Looking for a durable athletic basher for skate park and beach

[BroncoAZ]

My current rigs (Yeti, TRX Bronco, Bomber) are not right for the skate park or the beach. I need fast enough for jumps and bashing, which the yeti does well but it’s too damn fragile. I’m looking at buying another rig. First thing that comes to mind is a Slash in 2wd or 4wd. I like 2wd for simplicity in the basher application, but I want it to work on most terrain. I was also looking at the Rustler or Stampede. I like the idea of the TSM system on the Traxxas to make it easier to control, I’m a little fatigued from my Yeti that is all over the place rather than going in a straight line. I regularly hand off the controller to a 7 year old, so the learning mode in the Traxxas ESC is appealing. I do want brushless and only run 3S.

Here are my questions:
Short course or buggy or something else?
Specific models to consider? (Any brand, looking for bashing durability and decent parts availability)
2wd or 4wd for the terrain? (Paddle tires are a must for sand)

Thanks

 

[TheLetterJ]

That role could be filled by any number of rc's. If I were in the market for a basher today, I'd go straight to an Arrma Kraton, many like the shorter wheelbase Outcast better for easier flips/wheelies. You said 3s only, and that works fine on the Arrmas... you just run 2 in series!

If you want smaller/lighter/cheaper, a 2wd Traxxas Slash/Rustler/Stampede is always a safe bet, but skate parks can be a real wild card. My son's very first jump, his very first time with his brushless 2wd Slash at the skatepark had him sending the car 20'+ in the air, over the fence, and landing on its roof. It survived, but that could have ended badly. The Rustler is easier to flip if that's something you enjoy, the Slash tends to break a little less often due to the body covering the wheels, but the body will get hammered. The Stampede is the best of the 3 on rougher terrain. 4wd is definitely easier to drive offroad, especially for newer drivers. That said, Traxxas is not going to be the highest performing nor highest quality option, but they're reasonably durable and their parts availability is hard to beat.

Pretty much anything 1/10 scale or bigger will do fine in the sand with a pair of paddles. My family used to run very frequently at the dunes with 3) 2wd Slashes, a 4x4 Slash, a Losi Baja Rey, and an HPI 5b that all only ran rear paddles. Only my Foff Wraith ran paddles all around, but it was more for hillclimb/acceleration, not high speed or big jumps.

I guess to really zero in on your best option, we'll need some more info. What's your budget? Is it for you, or your 7y.o., and how experienced is he? Do you run with other people, and what do they run? Do you have a general preference in what style you're looking for (buggy, truggy, stadium truck, short course, monster truck, etc?) Are you considering scales other than 1/10? Did you find ocean front property in AZ?

 

[ScaleLifeNewbie]

TheLetterJ hit the nail on the head in the last paragraph. Info info info! Info will help!

It depends on what your budget is, but if you have the money and are willing to wait a little bit, I’d get the Losi LMT. Hands down. It is very bashable, pretty good speed(35-38mph), you can change the throttle to 50%, 75%, and 100%, and it has the looks to go with it. It doesn’t have paddles, but there has to be a set of paddles you can buy for them. The first place I’m going when I get mine is the skatepark lol.

The LMT is brushless as an RTR and it can run 3S right out of the box.

I personally don’t think a Slash would be too good for a skatepark because there’s just not a lot of clearance and if you do higher jumps, you could easily bottom out the chassis on the ground when you land, which isn’t good for not only the chassis, but the electronics as well. That landing when you bottom out will send a hard jolt through all the electrics, which could be too much for them to handle.

It seems to me as the LMT is perfect for what you described. Let me know what you think!


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[themountain]

A Tekno Mt410 is always a solid bet for bashing"thumbsup"

 

[utieh]

A Tekno Mt410 is always a solid bet for bashing"thumbsup"

I would consider that option and a Pro-Line MT

 

[rkj__]

For bashing and beach, I’d get something with big tires. I’m not sure if you are into tricks or not. Skatepark use suggests yes. The Slash can get big air, but it won’t do backflips too readily unless you have just the right jump.

The LMT is actually a pretty cool idea. It would probably be my pick for a basher right now.

I tried an Arrma Senton this year. It is similar to a Slash. It was ok, but not for me. It was too fast, and did not have enough control.

 

[BroncoAZ]

That role could be filled by any number of rc's. If I were in the market for a basher today, I'd go straight to an Arrma Kraton, many like the shorter wheelbase Outcast better for easier flips/wheelies. You said 3s only, and that works fine on the Arrmas... you just run 2 in series!

If you want smaller/lighter/cheaper, a 2wd Traxxas Slash/Rustler/Stampede is always a safe bet, but skate parks can be a real wild card. My son's very first jump, his very first time with his brushless 2wd Slash at the skatepark had him sending the car 20'+ in the air, over the fence, and landing on its roof. It survived, but that could have ended badly. The Rustler is easier to flip if that's something you enjoy, the Slash tends to break a little less often due to the body covering the wheels, but the body will get hammered. The Stampede is the best of the 3 on rougher terrain. 4wd is definitely easier to drive offroad, especially for newer drivers. That said, Traxxas is not going to be the highest performing nor highest quality option, but they're reasonably durable and their parts availability is hard to beat.

Pretty much anything 1/10 scale or bigger will do fine in the sand with a pair of paddles. My family used to run very frequently at the dunes with 3) 2wd Slashes, a 4x4 Slash, a Losi Baja Rey, and an HPI 5b that all only ran rear paddles. Only my Foff Wraith ran paddles all around, but it was more for hillclimb/acceleration, not high speed or big jumps.

I guess to really zero in on your best option, we'll need some more info. What's your budget? Is it for you, or your 7y.o., and how experienced is he? Do you run with other people, and what do they run? Do you have a general preference in what style you're looking for (buggy, truggy, stadium truck, short course, monster truck, etc?) Are you considering scales other than 1/10? Did you find ocean front property in AZ?

Budget: I can afford whatever but I’m thinking $300-450 would be the target. Doesn’t have to be RTR, I could cannibalize my Yeti to build it or I’d have to buy new stuff.
User: the truck is for me primarily, but I know I’ll be letting my buddy’s son drive it frequently. He’s got a cheaper RC open wheel buggy that he seems to be decent at not destroying, so I’d like to slow mine down for him but he should be ok.
Style: I like the trophy truck and truggy style, but anything buggy would be ok. I was close to buying a Baja Ray or Rock Rey to replace my Yeti a year or so back, but it seemed like the feedback was mixed on durability. I hadn’t considered the monster truck style because I figured they’d be top heavy and flip easily.
Scale: everything else I own is 1/10. I hadn’t considered others.

I recently moved from AZ to Cape Cod, MA.

 

[BroncoAZ]

I was thinking closed wheel Slash for the skate park to prevent ripping off the A arms as easily, and a little more body cushion for bad landings. My buddy has a Slash 2wd VXL and I’ve always envied the reliability compared to my fragile Yeti that I break C blocks on far too often. An open wheel design would be much better for keeping sand out of the chassis, which a trophy truck would certainly fill with sand using paddles. I agree that the bigger tires the better for sand. I would like to avoid the tire folding and dive causing rollover on steering characteristics of the Yeti.

Looking at the options:

Arrma Kraton - looks fun, I like the styling. Looks like there are a bunch of different versions in both 1/10 and 1/8. The Arrma Outcast looks neat too. I was also looking at the big rock.

Tekno MT410 - also looks fun. Seems like a really wide chassis.

Losi LMT - not my visual style. The Losi Tanacity Truggy looks interesting.

In a nut shell it comes down to durability. I want a rig I can thrash with minimal breakage. I also want a less complicated rig so cleaning after the beach isn’t as arduous (2wd?). Independent front and rear suspension is preferred. The skate park is close by, so I could see getting into the tricks and flips. Big air landings indicate bigger shocks and more suspension travel is needed, and a lighter weight rig should fly better and break less stuff. Not sure about tire size, It looks like 2.8 and 3.8 are the standard?

 

[Fricker08]

Surprised no one has throw the e-revo out there.. my buddy at work just got one and it is insane. There’s tons of videos of them launching at skateparks


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[Phildirt]

Yeah the LMT doesn’t jump out at me as best suited for this. I would consider the Arrma Outcast in my top 3 o so, it does everything you described well.

 

[svt923]

Arrma Kraton - looks fun, I like the styling. Looks like there are a bunch of different versions in both 1/10 and 1/8. The Arrma Outcast looks neat too. I was also looking at the big rock.

Tekno MT410 - also looks fun. Seems like a really wide chassis.

The 6S versions of the Outcast and Kraton are essentially the same vehicle, the Outcast just has a shorter wheelbase that makes pulling backflips super easy. If you want any type of high speed handling, the Kraton is the choice but if you like wheelies and triple backflips, then go for the Outcast. Both are super durable and hold up to most any abuse. The 4S versions are quite a bit smaller and made from much more plastic. They are incredibly durable for a truck that is like 95% plastic but the 6S series are a whole different class of vehicle.

The MT410 is everything good about the Outcast taken to the next level of fit, finish, & durability. It is nearly exactly the same dimensions as the Outcast but the super narrow chassis makes it look much wider than it is.

 

[BroncoAZ]

The 6S versions of the Outcast and Kraton are essentially the same vehicle, the Outcast just has a shorter wheelbase that makes pulling backflips super easy. If you want any type of high speed handling, the Kraton is the choice but if you like wheelies and triple backflips, then go for the Outcast. Both are super durable and hold up to most any abuse. The 4S versions are quite a bit smaller and made from much more plastic. They are incredibly durable for a truck that is like 95% plastic but the 6S series are a whole different class of vehicle.

The MT410 is everything good about the Outcast taken to the next level of fit, finish, & durability. It is nearly exactly the same dimensions as the Outcast but the super narrow chassis makes it look much wider than it is.

The Kraton 1/10 looks like it would suit my preferences. The Outcast is cool but I could see poor high speed handling being annoying over time. I keep coming back to the Losi Tenacity truggy 1/10, it checks all the right boxes for under $400. I definitely don’t want another problem rig like the yeti.

The MT410 is a neat looking rig, I’m not sure if I want to spend that much building one up. It seems like a really nice kit with big shocks. I did a search for MT410 and can’t find any build threads. Are you guys punking me into building one as a guinea pig? Looks like the build cost would be $450 for the kit, $100 for wheels/tires, $100 for radio, $200 for motor/esc, $75 for steering servo, $50 for Raptor body. Basically $1K for a basic build, then add another $70 for a set of rear paddles.

 

[Phildirt]

If I was down to the Kraton or Tenacity I’d go with the Kraton just based on looks haha. It’s a mean ass looking rig.

So what I do is watch a lot of video...I usually don’t know exactly what I want until I do that. Interested to see what you end up with and definitely let us know, I’m looking to add a basher to my stable. Kind of want one of each eventually, a good all around crawler, trailer, basher, and street basher instead of 3-4 versions of the same genre.

 

[svt923]

Are you guys punking me into building one as a guinea pig?

To put your mind at ease:

Mine started off as a Tekno buggy that was eventually converted into a MT410. This was after I put on some new tires, painted up a new body, and installed a Mamba Monster X combo for 6S stupidity.

 

[BroncoAZ]

If I was down to the Kraton or Tenacity I’d go with the Kraton just based on looks haha. It’s a mean ass looking rig.

So what I do is watch a lot of video...I usually don’t know exactly what I want until I do that. Interested to see what you end up with and definitely let us know, I’m looking to add a basher to my stable. Kind of want one of each eventually, a good all around crawler, trailer, basher, and street basher instead of 3-4 versions of the same genre.

The Kraton does look better. It looks like the Outcast uses a smaller rim with more tire.

 

[TheLetterJ]

If you're considering the Kraton (which is still my #1 recommendation for your scenario), definitely get the 6s, not the 4s version, it's MUCH more durable and in the grand scheme of things, that makes it cheaper to own/run. You can run the 6s version on 4s without issue too. The newest "Extreme Bash Roller" has even more beef and a lower entry price than the rtr, but as you noted with the Tekno MT410, it will cost a fair amount more to get it up and running, but you'll end up with better stuff.

My neighbor bought a Proline Ambush MT roller when they were on sale earlier this year and was up and running right at the $400 mark (he already had a radio.) It's been very solid and has held up to some pretty good bmx jump abuse with only 1 part failure (part of the servo saver which we expected would break based on reviews, replaced with $20 aluminum part and it's been fine since.) As nice as most Proline cars have been, and as good of a value as it seemed up front, I'd have a hard time recommending them due to Proline's history of rapidly discontinuing kits for no reason.

Sticking with 1/10 scale and your interest in the Losi Tenacity, have you given the LaserNut a look?

 

[BroncoAZ]

The LaserNut is too much like the Yeti, I don’t want a second U4 truck. The more I look at the stadium/monster trucks the more I like them, the 2.8 or 3.8 wheels should give good grip/handling at the skate park and the beach (with paddles). I do think the Kraton 6S is kind of ridiculously big for me. I watched a review video of the Kraton 4S with the 6S, 8S, and a rustler lined up. The 6S is still close in size to the 4S but the rustler looked tiny by comparison. The rig my buddy’s kid has is a small 1/10 size open wheel stadium truck, I need to find out what it is. The Kraton models look twice the size. I’d have to remove the tires to fit one in the totes I use for my other 1/10 trucks. When I get a chance I’ll see if I can find a LHS to check some of these.

 

[Shinchu]

I took my yeti to the beach once and it would drift sick roosts of wet sand... thing was awesome.
But a skate park?? Man thats brutal for any truck.

 

[BroncoAZ]

I’m still looking. The Arrma Big Rock V3 1/10 is currently the leader. $320 and it seems pretty darn durable from the videos I see of guys jumping them 20’ in the air. The Granite is also a contender, the shorter wheelbase makes it more athletic for tricks but more squirrely to drive. The narrower arms and wider tires might help durability. The only thing these trucks don’t have is the gyro stabilization, but that’s less of an issue on 4x4.

I checked out the Kraton 6S at a LHS in Chandler, AZ. Other than being huge it looks like a cool rig.