Stampede Monster Truck RTR w XL-5 Battery and Charge
I played with RC cars a long time ago as a kid, and in the process of growing up, I got too busy and forgot about them for quite a while. But while shopping and browsing around in a hobby shop one day, something awakened in me when I bumped into the Stampede Monster Truck RTR w XL-5 Battery and Charge. So I thought to myself, “Why not get an RC truck for a change and relive those good old fun days?” So trusting my instincts, I took the plunge and invested in this new toy.
I’m truly glad to say I did have a whale of fun with this new RC truck. With a curious sounding name like “Stampede Monster”, it sure sounded like it was designed to be a little ‘monster’ on a ‘stampede’. And sure enough, it lives up to its name with a blazing top speed of 30mph. Now that is pretty fast for a little thing like that, so in my test drives both indoors and outdoors, I had to be careful not to wreck it on walls and rocks a couple of times, which felt just like driving a miniature racer. In fact, the best part is that the motor can even be modified to make this little monster speed up even faster up to a whopping 65mph. But I guess I would need “Formula 1-like” skills and reflexes to control at that speed without having to bring it back to the “pit stop” to fix yet another wrecked RC truck. So wanting to be more relaxed over the weekend, I contented myself with what the original Titan 12-turn 550 motor could already do.
Given that this toy is an expensive one, I think it makes sense to be extra careful with it, since having racing fun with it is one thing, but paying more to fix it all over again is another. It certainly gave me a lot of outdoor rugged fun, since the white springs gave it a springy bounce just like a real suspension when running and bouncing on outdoor terrain, from the pavement to the lawn, navigating the little slopes and bumps along the way. Just be extra careful that you do not slam it into a curb or brick wall. I enjoyed seeing its bright red sporty looks, with the somewhat monstrous-looking tires with sporty rims running along smoothly at high speed.
Having tried out the Stampede Monster on basic test runs so far, I took it to a little miniature race track for RC cars and trucks. This was a whole new load of fun too, and talking about reliving childhood. Not only is this little, mean monster pretty quick at accelerating to its top speed, the controls were slick and responsive, allowing the Stampede to take corners at some pretty mean speeds too. I guess later on, I would try my hand at modifying and upgrading the motor to higher speeds once I feel more skillful and confident in controlling it without any crashing or overturning. Besides, there is also the option of adding a bigger front bumper to help protect it better just in case.
Deeply engrossed in my reborn hobby of racing an RC truck, I found that the battery lasts about a good 35 minutes of run time, before requiring a lengthy 8.5 hour to recharge. Researching a little further, I would recommend that you get the rapid charger as well that can fully charge up this little beast in just a quick 45 minutes. I have yet to compare this battery-operated model with the nitro gas model, as I felt that battery charging is cleaner and more convenient than having to keep on refilling with gas.
So all in, I would strongly recommend the Stampede Monster Truck RTR w XL-5 Battery and Charge if you’re looking for a RC monster truck that is going to give you countless hours of rough and tough, rugged fun. Just be sure to keep it intact for endless enjoyment.
