Traxxas Nitro Stampede RTR 2WD Monster Truck
Having played with RC cars and trucks before a long time ago, I was starting to miss those nostalgic, childhood days. So hopping over to my neighborhood hobby store to browse around, the Traxxas Nitro Stampede RTR 2WD Monster Truck caught my attention. Here was a model that looked incredibly sporty, with its fiery hues of red, white, and black. With rather large and mean-looking tires, there were also other models on display that looked just as good that were battery operated. After some careful thought, I decided to give this nitro model a shot so I bought it. Although the battery-charging models looked cleaner and more convenient, I decided to go with the Nitro to get the full feel of having to fill up the RC truck with nitro gas and all, which should be like filling up a car with gas. So in addition to the RC truck, I bought the Traxxas’ air filter and a quart of Nitrotane Race 20%.
After reading the instructions and filling up the new baby with nitro gas, I fired up the Nitro Stampede using its EZ-Start push-button electric engine. True to its name, I was in for a ‘stampede’ indeed. The Nitro Stampede is a born racer, quick and responsive in accelerating to its top speed of 33 mph. It is certainly an impressive, thrilling toy, though at that speed, I had to maneuver the Nitro Stampede carefully so as not to wreck this new baby on any walls or rocks.
With its fiery-looking All-Star 2.8 wheels plated in shiny chrome and wrapped with the Talon all-terrain tires, the grip on the road was impressive, steadily grinding over the gravel and little rocks effortlessly. In the process, it does kick off a lot of dirt and dust too, making this one mean little, cross-country monster truck indeed. The color combination of its paintwork makes a bold statement of the kind of ‘stampede’ to expect from this little monster truck, while the springs of its suspension were buoyant and bouncy, a visual joy to see as this little beast tears through terrain furiously. Just a word of caution, that you can actually wreck this precious little toy by slamming it head-on into a wall or rock larger than it, so I think it would be a good idea to add a new modified front bumper as well for that added protection and peace of mind.
The Nitro Stampede is also great fun to use on a miniature race track for RC vehicles and competitions. So joyfully impressed with my earlier solo trial runs, I invited a few other RC friends to test out their toys too with mine on a little race track. It was many times the fun and excitement in racing this little monster truck against others and pitting our skills and reflexes against each other. While I was not the victor, i had way too much fun for that to even matter. After all, where’s the fun if there’s no room for improvement from a little practice each day?
To conclude, the Traxxas Nitro Stampede RTR 2WD Monster Truck comes with my highest recommendations for an RC monster truck that is going to mercilessly and literally kick dust as an aggressive cross-country racer, which provides you with many hours of pure, rugged racing fun. The nitro models require additional expenses and effort in refilling nitro gas and probably changing the oil and fuel filters periodically, but if you’re a genuine RC hobbyist, this is one monster truck experience that you’re not going to forget.
