The ARRMA Kraton 6S V6 is what happens when “just a little run after work” starts requiring a boot liner. It’s a big, four-wheel-drive RC basher with brushless power and the sort of specification that can make a perfectly sensible person spend an evening watching jumps instead of doing the washing up.
SPEED / PACE
65+ mph
Manufacturer claim on 6S; conditions affect speed.
RC TYPE
RC Basher
Choose the vehicle for the way you drive.
WHY IT STANDS OUT
4S / 6S
Room to grow into the power
Hero image: Horizon Hobby / ARRMA. Manufacturer product photography; colours and supplied equipment can vary.
We get the attraction. There’s something gloriously daft about standing in a field, concentrating very hard on a small truck, while everything else on the to-do list quietly gives up. But the Kraton only makes sense if you can actually use it. A machine like this wants suitable open ground. A narrow strip beside the bins is not secretly a test facility.
First, make sure you’re buying the right Kraton
This guide covers the standard V6 BLX, model ARA8608V6, rather than the separate EXB. The name appears across different sizes and specifications, so check the code before congratulating yourself on an unbelievable bargain. Sometimes an unbelievable bargain is simply a different car wearing a familiar word.
The appeal is easy to understand: a ready-built four-wheel-drive truck with a substantial brushless power system and the option to start on 4S before moving to 6S. ARRMA lists a 2050Kv motor, 150A controller and a 65+ mph capability on 6S. The battery and charger are extra. The linked official product page is our source for the equipment table and advertised performance.
The numbers are fun. So is steering.
The option of 4S or 6S power gives you choices, not homework. You don’t have to progress to the fastest arrangement by a particular birthday. A setup that lets you place the truck properly is worth more than a number you can mention while retrieving it from somewhere inconvenient.
Give yourself a route with a broad turn, a rough section and a proper stopping area. Learn the brakes, then see how smoothly you can link the sections. Getting it right feels cracking. Getting it wrong usually provides enough information without inviting the entire local shrub population to take part.
Keep your eyes ahead of the truck. It sounds obvious until you realise you’ve been admiring the suspension while the next corner has been getting rather close. A deliberate approach and a clean exit are skills you can keep improving, long after the first straight-line blast stops being a novelty.
That’s also a more useful way to compare settings. If you know how the truck behaves through one repeatable section, you can notice a difference. If every run goes somewhere new at a different speed, your technical conclusion is likely to be “definitely a truck”. Accurate, but not terribly revealing.
What other people’s running tells us
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RC terms used in this guide: ready-to-run (RTR) means the model is assembled; check which equipment is supplied. An electronic speed controller (ESC) controls motor power. LiPo means lithium-polymer battery, and the S number describes cells in series. Kv is approximate unloaded motor revolutions per minute per volt, not vehicle speed.
Researched RC buying guide. RCnews has not tested this vehicle hands-on. Manufacturer specifications and published reviews were checked on 6 September 2026.
Hero image: Horizon Hobby / ARRMA . Manufacturer product photography; colours and supplied equipment can vary.
SPEED / PACE
65+ mph
Manufacturer claim on 6S; conditions affect speed.
RC TYPE
RC Basher
Choose the vehicle for the way you drive.
WHY IT STANDS OUT
4S / 6S
Room to grow into the power
The ARRMA Kraton 6S V6 is a large RC basher for open ground, with four-wheel drive and a brushless power system. It is worth considering if you already have somewhere suitable to run it and want a truck you can maintain yourself. Budget for a battery and charger as well as the vehicle. If your usual driving spot is a small garden, a smaller truck will probably get more use.
This is the standard V6 BLX, not the separate EXB model. That distinction matters when comparing prices, photographs and reviews. Shopping by the word “Kraton” alone can land you in an entirely different size or specification. Check the model code before deciding a deal is brilliant.
Browse all ten RC cars for 2026 →
A body-retention observation is the sort of detail worth remembering. It gives you a specific thing to inspect rather than a vague debate about whether a brand is “tough”. No RC badge can repeal the consequences of an awkward landing, however enthusiastic the comments section becomes.
When watching any bash video, notice what happens between the exciting bits. How often does the body come off? What needs checking? What surface is being used? The bits that don’t make a thumbnail can be the bits you’ll spend most time living with.
The upgrade basket can calm down
You haven’t driven it yet and there’s already an aluminium part in your basket. Why? “Looks stronger.” Excellent. You’ve completed the first stage of RC engineering: being persuaded by something shiny.
Start with a job for the part. Are you replacing something worn, solving a repeated problem or changing a behaviour you can describe? If the answer is simply that another owner fitted one, give the standard truck a chance. You might prefer spending that money on more usable battery time or keeping the right spare handy.
Price a replacement arm, tyre pair and body before buying the vehicle. You don’t need a parts department in the shed, but you do need to be comfortable with ordinary running costs. Tyres, bearings and suspension components work for a living; they aren’t signing a lifetime contract when you open the box.
The same goes for the battery and charger. Include them in the total and check dimensions and connectors against the manual. “It’s the same voltage” doesn’t persuade a battery tray to become a different shape. Have the full setup sorted before delivery and the first evening can involve driving rather than an increasingly annoyed second order.
Give yourself an ordinary-evening test
Picture the outing you’ll do most often. How far away is the ground? Can you park nearby? Where does the truck go when it’s dirty? If you can answer those easily, the Kraton’s size has a purpose. If every run needs three hours and a weather committee, something smaller may give you more actual RC time.
There’s no shame in choosing convenience. A smaller vehicle that gets out twice a week is doing a better job of being your hobby than an enormous one that mainly supervises the garage. Equally, if you have the space and enjoy a larger machine, don’t talk yourself out of it just because the purchase isn’t conventionally sensible. We’re discussing RC trucks. Sensible has already agreed to sit this one out.
The little routine that keeps the next run fun
After a session, lift the body and clear the trapped muck. Check for loose hardware, freely moving parts and anything that has started sounding different. After a hard knock, inspect before carrying on. A new noise isn’t the truck developing a personality; it’s something worth looking at.
Take a photograph before dismantling an unfamiliar assembly and use a tray for the screws. One small fastener on a dark floor can consume more of an evening than the entire repair. There’s no trophy for doing maintenance in the worst possible light.
Our take: the Kraton belongs on your list if you want big-basher driving, have appropriate ground and are happy maintaining it. Learn the standard truck, enjoy the corners and let upgrades earn their place. The best afternoon ends with you wanting another battery—not searching the grass for half the front end and insisting it was “an absolute weapon”.
RC terms used in this guide: ready-to-run (RTR) means the model is assembled; check which equipment is supplied. An electronic speed controller (ESC) controls motor power. LiPo means lithium-polymer battery, and the S number describes cells in series. Kv is approximate unloaded motor revolutions per minute per volt, not vehicle speed.
Guide basis: manufacturer specifications and attributed published reviews, checked on 6 September 2026. This is not a comparative hands-on RCnews test.
RC technical specifications
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Model | Kraton 6S BLX V6 / ARA8608V6 |
| Scale / drive | 1/8 / four-wheel drive |
| Motor | Spektrum Firma 4074, 2050Kv brushless |
| Speed control | Firma 150A Smart V2 |
| Radio | Spektrum SLT3; SR315 receiver |
| Steering | S665 metal-geared servo |
| Power | 4S or 6S LiPo; IC5 connectors |
| To buy separately | Compatible battery and charger |
Source: official product specification. Check the exact model code, UK availability and retailer package before ordering. Prices are not fixed in this guide.
Fancy a closer look at the RC kit?
JustBashinit RC: Kraton V6 first run (January 2025) ↗
RC Driver: exact V6 model coverage ↗
Different RC jobs call for different cars. This selection includes established models available for 2026; it is not a ranking or a claim that they all launched this year. Older reviews are labelled by generation.
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