ASK Cubby – ARRMA Drops The 1/5 Kraton 8S Day!

“New 1/5 Kraton vs X-Maxx

Shootout!!! Shootout!!! Shootout!!! Which one is really better Cubby?

Sincerely,

George L.”

Cubby- Hey ya there George, nice letter ya got there. But seriously, thanks for writing in. Remember, a snail mail gets ya one of our sticker packs.

So… I do happen to have a lot of back-to-back driving experience between the new 1/5 Kraton 8S and the Traxxas X-Maxx 8S. We brought an X-Maxx along several days during testing to get a good feel for how the two truly stack up.

The X-Maxx has a locked center diff. This makes it easy to wheelie an X-Maxx from a dead stop, but makes it more sensitive to trigger inputs while airborne. The Kraton will “diff-out” from a dead stop, making it easier to launch hard. Its center diff also helps to make it one of the best jumping rigs of all time. The X-Maxx is significantly more narrow with softer suspension, so it often times traction rolls in corners, whereas the Kraton does not. That softer suspension gives the X-Maxx a more realistic look when driven, plus aids in traction on low-bite surfaces.

As far as power goes, we did a lot of drag racing between the two. IMO, the two trucks seem in the same neighborhood for overall power. Impromptu drag races on gravel or grass showed that they both were pretty close for power. We are a big fan of both power systems- more than enough power to have fun, but not so insane as to create excessive crash damage.

IMO, to boil it down- they are two different style vehicles. If you are looking for absolute maximum handling with great durability, the Kraton 8S is seriously a great truck. If you are more into wheelies and a monster truck look, the X-Maxx has already proven itself as one of the all time greats.

Oh and YES, we really need to do some sort of large scale shootout!

“Shipping date

Cubby,

Just saw the new 1/5 ARRMA, do you know when they are scheduled to arrive in hobby shops? Asking for me and my dad.

Preston W.”

Cubby- Oh boy have you come to the right source today Preston! Oh and, thanks for writing in.

We received an official note about the new 1/5 ARRMA Kraton 8S the other day with the latest shipping information. Here is a direct quote from the email-

“SHIPPING – These should be available to ship around the end of that first week of December, so these will definitely be in stores and under the tree before Christmas.”

So there ya go buddy, I would highly suggest getting on a list down at your LHS, like TODAY, if you want one off the first batch (and everyone does!!! LOL).

Have a ridiculous question? Need an even more ridiculous answer? Have a rant that you just have to get off your chest? Email me- thecubreportrc at gmail dot com.