The Traxxas Slash 4X4 Ultimate is for the moment a patch of suitable ground stops being “over there” and becomes a circuit with corner names. The awkward left-hander. The bit by the marker. The corner where Dave keeps making excuses. Motorsport, essentially, with fewer hospitality tents.
SPEED / PACE
60+ mph
Traxxas claim: optional gearing and 3S LiPo.
RC TYPE
RC Short-Course
Choose the vehicle for the way you drive.
WHY IT STANDS OUT
Low-CG
A chassis with cornering in mind
Hero image: Traxxas. Manufacturer product photography; colours and supplied equipment can vary.
If linking corners and improving a lap sounds more appealing than finding the tallest thing to jump off, a short-course truck deserves your attention. You can keep returning to the same route and find something new to work on. The vehicle may be ready-built; the driving is very much an ongoing project.
What’s Ultimate about this one?
We’re covering the 68277-4 Clipless version. Keep that model number in the conversation, because older Slash Ultimates still appear in searches and on used listings. “Ultimate” sounds definitive, but it doesn’t tell you which generation is on the table.
The current 68277-4 Clipless model pairs a low-CG chassis with GTR shocks, sway bars, a Velineon 3500Kv motor and VXL-3s controller. Traxxas lists a 324 mm wheelbase and 2.28 kg weight. Its 60+ mph figure requires optional gearing and a 3S LiPo. The vehicle-only package needs a battery and charger. The table here follows the current manufacturer specification.
Low-CG means a lower centre of gravity—the point around which the model’s weight balances. It’s a useful part of the specification to understand when comparing layouts. It doesn’t mean every corner becomes a guaranteed masterpiece regardless of what the trigger finger is up to.
The older tests need a date attached
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: optional gearing and 3S LiPo.
RC TYPE
RC Short-Course
Choose the vehicle for the way you drive.
WHY IT STANDS OUT
Low-CG
A chassis with cornering in mind
The Traxxas Slash 4X4 Ultimate is an RC short-course truck for drivers who enjoy working on corners and linking a lap together. This guide covers the current 68277-4 Clipless version. Check the complete battery and charger cost, and speak to your local club before buying it for a particular race class. A short-course body does not settle the entry rules.
It is a different proposition from a tall monster truck. The buying question is less “how big a jump can I find?” and more “where can I make a good little circuit?” If you like the thought of linking corners, learning a surface and seeing your driving improve, the Slash deserves a closer look.
Browse all ten RC cars for 2026 →
That’s interesting background, provided the equipment and generation stay attached to the observations. A lap time from a different truck on somebody else’s course isn’t a result for your car. Neither is one owner’s maintenance observation proof that everyone will have precisely the same afternoon.
The useful habit is to ask what was actually tested and what you can learn from it. Surface, tyres and setup matter. The bit of a review that explains those can be more valuable than the conclusion with the largest adjective.
Stop arriving at every bend as an emergency
Give yourself a couple of different corners and a clear exit. Brake early enough to choose the line, turn deliberately and build the throttle as the route opens up. Then try the same thing again. Consistency is less flashy than a huge slide, but it’s oddly addictive once you begin to find it.
If every corner ends with a frantic correction, dial the pace back. The boundary isn’t moving closer out of spite. You’re simply arriving too fast to do the rest of the job, and no amount of shouting “grip!” at the car will change the order of events.
A slower entry can make the whole sequence quicker and cleaner. It also gives you something repeatable to judge. Were you smoother that time? Did the exit improve? Those are better questions than whether the straight looked sufficiently dramatic from where your mate was filming.
A little competition, minimal administration
Take turns on an agreed route and aim for clean runs. You don’t need a complicated points system or a steward with a clipboard. A few markers and a fair start are enough to turn casual driving into an entertaining challenge.
Let a newcomer find their pace. The goal is to get another person enjoying RC, not demonstrate how quickly an experienced driver can make someone feel unwelcome. A clean lap gives everyone something to work towards, even when they’re using different amounts of throttle.
And if someone has an elaborate explanation for touching a marker, give them the affectionate level of stick the occasion deserves. Then have your own go and discover that the marker has apparently moved. Funny how that works.
Fancy an actual RC race meeting?
Ask the club what classes it runs and whether this model fits. Check tyres, batteries, driving aids and transponder requirements before buying race equipment. A race-style body doesn’t arrive with universal entry rights.
Watching a meeting first is a good move. You’ll see the surface, pace and how drivers prepare between runs. You can also ask what support is available for newcomers. It’s much easier to choose equipment when you know what the people at your actual venue are using.
You don’t have to compete if you don’t fancy it. Informal practice is a perfectly complete way to enjoy the hobby. There’s no graduation ceremony at which someone confiscates your soft markers and demands a championship entry.
Give the standard setup a fair go
The speed figure involves particular equipment and gearing. It isn’t a request to fit the fastest arrangement before you’ve learned the truck. Read the manual’s guidance and choose around your surface, space and repeated load.
Make one change at a time when experimenting. A tyre change followed by the same route can tell you something useful. A tyre change, suspension change and gearing change together mainly tell you that you had an expensive evening.
Keep notes that mean something: surface, battery, setting and what happened. “Much better” is fine as a first impression, but “holds the exit without the same correction” gives you a reason to keep the change. Specific beats enthusiastic when you’re trying to improve a setup.
Under the body is where the truth lives
Lift the shell after driving and clear the accumulated debris. The short-course body is part of the appeal, but admiring it from above isn’t an inspection. Check for rubbing, loose parts and anything that shouldn’t be lodged near moving components.
Include a compatible battery, charger and basic tools in the budget. Identify routine spares before you need them, and save the correct manual. A little organisation now prevents the late-night guessing game of matching a part to a grainy photograph.
Our take: the Slash Ultimate is worth investigating if short-course driving fits your ground and you enjoy improving a line. Keep the version straight, ask the club if racing matters and give yourself time to learn. Then enjoy the completely unreasonable satisfaction of finally nailing that corner. Obviously, you’ll need another lap to prove it wasn’t luck.
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 | Slash 4X4 Ultimate Clipless / 68277-4 |
| Scale / drive | 1/10 / shaft-driven 4WD |
| Motor | Velineon 3500Kv sensorless brushless |
| ESC | VXL-3s |
| Length × width | 568 × 296 mm |
| Wheelbase | 324 mm |
| Listed weight | 2.28 kg |
| Radio | TQi, TSM receiver and wireless module |
| Suspension | GTR shocks; sway bars |
| 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?
CompetitionX: Slash 4X4 stock-versus-modified test (older generation) ↗
Wheelspin: earlier Ultimate owner feedback ↗
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.
More RC buying guides · Find UK RC clubs · Explore RC Insights