@@tomley_rc I'm glad I'm here early enough to highlight it to those lucky enough to watch before you get the inevitable email... We appreciate you being honest in your reviews..
There are always idiots in all hobbies that are elitist pricks. They will never admit to reality because there is no reality other than their own. Truth is everything breaks if you use it. Nothing is perfect.
I work in a hobby shop that sells Traxxas/Arrma and quite a few other brands and your video has had an absolutely impressive reach. I try my best to keep up with current releases and common issues and tell customers up front what they're potentially getting into. I've had a plethora of customers cancel their mini maxx pre orders or at a minimum bring your videos up which is absolutely awesome. If this is happening at the scale that I see then it goes to how much people do actually pay attention to what they're buying (if they CAN be informed) and can actually hold companies accountable. Great job man keep it up!
We got on the list, but I think we are going to pass on the mini maxx. I'm not upset with Traxxas, but I am happy that others shared their experiences with the product. We planned to upgrade it to VXL right away, and now we will wait until Traxxas sorts out their issues. Arrma released upgraded diffs for the groms, hopefully Traxxas will do the same. Then we will get ourselves a mini maxx!
The response when I emailed them about needed upgrades to run 3s VXL. “That is a lot of power for the Mini Maxx. We do not offer upgraded differentials to handle the extra power so you have to be careful with the throttle to reduce parts damage. Sincerely, Stefano Traxxas Support” They screwed up. End of story.
Wow... nice work Traxxas lol. Stefano was also the one who told me that they didn't say the Bandit VXL can do 70mph+ stock lol... says it on the box, but ya know... haha
Thats the opposite of the Maxx. I remember people talking trash about it being 4S but that sucker takes 8S and you can thrash it till the cows come home and it just doesn't care. Fantasticly overbuilt.
Can they sue themselves over lies and false advertising? MSM andcRC Driver are jokes - more concerned with sucking on the trax teat than honesty. I don't think Tomley hates Trax, but hard not to come off that way when you're honest about their products.
Let those in the peanut gallery waste their money on a premium product and find out for themselves. You're doing what you're supposed to do. Honest reviews so we can all make our own decisions. Keep up the great work Mr Phil!
Marketing issues aside the thing is that Traxxas makes decent products they just aren't priced correctly. Traxxas prices their vehicles like they are ultra premium yet the vehicles simply aren't ultra premium.
Traxxas probably has the best moulded plastic parts in the business. However they are so far behind the competition when it comes to having out dated electronics and poor quality metal geared driveline components
@DoRC the thing is every arrma truck i’ve owned out lasted the traxxas competitor by a long shot, if anyone should be charging more its arrma traxxas needs to switch back to being the cheaper brand
UA-camrs are the number 1 reviewers and sellers of RC cars for these companies. If the companies we're so confident they'd have 10 minute plus videos of their own showcasing but you get a 2-3 minute PowerPoint/montage. Well done Tomley for another money saving review 👍
I’m a loyal Traxxas fan and only buy their products, but I’m getting tired of certain UA-camrs, like Kevin Talbot and Mark from MSM, misleading customers just to make money off their channels. It’s frustrating to see influencers prioritize profit over honesty, especially when it comes to something as popular as the Mini Maxx. The truth is, Traxxas really dropped the ball with the Mini Maxx. Many people who preordered or already own it are upset but refuse to admit there are real issues with the truck. If it weren’t for honest UA-camrs like this one, along with vocal customers, these problems might never get fixed. We shouldn’t have to pay nearly $300 for a defective product and then be forced to defend ourselves when we point out the flaws. RC consumers are becoming more informed and are less likely to waste money on poorly made products-unless they’re misled by influencers or the company itself. I completely agree with this UA-camr. His Mini Maxx video is the first I’ve seen from him, and I can already say that moving forward, I won’t trust or buy another RC without the approval of this channel first.
Not sure if you actually watch Kevin or Marks vids.. Neither of them miss lead anything.. Kevin destroys almost everything and even Mark said that running the Mini Maxx on 3s is not a good idea.
@@JagImaginghe said it's not a good idea because it would make Traxxas look bad when it inevitably destroys itself. It would be ok if Traxxas didn't use words like bombproof and advertising their VXL system as a upgrade on their own site
You know Kevin has to buy Traxxas stuff himself because Traxxas does not send him free stuff? Actualy he buys almost every rc he drives on his channel himself.
I’ll never understand why people would defend any large company like Traxxas. They just want your money and they are WAY overpriced! I’m tired of larger companies ruining the RC hobby. Every hobby shop within a 50 mile radius has going out of business because companies like Traxxas control the pricing so hobby shops can’t compete for sales. 🤮
@ That’s great! Pointless to say, but all the hobby shops in a 50 mile radius have gone out of business. The ones that I was able to speak to said they can’t compete with the price fixing and online shopping! 🫤
@Brentwhite … you are on target 🎯. Yet just a month ago another hobbytown shut down exactly for this reason . Yet i still support shops rather then using online orders. Even after 15 years i’m still doing that .
That’s the issue I have with the brand, they talk like their product is twice as good as the competition to justify their mad overpricing. But as we all know their products never live up to their bs.
If Traxxas markets the mini-Maxx as having a robust drivetrain and capable of taking VXL-3S, it should take it out of the box. To pile on upgrades to make this capable of what they market is ridiculous. Some people will buy this solely on name alone, then be utterly disappointed to learn they need to pile on upgrades to make this work as intended. I'm glad Tomley is being unbiased and for saying things as they are. I won't name them, but many UA-camrs overhype many R/Cs that offer only a lack luster experience.
Excellent work. Our Traxxas trucks are all fun and we love them but there have just been too many very early breakages from normal use due to soft point in the drivetrain. Sure they offer an upgraded part but that's like buying a video game then paying for all the features and add-ons that should have come with it already. Our TRX4s are the only exceptions. They're tanks!
All true.. to be fair all rc cars from pretty much all brands have weak points. Even the new Arma notorious MSM broke on some jumps on the first run because weak part. Reality is it’s park of the game in this hobby. If you could buy a car that would never break that company would go out of business.
I put TRX4 axles under my Redcat gen8, they've been absolutely bombproof with the ssd portal delete kit and aluminum housings. If I were to buy a trail rig again I'd just have bought the trx4 from the jump.
Traxxas wants to be a premium brand with premium prices. But they still use their cheap looking transmitter, plastic gearing and are full of false advertising with hidden text in the fine print. On top their horrible batteries and connectors. They dropped the ball hard on the mini maxx, even more than usual… So 100% agree… STOP making excuses for them, stop buying their toys. Only than they might improve their products.
All my Traxxas vehicles still have their stock Traxxas radios. Why? Because the simply do the job well. I have a 6s Armma Kraton and the stock controller on that one sucked. It had bad steering and throttle delay.
I love my Xmaxx ,4x4 Rustler, and Raptor R. Are they perfect? No, but I am still very happy with them😊 They put up with much abuse from me. And when they do break. It's usually my fault 😅
That's not touching their servos, box stock trx4m and the servo stripped when it dropped 3 inches off an obstacle onto the front tire. I couldn't believe it, it was cartoonishly bad, which is so unfortunate because the rest of the truck was fantastic out of the box.
I have been a Traxxas "fan" for many many years. Ever since the original launch of the Slash way back. I've had over 30 different Traxxas vehicles over the years and still to this day own at least 10 of them in my collection. HOWEVER I will be the first to say that compared to Arrma and Losi, Associated, the "Amazon specials" and many other manufacturers... They have been massively screwing up over the last number of years. I still love to recommend Traxxas to people new to the hobby, but it's getting harder and harder to feel comfortable doing that. Why would I want to recommend Traxxas when people can get so much more for their money going with a different brand. Parts support is still Traxxas's strong point, but even then it's getting hard to recommend it because of their prices. You pay a massive premium in initial price just for parts support that you could otherwise use the same money to buy extra parts for any other brand. Also, not as directly related but I actually found myself buying a used Associated B6.4D as a basher purely because I am also a racer with extra B6 parts and it just made more sense to buy a retired race car for park bashing than it did to buy a bandit for literally more than I bought the B6 for. So I got a far better buggy for basically the same price as a Bandit because of how extreme of a markup Traxxas has. It really is getting out of hand, and it's pretty obvious too with Arrma and Losi being able to push lower prices for more, while Traxxas keeps charging more for less. With all that said, I love what I have for Traxxas, and my XMAXX is still one of my all time favorite RC's, but at what cost now? Other manufactuers are catching up so fast that I don't really see myself buying many new Traxxas cars anymore. The last decision I made was when I wanted a baja truck. I could have had the UDR, but instead I bought the Losi Baja Rey 2.0 and I haven't looked back. /rant over
When you consider arrma 8S is now $100 cheaper than an xmaxx, and it features a bigger motor, bigger servo, better radio, more sophisticated ESC, and a million times more durable, there’s no reason why anyone should prefer an xmaxx anyway. It’s only redeeming quality is its lighter, but I’m willing to carry the extra weight for $100 less if it means I get more power and more durability as a trade off. Sold my xmaxx for a Kraton 8S and never looked back. I also have both size Baja Reys, so a UDR is not interesting to me. I also prefer my 6S Kraton to any TRX 1/8 scale. I also prefer my Associated 14MT over any small scale Traxxas. Even my Groms are better. The only Traxxas trucks I enjoy more are their nitros but only because I’m lazy and I like the ez start. Literally if I can rig up a 8ight T with a ez start or similar, I’d never look back. No, I don’t want to carry about a bump box. 😂
Thank you for doing what you’re doing. With honest videos , and reviews. I’ve broken away from Traxxas recently and gone to other brand rc’s, thankfully. Traxxas lately seems to be trying to grab people’s money with inferior product and I’m not falling for it.
Point putting a centre diff is not going to change the fact that the diff is weak will probably explode sooner because of a fslse sense of its durability, I also remember X Maxx's blowing ditts until TRAXXAS put better quality gears in them or aftermarnet kit
Center diff will allow power to transfer to the unloaded front, which will ease the stress on the rear diff. That said, it sure sounds like Traxxxas erred when designing the Mini Maxx diffs.
I've had a lot of cars from different brands. It’s unacceptable for the diff to explode off a setup the manufacturer recommends. Even cheap brands don't mess that up
I don't understand people's blind allegiance to a multi-million dollar corporation. Why put some rich, faceless company on a pedestal and idolize them when they don't give two toots about you?
The way I think about it, is when I build a multi-million dollar corporation I can have a voice on whether they are doing the right thing or not. Its true their product line is a bit of a "mixed bag", I've upgraded many parts on my Rustler VXL due to breakage, but then my Stampede VXL and Maxx Slash are pretty dam tough so far.
@@chrisdean8235 Do you know how Traxxas becomes a multi-million company? Do you think it's because they're always innovating and have such outstanding products? Or do you think it's because they're straight up lie and mislead their customers and are patent trolls who charges premium prices for mid-tier products?
The thing that really gets to me is Traxxas cheaped out and didn't even include a slipper clutch, yet they raised the price $20 before it was even released after advertising it at $249.95.
Dealers received a message explaining the price difference. Air freighting products cost more than packing containers and putting them on a ship that might not arrive in time to put them under a Christmas tree.
@@johnabelljr1997 I paid zero dollars for one. While I might eventually buy one I’ll let everyone in a hurry to be the first kid in the neighborhood to have a mini work out all the bugs. 😉
They are eating the cats, they are eating the dogs...they are eating the pets ! Perhaps those individuals who fervently defend a brand without owning any of its products found their inspiration elsewhere.
and this is why we love you. You have no problem, putting the middle finger up (or the British reverse peace sign :-) to the big brands when so many others bow to the money that they get from the companies..
Thank you for your unbiased and honest opinion. The “fastest name in rc” doesn’t deserve the money they charge for their products. You spent your money so I don’t have to!
Absolutely agree with Tomley. I have a Traxxas Hoss and an Arrma Granite. The Traxxas breaks everytime I use it, the Arrma hardly ever breaks. Traxxas has durability issues and if they advertise it will do a thing, it should be able to do that thing without breaking every f***ing time.
I agree totally with Tomley. For example a HPI Savage XS is already specced out the box to the equivalent of what a fully upgraded 3S Mini Maxx VXL would be and they are the same price. By the time you add up all the upgraded parts required for a Mini Max to perform like a Savage XS you'd be up in the premium 4S RC price range.
All marketing hype to boost sales. I’ve had Rc cars/trucks since the 80’s and there has never been a better time then now to get into the hobby. My love for Traxxas has faded over the years and for one reason only. Charging top dollar and then some and selling a product that uses inferior parts.I’ve replaced broken gearing in my X maxx and Xrt at least five times and there 2 year’s old. Great work as usual.
those RC10's were built like tanks compared to today's offerings. but i agree that today's hobbyists get more in the way of electronics. with waterproof brushless systems coming standard on RTR models, oem servos with 100 plus torque, and the ridiculous range on today's radio systems, it really is a fun time to be into RC.
Get an arrma 8S. I’ve never replaced the gears in mine. Never. Sold my xmaxx because it just broke down too often. I couldn’t break my arrma 8S if I tried. It just never gives up. I even run it on 12S with a Max5g2 and it just keeps going. Other than an occasional bent driveshaft, which I just bend back, and occasionally replacing wallowed out rod ends on the shocks, it just keeps going, and going… and going.
I was very excited to get ahold of two of these, for me and the kid. Then, multiple honest reviews came out, yours included. Now I'm buying a pair of the 'amazon special' 1/10 Laegendary Thundery 2-3s brushless 4x4 for less than one mini maxx. That means the budget has allowed for almost $300 for upgrades, and thats just going to be fun! I'm grateful for your honesty. I appreciate that you are objective about the the entirety of the experience. You listen close to what they advertise, and you test it to the extreme (skate park bashing is extreme, and will decimate most vehicles and skaters in the learning process), and show us some things to watch, upgrade, etc. Thanks for that! Keep up the great work, and I will keep relying on your honest and experienced opinions. You save me tons of money with honest reviews!
Well said, I agree 100%. I did a video as well on Why I ended up not buying the Mini Maxx and pretty much said the same thing and people do not understand. And I didn't even have the car. I've been in RC for a long time and I know by looking at something, it's not as good as they say. I like some Traxxas products, but they have been Slipping lately. Great video!
You do not need a center diff. On cars that are rear wheel drive you cant add a center diff to mitigate a drive line weeknes. They use this excuse only on all wheel drive cars to just to sell u more stuff. The center differential doesn't add traction, it just delivers more torque to the wheels with less traction thus reducing the chances for parts failure but introduces other issues. What can directly address this issue is a properly adjusted slipper clutch. This my opinion.
Finally someone calls out these GD people. Traxxas also listed on their site it was 249$ and then release it for more. My Maxx slash has xmaxx ultimate money into it just to get it to run well. My Mojave 6s is still stock and going strong. Frames a lil bent. But haven’t broken it. I’ve broken the maxx slash numerous times. Even traxxas own hop up aluminum parts have failed. Tomley only one to call out the BS. I also called to cancel my mini maxx order. I feel bad for my local shop. Not traxxas.
This is Traxxas' mo lately. (modus operandi) Under build. Over promise. Under deliver. Over price. And it just keeps going and going like that. They seem to be like the gateway Rc company until people open their eyes to the fact that almost anything else on the market is better for the price. I'm SOOOOO glad they are no longer the benchmark in basher rcs.
It is because the majority of their customer base are casuals who just buy the most expensive because they think it is the most durable. Anyone with a gram of common sense will veer away from most of their products.
The gears inside the differentials are also steel. If you put a magnet to them it sticks. They are just sintered steel which isn't quite as strong as CNC machined steel. That being said it's not the material that's the problem. Lots of cars use sintered steel for the internal differential gears. The problem is it's just not strong enough for the power they claim it should be able to take.
Yes true... although Nickel is also magnetic and used in sintered metals.... I'd be interested in some science in to their 'Monkey Metal' Vs Others to determine the quality.
@tomley_rc true but nickel Is actually more expensive than steel generally so I don't think they would use that. Just like any material there are a wide range of strengths you can get from sintered steel. I have no doubt that it is steel but it might be a lower grade of steel or they may have just undersized the components for the task. That's what happened with the X-Maxx spur gears. The gears work just fine in the max and in the E-Revo they just can't handle The application in the X-Maxx.
@roadrunnerorange sort of. Particle board can actually be very strong though it does have its own weaknesses. Sintered steel has the potential to be nearly as strong as regular CNC machined steel though it also can be weaker but then again so can regular steel. It all depends on if they use the right material in the right amount for the right application. For instance the vast majority of internal differential gears throughout the entire RC industry are sintered. Most of them do just fine
Typical Traxxas, market it as a Maxx, but it's brushed and direct drive, just to force the majority of buyers to spend more on upgrades. In my view, this should have been brushless and with center diff out of the box.
@@johnabelljr1997the brushed mini revo has done that since like 2010-12. This is running 1/10 scale electronics and is geared to high heavens to get to 30. These are gonna run hotter than the sun come summertime.
That mark guy is a full on actual traxxass fanboi so you wont really hear him say anything bad about them, hopefully these videos youve done on the mini maxx will get something working correctly 👍🏼
Same. During the lockdowns many of us flocked to YT to watch these videos and then ordered numerous RC's. I distinctly remember the moment I clued into the fact that a large proportion of these "content creators" were simply just hacks or grifters looking to score clicks or free products from manufacturers. UA-cam wasn't always like this. I miss the old UA-cam where user reviews were "user reviews" - not wankers high off their influencer supplies.
I’ve got two, one I kept stock and one I put the vxl 3s system in. I actually broke the dif on the stock one and my 3s system one is still going strong. My buddy put a hobbywing 3s system in and immediately broke his rear dif. They are super super fun but definitely misleading on durability. The “you should have known” to upgrade it people make a bit of a point but what if this was your first basher RC, looks pretty bad for Traxxas. One thing that has helped me is switching all tires to the same compound since the tears are MUCH softer than the front so they balloon out and I think that’s causing most of the issues.
I’ve owned traxxas products for a long time, they were always “the best”, yeah they’re more expensive but they always had way more after market support and it was easy to make a strong RC car. It is ridiculous though especially when there are trucks a fraction of the cost that out perform them. All their vehicles are awesome with a few after market parts, they definitely need to change their marketing or start actually giving what they’re selling
You are right, it should be strong as stated. Someone has put in XL5 diffs from a Rustler 4x4, they have star gears in them. I have a stock Mini Maxx so far still OK, I think the slipper clutch should be stock and you need 2 extra parts to add it. I also found out there are skids for the body that should have been on it and not an extra. I like the thing but the cost is adding up.
G'day Tomley, I used to work in a Hobby shop down here in Australia, Knowing the Australian Importer of them & everything he had to deal with I never made an excuse for them. We would get people coming in asking "Do you have any Traxxas RC Cars?" Me "We don't have any in stock now but I can make you one after lunch"
I for one am very glad you ran it like you did and showed the flaw in the diffs. I was going to buy one even though I knew it was way over priced and underpowered but I won’t buy now until they do something about the diffs. You saved me a lot of disappointment with your reviews. I just wonder if the diff from one of the other 3s traxxas lineup would fit the mini Maxx and solve the problem
Basically the 2 outcomes Traxxas can choose are: Remove all of the "bombproof" wording, and insert the need for center diff for VXL, or include the center diff out of the box. Thanks for doing your homework on this and keeping us informed. I'm still on the fence for getting one, as tossing is a center diff is almost an automatic for any RC car I build.
Tomley I’m gonna start with I am not subscribed as I don’t subscribe to rc channels anymore, if I did you would definitely be the guy. Secondly thank you for this video. I directly made all these points to Mark of MSM. It’s insane the blatant lies they are telling. This is becoming something more severe than typical Traxxas marketing. This is flat out defrauding consumers.
This is one of the reasons why i never liked traxxas, their way of business, their electronics don't last, always over priced, their misleading ways to the public, ect. I love my Arrma vehicles, i now own 9 and so far, they have been rock solid, i'm not a full extreme basher, mostly grassy and skate parks but i really do push them and never issues. Love your videos Tom, haters always want the attention so don't give it to them. Love your honesty and it goes a long way.
Arrma dropping the brushless Grom when they did was a stroke of genius! I mean, I will still buy the Mini Maxx but dont think I will 3S convert it. lol
My LHS was trying to sell me a minimaxx but I brought the Grom blx and a MT10 instead, that was before I found out about the diff problems with the mini.
I agree with you totally and why ? I recently bought the Traxxas Hoss VXL 3S and from the first minutes of driving with 3s lipo the center diff housing melted , both rear drive shafts stripped from the first 2 batteries. Then one of the front drive shafts stripped. The model is less than 2 months in my hands i have run it with 3s lipo batteries with stock gearing and everything else stock no high jumps no crashes on walls and still has problems from the first battery. The drive line is not bomb proof as the traxxas say the drive shafts and the center diff housing is plastic and all of these are weak. The necessary upgrades i must do is to buy 4 steel drive shafts and one center differential but the metal. When i bought the center differential for my Traxxas Rustler vxl i stopped to strip the center spur gear. So everyone who stripp ofthen the spur gear and the drive shafts of your traxxas models buy the steel center diff and the steel drive shafts and then we will see how it can last.
I totally agree with your comments on the Mini Maxx Traxxas should be more honest about the quality of the components in there trucks in the whole range, not just what they choose, it's just not good enough for a company with a branding eticuit of Tough, Unsurpassed durability is it. Man up Traxxas and be honest about it. 😂😂😂😂😂
My go to RCs are Axial and Losi. I have Traxxas RCs as well as Arrmas. I have the worst luck with Arrma (Outcast 8s RTR, Kraton EXB, Outcast 8s EXB, and gone for quite a while a Typhon 3s) and have 5 Traxxas models (UDR, Summit, TRX4, Revo 3.3, ERevo). I dont run the Arrmas or Traxxas models. I break the Arrmas too much and i just dont use the Traxxas models
Tomley, i discussed this in the last video: "pot metal" is not a real thing, and you can't hope to educate anyone with such terms. Traxxas (as much as i hate them) have a full right to call their gears steel because they ARE steel. It's called "sintered steel" which is a process of taking steel powder and heating it up under pressure (not to the melting point, but under that) in a mold so that it "sinters" (conglomerates into a fixed shape. If you keep throwing out useless terms like "monkey metal" then potential customers aren't going to be able to make educated purchase decisions. Customers, do you want to make sure your steel parts are hardened steel? Then you ask the manufacturer if they are CNC machined steel, or sintered steel. End of story. You can't ask a customer service rep whether they use "pot metal" or "monkey metal" because they can say: "no we use steel" and if you don't have the vocabulary to ask if it's sintered (powder) steel or machined steel, well, then educate yourself. Please Tomley i love your telling the truth against fanboy odds, but "monkey metal" isn't going to educate anyone, people need to know that Traxxas has perfect rights to say they use steel gears, because they are steel. I hate being in a position where it looks like I'm sticking up for Traxxas. I'm not sticking up for them. Tomley just needs to understand and discuss the difference between powdered steel and machined steel. Pressed steel and CNC milled steel. You're failing to do that job Tomley, by regurgitating "pot metal" when it is not a term used in the industry by professionals. Please educate people.
I think they make decent enough models, but I can't get over how toxic they are to the rest of the industry, even threatening to sue hobbyists making little upgrades
I think you’re spot on with your analysis. I looked through the Traxxas website after I started hearing about the drivetrain problems on 3S and found the same false claims about a bomb proof drivetrain that you pointed out. I think it’s clear that they didn’t do enough durability testing on those new planetary diffs. It’s also clear that the marketing people at Traxxas just write up an impressive narrative without being particularly knowledgeable about the product. I actually really like Traxxas products, but it seems like there is little innovation and not much passion for RCs among the people running the company at this point. Hopefully they’ll take this fiasco seriously and start to turn out better products. The competition is getting really good and they could lose relevancy very quickly.
This is what we need an honest and up front review about a product making all those Bomb Proof claims etc well done Mr Tomley. What Traxxas should do is send the finished product out to real people and let them really test them so problems can be rectified before releasing it to the world. Per Ardua
It was the same with my X-Maxx. Very disappointing, considering the advertised durability. The only solution was a complete conversion with metal threads and aluminum covers.
longtime Traxxas fan here, every since i built my first RC in 1990, a Traxxas Sledgehammer. besides the gear stripping issue (and the fact that the original X-Maxx kept catching fire) i never liked plastice monocoque chassis on the Maxx trucks. it looked like a weak design to me. i've owned a first gen E Revo and saw the flaws in it's design. had a mini E Revo that broke right at the narrow point of the plastic chassis in the rear. replaced it and adding aftermarket braces but never could bring myself to send it 100%. was exceptionally pleased when the Sledge came out with an aluminum chassis.
Please continue to tell it like it is Phil. This pattern for Traxxas is getting stronger. If they don't start to realize that "it ain't like it used to be" with the flood of hungry competition out there now. Then Traxxas will kill off their loyal customers. I have 6 running Traxxas models plus other brands. There is a really decent hobby store 30mins from my home that I get my Traxxas parts from. Traxxas won't let him sell other brands out of fear of losing his dealer status. That once again prove Traxxas's arrogance. This new Mini Max had me excited. But these honest video's like Phil's are really proving that Traxxas is drunk with arrogance! I'll keep the Traxxas models I have presently. But can't see new purchases in the future with Traxxas products! My money id important to me!!
Love it. Personally I don't think anyone is 'entitled' to an opinion when it goes against obvious objective reality. I think they're entitled to not being taken seriously.
This guy is right, im leaving it on 2s. I noticed the servo is pretty slow though. Is it easy to replace just this part? Or is it like a custom fit? Never replaced a servo before.
GREAT VIDEO!!!! I’ll never understand these “Traxxas Heroes”…. They aren’t paying you to stick up for them, so why do it, let’s just call a spade a spade and be done. My father is one of these “Traxxas Heroes”, no matter how many videos and reviews I show him he will never admitt they aren’t the “King” of RC… smh 🤦🏼♂️🤦🏼♂️🤦🏼♂️
I got into RC, and off road racing 20 odd years ago when the Revo 3.3 was the truck to have. I thought they were over priced pieces of plastic crap then, and I still do now. I don't think there was a single race meet I went to, where a Traxxas didn't break something, up to, and including a chassis. I broke my fair share of parts on my Thunder Tiger MTA-4 S28, but it was twice the weight of a Revo, and they were much better drivers than me (I crashed....a lot), but I only once broke a major component when my air cleaner fell off mid race, and I lunched a 4 liter old RB-726 motor when it took a big gulp of dirt. Otherwise it was usually CV joints (always stocked up before a meet), or the occasional shock tower from landing a 6kg truck very poorly (upside down) from a great height. I also worked part time in 2 mates hobby shops (different shops) doing repairs, and aside from twin vertical plate chassis cars like the savage, I hated working on the Revo the second most. You're the only RC channel I follow these days, cause there's too many fanboys, or people doing stupid shit just for views cause they've got more money than sense. It's good to see you calling them out, cause it's rare to find someone who's not a fanboy that is willing to do so. Still recon you should've worn your "Traxxas blocked me" shirt for this video though, cause they may do so on more platforms now. lol Keep up the good work mate. Always fun videos of mostly affordable stuff (land train excluded).
Thank you Tomley for telling it like it is. Seen a couple of these basically broke in half already from a failed stunt or bad driving. To charge more than the others, and claim superior product, it doesn't sit well with me as a customer. Especially when reality is breaking very quickly as they do. My 0.02, appreciate the vid.
I was really excited for this. It's a great idea, should be incredibly durable, easy to take anywhere, big enough for grass and most obstacles, and a blast on 3s. I pre-ordered one, and ordered a hobbywing 3s esc, and faster servo. Then I started seeing the reviews and had to cancel my order because traxxas lied about it handling 3s power, it can barely handle the stock motor which is pretty slow. Traxxas clearly pushes its ability to handle big power as the reason to get it, so their help desk's response confirming it isn't meant to handle big power instead of there being some week parts in the first batch that they're working on makes me feel good about my decision and extremely dissapointed in Traxxas's false advertising. I think there are currently 7 traxxas in my collection and i really like the trx-4s and xmaxx, but unless and until they show they'll stand behind the claims they make about their vehicles, I won't risk my money on another.
Honestly I’ve already knocked this off the list of possible best mini cars. I really want the grom to be up there, I really wish it was possible to fit a slipper or center diff.
Every Traxxas I've bought (except the trx4m) has blown their servo gears in a single battery. When they're advertised as"tough", they shouldn't break after a 5 minute test run on training mode.... I just factor in the cost of metal servo gears now when considering a product
Tbh I totally agree with this video! I got to see my green mini maxx today at my LHS (DID NOT BRING IT HOME) and I even saw loose screws on it! Definitely a Traxxas thing!! I’ve been in it for a long time so I know how to fix but this truck is literally reminding me of the sledge V1… HORRIBLE diffs and the dog bones were not long enough. Let’s not forget the V1 sledge’s newly tuned esc smoked out on every truck lol. An $800 truggy that was literally horrible. Traxxas had to force a V2 in like a month… same thing will happen with this mini maxx.
I am what you would call a Traxxas fan but, I agree with you , call out the issues you find, stop listening to the haters, we watch your channel because you are honest with your reviews, I have watched your channel for a while, and I respect your opinions because you tell it like it is ! Keep up the good work.
Totally agree, Phil. I love my traxxas cars, but the diff issue is inexcusable. The way I see it, if you want a mini maxx, buy a hpi savage xs. Basically the same but you'll never break it.
If I spent my hard earned money on an overpriced TRAXXAS product, and I upgrade it to a 3S system because they market it as 3S capable, and the diffs explode like this... I'd be demanding a refund to be honest. If there is such a huge risk running 3S, they should've made it blazingly clear in the manual with a "WARNING!" label. TRAXXAS will never see my money...
I disagree that it doesn't deserve the MAXX name. The X-Maxx has garbage electronics and drivetrain problems. The Maxx has garbage electronics as well. The Mini-Maxx just inherited the legacy.
Traxxas in a nutshell: "Buy our car that is overpriced to begin with". *everything breaks within 10 runs*. "Buy all of our overpriced upgrades that should've come stock to begin with" *Just so everything won't break every single time you take it out. I could build a lightly used Tekno 1/8th Scale for barely much more than this thing!! Traxxas sucks.
This is why I watch this channel 1st. Sincere review. Can't trust the fan bois etc "Talbot" "Mark" there loyalists...The company can put out str8 junk and they will still praise em. No integrity 💯
I think a great point to make is, compare the cost of the mini maxx plus 3s upgrade, center diff and other upgrades you deem necessary to make it reliable to the cost of a maxx….how far off will they be? I have a maxx and love the idea of the mini maxx for road trips as my dogs chase the truck around for exercise, but, don’t want to be into the truck for $500-$700 all upgraded. Perhaps they’ll come out with an ultimate version fully kitted with the savings built in.
Yes, with an already high base price... any upgrades will just make it the same cost of some much better options (even within their own range). I'd have a VXL Stampede or Rally Car over a hopped up Mini Maxx
Upgrading the minimaxx to 3s is the same as running an xmaxx on 12s and expecting nothing to break (50% power increase) But rc gear quality has gone down a LOT in the last few years (proline body shells shatter much easier, the arrma chassis bend, proline tyres unglue and the rims crack etc) I think it's a sign of the times with budget cuts.
Drives me nuts a few months back every big utube channel praised the rilario mini as the best ever! Then They get the mini sent to them and all of sudden this is the best thing ever! Bolocks it’s to small! The diffs blow to pieces on 3s, best my arse! Thanks for being honest mate!
I'm with you Tomley!!¡ I actually appreciate that you made this video as I was thinking about buying one for my son for xmas... but I definitely won't be spending my money on this one. As soon as you showed me the paper gasket instead of silicone when it even specifically mentions it... I was instantly out just becuse of the lie. Do you have a 3s equivalent that you would recommend instead. Thanks again from Canada 🇨🇦
Had one of these on preorder. Im able to pick it up tomorrow. I'm starting to think that I'm not going to with everything I'm seeing... Someone started arguing with me when I said they're false advertising the 3s capability with the vxl. Nowhere did i see on the website that it said you must get the center diff or slipper. I said they should be held accountable and fix the diff issues on these. They continued to try and standup for Traxxas and saying it's our own fault and that we have to do this or that...
I agree 100% and canceled my preorder as soon as I heard about the poor durability. It's built with cheap components and its overpriced for what you get. I have a Sledge, Maxx, Rustler VXL 4x4 and a Merv so I like Traxxas but this isn't ok.
Why do people care so much about sticking up for Traxxass. When they don't care about their customer base...
My other title was going to be "They don't care about you, so why do you care about them"..... but it's a bit too long haha... but 100% correct!
@@tomley_rc I'm glad I'm here early enough to highlight it to those lucky enough to watch before you get the inevitable email... We appreciate you being honest in your reviews..
I 100% agree with you Traxxas don't give a damn they just want your money 🤔💯💯
It’s an intelligence level… common sense just isn’t so common anymore….
There are always idiots in all hobbies that are elitist pricks. They will never admit to reality because there is no reality other than their own. Truth is everything breaks if you use it. Nothing is perfect.
I work in a hobby shop that sells Traxxas/Arrma and quite a few other brands and your video has had an absolutely impressive reach. I try my best to keep up with current releases and common issues and tell customers up front what they're potentially getting into. I've had a plethora of customers cancel their mini maxx pre orders or at a minimum bring your videos up which is absolutely awesome. If this is happening at the scale that I see then it goes to how much people do actually pay attention to what they're buying (if they CAN be informed) and can actually hold companies accountable. Great job man keep it up!
We got on the list, but I think we are going to pass on the mini maxx. I'm not upset with Traxxas, but I am happy that others shared their experiences with the product. We planned to upgrade it to VXL right away, and now we will wait until Traxxas sorts out their issues. Arrma released upgraded diffs for the groms, hopefully Traxxas will do the same. Then we will get ourselves a mini maxx!
I’ll await an email from Traxxas 😅
@TomleyRC yup. Its definitely comin my left handed friend..lol..😂
The response when I emailed them about needed upgrades to run 3s VXL.
“That is a lot of power for the Mini Maxx. We do not offer upgraded differentials to handle the extra power so you have to be careful with the throttle to reduce parts damage.
Sincerely,
Stefano
Traxxas Support”
They screwed up. End of story.
Wow... nice work Traxxas lol. Stefano was also the one who told me that they didn't say the Bandit VXL can do 70mph+ stock lol... says it on the box, but ya know... haha
Buy a Maxx instead of you want to go 50
Thats the opposite of the Maxx. I remember people talking trash about it being 4S but that sucker takes 8S and you can thrash it till the cows come home and it just doesn't care. Fantasticly overbuilt.
Can they sue themselves over lies and false advertising? MSM andcRC Driver are jokes - more concerned with sucking on the trax teat than honesty. I don't think Tomley hates Trax, but hard not to come off that way when you're honest about their products.
@@dannaufzinger3806or a blx grom that actually is honest about speed and sells upgrades for their cars that make sense.
Let those in the peanut gallery waste their money on a premium product and find out for themselves. You're doing what you're supposed to do. Honest reviews so we can all make our own decisions. Keep up the great work Mr Phil!
Marketing issues aside the thing is that Traxxas makes decent products they just aren't priced correctly. Traxxas prices their vehicles like they are ultra premium yet the vehicles simply aren't ultra premium.
Traxxas probably has the best moulded plastic parts in the business. However they are so far behind the competition when it comes to having out dated electronics and poor quality metal geared driveline components
@DoRC the thing is every arrma truck i’ve owned out lasted the traxxas competitor by a long shot, if anyone should be charging more its arrma traxxas needs to switch back to being the cheaper brand
Dont tell Arrma that. Lol@@hitpointrc
@ yeah
Decent isn't good enough for premium price. That's my issue and I used to be a total tool of a Traxxas fanboy.
UA-camrs are the number 1 reviewers and sellers of RC cars for these companies.
If the companies we're so confident they'd have 10 minute plus videos of their own showcasing but you get a 2-3 minute PowerPoint/montage. Well done Tomley for another money saving review 👍
You did nothing wrong but you know how corporate shills and brand snob's mind works. Big Kudos for you, Tomley.
If it says it can take a VXL system it should be able to take a vxl system.
Yes 👌
I’m a loyal Traxxas fan and only buy their products, but I’m getting tired of certain UA-camrs, like Kevin Talbot and Mark from MSM, misleading customers just to make money off their channels. It’s frustrating to see influencers prioritize profit over honesty, especially when it comes to something as popular as the Mini Maxx.
The truth is, Traxxas really dropped the ball with the Mini Maxx. Many people who preordered or already own it are upset but refuse to admit there are real issues with the truck. If it weren’t for honest UA-camrs like this one, along with vocal customers, these problems might never get fixed.
We shouldn’t have to pay nearly $300 for a defective product and then be forced to defend ourselves when we point out the flaws. RC consumers are becoming more informed and are less likely to waste money on poorly made products-unless they’re misled by influencers or the company itself.
I completely agree with this UA-camr. His Mini Maxx video is the first I’ve seen from him, and I can already say that moving forward, I won’t trust or buy another RC without the approval of this channel first.
Not sure if you actually watch Kevin or Marks vids.. Neither of them miss lead anything.. Kevin destroys almost everything and even Mark said that running the Mini Maxx on 3s is not a good idea.
@@JagImaginghe said it's not a good idea because it would make Traxxas look bad when it inevitably destroys itself. It would be ok if Traxxas didn't use words like bombproof and advertising their VXL system as a upgrade on their own site
kev has never gotten anything free from traxxas itself. the UK distributor, yes, but he isn't traxxas.
You know Kevin has to buy Traxxas stuff himself because Traxxas does not send him free stuff? Actualy he buys almost every rc he drives on his channel himself.
@FrankvdBerg he's definitely a bit of a Traxxas fan boy though
I’ll never understand why people would defend any large company like Traxxas. They just want your money and they are WAY overpriced! I’m tired of larger companies ruining the RC hobby. Every hobby shop within a 50 mile radius has going out of business because companies like Traxxas control the pricing so hobby shops can’t compete for sales. 🤮
I have a few hobby shops within a 50 mile radius and they seem to doing fine to me 🫤
@ That’s great! Pointless to say, but all the hobby shops in a 50 mile radius have gone out of business. The ones that I was able to speak to said they can’t compete with the price fixing and online shopping! 🫤
@Brentwhite … you are on target 🎯. Yet just a month ago another hobbytown shut down exactly for this reason . Yet i still support shops rather then using online orders. Even after 15 years i’m still doing that .
That’s the issue I have with the brand, they talk like their product is twice as good as the competition to justify their mad overpricing. But as we all know their products never live up to their bs.
Agree fully!!!!!
IDK... I'm pretty pleased with my Traxxas vehicles. I had to spend a lot on my Armma Kraton, to make it almost as durable as my Xmaxx😅
Traxxas doesn't love you. They just want your money.
I'm sure my Wife said something similar haha
this is every brand to be fair
💯
Corporate America ❤
Thank you.
Proprietary connectors on your cars mean you don't respect your customers. Not one bit. Traxxas is a strict no buy for me.
If Traxxas markets the mini-Maxx as having a robust drivetrain and capable of taking VXL-3S, it should take it out of the box. To pile on upgrades to make this capable of what they market is ridiculous. Some people will buy this solely on name alone, then be utterly disappointed to learn they need to pile on upgrades to make this work as intended. I'm glad Tomley is being unbiased and for saying things as they are. I won't name them, but many UA-camrs overhype many R/Cs that offer only a lack luster experience.
Two Tomley videos in one day? Heck yeah!!
Excellent work. Our Traxxas trucks are all fun and we love them but there have just been too many very early breakages from normal use due to soft point in the drivetrain. Sure they offer an upgraded part but that's like buying a video game then paying for all the features and add-ons that should have come with it already. Our TRX4s are the only exceptions. They're tanks!
TRX4’s are one of the only Traxxas products I recommend. Decent for what they are intended for 👌
All true.. to be fair all rc cars from pretty much all brands have weak points. Even the new Arma notorious MSM broke on some jumps on the first run because weak part.
Reality is it’s park of the game in this hobby. If you could buy a car that would never break that company would go out of business.
I put TRX4 axles under my Redcat gen8, they've been absolutely bombproof with the ssd portal delete kit and aluminum housings. If I were to buy a trail rig again I'd just have bought the trx4 from the jump.
Why are you taking like you are "traxxas"?
Traxxas wants to be a premium brand with premium prices. But they still use their cheap looking transmitter, plastic gearing and are full of false advertising with hidden text in the fine print. On top their horrible batteries and connectors. They dropped the ball hard on the mini maxx, even more than usual… So 100% agree… STOP making excuses for them, stop buying their toys. Only than they might improve their products.
Thats damn transmitter hasn't changed since 2.4GHZ and I HATE them. I have a XMAXX and I'm about to change it and the receiver.
All my Traxxas vehicles still have their stock Traxxas radios. Why? Because the simply do the job well. I have a 6s Armma Kraton and the stock controller on that one sucked. It had bad steering and throttle delay.
Tell me one Rc car company that is premium 😅
I love my Xmaxx ,4x4 Rustler, and Raptor R. Are they perfect? No, but I am still very happy with them😊 They put up with much abuse from me. And when they do break. It's usually my fault 😅
That's not touching their servos, box stock trx4m and the servo stripped when it dropped 3 inches off an obstacle onto the front tire. I couldn't believe it, it was cartoonishly bad, which is so unfortunate because the rest of the truck was fantastic out of the box.
If it says it has it, and doesn't, that's a pretty big oversight.
Yeah, only spotted that the second time I watched it
I have been a Traxxas "fan" for many many years. Ever since the original launch of the Slash way back. I've had over 30 different Traxxas vehicles over the years and still to this day own at least 10 of them in my collection. HOWEVER I will be the first to say that compared to Arrma and Losi, Associated, the "Amazon specials" and many other manufacturers... They have been massively screwing up over the last number of years. I still love to recommend Traxxas to people new to the hobby, but it's getting harder and harder to feel comfortable doing that. Why would I want to recommend Traxxas when people can get so much more for their money going with a different brand. Parts support is still Traxxas's strong point, but even then it's getting hard to recommend it because of their prices. You pay a massive premium in initial price just for parts support that you could otherwise use the same money to buy extra parts for any other brand.
Also, not as directly related but I actually found myself buying a used Associated B6.4D as a basher purely because I am also a racer with extra B6 parts and it just made more sense to buy a retired race car for park bashing than it did to buy a bandit for literally more than I bought the B6 for. So I got a far better buggy for basically the same price as a Bandit because of how extreme of a markup Traxxas has. It really is getting out of hand, and it's pretty obvious too with Arrma and Losi being able to push lower prices for more, while Traxxas keeps charging more for less.
With all that said, I love what I have for Traxxas, and my XMAXX is still one of my all time favorite RC's, but at what cost now? Other manufactuers are catching up so fast that I don't really see myself buying many new Traxxas cars anymore. The last decision I made was when I wanted a baja truck. I could have had the UDR, but instead I bought the Losi Baja Rey 2.0 and I haven't looked back.
/rant over
Nice! I love my Xmaxx! Even it has problems. 1/8 scale and below, can't do Traxxas!
When you consider arrma 8S is now $100 cheaper than an xmaxx, and it features a bigger motor, bigger servo, better radio, more sophisticated ESC, and a million times more durable, there’s no reason why anyone should prefer an xmaxx anyway. It’s only redeeming quality is its lighter, but I’m willing to carry the extra weight for $100 less if it means I get more power and more durability as a trade off.
Sold my xmaxx for a Kraton 8S and never looked back.
I also have both size Baja Reys, so a UDR is not interesting to me.
I also prefer my 6S Kraton to any TRX 1/8 scale.
I also prefer my Associated 14MT over any small scale Traxxas. Even my Groms are better.
The only Traxxas trucks I enjoy more are their nitros but only because I’m lazy and I like the ez start. Literally if I can rig up a 8ight T with a ez start or similar, I’d never look back. No, I don’t want to carry about a bump box. 😂
Excellent rant 🤣 No company should say their diffs are bomb proof when it's direct drive and a plastic center driveshaft!
Thank you for doing what you’re doing. With honest videos , and reviews. I’ve broken away from Traxxas recently and gone to other brand rc’s, thankfully. Traxxas lately seems to be trying to grab people’s money with inferior product and I’m not falling for it.
Point putting a centre diff is not going to change the fact that the diff is weak will probably explode sooner because of a fslse sense of its durability, I also remember X Maxx's blowing ditts until TRAXXAS put better quality gears in them or aftermarnet kit
Yes exactly… but people still will argue
Center diff will allow power to transfer to the unloaded front, which will ease the stress on the rear diff. That said, it sure sounds like Traxxxas erred when designing the Mini Maxx diffs.
I've had a lot of cars from different brands. It’s unacceptable for the diff to explode off a setup the manufacturer recommends. Even cheap brands don't mess that up
I don't understand people's blind allegiance to a multi-million dollar corporation. Why put some rich, faceless company on a pedestal and idolize them when they don't give two toots about you?
Blind allegiance to an idolized rich guy who doesn’t give two $hits about them is America for you.
The way I think about it, is when I build a multi-million dollar corporation I can have a voice on whether they are doing the right thing or not. Its true their product line is a bit of a "mixed bag", I've upgraded many parts on my Rustler VXL due to breakage, but then my Stampede VXL and Maxx Slash are pretty dam tough so far.
because they are losers and want to feel special
@@chrisdean8235 Do you know how Traxxas becomes a multi-million company? Do you think it's because they're always innovating and have such outstanding products? Or do you think it's because they're straight up lie and mislead their customers and are patent trolls who charges premium prices for mid-tier products?
Why? Because people don’t want to admit they made a bad purchase decision.
The thing that really gets to me is Traxxas cheaped out and didn't even include a slipper clutch, yet they raised the price $20 before it was even released after advertising it at $249.95.
Dealers received a message explaining the price difference. Air freighting products cost more than packing containers and putting them on a ship that might not arrive in time to put them under a Christmas tree.
I paid $249.99 for mine 😮
@@johnabelljr1997 I paid zero dollars for one. While I might eventually buy one I’ll let everyone in a hurry to be the first kid in the neighborhood to have a mini work out all the bugs. 😉
There is also body skids another extra.
I preordered mine when it was first announced and only paid 249 plus tax
They are eating the cats, they are eating the dogs...they are eating the pets !
Perhaps those individuals who fervently defend a brand without owning any of its products found their inspiration elsewhere.
and this is why we love you. You have no problem, putting the middle finger up (or the British reverse peace sign :-) to the big brands when so many others bow to the money that they get from the companies..
Thank you for your unbiased and honest opinion. The “fastest name in rc” doesn’t deserve the money they charge for their products. You spent your money so I don’t have to!
Absolutely agree with Tomley. I have a Traxxas Hoss and an Arrma Granite. The Traxxas breaks everytime I use it, the Arrma hardly ever breaks. Traxxas has durability issues and if they advertise it will do a thing, it should be able to do that thing without breaking every f***ing time.
I agree totally with Tomley. For example a HPI Savage XS is already specced out the box to the equivalent of what a fully upgraded 3S Mini Maxx VXL would be and they are the same price. By the time you add up all the upgraded parts required for a Mini Max to perform like a Savage XS you'd be up in the premium 4S RC price range.
Its about $450, including all the upgrades, yup. Friggin joke lol.
And did you see the price on those alluminum Traxxas shocks? .......$80!! LMAO
@@bra1nc417d Sure did! What a rip off!
@@bra1nc417d $450 Is mad, for that money you could buy some decent 3 and 4s vehicles from Arrma, Corally and Team Associated!
@@bra1nc417d Crazy prices, I think of much better Rc's to buy for that kind of money!
All marketing hype to boost sales. I’ve had Rc cars/trucks since the 80’s and there has never been a better time then now to get into the hobby. My love for Traxxas has faded over the years and for one reason only. Charging top dollar and then some and selling a product that uses inferior parts.I’ve replaced broken gearing in my X maxx and Xrt at least five times and there 2 year’s old. Great work as usual.
those RC10's were built like tanks compared to today's offerings. but i agree that today's hobbyists get more in the way of electronics. with waterproof brushless systems coming standard on RTR models, oem servos with 100 plus torque, and the ridiculous range on today's radio systems, it really is a fun time to be into RC.
Get an arrma 8S. I’ve never replaced the gears in mine. Never. Sold my xmaxx because it just broke down too often. I couldn’t break my arrma 8S if I tried. It just never gives up. I even run it on 12S with a Max5g2 and it just keeps going.
Other than an occasional bent driveshaft, which I just bend back, and occasionally replacing wallowed out rod ends on the shocks, it just keeps going, and going… and going.
Yes.. you are 100% correct.. and yes this car doesn't deserve the Maxx name on it.
I was very excited to get ahold of two of these, for me and the kid. Then, multiple honest reviews came out, yours included. Now I'm buying a pair of the 'amazon special' 1/10 Laegendary Thundery 2-3s brushless 4x4 for less than one mini maxx. That means the budget has allowed for almost $300 for upgrades, and thats just going to be fun!
I'm grateful for your honesty. I appreciate that you are objective about the the entirety of the experience. You listen close to what they advertise, and you test it to the extreme (skate park bashing is extreme, and will decimate most vehicles and skaters in the learning process), and show us some things to watch, upgrade, etc.
Thanks for that! Keep up the great work, and I will keep relying on your honest and experienced opinions. You save me tons of money with honest reviews!
Well said, I agree 100%. I did a video as well on Why I ended up not buying the Mini Maxx and pretty much said the same thing and people do not understand. And I didn't even have the car. I've been in RC for a long time and I know by looking at something, it's not as good as they say. I like some Traxxas products, but they have been Slipping lately. Great video!
You do not need a center diff. On cars that are rear wheel drive you cant add a center diff to mitigate a drive line weeknes. They use this excuse only on all wheel drive cars to just to sell u more stuff. The center differential doesn't add traction, it just delivers more torque to the wheels with less traction thus reducing the chances for parts failure but introduces other issues. What can directly address this issue is a properly adjusted slipper clutch. This my opinion.
I never read their advertising text but wow them saying stuff that doesn’t match is pretty wild
There was also recently an eu recall for most traxxas rcs that have slipperclutches for having asbestos in the clutch pads
Finally someone calls out these GD people. Traxxas also listed on their site it was 249$ and then release it for more. My Maxx slash has xmaxx ultimate money into it just to get it to run well. My Mojave 6s is still stock and going strong. Frames a lil bent. But haven’t broken it. I’ve broken the maxx slash numerous times. Even traxxas own hop up aluminum parts have failed. Tomley only one to call out the BS.
I also called to cancel my mini maxx order. I feel bad for my local shop. Not traxxas.
Absolutely agree, Phil. No arguments there.
Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊
This is Traxxas' mo lately. (modus operandi) Under build. Over promise. Under deliver. Over price. And it just keeps going and going like that. They seem to be like the gateway Rc company until people open their eyes to the fact that almost anything else on the market is better for the price. I'm SOOOOO glad they are no longer the benchmark in basher rcs.
So… Traxxas is the Tesla of RC, for better or for worse.
Usually worse.
It is because the majority of their customer base are casuals who just buy the most expensive because they think it is the most durable. Anyone with a gram of common sense will veer away from most of their products.
The gears inside the differentials are also steel. If you put a magnet to them it sticks. They are just sintered steel which isn't quite as strong as CNC machined steel. That being said it's not the material that's the problem. Lots of cars use sintered steel for the internal differential gears. The problem is it's just not strong enough for the power they claim it should be able to take.
Yes true... although Nickel is also magnetic and used in sintered metals.... I'd be interested in some science in to their 'Monkey Metal' Vs Others to determine the quality.
@tomley_rc true but nickel Is actually more expensive than steel generally so I don't think they would use that.
Just like any material there are a wide range of strengths you can get from sintered steel. I have no doubt that it is steel but it might be a lower grade of steel or they may have just undersized the components for the task. That's what happened with the X-Maxx spur gears. The gears work just fine in the max and in the E-Revo they just can't handle The application in the X-Maxx.
Sintered is the equivalent of particle board to solid wood🤷
@roadrunnerorange sort of. Particle board can actually be very strong though it does have its own weaknesses. Sintered steel has the potential to be nearly as strong as regular CNC machined steel though it also can be weaker but then again so can regular steel. It all depends on if they use the right material in the right amount for the right application. For instance the vast majority of internal differential gears throughout the entire RC industry are sintered. Most of them do just fine
Typical Traxxas, market it as a Maxx, but it's brushed and direct drive, just to force the majority of buyers to spend more on upgrades. In my view, this should have been brushless and with center diff out of the box.
It is brushless, a crappy bl2s , agree with everything else you’ve said tho
@@daig1984 oh my bad! Might as well have been brushed though! 😅
@ yeah 😂 more garbage 🗑️ electronics
What? It does 30MPH! How fast is a brushed Grom?🤔
@@johnabelljr1997the brushed mini revo has done that since like 2010-12. This is running 1/10 scale electronics and is geared to high heavens to get to 30. These are gonna run hotter than the sun come summertime.
Thank you bro for throwing this issue in its grave so traxxas drivers can lighten up.
Nothings worse than stripping out diffs on a new vehicle... I'm with you Tomley!! Shame on you Traxxas!!!
Leaves....the equal opportunity RC Killer
That mark guy is a full on actual traxxass fanboi so you wont really hear him say anything bad about them, hopefully these videos youve done on the mini maxx will get something working correctly 👍🏼
That's why I've un-subscribed to UA-camrs like him. I don't need to see a 15+ minute AD filled with lies.
Kinda how Ive been feeling lately. He just seems like such a damn shill, anymore.
Yep, total traxxas fanboy. I stopped watching him a couple of years ago.
Mark Speaks Marketing
Same. During the lockdowns many of us flocked to YT to watch these videos and then ordered numerous RC's. I distinctly remember the moment I clued into the fact that a large proportion of these "content creators" were simply just hacks or grifters looking to score clicks or free products from manufacturers. UA-cam wasn't always like this. I miss the old UA-cam where user reviews were "user reviews" - not wankers high off their influencer supplies.
I’ve got two, one I kept stock and one I put the vxl 3s system in. I actually broke the dif on the stock one and my 3s system one is still going strong. My buddy put a hobbywing 3s system in and immediately broke his rear dif. They are super super fun but definitely misleading on durability. The “you should have known” to upgrade it people make a bit of a point but what if this was your first basher RC, looks pretty bad for Traxxas. One thing that has helped me is switching all tires to the same compound since the tears are MUCH softer than the front so they balloon out and I think that’s causing most of the issues.
Traxxas almost reminds me of Apple in a way 😂
I’ve owned traxxas products for a long time, they were always “the best”, yeah they’re more expensive but they always had way more after market support and it was easy to make a strong RC car. It is ridiculous though especially when there are trucks a fraction of the cost that out perform them. All their vehicles are awesome with a few after market parts, they definitely need to change their marketing or start actually giving what they’re selling
You are right, it should be strong as stated. Someone has put in XL5 diffs from a Rustler 4x4, they have star gears in them. I have a stock Mini Maxx so far still OK, I think the slipper clutch should be stock and you need 2 extra parts to add it. I also found out there are skids for the body that should have been on it and not an extra. I like the thing but the cost is adding up.
The only thing premium in the R/C world is this channel. Thanks bloke!
G'day Tomley,
I used to work in a Hobby shop down here in Australia, Knowing the Australian Importer of them & everything he had to deal with I never made an excuse for them.
We would get people coming in asking "Do you have any Traxxas RC Cars?"
Me "We don't have any in stock now but I can make you one after lunch"
I wonder if traxxas would send out replacement gears for free or is that a joke 😂😂 I’m sending off my warranty card to them just in case !
I for one am very glad you ran it like you did and showed the flaw in the diffs. I was going to buy one even though I knew it was way over priced and underpowered but I won’t buy now until they do something about the diffs. You saved me a lot of disappointment with your reviews. I just wonder if the diff from one of the other 3s traxxas lineup would fit the mini Maxx and solve the problem
Basically the 2 outcomes Traxxas can choose are: Remove all of the "bombproof" wording, and insert the need for center diff for VXL, or include the center diff out of the box. Thanks for doing your homework on this and keeping us informed. I'm still on the fence for getting one, as tossing is a center diff is almost an automatic for any RC car I build.
Tomley I’m gonna start with I am not subscribed as I don’t subscribe to rc channels anymore, if I did you would definitely be the guy. Secondly thank you for this video. I directly made all these points to Mark of MSM. It’s insane the blatant lies they are telling. This is becoming something more severe than typical Traxxas marketing. This is flat out defrauding consumers.
This is one of the reasons why i never liked traxxas, their way of business, their electronics don't last, always over priced, their misleading ways to the public, ect. I love my Arrma vehicles, i now own 9 and so far, they have been rock solid, i'm not a full extreme basher, mostly grassy and skate parks but i really do push them and never issues. Love your videos Tom, haters always want the attention so don't give it to them. Love your honesty and it goes a long way.
Traxxas.
A problem for every solution.
Arrma dropping the brushless Grom when they did was a stroke of genius! I mean, I will still buy the Mini Maxx but dont think I will 3S convert it. lol
My LHS was trying to sell me a minimaxx but I brought the Grom blx and a MT10 instead, that was before I found out about the diff problems with the mini.
Totally agree. There's only two Traxxas products worth owning, the Xmaxx and any TRX4
I do think the tmaxx is a good truck too, but I’ll mostly stick with their crawlers.
Summit 1/10 was last Traxxas I bought and will ever buy. It's a fun trail truck until you have to fix a diff.....
Toally agrre with you,i would just add the Slash,this is a very good one too...
I agree with you totally and why ? I recently bought the Traxxas Hoss VXL 3S and from the first minutes of driving with 3s lipo the center diff housing melted , both rear drive shafts stripped from the first 2 batteries. Then one of the front drive shafts stripped. The model is less than 2 months in my hands i have run it with 3s lipo batteries with stock gearing and everything else stock no high jumps no crashes on walls and still has problems from the first battery. The drive line is not bomb proof as the traxxas say the drive shafts and the center diff housing is plastic and all of these are weak. The necessary upgrades i must do is to buy 4 steel drive shafts and one center differential but the metal. When i bought the center differential for my Traxxas Rustler vxl i stopped to strip the center spur gear. So everyone who stripp ofthen the spur gear and the drive shafts of your traxxas models buy the steel center diff and the steel drive shafts and then we will see how it can last.
I totally agree with your comments on the Mini Maxx Traxxas should be more honest about the quality of the components in there trucks in the whole range, not just what they choose, it's just not good enough for a company with a branding eticuit of Tough, Unsurpassed durability is it.
Man up Traxxas and be honest about it.
😂😂😂😂😂
Danke!
Wow, thank you dude...... very kind of you.
My go to RCs are Axial and Losi. I have Traxxas RCs as well as Arrmas. I have the worst luck with Arrma (Outcast 8s RTR, Kraton EXB, Outcast 8s EXB, and gone for quite a while a Typhon 3s) and have 5 Traxxas models (UDR, Summit, TRX4, Revo 3.3, ERevo). I dont run the Arrmas or Traxxas models. I break the Arrmas too much and i just dont use the Traxxas models
Tomley, i discussed this in the last video: "pot metal" is not a real thing, and you can't hope to educate anyone with such terms.
Traxxas (as much as i hate them) have a full right to call their gears steel because they ARE steel.
It's called "sintered steel" which is a process of taking steel powder and heating it up under pressure (not to the melting point, but under that) in a mold so that it "sinters" (conglomerates into a fixed shape.
If you keep throwing out useless terms like "monkey metal" then potential customers aren't going to be able to make educated purchase decisions.
Customers, do you want to make sure your steel parts are hardened steel?
Then you ask the manufacturer if they are CNC machined steel, or sintered steel. End of story.
You can't ask a customer service rep whether they use "pot metal" or "monkey metal" because they can say: "no we use steel" and if you don't have the vocabulary to ask if it's sintered (powder) steel or machined steel, well, then educate yourself.
Please Tomley i love your telling the truth against fanboy odds, but "monkey metal" isn't going to educate anyone, people need to know that Traxxas has perfect rights to say they use steel gears, because they are steel.
I hate being in a position where it looks like I'm sticking up for Traxxas. I'm not sticking up for them.
Tomley just needs to understand and discuss the difference between powdered steel and machined steel. Pressed steel and CNC milled steel.
You're failing to do that job Tomley, by regurgitating "pot metal" when it is not a term used in the industry by professionals. Please educate people.
I think they make decent enough models, but I can't get over how toxic they are to the rest of the industry, even threatening to sue hobbyists making little upgrades
I think you’re spot on with your analysis. I looked through the Traxxas website after I started hearing about the drivetrain problems on 3S and found the same false claims about a bomb proof drivetrain that you pointed out. I think it’s clear that they didn’t do enough durability testing on those new planetary diffs. It’s also clear that the marketing people at Traxxas just write up an impressive narrative without being particularly knowledgeable about the product. I actually really like Traxxas products, but it seems like there is little innovation and not much passion for RCs among the people running the company at this point. Hopefully they’ll take this fiasco seriously and start to turn out better products. The competition is getting really good and they could lose relevancy very quickly.
This is what we need an honest and up front review about a product making all those Bomb Proof claims etc well done Mr Tomley. What Traxxas should do is send the finished product out to real people and let them really test them so problems can be rectified before releasing it to the world. Per Ardua
It was the same with my X-Maxx. Very disappointing, considering the advertised durability. The only solution was a complete conversion with metal threads and aluminum covers.
longtime Traxxas fan here, every since i built my first RC in 1990, a Traxxas Sledgehammer. besides the gear stripping issue (and the fact that the original X-Maxx kept catching fire) i never liked plastice monocoque chassis on the Maxx trucks. it looked like a weak design to me. i've owned a first gen E Revo and saw the flaws in it's design. had a mini E Revo that broke right at the narrow point of the plastic chassis in the rear. replaced it and adding aftermarket braces but never could bring myself to send it 100%. was exceptionally pleased when the Sledge came out with an aluminum chassis.
Well said Phil. You're 100%. Im so tired of traxxas fanboys and them defending overpriced/hyped traxxas rc's. They are over priced junk!
Please continue to tell it like it is Phil. This pattern for Traxxas is getting stronger. If they don't start to realize that "it ain't like it used to be" with the flood of hungry competition out there now. Then Traxxas will kill off their loyal customers. I have 6 running Traxxas models plus other brands. There is a really decent hobby store 30mins from my home that I get my Traxxas parts from. Traxxas won't let him sell other brands out of fear of losing his dealer status. That once again prove Traxxas's arrogance. This new Mini Max had me excited. But these honest video's like Phil's are really proving that Traxxas is drunk with arrogance!
I'll keep the Traxxas models I have presently. But can't see new purchases in the future with Traxxas products! My money id important to me!!
Love it. Personally I don't think anyone is 'entitled' to an opinion when it goes against obvious objective reality. I think they're entitled to not being taken seriously.
This guy is right, im leaving it on 2s. I noticed the servo is pretty slow though. Is it easy to replace just this part? Or is it like a custom fit? Never replaced a servo before.
GREAT VIDEO!!!! I’ll never understand these “Traxxas Heroes”…. They aren’t paying you to stick up for them, so why do it, let’s just call a spade a spade and be done. My father is one of these “Traxxas Heroes”, no matter how many videos and reviews I show him he will never admitt they aren’t the “King” of RC… smh 🤦🏼♂️🤦🏼♂️🤦🏼♂️
I got into RC, and off road racing 20 odd years ago when the Revo 3.3 was the truck to have. I thought they were over priced pieces of plastic crap then, and I still do now. I don't think there was a single race meet I went to, where a Traxxas didn't break something, up to, and including a chassis. I broke my fair share of parts on my Thunder Tiger MTA-4 S28, but it was twice the weight of a Revo, and they were much better drivers than me (I crashed....a lot), but I only once broke a major component when my air cleaner fell off mid race, and I lunched a 4 liter old RB-726 motor when it took a big gulp of dirt. Otherwise it was usually CV joints (always stocked up before a meet), or the occasional shock tower from landing a 6kg truck very poorly (upside down) from a great height. I also worked part time in 2 mates hobby shops (different shops) doing repairs, and aside from twin vertical plate chassis cars like the savage, I hated working on the Revo the second most.
You're the only RC channel I follow these days, cause there's too many fanboys, or people doing stupid shit just for views cause they've got more money than sense. It's good to see you calling them out, cause it's rare to find someone who's not a fanboy that is willing to do so. Still recon you should've worn your "Traxxas blocked me" shirt for this video though, cause they may do so on more platforms now. lol Keep up the good work mate. Always fun videos of mostly affordable stuff (land train excluded).
Thank you Tomley for telling it like it is. Seen a couple of these basically broke in half already from a failed stunt or bad driving. To charge more than the others, and claim superior product, it doesn't sit well with me as a customer. Especially when reality is breaking very quickly as they do. My 0.02, appreciate the vid.
I like the truthful rant about traxxas. If they screwed up, they screwed up. Now we'll see how they deal with it and that will tell all.
I was really excited for this. It's a great idea, should be incredibly durable, easy to take anywhere, big enough for grass and most obstacles, and a blast on 3s. I pre-ordered one, and ordered a hobbywing 3s esc, and faster servo. Then I started seeing the reviews and had to cancel my order because traxxas lied about it handling 3s power, it can barely handle the stock motor which is pretty slow. Traxxas clearly pushes its ability to handle big power as the reason to get it, so their help desk's response confirming it isn't meant to handle big power instead of there being some week parts in the first batch that they're working on makes me feel good about my decision and extremely dissapointed in Traxxas's false advertising. I think there are currently 7 traxxas in my collection and i really like the trx-4s and xmaxx, but unless and until they show they'll stand behind the claims they make about their vehicles, I won't risk my money on another.
Honestly I’ve already knocked this off the list of possible best mini cars. I really want the grom to be up there, I really wish it was possible to fit a slipper or center diff.
Every Traxxas I've bought (except the trx4m) has blown their servo gears in a single battery. When they're advertised as"tough", they shouldn't break after a 5 minute test run on training mode.... I just factor in the cost of metal servo gears now when considering a product
Tbh I totally agree with this video! I got to see my green mini maxx today at my LHS (DID NOT BRING IT HOME) and I even saw loose screws on it! Definitely a Traxxas thing!! I’ve been in it for a long time so I know how to fix but this truck is literally reminding me of the sledge V1… HORRIBLE diffs and the dog bones were not long enough. Let’s not forget the V1 sledge’s newly tuned esc smoked out on every truck lol. An $800 truggy that was literally horrible. Traxxas had to force a V2 in like a month… same thing will happen with this mini maxx.
I am what you would call a Traxxas fan but, I agree with you , call out the issues you find, stop listening to the haters, we watch your channel because you are honest with your reviews, I have watched your channel for a while, and I respect your opinions because you tell it like it is ! Keep up the good work.
Totally agree, Phil. I love my traxxas cars, but the diff issue is inexcusable. The way I see it, if you want a mini maxx, buy a hpi savage xs. Basically the same but you'll never break it.
If I spent my hard earned money on an overpriced TRAXXAS product, and I upgrade it to a 3S system because they market it as 3S capable, and the diffs explode like this... I'd be demanding a refund to be honest. If there is such a huge risk running 3S, they should've made it blazingly clear in the manual with a "WARNING!" label. TRAXXAS will never see my money...
I disagree that it doesn't deserve the MAXX name. The X-Maxx has garbage electronics and drivetrain problems. The Maxx has garbage electronics as well. The Mini-Maxx just inherited the legacy.
Well I’ll be damned, you might be on to something here.
Traxxas in a nutshell: "Buy our car that is overpriced to begin with". *everything breaks within 10 runs*. "Buy all of our overpriced upgrades that should've come stock to begin with" *Just so everything won't break every single time you take it out.
I could build a lightly used Tekno 1/8th Scale for barely much more than this thing!! Traxxas sucks.
This is why I watch this channel 1st. Sincere review. Can't trust the fan bois etc "Talbot" "Mark" there loyalists...The company can put out str8 junk and they will still praise em. No integrity 💯
I put a brushless system 3s in a tamiya with no other upgrades, took it for a rip within 3 seconds I had no car left , but what a 3 seconds it was 😂
Thank you for bringing those things to light with Traxxas 👍
And that's why I bought the HPI Savage XS flux, a much better truck out of the box.
Some people don't like having their fantasies destroyed by facts.!
THEY WILL FIGHT YOU.! 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂
I also put a 3s system in my eRevo and put much bigger heavier tires to do triple backflips and never had a dif issue on that one
I think a great point to make is, compare the cost of the mini maxx plus 3s upgrade, center diff and other upgrades you deem necessary to make it reliable to the cost of a maxx….how far off will they be? I have a maxx and love the idea of the mini maxx for road trips as my dogs chase the truck around for exercise, but, don’t want to be into the truck for $500-$700 all upgraded. Perhaps they’ll come out with an ultimate version fully kitted with the savings built in.
Yes, with an already high base price... any upgrades will just make it the same cost of some much better options (even within their own range). I'd have a VXL Stampede or Rally Car over a hopped up Mini Maxx
Thanks! Maybe I’ll wait for the V2 when the rear diffs are fixed.
Upgrading the minimaxx to 3s is the same as running an xmaxx on 12s and expecting nothing to break (50% power increase)
But rc gear quality has gone down a LOT in the last few years (proline body shells shatter much easier, the arrma chassis bend, proline tyres unglue and the rims crack etc)
I think it's a sign of the times with budget cuts.
Drives me nuts a few months back every big utube channel praised the rilario mini as the best ever! Then They get the mini sent to them and all of sudden this is the best thing ever! Bolocks it’s to small! The diffs blow to pieces on 3s, best my arse! Thanks for being honest mate!
I'm with you Tomley!!¡ I actually appreciate that you made this video as I was thinking about buying one for my son for xmas... but I definitely won't be spending my money on this one.
As soon as you showed me the paper gasket instead of silicone when it even specifically mentions it... I was instantly out just becuse of the lie.
Do you have a 3s equivalent that you would recommend instead.
Thanks again from Canada 🇨🇦
Had one of these on preorder. Im able to pick it up tomorrow. I'm starting to think that I'm not going to with everything I'm seeing... Someone started arguing with me when I said they're false advertising the 3s capability with the vxl. Nowhere did i see on the website that it said you must get the center diff or slipper. I said they should be held accountable and fix the diff issues on these. They continued to try and standup for Traxxas and saying it's our own fault and that we have to do this or that...
I agree 100% and canceled my preorder as soon as I heard about the poor durability. It's built with cheap components and its overpriced for what you get. I have a Sledge, Maxx, Rustler VXL 4x4 and a Merv so I like Traxxas but this isn't ok.
Hi, I canceled my mini maxx order and change for the Arrma 223s BLX vorteks v4, Do you think this new vorteks it's a good choice ?