Going to buy a basher.....but which one!

[Northern_Ben 27]

Hi all,

Shortly after completing and loving my CC01 Unimog, I'm thinking that I want/need another kit to do. Something pretty quick, pretty tough and with some character.

Briefly considered a Traxxas Ford raptor or slash, but I think I want to do another build. Something for on road, gravel, grass and generally bashing about with. Must be car shaped, not really after a buggy style body...

Lunch box/Blitzer beetle/Renault 5 rally/pumpkin/Brat/traxxas slash all being considered.

What would you go for, and have I overlooked anything?

Thanks! 👍

[CoolHands 816]

Blitzer beetle if it was me. I don’t think I would buy traxxas. Maybe Arma if I wanted that sort of thing, as they are fast and tough.

[Hobgoblin 1059]

I think you will be disappointed with the M05 Renault if you want to go off road even slightly. I think even grass will be a bit too much.  Lunchbox/pumpkin/brat are excellent cars but not particularly tough or well suited to speed. 
Blitzer beetle gets my vote, it was my first RC and is still a valid "go anywhere" car. Lots of monster truck bodies ect will fit it too and kamtec make polycarbonate baja bug bodies if you want to properly hammer it. The stock rear tires are okay for grass but as soon as you go through anything abrasive you've only got a couple of runs before you bald the tires. Schumacher has excellent replacements for about £15. You can also chuck pretty much as big a motor as you'd like in it. Gearbox is very strong once you have ball bearings fitted. 

If you really want super toughness and you're going to be throwing it off of big jumps and so on, consider a Traxxas stampede, the 2wd ones I've seen (vintage and modern) are pretty excellent at taking abuse without costing too much or sacrificing character. 

[Northern_Ben 27]

Not looked at the Arma, but I think the Blitzer is my current favourite. Lots of hop ups and plenty of cool paintjobs about too...

[Cephas 530]

This is my DF02 I bought from a TC member, I use this as my basher. Made a lot of changes to is but so far no major damage.

[Northern_Ben 27]

Cool, I do like the Blitzer Beetle!

[Nicadraus 6201]

I'd honestly get a fun kit with a little competitiveness. Something with nice parts options and support. A kit that shares parts with other chassis so they won't be hard to find and acquire. 

[Wooders28 4723]

DT03,  and if you want a different ,full size body, you can get body kits - I used Schumacher U786 kit, and perspex screwed onto the shock tower.

[Mad Ax 9329]

Out of your list, the Blitzer Beetle gets my vote.  Mine is still one of my favourite runners.  Like most Tamiyas in that price range it's fairly basic but it's tough, fun and fast.  Stadium Thunder / Stadium Blitzer are the same car with truck-style bodies, if you prefer that to the Beetle shell.  I think the Stadium Thunder is still available.  The Beetle body is ABS plastic and less impact-resistant than the truck-style polycarbonate bodies.

Another alternative is the Aqroshot, which is aimed at the same sector but is slightly more modern.  There's better current parts support and some nice hop-ups.  Some people say the chassis can crack on heavy impacts but there again, the Blitzer chassis can too.  You can get alternative bodies if you don't like the slightly odd-looking Aqroshot body.

Lunchbox and Pumpkin are more stunt-style trucks and will roll over often.  They're good fun once you understand what they're about but they can be a disappointment if you were expecting a fast monster truck.  The brat is good fun but primitive and might struggle on longer grass and won't be as driveable as the Blitzer or Aqroshot.

If you're more interested in grass and off-road, consider a WR-01 (Twin Detonator, Wild Dagger, Dual Hunter, Double Blaze).  I don't think they're available new any more but they are basically a WT-01 (Bush Devil II, Mud Blaster II, Blackfoot Extreme) with an extra gearbox fitted backwards in the front.  You can buy a WT-01 from a store and a second assembled gearbox from ebay.  Primitive from the box but lots of upgrade potential and twin-motor 4x4 means plenty of torque and traction on grass and dirt.  OTOH, by the time you have made a WR-01 from a WT-01 and parts you're not far off the price of a Traxxas Stampede 4x4 kit, which is more capable, rugged and faster.

[Wooders28 4723]

(Forgotten I had this pic, and too late to edit the post (pardon the pun...) ,anyway , DT03 with Schumacher posts )

 

 

 

[Aleblanc 57]

a DT03 would be my 2wd choice and a TT02B if you want a 4wd - i have both and out of my 60+ rc cars they are the two bashers that get the most use.

[TurnipJF 9192]

I'd vote for a DT-03, re-bodied as per the example built by @ThunderDragonCy:

[magnumb 97]

MST MTX-1 2wd Toyota Body. The smoothest running RTR truck i've ever run and it's a hoot especially with a cheap gyro 

[Bash 356]

I'd go with a Df-03 or lunchbox/MP if you want to stay Tamiya, but if you want something more capable I would take a look at the Arrma senton 3s. It is brushless and runs great on a 2 or 3s lipo and is inexpensive in the US where I live. I can also recommend a traxxas slash and stampede from personal experience, but I feel that the Arrma is the best value.  

[Killajb 1546]

On 4/2/2020 at 1:00 AM, Cephas said:

This is my DF02 I bought from a TC member, I use this as my basher. Made a lot of changes to is but so far no major damage.

I have a stock brushless RTR Mad Bug and a Blitzer Beetle that I put a good deal of effort into painting and detailing..  as a basher, I would easily go with the Mad Bug.  The  hard plastic Blitzer Beetle body will suffer if bashed (and would be a waste if purchased just to destroy instead of proper paint/detail).  The Mad Bug has some awesome dampers and is set up correctly from the get go.  Haven't changed a thing on it and it's still a champ everywhere I've taken it.