FEATURES

Indestructible Tranny • Bashers have one thing in common: they love to soup-up their vehicles and beat the living hell out of them. But unless the platform is capable, many bashers only end up wasting their time and money. The Slash, however, includes a tranny that features entirely metal internal gears. This, coupled with a Revo-spec slipper clutch, basically means that you'll never strip a gear as long as you live--even if you feel the urge to step up the voltage to 11V.

Form & Function • Many people scoff at the notion of seeing bumpers on anything other than a Nikko, but bumpers on the front and rear of the Slash tell a different story. Not only do they brace and protect the truck from inevitable crashes and mishaps, they cap-off the scale look. Looking at the truck with the body on, it's easy to see what I mean. These bumpers aren't cheap façades. They offer a ton of durability and an equal amount of aesthetic appeal.

Electric Radio Box • Yes! The Slash includes a fully-waterproof, shock resistant radio box. This protects the receiver and lowers the risk of running the truck through water.

• BEAUTIFULLY SCALED WHEELS AND TIRES: You can't have a trophy truck without some killer wheels and tires. These treads and wheels lead the way in creating the truck's scale appeal.

• YOU'RE SUSPENDED (IN A GOOD WAY): A hidden beauty of the suspension is its compatibility with the Rustler. This means you'll have absolutely no problem finding replacement and upgrade parts.

• VERSATILE BATTERY TRAY: Since batteries are taking all sorts of shapes and sizes nowadays, Traxxas includes two battery straps and mounting expenders.

• SLIDER AXLES: The drive axles used on the Slash are none other than Traxxas's legendary Slider Axles. They are flexible, efficient, and do a great job transferring power.

Testing
The Slash is great, because it's meant for the track, the street, and the bashing paths. The relatively small layout at Pegasus Hobbies was a perfect test track for the truck, and the office parking lot served as the proving grounds for street use. Finally, we invaded a local construction site for a bit of Xtreme bashing.

Acceleration and Speed • Traxxas does a really cool thing with the Slash. They include two pinion gears—a smaller one for more rapid acceleration and a larger one for high speed runs. With either of the gears, speed is impressive. On loose dirt, the tires don't exactly provide a ton of traction, so acceleration is a bit on the squirrelly side. But if you're careful and roll the throttle a bit, you can prevent the truck from burning out too much. The gearing is on the low side, favoring acceleration, but top speeds are impressive as well. The truck tops out in about 100 ft., allowing you to hit top speeds pretty quickly, which is suitable for the small track size the Slash is intended for. Overall, speed and acceleration are more than adequate. Although the truck looks kind of large, it takes off well and feels light.
Rating: 8/8

Braking • The XL-5 ESC does a good job of providing stopping current for the Slash. Although the transmitter lacks throttle and brake endpoints, the brakes are still responsive and bring the truck to a stop gradually with just a little trigger, and they bring it to an abrupt stop if you jam the brakes hard. Being 2WD and having somewhat narrow tires, the Slash tends to spin-out under braking inputs through turns. But if you're familiar with 2WD cars and how they respond to braking, you won't have any problems. Overall, the braking is controlled, and the ESC provides consistent braking current, even if it heats up a bit, so there isn't any fade to be found.
Rating: 8

Low-Speed • The truck has very responsive handling at low speeds. The steering servo has plenty of torque and actuates the bell cranks without hesitation, so there's very little lag transitioning between quick lefts and rights. The progressive springs of the Slash are a beautiful touch. They are essentially two springs in one, giving you a soft feel for small imperfections, but they tighten up as the suspension compresses, which makes handling responsive as the chassis starts to roll. The turning radius of the Slash is a bit wide, so turning on a dime doesn't really happen, but once you get a feel for the turning characteristics, the Slash feels very navigable at low speeds.
Rating: 9

High-Speed Handling • The suspension gives a nice, low squat as the truck starts to gather some speed. The center-of-gravity becomes pretty low, and the truck does a decent job of sticking to the track. High-speed turning, however, starts to get a bit sketchy if the surface is loose. If you aren't subtle with turning inputs, it's pretty easy to spin the truck out. In order to prevent this, you just have to start slowing down a bit early and turn gradually. If you're used to putting a car in a controlled drift, you'll have a blast!
Rating: 8

Rough-Track Handling • It's a given that 2WD trucks are going to be a bit volatile on rough surfaces, mostly because it's hard to get a lot of forward traction if you're getting bounced around a lot. The soft suspension of the Slash makes it forgiving when you hit unexpected potholes or ruts on the track. The truck soaks up the bumps with an impressive amount of composure. On the bashing paths, it can clear some formidable obstacles. Although technically the ride height is only around an inch and a half, that dimension is given as the lowest point in the chassis, which happens to be on the front and the rear. Throughout the middle of the chassis, however, there is more like three inches of ground clearance, allowing the Slash to traverse over some big obstacles. I didn't realize how much room was under the chassis until I realized that my cat was able to scoot under it with no problem. Now, he's a little cat, but still...
Rating: 9

Jumping • The Slash looks awesome on the track. The suspension sags under acceleration, and over the jumps it rebounds with an incredible amount of realism. I must have looked like I ride the short bus, because I hit the table top at Pegasus over and over again. It brought a big, goofy smile to my face! The truck's wide track and low CG make it really forgiving on the landings. And with throttle and brake inputs, you can easily manipulate the Slash in the air. Of course, if you don't grab a decent amount of traction up the face of a jump, it's easy to get sideways and take a tumble, though this is more of a fun challenge than an annoying aspect to deal with.
Rating: 9.5

Wrenching
Maintenance • Working on a Traxxas vehicle is about as easy as it comes. First, hex fasteners, which are a lot more durable and easy to use than Phillips screws, are used throughout. Although the Slash doesn't come with full-blown, step-by-step instructions, Traxxas includes excellent exploded views that assist you when it comes time to bust out the tools. I have very few complaints about working on the Slash. Most adjustments are accessible, but if you have to remove the front and rear ends from the chassis you only have to loosen a few screws. It would be nice if the front hinge pins were thread or captured, as you're forced to deal with some difficult to access e-clips, but with a little experience, this task isn't too hairy.
Rating: 9

Wear and Tear • This is where Traxxas vehicles tend so shine. Even if you're a first time driver, you'll find the Slash to be very durable. All the plastic used on the suspension components is soft enough to take a hit and come away tweak-free. Thanks to the metal tranny gears and slipper clutch, the drivetrain is nearly bullet-proof. There wasn't even a hint of wear or tear on the tranny and drive axles when I was through with this truck. The ESC, receiver box, and steering servo are waterproof. This is a huge plus and allows you to run the truck in wet conditions with much less worry than normal. The front and rear bumpers, along with the nerf wings, add a ton of protection from collisions and roll-overs. The Slash is a tough contender, and a rare recipient of a 10 in this category.
Rating: 10

Tuning • Although the Slash isn't a race truck in the truest sense of the class, it does offer a fair number of tuning features to help keep you busy. In fact, the Slash would be a great first truck if you were anticipating doing some racing at a later time. The front toe is adjustable via steel turnbuckles, and the front and rear camber is as well. The shocks can be adjusted by changing the pistons and shock oil, and the stock springs are very versatile. Although the top mounts are fixed, the bottom mounts give you a couple holes to select from. You won't find super fine tuning options, like a ball diff or Ackerman, but the Slash does give you the ability to change some important setup points, and it's responsive to changes.
Rating: 7.5

Conclusion
It's rare for an RC company to make a scale product that performs equally as well as it looks; Traxxas has accomplished this feat. This truck is very versatile and runs equally well on the dirt, the street, and the bashing paths. Whether you drive alone or with your friends, you're sure to have a blast and surprise people with the out-of-the-box speed of your RTR. But the truest satisfaction of owning a Slash will come when you convince a couple friends to buy their own and hit the track at the same time. If you live by a small off-road track, starting a spec class would be incredibly fun and entertaining. And since the Slash is priced around $200, this could actually be possible. Even if you don't race it, you'll have a versatile, upgradeable, fun to look at and great to drive truck on your hands. Rest assured that if you purchase a Traxxas product, you won't be disappointed. If you're looking at getting into RC, or simply have some spare change and want a new ride, give the Slash a serious nod. I can't imagine that you'd have any regrets.