Editors’ Picks: If You Could Have Only Three RC Cars
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Editors’ Picks: If You Could Have Only Three RC Cars

15 October, 2010

By the RC Car Action team
As editors of RC Car Action, we are fortunate (and very appreciative, mind you) to have access to almost any RC car or truck out there. So, when the “If you could have only three RC cars, what would they be?” question was posed, we immediately and collectively said, “That’s impossible to answer.” When forced to answer, what you see below is what we came up with. Keep in mind that these are just our personal picks and some were selected for sentimental reasons or just a perceived overwhelming cool factor. And, while some of these might be viable contenders for top in their respective class, that’s not the point of this article.

Matt Higgins, Editor-in-Chief


Axial SCX10
I absolutely love scale crawlers. They are fun to work on, a blast to wheel and just cool to look at. Before Axial released the SCX10, I used to have a little wish list for my ideal scale crawler, and topping the list was a steel chassis that had the right proportions, shape and was more like a realistic C-channel than a thick slab of aluminum. As you’d expect, I was stoked when I saw the SCX10 and its real-deal ladder frame. Besides looking extremely real, this truck can perform. Regardless of what kind of truck you want to end up with, this is probably the best place to start.
Traxxas Stampede
For many years now, I have recommended that everyone own a Traxxas Stampede. It’s one of the best just-for-fun trucks I’ve ever owned, and it is simple and easy to use. The fact that it uses one battery pack makes it a winner when you just want to grab something and go bash. Another thing I like about the Stampede is that it had tremendous hop-up potential thanks to all the parts available from Traxxas and the aftermarket community. Traxxas also keeps making this truck better and better. You can now get a ’pede with a 2.4GHz radio system, brushless motor and waterproof electronics.

Team Associated SC10
My favorite racing class is 17.5 short course. Since my race-bred Team Associated SC10 handles so well that I can practically let it drive itself when running this fairly mild motor setup, I’m not in any rush to switch to something new even though the current crop of 2WD short course trucks are all solid picks. The SC10 is just plain smooth. Between the simple 2WD design and brushless motor, my SC10 never really needs any attention. It’s always ready to race when I am.

Kevin Hetmanski, Senior Editor


Tamiya Bruiser
When I was a kid, this truck was at the top of my wish list, but funds were limited and my building skills weren’t up to the task so it wasn’t in my RC stable. In my opinion, the Tamiya Bruiser has to be one of the coolest RC vehicles ever produced, and it’s super scale and durable thanks to its many metal parts. Even as an adult, I still wanted one. Now that I finally have my Bruiser and it’s doing exactly what it’s supposed to do. It’s sitting on a shelf collecting dust, and boy, what a cool dust collector it is.
HPI Baja 5T
The eye-catching size alone of the HPI Baja 5T makes you want to take out your wallet and lay down some cash so you can walk out the hobby shop door with one. You just can’t go wrong with the Baja 5T; it’s built for you, it’s fast, it handles well, the engine runs well and the aftermarket support for it is out of control. People usually ask about my RC stuff when I head out to a park or track, but when I bust out the 5T, their eyes pop out of their heads and they can’t wait for me to fire it up. The 5T is one sick truck.

Team Associated RC8T Maifield Edition
I can’t have a lineup of RC vehicles without having at least one full-on race vehicle in my fleet. For that I am going with a truggy and the Team Associated RC8T ME. I have a lot of choices of what to race when I head to the track, but this is the one that comes along ever time. I love the performance that this truck puts out. It takes almost no effort to get it around the track. I also love that it’s fully loaded with all the cool hop-ups.

Jason Sams, New Media Editor


Losi 8IGHT-E 2.0
Electric-powered 1/8-scale buggies are just plain awesome to run and I really enjoy and appreciate the Losi 8IGHT 2.0. The original 8IGHT buggy tore open the box of ingenuity with its forward-thinking chassis layout and ease of construction. While originally only made with nitro in mind, the platform works great as an electric buggy, and I only see this class growing, albeit slowly, over the next couple years. So, I’ll be keeping an 8IGHT-E 2.0 to race with.
Kyosho Burns
I’ve never driven a Kyosho Burns, but this classic was the first generation of shaft-driven, plate chassis buggies that started to bring 1/8-scale buggy racing to the forefront. Where would 1/8-scale racing be today if it weren’t for the Burns? Of course, it wouldn’t be much of a contender on the track these days, but I would like to keep a Burns in my collection just for nostalgic reasons.
Team Associated RC10
The Team Associated RC10 was my very first RC car and I still have it. I remember trying to jump anything I could find with my original RC10. I also raced it quite a few times as a kid and it’s the reason I am still passionate about RC today. I started with this 2WD buggy and right now, even after all these years, 2WD is still my favorite class to race.

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