for the price you cant beat it.. and all you need is a 3s lipo that will fit,, and you will have a poor mans version of a brushlesss system,, with all stock electronics..
i have to say that i ran this truck with both stock battery and with a 2s lipo.. the only other thing changed was the deans plug for the battery plug... this is what i experienced with the xtm rage..
JUMPING: this thing jumps like a chanp.. i liked it.. maybe others wont but i had a great time with it,, and i was surprised since it was stock,, and i was using the stock motor..
SPEED: i wasnt impressed,, but what would you expect from a stock motor.. i will have to say that the speed is probably matched to a stock 10th scale truck..
LANDING: i was impressed.. idt didnt chassis slap like the vendetta did... i would definately go to a thicker oil if i were to run brushless though
TURNING: well thanks to the tires i was using,, this thing turned on a dime.. not sure what the stock tires would have done on that surface but the homemade crimefighters worked like a freakin charm.. although the d-bars would have been better.
STABILITY: the thing was fairly stable going down the straight,, it wasnt fast so i have no idea what lurks behind those doors.. in air control was a synch even with the stock motor.. the only thing i didnt like was the diff action..
WHAT I WOULD CHANGE: well while running the thing i realized that dirt can get caught either above the spur or below it causing the spur to seize up... at first i thought it was the motor.. bad design.. and then just as i thought,, the knuckles.. the ball end found its way to splitting the plastic... this thing badly needs alloy knuckles.. and i would definately put heavier diff oil in the rear.. having such easy diff action in the rear make it difficult to spin the rear end around.. and could account for its ability to turn on a dime..
i do like it thought... i think i would race it aswell..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2A1BCpMAoc