They made it to look cool (which it does, come on, give Traxxas credit for what they do well, making good looking cars). It's obviously aimed at lower budgets, which is something Traxxas needed to do, they stuff in general is WAY overpriced.
I spat my coffee the other day when I got an email from Tower: FLASH SALE TRAXXAS STAMPEDE! I opened the mail only to see a $10 off code for $350 2wd truck?? I laughed, then felt like someone was trying to violate me.
My god, you can get a Losi 22 RTR for that... I've stopped caring what firms like HPI and Traxxas do any more, I don't actually consider them serious brands. When you cater to the instant gratification market, you lose the hobbyists, and vice versa. Their choice I guess.