Been thinking about getting this truck for a while now. Is it a good basher and could it have reasonable handling and traction with a few hop ups? I'll be bashing mostly in an old gravel pit with a hard packed fairly loose surface.

Give it some bigger tires, slap some RPM A-arms on it, and you should be good to go. I personally like it. It doesn't handle very well, but I think that's just half the fun

Look into 4 wheel drive rigs like the Losi ten-t. Runs circles around 2 wheel drive stadium trucks in the dirt. On pavement the Jato owns. I like my Jato very much, but it doesn't compare with 1/8 scale buggy/truggy.

I used to run a losi xxx nt which was great fun, handled very well for a 2wd but it lacked top end speed and the suspension coldn't really cope with big air jumps

I used to run a losi xxx nt which was great fun, handled very well for a 2wd but it lacked top end speed and the suspension coldn't really cope with big air jumps

have you checked out the speed nt ? i used to have a xxxnt and upgraded to the speed nt . if u liked  how the xxx nt handled the speed nt is the same thing with a 2  speed and larger motor and more durable . take a look at my thread basically hoped up identical

Have you had any problems with broken pivot blocks, A arms and popping ball cups?

I busted my rear pivot block after my front end lifted off the ground, flipped backwards, slid 20ft at full speed, and smacked a concrete pylon. Never broke an A-arm, and I had a ball cup pop once after biffing a curb pretty hard, but I popped it back on and all was well. That was the Speed-NT.

I traded a Jato since it couldn't handle offroad. I lived in the country then, so thats all I had.... Definitely upgrade the arms, because every jump you will break something.

Are they any good in grass with the right tires?

Does anyone know how the rustler stacks up against the Jato offroad?

yeah with badland tires mine rip threw the glass and still wheelies with a full roll cage.

You had many breakages?