Traxxas have announced the new Maxx! Sitting below their halo 'X-Maxx' model, this high powered 1/10th scale brushless-powered remote control monster truck is an all-new design capable of 55mph out-of-the-box with a 4S LiPo battery.
Traxxas Maxx at a glance
Velineon 2400kv 540XL brushless motor with VXL-4S ESC
Traxxas link-enabled TQi 2.4GHz radio system
Maxx duty drivetrain with torque-biasing centre drive
Traxxas tech including self-righting mode and TSM stability
Large GT-Maxx aluminium body, user-serviceable shocks
Fully waterproof throughout
Clipless, reinforced body mount
Intergrated wheeliee bar
55cm long, 37cm wide and 23cm tall, weighing in at 4.4kg
They say a picture says a thousand words but a video can communicate even more, see the Maxx in action with the launch clip below:
https://old.youtube.com/watch?v=m09GX5jgSTA
How much is it going to cost?
The Maxx will launch in the UK with an RRP of £625 (so you might want to take advantage of our pre-order discount, currently on at £569 with free UK delivery). Factory built, it arrives ready-to-run but bear in mind it will also require a 3-4S Traxxas iD LiPo battery and suitable charger, plus the usual 4x AA batteries for the transmitter. Whilst we can't comment on the comparative performance, it puts it 40% cheaper than its big brother the Traxxas X-Maxx, itself requiring the same extra batteries and charger.
When is it available?
Traxxas have promised us that the Maxx will land in the UK at the start of November. Due to sales restrictions we shall be shipping pre-orders from the 1st December 2019 but contact us if you would like to pick yours up before then.
What batteries will it need?
The Velineon ESC comes terminated for one Traxxas iD plugged battery. You can run it on a 3S LiPo but to enjoy the high performance that powertrain can produce, you are going to want to run it on the more expensive single 4S batteries designed specifically to fit the battery tray. We hope to find a more cost effective power source when the truck lands in the UK early next month.
Our first impressions
We love the X-Maxx's drive and performance but it is a hammer of a truck. Carrying it back to the car when the batteries are flat, or emptying the boot just to fit the truck inside in the first place does get old pretty fast. Thus we welcome a smaller, lighter monster truck that can offer a similar experience at a smaller scale and more importantly a lower price point. However the Maxx will have to hold its own in a far more competitive market sector against models such as Arrma's Krayton.
There are some concerns in the office over some technical decisions such as opting to fit plastic driveshafts in such a powerful truck. Those 17mm hex mounts (frustratingly made of plastic) do mean that you can fit a wide range of 1/8th scale wheels over that 5mm axle, but the spacer/adaptor does feel a little bit of a fudge. The servo is the odd 'larger' size which will need an adaptor plate to downsize to the more common form factor, important to note should you shred the standard one in heavy use.
However we do love the massive GTX dampers fitted, way larger than you would normally find on a car of this scale. The three-piece chassis has a high centre of gravity but gives the design a mini-X-Maxx look and feel and should be as resilient if the same composites are employed. Plus the optional lightbars for the front and rear are a must-buy will definitely be upgrading ours with them!
Having toyed with pushing a 6S Arrma Senton past 60mph, we know just how difficult Traxxas' promised top speed figures are to hit. Similarly, whilst the launch video shows the new Maxx apparently splashing across the surface of a river, we have extensive experience modifying our own X-Maxx to achieve such a feat and know that it doesn't come easy. We look forward to testing this truck to destruction in the next couple of weeks.
Stock is limited, place your pre-order today
This is potentially the biggest RC release of 2019 and as such we are expecting high demand for the Maxx. We shall be updating this article as further information on availability comes in.
To guarantee grabbing yours before Christmas, we suggest placing a pre-order on our webstore today. If you aren't fond of the orange launch colourway, we will also be stocking it in the more traditional blue/silverand red/silver liveries seen above.
