FEATURES
If you just glance at the LST2, you really won't appreciate the refinements that the new truck has received. Lots of little things were changed to help prevent people from breaking the truck. For example, the High/Low Gear switch has been beefed up and now has a physical stop to prevent monkey hands from twisting it too far and breaking it off. Beefier axles, a thicker body, and even a one-piece clutch bell are all items that were improved to make sure you keep driving the LST rather than wrenching on it.

Arm Pump • Whenever you combine big tires, a big truck and somebody that's going to take it off a jump at 30 mph over a car and into a wall, you're going to break things. The original LST had some issues with arms breaking, and the LST2 addresses those issues with revised arms. They are now beefier with thicker webbing. The front gets new C-hubs that are attached at two points instead of one. The rear suspension ditches the rear toe links for a fixed design, which is a much better idea on a truck.

Engine Upgrade • The Mach .26 gets a makeover for the new truck. The obvious upgrade is the new engine head which is now a bright orange and obviously larger than before. The increased amount of surface area should keep the temps lower when you're pushing the truck hard. You also get a few extra cubic inches (technically fractions of cubic inches) packed in there with 7 ports. That means more torque, and with the extra ports more horsepower to get the slightly heavier truck moving. The old engine was good, but this one is better.

Beefcake Battery • Vintage South Park! Beefcake! If this truck could talk it would say that, maybe not just like Cartman, but it would definitely tell you all the things that have been changed to make it tougher...more beefcake. Even the receiver pack has been upgraded. You get a real NIMH RX pack to power all those servos.

Instructions and Setup • The instructions are like most RTR kits and are more of an owners manual than a guide to building the kit. They do walk you through a few areas of the kit for maintenance like the diffs and shocks, but not in any pictorial detail. So it may be a little scarier for newbies to venture into taking the truck apart if you rely more on instructions than memory.

New Shiny Cases • New aluminum differential cases come standard on the LST2. Word on the street is that they help keep the gears from moving under load, meaning the gears will last longer. Not only is that a bonus in durability, but it adds a little splash of blue aluminum which every truck needs.

Shoes That Fit • A big truck means big mass, and that takes its toll on parts. One spot that received a needed upgrade were the clutch shoes. Gone are composite shoes and in are new Cinderella aluminum shoes. Just like the fairy tale, the shoes fit and the result is a longer-lasting clutch and one that isn't afraid to grab on and lift the front end off the ground.

TESTING
We spend a good amount of time with Losi testing at one of our favorite local tracks, Thunder Alley Raceway in Beaumont, CA. So I decided after all the track time there that I would return with our test sample truck. The layout was basically the same, which meant it was a tight squeeze for the big truck. Of course being that this is now more bash-worthy with the durability upgrades, I took it out to places where most people would drive, including the street and empty fields.

Acceleration and Speed • The LST was always pretty impressive with its power, and with the new engine it feels even better. The new Mach 427 may only be a little bigger than the outgoing engine, but it seems to breath better and has a little more low-end snap. That snap can also be attributed to the new aluminum shoes that will resist overheating better. Either way, the new truck gets up and goes and for a heavyweight has more than enough speed.
Rating: 9/8.5

Braking • This was one of the things I didn't like about the first truck and my words didn't sit well with Losi after they read them. But I can say that the new brakes (the fiber pads were an option for LST trucks) work much better and are more linear than the old ones. They never were really that "grabby" and provided a good amount of feedback. The truck still wants to nose forward more than I'd like on the track, but in most conditions the brakes do a really good job of slowing the truck down to a reasonable speed and without much fade.
Rating: 9

Low-Speed Handling • Full time four wheel drive isn't the most nimble system you could have, but the LST2 does a decent job of negotiating tight sections of the track and if you're good with the throttle you can get the rear to swing out to allow you to turn even tighter. The stock tires were better than expected on the track, but did contribute to a decent push. The good side of these tires is their "all terrain" tread pattern that will not wear out in 10 minutes on the street. And if you get caught out in a tight section there's always the option of just using reverse, which if you're a racer like me is not that easy.
Rating: 8

High-Speed Handling • On the track the LST2 faired pretty well. How wet the dirt was dictated how well the truck stuck to the track at high speeds. In medium traction with the stock tires it can push pretty wide, and negotiating an end-of-the-straight hair pin can be a little tricky. There's a lot of weight transferring and sometimes that caused some unexpected loop outs. By changing to a race tire the handling increased dramatically and on the street having a push means less chances of flipping over when at full throttle and cranking the wheel.
Rating: 8

Rough-Track Handling • Bumps? I'm sure there are some that will upset the big shocks and ample suspension, but for the most part the LST2 eats them for breakfast--with a side of whiskey. The LST's big tires and big attitude make easy work of most bumps on the track and rocks when you're cruising the empty lots.
Rating: 10

Wrenching
Maintenance • I wouldn't call working on the truck simple because it is a pretty complex machine. But if you're patient and work slowly, most of the truck is pretty easy to access. The chassis design is the most limiting factor when getting to the "guts" and it will take a few more twists than a single flat-style chassis. We're hoping less wrench time is in order with all the beefcake upgrades.
Rating: 8

Wear and Tear • During our extended test day with Losi and throughout testing our test sample, nothing really out of the ordinary happened. There was one time where the truck slipped out of gear but after stopping and just checking it out, it never had an issue again. There were some reports online that some of the drive cups where coming loose quickly, so I checked our truck and they were on very tight. The thread lock was an odd color and I kept a watchful eye on them to see if they were loosening, but I found nothing.
Rating: 9

Tuning • This version of the truck actually lost some tuning options, and this is one of the few times where this is actually beneficial to the end user. Gone are the adjustable upper front links and the rear toe, and in are the fixed beefier arms. This takes away some tuning, but realistically this truck isn't going to be raced much and the added durability is a welcome trade. But there are still tons other things for
you to tune like those massive shocks or your driving skills. Don't let the 7 fool you, it's got average adjustments but that's a
good thing.
Rating: 7

Conclusion
In the world of monster trucks, most people are going to be bashers before racers and Losi has recognized this with their upgraded LST2. Gone are some of the tuning options that may have helped you fine-tune on the track, and in their place are some more durable parts that will make this truck keep on moving after you literally beat it within an inch of it's life. The improvements are widespread on the truck, and they improve on a truck that was already one of the best you could buy.