And the winner is………

The Team Associated SC10!!!!

In summary, it was very close. The top 3 trucks were separated by less than two tenths of a point.

While the Kyosho Ultima dominated in a few areas, it was the Associated SC10’s balanced performance across all categories that won the day. The SC10 handled great, flew well, and we had no issue with the truck or it’s running gear. It could still benefit from better tires though.

The Kyosho Ultima SC’s jumping and handling edge may have been in part to the aftermarket shocks. If it had won the shootout, we would have considered leaving it out or disqualifying it for this reason. We decided to keep it in, since those upgrades are readily available, and it’s actually the least expensive truck of the bunch.

The Losi XXX-SCT was also a strong competitor with good handling. It’s motor failure cost it in the durability category, but we know it was near new before the shootout. The fact that it ships with great tires means it’s less money up front to start out and be competitive.

The Traxxas Slash should not be overlooked by anyone looking for a Short Course truck to run in their backyard or even race at an intermediate level. It’s durability is virtually unmatched, and with a good set of tires it could be competitive with a good setup and the right driver.

The HPI Blitz we drove was in good shape, but admittedly had some steering slop and a tired stock servo. It may benefit from an aftermarket bellcrank and a better servo. The suspension was there, but it just doesn’t turn well. We’ve seen this truck be competitive, so don’t let our results talk you out of one if that is what you are looking at.

Its important to note that all but one of these kits would greatly benefit from a tire upgrade. Tires can make or break handling, and only the Losi comes with a decent set of tires.

We want to reiterate that all of the trucks in this review were “used” before the shootout, so please keep that in mind while viewing the results. This was just for fun. These are from our personal collection and were not sent in by the manufacturers.. We realize that this is not the perfect scenario, but it’s what we could afford to do. We did try to keep everything as close to stock as possible, and please keep in mind the Kyosho has those shocks and servo installed. Not having the original shocks any longer, we could not fit them to try it in the stock configuration. That said, we hope you enjoyed the review and look for a 4wd Shootout coming later this summer.

RCSoup.com would like to extend a giant thank you to Canalside Raceway for the use of their facility for this shootout. They were gracious hosts.