I would also highly recommend some lipo packs for your Axe. You do have to be careful with them and treat them with respect. Since I got my 3rd lipo I don't even touch the stock NIMH anymore. I have two TP1320s and one MaxAmps1100. While the MaxAmp pack was $20 cheaper the TP packs seem to provide much more juice. I am charging my lipo using a Hyperion EOS1210i charger with a LBA10 balancer. With this setup I am able to safely charge my lipo packs at 2c or 2.6A for the 1320. If you are using cheaper lipos I would definitely get a balancer. However, after about 15 cycles I have found that the Tunder Power packs stay balanced very well one their own.