What's The Best Monster Truch Then?

[ryanbored]

Hi guys, fancy getting a truck. Had a TXT but was slow and a bit clumsy. What do you recon is the best one?

I want it for bashing, and been umm-ing and ahh-ing over a few on E-bay for a while now.

Not worried about the looks (really don't like grave diggers, or what ever they're called)

Now should i abandom ship (just for this one!) and get an E-MaXX?

The other thing is I only wanna spend max 150

Cheers

Ryan

EDIT: Cna't spel "truck"...nevva mind!

[Mad Ax]

Mostly it depends on what you want to do with it. For "just bashing" I think the TXT is great - it looks awesome, it has plenty of torque with 2 motors, it's a capable truck out of the box and has plenty of avenues to upgrade if that's what you want. I do agree though it is very clumsy - it's a top-heavy truck with soft suspension, so it will roll over very easily at speed. This is also true of 1:1 monster trucks - it's down to the way they're made and what they're designed for.

If you want something more stable then in Tamiya terms you're limited to something like the Wild Dagger. It's 4x4 and with two fast motors in it really flies. It's a bit basic out of the box but alloy shock towers and 4" shocks transforms it completely. It will go much faster and handle much better than any TXT can.

However, because it has independant suspension it won't crawl anywhere near as well as a TXT will. Point it up a steep hill and it'll lose traction, where the TXT's solid axles keep all the wheels gripping as long as possible.

You can modify a TXT to make it a better racer. I've seen a brushless juggy in action and it really is awesome to see something so big going so fast. The TXT is very similar, so it could be modified to go the same way. Lower the suspension as far as possible, fit axle wideners for extra stability, stiffen up the shocks and springs, fit a single brushless motor with a suitably-geared pinion and big battery pack and you'll have an awesome truck. However, it still won't be as stable as a Wild Dagger around a tight track and will still be heavy unless you upgrade to carbon chassis. After all these mods, it won't be any good at crawling.

Of course you could go outside of Tamiya and look for any of the RTR stadium trucks that are available. There are very few good monster trucks (technical difference, IIRC, is monsters have solid axles and higher ground clearance; stadium trucks are lower with independant suspension, although some big HPI / Traxxas trucks blur the lines a little). I can't give any immediate advice on these since I've not owned or used them, but from box specs and word of mouth I believe they're faster, better-specced and more capable than the Wild Dagger.

For 150 I would personally go for a new Wild Dagger, and have money left over for a no-limits ESC and motor and pinion upgrades, then save up and upgrade the shocks and shock towers too. I'm not familiar with how RTR prices compare to this but think they're a bit more expensive, although of course you do get everything you need in one box.

I personally think Tamiya's current stadium / monster truck line-up is very limited, and they really need to get out a good high-end stadium truck to meet the challenge set by Traxxas and HPI.

[ryanbored]

Thanks mate. Always fancied a Tamiya Staduim blitzer. cos they look cool, and seem fairly capable. But i kinda wanna bash the h3ll out of it, which i'm lothed to do with any "proper" cars i own, as most are cherished. I just want to get one I don't care about. Know what i mean? Think a e-maxx thru ebay etc is the answer?

Not considered a wild dagger- I'll have a look about

Cheers again

Any more for any more?

[mymonsterbeetleisbroken]

Just to add something extra to the excellent reply above

What about abandoning electric and getting a Tamiya TNX?

Now i've argued for years that a "monster truck" has rigid axles, and that nitro trucks are not as fun as electric. But never again, because the TNX is great.

It'll go over twice the speed of a wild dagger, out corner and out handle it (its very stable even at 40 mph!) and the OS derived 3 cc engine is very reliable, and plenty powerful enough as the tnx is very light for its size.

You should be able to pick a very lightly used, or even a new one for 150 if you shop around on ebay and rc sites.

No worries if nitro isn't your thing, but the tnx is a great truck even for newbies (like i was!)

I wouldn't buy an e maxx personally. The quality isn't great (hence why there are so many alloy hop ups). They are a cheap and fast machine but need alloy bits to stay in one piece, from what ive been told! My LHS stocks them, but i wasn't impressed with the design and finish of the stock chassis.

[fatboyslim]

What he said^^^^^^!!

[ryanbored]

Can't be doing with nitro- Live in a flat- dont like the smell!

And the ones i had before were i nightmare, even though i understand they're alot better now.

[fatboyslim]

How about a Lunchbox or Midnight Pumpkin?

Very basic but loads of fun

[backtomyroots]

I've owned both the TXT-1 & the E-Maxx. For out of the box "bashing" go for the E-Maxx. Parts are abundant and easily obtained & it performs very well out of the box.

The TXT-1 as you know needs $$$ to make it fast. My favourite MT is the TXT-1 & I'm building my third one right now (watch for that !) but go for the E-Maxx (I actually miss that basher).

[ryanbored]

Cheers mate- I'm keeping my eye open for an e-maxx on the bay

[Bluefoot]

I have a TXT and an E-maxx. The TXt is great for crawling and bashing about in the back yard. Mine can pick up a bit of speed with its twin Magnetic Mayhems and EVX speedo (out of an E-maxx!) but it is pretty unstable at speed. I haven't lowered or hardened the suspension.

The Emaxx is a lot of fun. They are quite fast for a big truck, and need a lot of space to run. As was mentioned before - they do break things. I have replaced a couple of suspension arms and I have just fitted alloy gearcases and CVDs all round. Mine also has a full set of alloy skid plates and I'm about to invest in alloy bulkheads, chassis rails and shocks, but that's mainly because I like the look of all that alloy! Once you beef up the drive chain you are pretty well set. I'm not so keen on the alloy suspension arms because I would rather they flexed a bit when it hits something. It's a big heavy truck. The plastic ones are pretty cheap.

Mine has the standard Titan motors, but with a good set of batteries it pulls wheelies in first and second gear. In fact i must get round to fitting a wheelie bar to stop it flipping!

[Tamiya_addict]

I was in the same boat. Spending lots of cash and making nice cars and trucks. I got to the point where I just wanted a 'basher'. So I brought a Wild Dagger (cos of the nice body) for AU$200 on ebay. Then I built it, brought an MTroniks RV Max ESC (no motor turn limit and has reverse), two BZ motors, 20T pinions, GPM shock towers and fitted stock TXT-1 shocks. Glued the tires to the rims of course. Well after doing all that I went from AU$200 to AU$450. When it comes to running, it is fun on slippery gravel, very stable cornering, but it wasn't fast enough for me. But that was with a cheap 1700mAh battery. So I built it, test drove it and now it sits on my shelf. I may sell it. The WD is not invincible. The parts are tough (aka soft, not brittle) but some parts, e.g. the steering knuckle come straight from the M chassis cars/TL01.

Maybe I should have gone for the Blackfoot extreme with a lexan body. Too fussy I am.

[ryanbored]

That's the problem, I spend loads of cash on something that's not quite right, then sell it... Need to nail down what i want really.

I have a brushless RC10 B4 thats greats for bashing, but want that sort of speed/ fun in a truck. I think. Or a 3 speed. or high lift.

Dammit i dont know!!

[tamiya monkey]

i have recently sold my e-savage and bought a e-maxx and i think its great, i prefer to collect tamiya's but my e-maxx is so much fun.