The Backyard – My Predictions for the Hobby in 2026

Greetings all, happy Friday and happy new year!

It’s that time again — my annual look ahead at what I think the RC hobby has in store for the coming year. And, as tradition dictates, we’ll circle back on this list at the end of 2026 to see how I did… for better or worse.

Looking back, 2025 felt very much like a transition year for the hobby. Not in a bad way, but in a cautious, recalibrating one. Companies spent much of the year navigating tariffs, lingering production challenges, and the long tail of coming out of the COVID-era boom-and-correction cycle.

That’s why 2026 feels different.

If 2025 was about steadying the ship, 2026 should be about seeing results. With much of the industry finally out of reaction mode, the coming year feels primed for bolder decisions, clearer product direction, and maybe even a little risk-taking again.

With that in mind, here are a few predictions for what I think we’ll see in 2026.

Prediction #1: Vanquish Continues to Cement Their Status as the Premium Scale Standard

For 2026, I think Vanquish Products continues to cement itself as the name in premium scale crawling — in much the same way Axial once was back when it was still an independent brand. When enthusiasts start talking about “the good stuff,” Vanquish increasingly feels like the default answer.

What sets Vanquish apart isn’t just build quality (which is excellent), but consistency. Their vehicles, components, and accessories all feel like they’re cut from the same cloth. There’s a clear design philosophy at work — performance-first, scale-aware, and unapologetically enthusiast-focused. There’s also a bit of eccentricity to some of their releases, and that’s part of the charm. Vanquish very clearly marches to the beat of its own drummer.

On a personal level, my H10 Optic is my favorite crawler in my fleet, and it’s one of the most thoughtfully engineered RC vehicles I’ve owned in recent memory. Spending time with the VS4-10 only reinforced that impression and made me even more of a believer in what Vanquish is doing.

As the crawler segment continues to mature, I think we’ll see more hobbyists treating Vanquish as the aspirational benchmark — the brand you graduate to once you’ve decided crawling is your corner of the hobby. That’s a powerful position to be in, and right now, Vanquish owns it.

Prediction #2: A True Retro, Solid-Axle, Leaf-Spring Monster Truck Finally Arrives

Yes, I know. This prediction has become a running joke at this point — including with myself. Every year I say this is the year, and every year I’m wrong. But I’m putting it on the board again, because this time… I’m actually feeling confident.

The hobby has been flirting with retro for years now — re-releases, throwback liveries, period-correct details — but we’re still missing one big piece: a truly scale, solid-axle, leaf-spring monster truck that feels like it rolled straight out of the 1980s. Not a modern platform in a costume. Not a stadium truck with big tires. The real deal.

I’ve got a little inside info this time around, and while I won’t say more than that, let’s just say this prediction isn’t coming from pure wishful thinking anymore. If it happens, it’ll hit a nerve with longtime hobbyists and newcomers alike. And if I’m wrong again? Well… I’ll just keep predicting it until I’m right.

Prediction #3: Traxxas Drops a Truly New 1/8 or Smaller Platform

Traxxas has been very good at evolving existing platforms — refining, expanding, and iterating in ways that keep products feeling fresh. And to be clear, they did make a major swing last year with the large-scale Funco sand rail, which was very much a statement piece and a reminder that Traxxas isn’t afraid to go big when it sees an opportunity.

For 2026 though, I think we see something different: a legitimate, clean-sheet Traxxas platform at 1/8 scale or smaller.

Not a stretched version of something familiar. Not a lightly reworked drivetrain. A ground-up design that makes it obvious Traxxas is targeting a specific gap in the market — and doing so with intent. Historically, when Traxxas commits to an all-new platform, it tends to reset expectations across the industry, for better or worse.

What that platform is? That’s the hard part. But Traxxas doesn’t move unless they see real volume potential, and if they’ve identified an underserved segment in the mid-to-smaller scale space, they’ll go after it aggressively. If a new Traxxas platform lands in 2026, it won’t be subtle — and it’ll almost certainly force competitors to react.

Prediction #4 – 1/18 and Smaller Scale Crawlers Stop Feeling “Secondary”

For 2026, I think 1/18-scale (and smaller) crawlers officially stop feeling like a secondary segment of the hobby.

Now, to be fair, they’re probably already there for a lot of people. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve never been a hardcore small-scale guy. Historically, they’ve felt a bit too small to really do much — limited trail presence, novelty-level obstacles, and often compromised performance that leaned more toward desk toy than serious crawler.

That perception is changing fast.

The Redcat Ascent 18, HPI Venture 18, and Axial SCX30 all represent something fundamentally different than what we used to get at this size. These aren’t watered-down platforms or cheap side projects. They’re genuinely well-engineered crawlers that prioritize performance, geometry, and drivability first — just scaled down. And crucially, they do it at a price point that feels intentional, not disposable.

Those performance-focused releases helped build on what the Traxxas TRX-4M initially did for the segment: legitimizing small-scale crawling as something more than a novelty. The TRX-4M showed there was a real appetite for capable, well-supported vehicles at this size, and what we’ve seen since is the hobby taking that idea and pushing it further toward true enthusiast-level performance.

The premium is now starting to be be placed on how these small rigs perform, not just the fact that they exist. Better suspensions. Thoughtful chassis layouts. Real tuning potential. They feel like proper hobby-grade vehicles, not novelty companions to a 1/10 build.

As indoor crawling, limited space, and budget-conscious builds continue to factor into how people engage with the hobby, small-scale crawling makes more and more sense. And when the performance gap shrinks this much, size becomes less of a compromise and more of a choice.

So while I may still reach for a 1/10 most days, 2026 feels like the year where smaller-scale crawlers stop being the “also ran” segment and fully earn their place at the main table. Not because they’re cute. Not because they’re cheap. But because they’re finally good.

Prediction #5 – RTR Prices Finally Hit a Wall

For my final 2026 prediction, I think we finally see RTR pricing level out.

I don’t think prices are coming back down to where they were five or ten years ago — that ship has sailed. But after several years of near-constant increases, 2026 feels like the year where things stabilize. The rapid inflation driven by tariffs, shipping chaos, supply chain whiplash, and post-COVID production realities has mostly worked its way through the system.

Manufacturers have already made the painful adjustments. MSRP hikes have landed. Platforms have been refreshed. Margins have been reset. At this point, there’s far less room — and far less appetite — for continued aggressive price jumps.

Just as important, we’ve seen what happens when pricing overshoots. Consumers hesitate. Inventory sits. Discounts start showing up sooner and deeper than brands would like. The market has quietly pushed back, and I think manufacturers are listening.

What I expect in 2026 isn’t cheaper RTRs, but smarter ones. More value-focused spec choices. Fewer half-hearted upgrades that only exist to justify a higher price tag. And more conscious decisions about where performance really matters versus where costs can be kept in check.

In short, I think the era of “surprise” price hikes slows way down. Prices find their footing, and competition shifts back toward features, performance, and support rather than just who can absorb the next cost increase.

If that happens, it’ll be a win for everyone — manufacturers, retailers, and especially the hobbyists deciding whether that next box is worth bringing home.

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As always, these predictions are part educated guess, part gut feeling. This time next year, we’ll circle back and see how many of these landed… and how many I confidently missed. Either way, that’s half the fun. 2026 feels like a year where the dust finally settles and the results start showing, and I’m genuinely excited to see where the hobby goes next.

And as we head into another year of covering it all, BigSquidRC remains what it’s always been: an independent voice for RC news, reviews, and opinion, now more than 15 years running. If you’re a brand / club / group looking to reach an engaged, long-time RC audience in 2026, we’re open to new advertising partners — feel free to reach out to brian@bigsquidrc.com. It helps us keep the lights on over here!

Now let’s see how these predictions age. I’ll be back at the end of 2026 to keep myself honest.

Until then, keep it on all 4’s.