Best Basher – Traxxas Rustler or Stampede?

Which is the best basher type radio controlled car to get when you are first starting out? Two of the cheapest models on the market to begin with are the Traxxas Rustler and Traxxas Stampede XL5 models, which come with everything that you will need to get started.

These models are marked RTR which stands for Ready to Run, which means that you can play around with them within moments of taking them out of the box. The only thing that you will need to do is connect the batteries up to the main motor and away you go.

So what is a “basher”? A basher is simply an RC vehicle that it used for bombing around in your back garden, yard, or even an empty swimming pool – anywhere where you can slam big jumps and get some air. These environments are meant to be fun, and this fun comes from tackling the various obstacles and using them in interesting ways. A basher vehicle must generally be fast enough to get big air and rugged enough to survive being “bashed” into obstacles when things go slightly wrong!

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What is the difference between these two models I hear you ask? Well the Traxxas Stampede is a 4×4 vehicle that resembles a monster truck, so it has large wheels and a chassis that is relatively high up off the ground. The big wheels make it great for bashing, and the chassis on the Stampede is well known for being able to take a beating.

On the other side of the coin you have the Rustler, which is more of a stadium truck. This means that it is better at racing – a little bit faster, and because it is lower to the ground in handles corners well too.

For this reason, if you are racing over tarmac then the Rustler is a fine choice, but for everything else go for the Stampede!