The Backyard – A Good Week for New RC

Greetings all and Happy Friday! Welcome to The Backyard!

Well friends, it’s been one of those weeks where seemingly every time I check the RC news, there’s another cool new vehicle being announced. And not just minor updates or new paint schemes, either. We’ve got some genuinely interesting new stuff hitting the market from several of the big manufacturers.

Let’s start with Traxxas and their new TXC-4M Extreme Crawler.

This little 1/18 scale machine is a pretty serious departure from what we’ve traditionally seen in the TRX-4M lineup. Rather than focusing on scale replicas of real-world trucks, Traxxas has gone all-in on a purpose-built rock crawler, complete with a tube-style body, portal axles, massive steering angle, and 3S brushless power.

I’ve always liked seeing manufacturers take an established platform or category and push it in a different direction. The TXC-4M looks like a little machine that means business, and I particularly like that Traxxas didn’t simply slap a different body on an existing mini crawler and call it a day.

It’s also interesting to see how serious the small-scale crawling segment has become. These aren’t just cute little trucks to drive around the living room anymore. There are some legitimately capable machines out there, and the TXC-4M looks like Traxxas wants a piece of that action.

Next up, Team Associated has announced the new Element RC Gaterunner 2WD Kit, and this one really caught my eye.

For starters, it’s a kit. You know I’m always happy to see more of those!

The Gaterunner is a 1/10 scale desert-style truck that combines independent front suspension derived from Associated’s RC10B6 racing buggy with a solid rear axle and trailing arm suspension. It’s a pretty interesting combination of racing heritage and scale off-road design.

And man, does this thing look the part.

The detailed cage, desert truck stance, driver figures, and all the little scale touches really give it some character. I also love that Element is doing something a little different here rather than simply releasing another variation of a traditional trail truck.

This is the kind of release that makes me want to clear some space on the workbench. I have more than enough unfinished projects around here already, but apparently that has never stopped me from wanting another kit.

Next, Horizon Hobby has the new ARRMA QUAKE 4S monster truck, and this one is right in my wheelhouse.

I’ve always had a soft spot for monster trucks that actually LOOK like monster trucks. Big tires, tall stance, and a body that looks like it belongs at a monster truck show rather than on a low-slung racing machine.

The QUAKE absolutely checks those boxes.

It’s a 1/8 scale, 4WD brushless monster truck with 4S capability, a high center-of-gravity chassis, and a design that’s clearly intended to deliver the kind of wild, wheelie-happy action that makes monster trucks so much fun in the first place.

What I particularly appreciate is the appearance. There are plenty of extremely capable RC bashers out there, but sometimes I think the traditional monster truck look gets lost in the pursuit of making everything lower, wider, and faster.

Not that there’s anything wrong with those vehicles, mind you. I just happen to like my monster trucks looking like MONSTER TRUCKS!

And one last release that I wanted to mention before wrapping things up is the new 1RC Racing 1/7 scale Sprint Car Conversion Kit for the Traxxas Slash.

Now THIS is a neat idea. The Slash has been around forever, and there are probably a million of them sitting on shelves in hobby rooms and garages across the country. Being able to take one of those trucks and transform it into a large-scale sprint car is pretty darn cool.

And the finished product really looks the part! I’ve always been a fan of conversion kits that take an established platform and turn it into something completely different, and this is a great example of that.

And that’s really what I like about this batch of announcements. We’ve got a tiny technical crawler, a detailed desert truck kit, a big, rowdy monster truck, and a dirt oval machine. Four very different vehicles designed to appeal to four very different kinds of RC enthusiasts.

Or, if you’re like me, four different vehicles that all manage to appeal to the same enthusiast.

There’s a lot of variety in this hobby right now, and I think sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of that when we spend most of our time focused on whatever particular corner of RC interests us the most. Whether you’re into crawling, scale builds, racing, monster trucks, or just blasting around the backyard, manufacturers are continuing to come up with interesting ways to separate us from our hobby money.

And while I certainly don’t need another RC vehicle at the moment, I always enjoy seeing new releases that make me stop scrolling and take a closer look.

Alright, that’s it for me this week. Until next time, keep it on all 4’s!