how the vehicle will respond to the terrain (like a real vehicle). I find that to be more fun than blindly bashing and getting it right accidentally. I like to know that I did the "impossible." If you prefer simply bashing and feeling victorious in the face of any and every obstacle/jump/hill then you'd have more fun with the Yeti. My son's Yeti outcrawls, outbounces, out hillclimbs, outbashes and outdoes my Twin Hammers at every turn when it comes to speed (and looks cooler according to him). He gets it right first time, almost everytime, and he's not a very good driver (I hope you remember, he's 6).
Summary: Capability does NOT always translate into fun. If it did, we'd all buy Traxxas Summits and be happy. Sometimes, the less capable vehicle is actually more fun, because of its decreased capability, but that's up to you. I think the Twin Hammers wins the fun battle due to its perfect balance of capabilty & reality. The Yeti is more capable, but also less realistic.
Any questions? Let me know. I know people have contrasted these two vehicles before, and this is my drop into that bucket. I'm aware that they have two different wheel sizes so they'd never actually compete against each other, other than competing for your hard earned money. Hopefully it can help some of you make a better decision to buy the right vehicle, or convince you that you already did!
I'm about to mount up a set of Pro-Line Super Swamper TSL Xls on my Twin Hammers to try to keep up a bit more with my son's Yeti and hopefully get some wins back. If you have any other clever ideas on how to help my Twin Hammers outbounce/out hillclimb/ outrace my son's Yeti, let me know! I actually like that my son wins more, but he enjoys some real competition too. I just received the SSD 2 speed kit for the Yeti, so maybe I'll make my son race me with his Yeti in low gear only!
Upgrades done to the Twin Hammers:
GCM front plate with shock hoops & Axial SCX10 shocks
GCM rear axle truss
Dynamite Fuze 3300kv system
Dynamite 2S LiPO, 4000mah, 50C
Spektrum DX4C radio & Spektrum SRS4210 receiver
Traxxas 2075 steering servo
Vaterra aluminum wheel hexes
500k weight diff oil
Upgrades done to the Yeti:
Stock "kit" upgrades
Dynamite Fuze 3900kv system
Venom 2S LiPO, 5000mah, 40C
Hitec HS-5646WP steering servo
Spektrum DX3E radio & Spektrum SRS4210 receiver
500k weight diff oil
Differences between the vehicles:
Speed: The Yeti is hands down faster. Sure it has a faster motor & nicer ESC, but even if I put the exact same system in my Twin Hammers, the Yeti would still be faster. Why? Well, wheel size is the dead giveaway here, but really the Yeti handles it's speed way better. If the Twin Hammers was made to be as fast as the Yeti, the Twin Hammers would be damn near impossible to control, and it would break a lot. If racing, in the time it took to recover the Twin Hammers from rollovers and flips, the Yeti would be done and waiting at the finish line. I know this because my son & I race a lot. He's 6. I'm 34. He usually beats me. Hill climbs, rock bouncing, bash courses we make up, he consistently (not always) beats my Twin Hammers with ease.
Durability: With the upgrades I've done to the Twin Hammers, they're both pretty even. Both rarely break. Prior to those upgrades though, the Yeti would be the clear winner. My Twin Hammers broke the standard wheel hexes, wheel hex pins and top brace from regular use within a few hours. My son (once again, he's 6) has yet to break anything on the Yeti and we've been driving it for about 2 weeks, and really testing the Yeti. He's had a few crashes from jumps that made me cringe as $$ signs flashed before my eyes...nothing broken yet.
Ease to build/work on: Pretty well tied I'd say. They both have ups & downs. The Yeti's cage comes off way more easily, but the Yeti's wheels are a pain to work on if something goes wrong. Changing batteries is simple on both and both require the same, short list of tools to work on.
Fun to drive: Well, this one depends on you. I prefer my Twin Hammers because I think it looks cooler, and I enjoy having to try the same obstacle/jump/hill again, and again, and again, and again, and again before finally nailing it on the 94th try. The Twin Hammers forces you to consider physics and try to anticipate how the vehicle will respond to the terrain (like a real vehicle). I find that to be more fun than blindly bashing and getting it right accidentally. I like to know that I did the "impossible." If you prefer simply bashing and feeling victorious in the face of any and every obstacle/jump/hill then you'd have more fun with the Yeti. My son's Yeti outcrawls, outbounces, out hillclimbs, outbashes and outdoes my Twin Hammers at every turn when it comes to speed (and looks cooler according to him). He gets it right first time, almost everytime, and he's not a very good driver (I hope you remember, he's 6).
Summary: Capability does NOT always translate into fun. If it did, we'd all buy Traxxas Summits and be happy. Sometimes, the less capable vehicle is actually more fun, because of its decreased capability, but that's up to you. I think the Twin Hammers wins the fun battle due to its perfect balance of capabilty & reality. The Yeti is more capable, but also less realistic.
Any questions? Let me know. I know people have contrasted these two vehicles before, and this is my drop into that bucket. I'm aware that they have two different wheel sizes so they'd never actually compete against each other, other than competing for your hard earned money. Hopefully it can help some of you make a better decision to buy the right vehicle, or convince you that you already did!
I'm about to mount up a set of Pro-Line Super Swamper TSL Xls on my Twin Hammers to try to keep up a bit more with my son's Yeti and hopefully get some wins back. If you have any other clever ideas on how to help my Twin Hammers outbounce/out hillclimb/ outrace my son's Yeti, let me know! I actually like that my son wins more, but he enjoys some real competition too. I just received the SSD 2 speed kit for the Yeti, so maybe I'll make my son race me with his Yeti in low gear only!
Last edited: