The Traxxas Maxx sits in that dangerous part of RC shopping where you’ve convinced yourself you’re being restrained because you didn’t buy the X-Maxx. Lovely bit of logic. You can apply it to almost anything expensive if you find something even more expensive first.
SPEED / PACE
60+ mph
Traxxas claim: 4S LiPo and optional gearing.
RC TYPE
RC Basher
Choose the vehicle for the way you drive.
WHY IT STANDS OUT
352 mm
Wheelbase on the current Maxx
Hero image: Traxxas. Manufacturer product photography; colours and supplied equipment can vary.
What you actually get is a substantial outdoor monster truck, and that’s the attraction. Big enough to feel like a proper outing, without going all the way to its enormous relative. Whether it’s the right size depends on your ground, storage and appetite for carrying a muddy truck back to the car. The photographs won’t volunteer for that last bit.
Which Maxx is in the basket?
We’re looking at 89086-4, the wider current Maxx, rather than the earlier narrow version or separate Maxx Ultimate. Keep that number handy when browsing used trucks and old reviews. Familiar names can conceal different chassis details, and nobody needs to discover that after ordering a part.
Traxxas lists a 2400Kv 540XL brushless motor, VXL-4s speed controller and shaft-driven four-wheel drive. The current specification gives a 352 mm wheelbase, 405 mm width and 4.7 kg weight. Its 60+ mph claim requires a 4S LiPo and optional gearing. Those qualifications are part of the specification, not small print to skip over.
Scale labels are not tape measures
The listed width matters when you picture a shelf or storage box. “It’s only a tenth-scale” is a sentence best delivered before measuring, because a tape measure has very little respect for hopeful thinking. Check the actual space and leave room for getting the truck in and out without rearranging the entire shed.
Do the same with your running spot. Think about turns and braking, not simply whether there’s enough room to point it in one direction. You want somewhere that lets you change your mind. A boundary that arrives at exactly the same moment as a brilliant idea is inconveniently good at ending that idea.
This is why a club or shop visit can be worth more than another night of comparison videos. Seeing vehicles beside one another gives your brain a much better reference. Ask before handling a display model, then get a proper sense of the size. The shopping decision becomes surprisingly clear once it has dimensions rather than thumbnails.
What the older reviews actually cover
RC CARS 2026 · THE RCNEWS SHORTLIST
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: Traxxas . Manufacturer product photography; colours and supplied equipment can vary.
SPEED / PACE
60+ mph
Traxxas claim: 4S LiPo and optional gearing.
RC TYPE
RC Basher
Choose the vehicle for the way you drive.
WHY IT STANDS OUT
352 mm
Wheelbase on the current Maxx
The Traxxas Maxx is an outdoor RC monster truck for drivers who want a substantial vehicle without moving up to the much larger X-Maxx. Before buying, check the complete price with a compatible battery and charger, then measure the storage space. The scale label alone does not tell you how much truck will turn up at the door.
The model covered here is 89086-4, the current Maxx with the wider stance, not the earlier narrow version and not the separate Maxx Ultimate. Names can stay familiar while the vehicle underneath changes. Keep the model number handy when reading old reviews or shopping for used examples.
Browse all ten RC cars for 2026 →
That history is useful if you keep the generations separate. A comment about an old battery tray isn’t automatically a complaint about the current one, just as a new photograph doesn’t update an old road test. Follow the version number through the comparison and you’ll avoid a remarkable amount of online muddle.
The corner is where the afternoon gets interesting
The headline speed will catch your eye. The bit that keeps you coming back is making the truck do what you intended between the straight runs. A neat approach, a controlled turn and a smooth exit can be much more satisfying than another burst of “look how fast this is” followed by emergency landscaping.
Start with a simple route and repeat it. Make a slower section part of the plan rather than an accidental interruption. You’ll begin to notice whether you’re braking too late, snatching at the steering or asking for power before the truck is ready for it.
Nobody has to watch. You don’t need a tripod, a dramatic soundtrack or a mate shouting “send it” with the enthusiasm of someone who won’t be buying the spares. Give yourself a challenge you can improve at, and let the fun come from getting it right.
That also explains why optional speed gearing needn’t be the first job. Read the gearing guidance and choose around the actual surface and load. A setup intended to produce a headline number isn’t automatically the best arrangement for repeated acceleration on your local patch.
The unboxing shopping list
The vehicle-only package needs a compatible battery and charger. Check physical dimensions, voltage and connector together. Capacity alone doesn’t settle fit, and “I’ve already got loads of batteries” can still end with none of them being the right battery. This hobby is very resourceful like that.
Ask the retailer if the compatibility information isn’t clear. Then include a few basic tools and somewhere sensible to work. You don’t need a pristine workshop with colour-coded drawers. A clear patch, decent light and a tray will do more for you than an expensive tool you can’t find under the packaging.
Photograph anything unfamiliar before taking it apart. Work on one side at a time when the other side can provide a reference. These little habits prevent the classic midnight moment of holding a leftover screw and trying to decide how structural it looks.
Run it before rebuilding it
Give the standard truck some sessions before ordering a catalogue of upgrades. Check wheel movement, fasteners and the body after use, and investigate changes in sound or feel. Once you can describe an actual issue, you’re in a much better position to decide whether a replacement, adjustment or upgrade makes sense.
Changing three things together is entertaining but terrible detective work. If it feels better, you don’t know which part helped. If it feels worse, congratulations: you’ve bought yourself a mystery with postage on top. One change at a time gives you an answer you can use.
And don’t overlook consumables when budgeting. A monster truck’s tyres and working parts have a job to do. Look up a few common replacements so routine maintenance doesn’t feel like a surprise bill from a vehicle you thought had already been paid for.
Where we land on the Maxx
If you have suitable outdoor room and want a sizeable assembled truck, the Maxx makes an appealing thing to investigate. If your regular venue is a small patio, a smaller model may turn the same space into a much better driving session. Bigger is a size, not a personal achievement.
Choose the truck that fits the afternoons you actually have. Then learn it, keep it running and enjoy the occasional moment when your thumbs finally behave like they’ve met before. That’s a better reason to buy a Maxx than winning an argument about specifications—and considerably more fun than spending every weekend reorganising the garage around it.
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 | Maxx / 89086-4 |
| Scale / drive | 1/10 / shaft-driven 4WD |
| Motor | 540XL, 2400Kv sensorless brushless |
| ESC | Velineon VXL-4s |
| Length × width | 572 × 405 mm |
| Wheelbase | 352 mm |
| Listed weight | 4.7 kg |
| Radio | TQi with TSM |
| 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?
Big Squid RC: WideMaxx suspension review (earlier Maxx platform) ↗
Wheelspin: owner feedback on the earlier Maxx ↗
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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