Hi all. I have my choices narrowed down to the following :

XTM X-Cellerator
Thunder Tiger Phoenix GT (pretty much a re-release of the original AE GT )
Sportwerks Reaction
HPI Firestorm

I'm really impressed with the XTM for the money, but I can't find too many places that sell them. Is the XTM as good or better than the rest of the trucks listed? Please don't comment on trucks ( such as Jato, GT2, XXX-NT, Rustler, etc.) not listed, as I have narrowed it down to these only, based largely on price and basher based trucks. Seems like the Thunder Tiger might also be a decent choice (can't beat the price) as it's a proven platform from years past. Is there a glaring winner among the trucks listed? Thanks.

Witch ever one your LHS supports the most. i would go with that one.

Out of those I would choose the Firestorm,the durability of this thind can hardly be beat!Other great aspects of this truck are the power and looks!

My LHS supports all but the XTM, which happens to be the frontrunner for me right now. I like the HPI Firestorm, but everyone has one and I'm thinking I want something other than what everybody else has. These trucks are laid out so simple compared to 4WD trucks, and it seems like they are all pretty similar in build quality. I just want to know about durability and performance. What are the stock top speeds for the Firestorm and Reaction according to the popular RC mags radar tests?

Im gonna say the TT. With some RPM bits it can bash with the best of them and when your done beating it up. You can throw it on the race track and be competitive. Get some RPM arms and a mip clutch and then you have yourself a very solid truck.

My nephew has a Sportwerks Reaction, it's his first R/C. I wouldn't recommend it based on it's poor durability for him. He has broken 3 front A arms, front shock tower, had the reverse gears strip and now his reverse motor has died. All since he got it last October.

The broken shock tower deserved to break as he hit a car tire at a decent speed. The A arms are very weak, more than a foot or two of air with anything other than a perfect landing will break an arm. His Reaction and my Volcano collided wheel on wheel at no more than 5 mph each and his A arm broke clear in half and it had just been replaced, first run with it. My Volcano just kept going.

I guess what I'm saying is if you're looking for a ST for bashing, stay away from the Reaction.

Cheers,
Mike

Thanks for the replies everyone. The Thunder Tiger looks like a good value. Associated (TT) is definitely a proven name in stadium trucks. Tough decision. Guess I'll have to keep looking through the other threads in this forum to get a feel for which truck suits my needs best.

the xtm xcellerator is bad, its got a fair top speed and it can take a beating. just my 2 cents

I forgot to ask about the Nitro Evader ST. Is it competitive with the trucks mentioned above? Threaded aluminum shocks and a ball diff seem like nice features that some of the others don't have. I generally don't get a good vibe from reading some of the posts in this forum about the Duratrax. Why is that? Not on par with the others?

Nobody has anything to say about the Evader vs. the rest of the field? I'm surprised how few comments this thread has generated. I haven't seen too many posts that have compared these particular trucks to each other. Usually I see a lot of Rustler vs Firestorm or GT2 vs XXX-NT posts.

if your lhs supports the pheonix then go for it. its basically the gt2 with a different name.....theres nothing wrong with having the same truck as everybody, because with all the different parts you can make it unique