LaTrax Teton: The Oppositelock Review

"Tripper" (tripe46) 07/04/2020 at 20:17 • Filed to: None

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Good evening. I am here once again thanking an Oppo and Oppositelock as a entity for their/it’s support. Thanks Shop-Teacher for making me aware of and recommending this RC! I have visited and re visited the idea of getting an electric RC car or truck for years. I always start small and then end up just a click of the mouse away from going $600 plus on the latest and greatest truck/truggy from HPI/Traxxas. Then I’m like, “What if I don’t play with it and I just burned $600-1000?” annnnnnnnd I bail. Not this time!

This is the same color(s) as mine

What is it?

A 1/18th scale electric R/C Monster truck. LaTrax is just Traxxas’ brand for their entry level, 1/18th scale vehicles. They’ve got the “Teton” (monster truck), “Rally” (rally/road car), and “Pre-Runner” (Pre-Runner). They all appear to be a similar chassis with different suspension components (no real research done here just spit balling). They also offer a quad rotor helicopter.

It is a “Hobby-Level” R/C in that you can get replacement/upgrade parts for it, and all of the electronics are replaceable/customizeable etc... The price is $120 (US). Included is the truck, a pre-painted body, a small size 7.2v NiMH battery (had no idea these were still in use), a radio, 4 AA batteries, and a really shitty charger for the 7.2v battery.

This is the truck bare butt naked

Worth mentioning: These are kinda hard to get, honestly all R/Cs are. To take it a step further and I’m guessing due to covid, ALL hobby stuff is hard to get/more expensive/takes a long time to ship. None of the local shops had any in stock, most online retailers are/were back ordered, and most of them on eBay are going $160+ (which is honestly still a screaming deal for this truck)

Speed: 10/10

BYE! I cannot believe how quick it is right out of the box. It’s fast enough to have a half power setting on the speed controller which is still too fast to run it inside.

Handling: 9/10

Watching the chassis move and twist like a full scale vehicle is really impressive at 1/18th. This thing is so easy to whip around, most rolls result in the truck landing back on its wheels. A good low battery indicator is when the truck starts to flip on hard turns. At full juice the back end kicks out and it’s NBD. Clearance is the 1 point knock here, even medium grass slows it to a crawl. Not a fair knock at 1/18th, but still a knock. You also forget all about that when you get on dirt because that is the most fun.

Truks gonna truck

Durability: 8/10

It’s quick enough to do real damage, so real damage will be done. The damned tires come off really easily. I suppose I ought to glue them as you do on most R/Cs. Myself, my two year old, and my dad all had a go with the truck. My kid SLAMMED it into a curb, truck shook that one off. I caught a corner of the curb mid turn and popped a control arm off, but it went right back on.

Modability: 10/10

It’s small but you can do it all. The first thing I plan to do is to get a better quality/faster battery charger and a few Lipo batteries (and one of those fireproof bags).

Probably will do the brushless motor swap, but might regret it too. I think more power might make it too difficult to keep straight, thus killing the fun after a few minutes. If this were the “Pre-Runner” and definitely if it was the “Rally” it would be better suited to more power because lower center of gravity.

Do I need this, nope but fuck if I don’t want it

Fun and Overall rating : 11/10

No one can get over how fun it is particularly for the money. If you have any interest in R/C cars at any level, you can’t lose here. Relatively low investment and there is no way you don’t smile the first time you pull the trigger and this little thing SKATES!

My best friend watched our mini farm while we were on vacation, and I have not done anything nice in return yet...A blue one will be arriving at his house in the next few days.

This truck is blue

jminer > Tripper 07/04/2020 at 20:49

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Man first shop teacher and now you? You’re making it hard for me to not buy one of these. I’m also with you on how awesome OPPO is, especially now everyone here is awesome!

TheRealBicycleBuck > Tripper 07/04/2020 at 21:42

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A lot of the racers glue the tires onto the rims to  keep them from getting ripped off during hard cornering. Adding more speed increases the chance of breaking parts. Go easy, especially if you’re going to let your kid drive it. 

Tripper > TheRealBicycleBuck 07/04/2020 at 21:57

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Yeah lol the corners are ripping them right off, on tarmac anyway. 

TheRealBicycleBuck > Tripper 07/04/2020 at 22:12

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Tires made for dirt won’t last long on the street. I have more than one set of slicks in my r/c box. 

shop-teacher > Tripper 07/04/2020 at 23:25

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Definitely glue the tires on. I finally did a few days ago. It’s the only way to keep the tires on the rims. I think the durability is a 10/10. I’ve beaten the absolute shit out if this thing, and the only problem I’ve had is one seized axle bearing.

Honestly, you’re crazy if you do a brushless swap. The last thing it needs is more speed! 

shop-teacher > jminer 07/04/2020 at 23:26

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Doooo eeeet! It’s so stinking cheap and fun! It’s so fast on dirt that it’s barely controllable, but in the best way possible. The thing is mental!

Also yes, Oppo is the best.

Tripper > shop-teacher 07/04/2020 at 23:31

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Yeah I mean my evaluation on durability is only from 3 runs. I thought for sure I had cracked something when I popped the arm off.

I agree that more power will prob be too much. I kinda want a “Rally” now as it should be no issue there haha.

shop-teacher > Tripper 07/04/2020 at 23:33

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That sounds like fun :)

Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! > Tripper 07/06/2020 at 08:19

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Teton means “breast” in French.

—insert Beavis and Butthead here —

Tripper > Eury - AFRICA TWIN!!!!!!! 07/06/2020 at 08:38

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Gotta get another one so I can be like “we should pull the R/C tiddies out and run em around”

Dr.Jeckyl > Tripper 07/26/2020 at 13:25

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Upgrade the control arms to aluminum. My 9 year old ran into something within a few minutes of it's initial run and snapped one of the plastic ones. Other than that it's been super fun.