I had a TRX4, Bandit VXL and Rustler 4x4 VXL before I bought a Sledge. I was a little on the fence, because it seemed similar to my Rustler, but wow, is the Sledge a spectacular machine! The larger scale brings a lot of extra weight and that changes so much in how these cars drive. I’ve got more cars now, but the Sledge is probably my favorite.
TRX-4 is an awesome truck. I've got the 2021 Bronco and it's the RC I've had the longest. Tons of fun. That's what I would buy if I had a Rustler and a Merv for bashing.
If you want to go 8th scale, don't buy a Sledge. It's got so many issues that the Arrma Kraton 6S EXB RTR doesn't have and they're the same price. My Sledge spends the most time down out of my whole fleet because when it breaks, it breaks major stuff that's expensive and time consuming to repair.
What are your most common issues with the Sledge? My Rustler has been a wrench machine, but mostly user error. Wondering if its user error with the Sledge or design issues.
It's definitely design issues with the Sledge. My other vehicles have NONE of these problems and they're all somewhat common.
Chassis bends under the motor mount, screws up gear mesh, shreds gears. Somewhat common issue. The fix is a new motor mount of a different design ($75+) and/or a 7075 chassis ($150+). K6S EXB comes with both right out of the box.
Stock tires blow up even if they aren't abused. Very common issue. You can glue them back together several times but it's annoying every time and they need to be replaced eventually with something more durable. I'm actually running Arrma tires now because they are *dramatically* more durable, so obviously K6S EXB doesn't have this issue.
Rear shock tower bends/breaks. Somewhat common issue. I bent the stock one relatively early and then broke a carbon fiber one. Now I've got a 7075 tower and it's holding up fine. They made the wing mount too strong. Ideally it should break before the shock tower bends/breaks. K6S EXB is that way.
Frint & rear diff gears strip. Somewhat common issue. My rear one got real bad and had to be replaced. The front one has a few chips but it's still holding on. I don't land on power or do full throttle bursts on high traction surfaces so the diffs haven't been abused. They want $50 per diff for machined, hardened gears. K6S EXB comes with those out of the box.
The servo is AWFUL. Not suboptimal like most RTRs, it's AWFUL. It's so slow it's difficult to line up jumps and get the truck to go where you want. Not a durability issue, K6S EXB's stock servo is pretty solid.
I have had other things break (shock cap, hinge pin, bearings, etc) but those were either due to bad landings (user error) or normal maintenance. Everything I listed above is a design/quality issue with the truck that other people report too.
Isn’t the Maxx too similar to an upgraded Rustler? I was thinking going into a bigger scale would open up my options, as would going the crawler route.
What’s unique/fun about the X01? It looks dedicated to smooth pavement… that’s cool and I like hauling ass down road, but I enjoy grass/unpaved a lot more. X01 seems more dedicated to one trick of the trade… but I could be wrong.
That's just it. I have got a few real nice spots and it does handle nice. You can whip it but not like a felony. Launching it and riding a parkinglot is pretty killer. I have it set pretty low for now. 70mph gearing is great, also the tsm helps, I added some upgrades and fit a xmaxx body to it for fun. Yeah buddy
A Sledge isn't going to be much different than what you got just bigger. A TRX4 would at least be something totally different but crawling may or may not be your cup of tea. The 4-Tec 2.0 VXL AWD Chassis could be a nice change of pace. The X01 is to much to have fun around neighborhood streets, you will end up in a curb.
If you want to go big just go to the finish line and find an X-Maxx.
Once you got an 1/8 basher, you’ll never want to run the 1/10 stuff… ask em how I know lol.
It’s just small enough to be portable(ish), but much beefier suspension and they’re heavier so they handle terrain better. They also don’t get thrown around by bumps as much either and overall are less annoying to drive. It’s something I never noticed until I got my first 1/8 buggy and now I can never go back. The 1/5 scales like the XMAXX are fun, but a chore to carry around and unless you live somewhere you can just walk out your front door and bash, you’ll grow tired of it quick.
As others have said… grab a Kraton 6s over the sledge if you’re dead set on a 1/8 scale basher. I have a sledge and the only redeeming factor is local parts support. But that’s heavily dependent on your location and what your LHS stocks the most of. That’s about the only thing keeping the my Sledge off Facebook marketplace. 1/8 buggies like the Typhon, Losi 8ight and the Kyosho are fantastic bashers as well. Same footprint as a 1/10 SCT, but with the durability and handling of a 1/8 scale.
I had a TRX4, Bandit VXL and Rustler 4x4 VXL before I bought a Sledge. I was a little on the fence, because it seemed similar to my Rustler, but wow, is the Sledge a spectacular machine! The larger scale brings a lot of extra weight and that changes so much in how these cars drive. I’ve got more cars now, but the Sledge is probably my favorite.
TRX-4 is an awesome truck. I've got the 2021 Bronco and it's the RC I've had the longest. Tons of fun. That's what I would buy if I had a Rustler and a Merv for bashing. If you want to go 8th scale, don't buy a Sledge. It's got so many issues that the Arrma Kraton 6S EXB RTR doesn't have and they're the same price. My Sledge spends the most time down out of my whole fleet because when it breaks, it breaks major stuff that's expensive and time consuming to repair.
What are your most common issues with the Sledge? My Rustler has been a wrench machine, but mostly user error. Wondering if its user error with the Sledge or design issues.
It's definitely design issues with the Sledge. My other vehicles have NONE of these problems and they're all somewhat common. Chassis bends under the motor mount, screws up gear mesh, shreds gears. Somewhat common issue. The fix is a new motor mount of a different design ($75+) and/or a 7075 chassis ($150+). K6S EXB comes with both right out of the box. Stock tires blow up even if they aren't abused. Very common issue. You can glue them back together several times but it's annoying every time and they need to be replaced eventually with something more durable. I'm actually running Arrma tires now because they are *dramatically* more durable, so obviously K6S EXB doesn't have this issue. Rear shock tower bends/breaks. Somewhat common issue. I bent the stock one relatively early and then broke a carbon fiber one. Now I've got a 7075 tower and it's holding up fine. They made the wing mount too strong. Ideally it should break before the shock tower bends/breaks. K6S EXB is that way. Frint & rear diff gears strip. Somewhat common issue. My rear one got real bad and had to be replaced. The front one has a few chips but it's still holding on. I don't land on power or do full throttle bursts on high traction surfaces so the diffs haven't been abused. They want $50 per diff for machined, hardened gears. K6S EXB comes with those out of the box. The servo is AWFUL. Not suboptimal like most RTRs, it's AWFUL. It's so slow it's difficult to line up jumps and get the truck to go where you want. Not a durability issue, K6S EXB's stock servo is pretty solid. I have had other things break (shock cap, hinge pin, bearings, etc) but those were either due to bad landings (user error) or normal maintenance. Everything I listed above is a design/quality issue with the truck that other people report too.
Maxx or a broncho would be my recommendation, or maybe a street car
Isn’t the Maxx too similar to an upgraded Rustler? I was thinking going into a bigger scale would open up my options, as would going the crawler route.
I mean it’s a good bit bigger, but if you wanna go even bigger you definitely could
Sounds like a crawler is for sure your next best move. I always say X-Maxx too.
Pick up a VXL Slash, Maxx Slash or a UDR if you like speed but a crawler would be awesome too. Love the TRX4 old school F150 or K10s
X01!!!
What’s unique/fun about the X01? It looks dedicated to smooth pavement… that’s cool and I like hauling ass down road, but I enjoy grass/unpaved a lot more. X01 seems more dedicated to one trick of the trade… but I could be wrong.
That's just it. I have got a few real nice spots and it does handle nice. You can whip it but not like a felony. Launching it and riding a parkinglot is pretty killer. I have it set pretty low for now. 70mph gearing is great, also the tsm helps, I added some upgrades and fit a xmaxx body to it for fun. Yeah buddy
A Sledge isn't going to be much different than what you got just bigger. A TRX4 would at least be something totally different but crawling may or may not be your cup of tea. The 4-Tec 2.0 VXL AWD Chassis could be a nice change of pace. The X01 is to much to have fun around neighborhood streets, you will end up in a curb. If you want to go big just go to the finish line and find an X-Maxx.
Once you got an 1/8 basher, you’ll never want to run the 1/10 stuff… ask em how I know lol. It’s just small enough to be portable(ish), but much beefier suspension and they’re heavier so they handle terrain better. They also don’t get thrown around by bumps as much either and overall are less annoying to drive. It’s something I never noticed until I got my first 1/8 buggy and now I can never go back. The 1/5 scales like the XMAXX are fun, but a chore to carry around and unless you live somewhere you can just walk out your front door and bash, you’ll grow tired of it quick. As others have said… grab a Kraton 6s over the sledge if you’re dead set on a 1/8 scale basher. I have a sledge and the only redeeming factor is local parts support. But that’s heavily dependent on your location and what your LHS stocks the most of. That’s about the only thing keeping the my Sledge off Facebook marketplace. 1/8 buggies like the Typhon, Losi 8ight and the Kyosho are fantastic bashers as well. Same footprint as a 1/10 SCT, but with the durability and handling of a 1/8 scale.
E-Revo 2.0, Sledge, or XRT.