[poopers]

I’ve got a Traxxas Slash (1/10th ) I purchased it as my first car getting back into RC after 16 years away (used to race 1/10th buggy).

A great point about the slash is that it can cope with diverse terrains. It’ll do some pretty good off-roading, though not as good as a stampede might, but it can also be set up for fun on the road too, whereas the stampede has a higher ride height and monster tyres so isn’t as much fun on road. It also has a huge knowledge base of information online at various forums for setting the truck up and overcoming any little issues that can arise (like diff leaks). They’re also cheap with spare parts readily available.

The Slash responds remarkably well to set up changes, so you can learn the basics of setting a car up quite easily (sand tyres are available). The speed control and servo are waterproof and the receiver is very well protected but the motor isn’t. That said, I’ve seen cars completely submerged in water, and while I wouldn’t recommend it, there don’t seem to have been any noticeable adverse effects. Snow’s not a problem.

Don’t worry about LiPo and brushless too much just yet. The stock Traxxas motor is relatively quick and you can change the gearing if necessary for more speed (30mph they say). It’s also a very durable motor too, so maintenance is not a worry.

The XL-5 speed control that comes with the truck doesn’t have a LiPo cut off to prevent discharging the LiPo beyond a safe level, so it might be best to sick with NiMH. I currently use 3600 and 4200mAh NiMH and get around 10/15 mins on both, I’d recommend two packs per car.

The key for me is that the Slash just great fun straight out of the box. I’ve had mine since January and felt no need to upgrade it in the slightest. Though I will be putting a brushless speed controller in it sometime, it’s more for convenience than performance upgrade.

Here are a few of the forums I use for info:

http://monster.traxxas.com/forumdisplay.php?f=62 (the slash forum at traxxas)

http://www.rctech.net/forum/electric-off-road-4/ (have a look for slash threads)

http://www.rcshortcourse.com/forum/

Let me know if you want more information on all things slash

Cheers

poopers