1) It's 95% driver....5% buggy. 2) That 12T *550* is more like a 8.5 or 7.5 brushless, than it is a 17.5 brushless. 3) Us rear-motor people are like 2 strokes....we will never be outdated. Aaaaand 4) Get that Bandit on some dirt, where it belongs.... and let it ROOST ;) Cool vids.

I love it bro. I am 48 and looking to rally !! I have some toys currently and like I said. ILOVEIT!. peace and love

Bandit was at a time when Traxxas wanted into the race program, Revo and when there actually was a Monster Truck class. T Maxx etc. But I guess the money was in the RTRs and bash programs.

Bought one tonight at Big Dog after watching these videos. Box stock with no adjustments and a set of used electrons on JC stadium truck wheels out of the bargain bin got me a 4.8 on the oval. Well worth the money and it looks like a monstrosity lol

I would like it if Traxxas did make a "Bandit Pro" just so to be in that competitive space as Losi, Associated, X-Ray, Schumacher, Tamiya, Yokomo, and others. It would be a nice callback to the Traxxas Talon, at least.

I have a theory that a rear motor car that has the same overall weight distribution as a mid motor car (and no weights hanging out past the front axle) will turn in/rotate much faster than a mid motor car. To simplify handling physics; all cars pivot around the non-steering axle. So if you have inertial leverage on each side of said axle, it should be overall easier to pivot it around. You only need weight on the front at all so that the front tires have authority enough to grip up and get it turning. I also think that a very wide rear and very narrow front track will be overall better as well. This is due to the strange success of the Nissan Deltawing race car and a couple of chop shop special test rigs built in its honor being described as much faster and more stable to turn in and less likely to understeer, especially from the inside tire.

I've raced rc for years, good to see people can still have fun and be competitive without breaking the bank. The bandit would make a great spec class, but it's fun to see it can compete with the "big dogs."

Thid series has inspired me to get one. Actually building it from a chassis and and rpm arms

Bandits are definitely underrated. Good to see the progress

This was more entertaining than it should be. Subscribed sir.

I love your Bandito segments keep them coming I love that you can race a Traxxas bandit up against some of the more expensive brands out there.

Just bought one last fall and it brought back the memories of track days when I was a kid in the 80s. The Bandit, while basic, is a solid and time proven design. With some mods and a decent driver it'll give anything else in class a run for it's money. I'm finally on property that'll allow a track to be built so needless to say what the plans are for myself and the crew for the spring. Looking forward to seeing your future mods!

Im a tad bit surprised. Back in the 90s when basic 2wd buggies were brushed, none of that esc crap, it was a throttle servo, a turn table and a 4 position resistor. Position 4 was reverse. The 2 you wouldn't touch was anything tamiya, or the traxxas bandit. I had a kyosho ultima 2wd. Got rid of the analogue speed controll and put in a primitive esc and a brushed yokomo 15 tripple. Brushless was not a thing back then. For back then it ripped. These days it would just be lame. So i do have rc cars, just not buggies. Yeah the bandito is modified and newer then what was that of the 90s, but im still surprised that a cheap car can be competitive.

I have long suspected that a 2wd buggy is such a simple device a very basic one can go faster than a human being can really control it. For most people a basic buggy means more money to spend on track time and practise so they'll end up being faster with one :D Or not. Just thinking out loud.

Too many RC cars (is that even possible?), I was thinking of giving my Bandit away, but now.... Bandito!

This has my interest! A couple years ago I built a Bandit to parking lot bash with a friend that has an 8ight-E RTR. Have yet to line them up yet, but on 3s, mine is a missile……….it’s also not remotely legal for the class you’re running it!

Man it would be cool if Traxxas brought back the TRX-1. Back when it first came out I was a sponsored driver and drove a modified TRX-1 with a losi Hyrdadrive. I was solid "B" main driver at major events, but I usually did well, sometimes cracking the "A" main, mind you these events usually had all the way down to "F" or "G" mains.... Also drove a Blue Eagle LS before it came out. I had to build it from a stock Eagle Kit plus a Blue Eagle LS upgrade kit that Traxxas sent me. Kind of wish I had not sold them both a few years back to a Traxxas collector... :(

Keep this going! 23.9 is damn impressive! Now it's after tenths

Looks like these bandit videos are gonna be the first big step in bringing more traffic to your channel. Wish you luck

Man im so loving this Bandit Shmandit BaN-Ditto running so much ive gone and bought a new bandito and 13.5t BL and hobbywing esc combo i thinks 3300 kv and a set of black chrome Tracers with Anaconda tires, low profile savox1256 servo,gens ace 5300 7.4 shorty should be a great start into the track running - NOW to Find A Track !!

Love this series. I’ve got a Bandit roller sitting around and was thinking about doing something similar. It’s a good way to show beginners that they don’t have to go all out to have fun on the race track.

I like what you're doing there with that bandido I go to that track as well I'll see you there one day

Great set of videos. I think what you have proven is the Bandit is more than capable in club racing.

Ok you have me thinking about buy a. Bandito. Lol . Really enjoying this

Love these Bandit video.

Good stuff. Keep the Bandito project going.

Very significant upgrade to my Bandit for the track was, that I added some lead weights (~100g) to the front. Cheap upgrade and it jumps and corners much better.

Big dog is like 4.5 hours from me. My bandit is not stock anymore. I ran it boxy until the 12t wore out. Took quite awhile actually. We run indoor carpet at Trains and Lanes in Easton PA. I have a B6.4 but for some reason I like the bandit more. I found AE SC or T6.x shocks work well on the bandit.

Awesome series!

I'm gonna have to get a bandit and give it a try on carpet

Def underated, in the end its what range we wanna be on so to speak, real awsm to see it perform, imgaine a midmotor layout 🥳

Few upgrades I usually recommend for the Traxxas 2wds. Definitely RPM arms, and shock towers. RPM plastic is a little more flexible, so could alter the overall handling on a track, but also significantly stronger, so very unlikely to break. They do become a wear item over time, though, with your pin holes ovaling out and causing wobble. So up to you if sticking with the Traxxas arm is better in that case. Hot Racing makes a 'Super Duty' slipper clutch for the 2wds, that replaces the stock Traxxas 3 puck system for a single plate and disc setup, and it's direct bolt in, no modification. Feels much better to me, but also eliminates the possibility of one pad wearing unevenly, and causing your spur gear to wobble, eventually stripping it. Shocks, I usually just go with the Traxxas Big Bores. Basically an aluminum version of the stock Ultra shocks, but comes with Nitride shafts. Much stronger, and still plenty smooth. Does mean you're still tuning with the shock clips, though, so I can see where the ProLines may be a better choice. The Big Bores do accept the AE springs without any binding, though, if I recall. I don't have direct experience with this one, but I'd look into a new wing mount. Should be a few on the market that you can attack to the shock tower using existing holes. If I remember, the stock wires are basically pressed into the shock tower, and if you ever need to swap shock towers, it's going to be a huge pain to swap that over. I would look into aluminum hubs. STRC makes some, as does Traxxas. If you stay plastic on the hubs, they tend to wear out and cause your axles to have a lot of play, even with good bearings. And as I think you already mentioned another racer did, you may want to add some weight to the front end. These things are way out of balance, weight wise, and all the 2wds seem to suffer from it.

Great series man! I too go to BigDog and your first video inspired me to also get a Bandit. So far I have put AKA Slicks 2.2 Super Softs on it, kept the stock motor and esc, put front camber and toe links. I’ll be seeing what I can do with it this Thursday. Just a heads up, I also put the RPM casters and steering knuckles on the front and they bind quite a bit. I think I’ll go for the TRX3736 steering knuckles instead (from the VXL) to get the bearings in there but hopefully not bind. Killer work and great driving you’re doing.

Digging your content, you need to get a lav mic though. It will boost your production value by light years. You always see 70% more with your ears. Keep the content coming, thanks again buddy.

man that was fun THNAKS !!

Really like this, recently subscribed I have been thinking about buying one of these.

That was so cool.....you got me looking at getting one....great video👍

Sounds like the bandit just needs some love and maybe this guy needs a sponsor or a check from Traxxas. Because I’m gonna buy one and trick it out.

To continue your experience...if there is anyone at your track who is faster, a better racer...I'd like to see their lap times with a race buggy and the bandito. The reasoning being, a race spec buggy might be faster with a better driver...someone who can make full use of all it's benefits. I know I personally was almost as fast with an ecx torment as with a sc10. But the sc10 could go faster in the hands of better racers.

Really enjoying this series sir!! Greetings from Australia 😊👍🇦🇺 One of my local tracks runs a couple classes of traxxas, one of the bandit's beats the race spec 2wd's, its amazing to watch 😊👌

2:44 your charging the batteries IN the cars???? oh your that type of person.

I like the way the Bandit catches air! Smooth

Awesome series! Love to see an underrated and mostly unloved (by pros) vehicle taking it to the pros and showing them what’s up. I just found your channel at the start of the series but from what I’ve seen you deserve much more subs then you’ve got. I just subscribed.

So just two things. One a cheap wireless earpiece with a microphone will make your audio a lot better and two you should throw the Traxxas motor and ESC into the full on race car and see what kind of lap times you get

I don't race at all, but I'm really enjoying this saga of the Little Bandit That Could. I've always been a fan of the more basic Traxxas vehicles, and I think they can do a lot more than what they get credit for. Would be neat to see how an LCG 2WD Slash would compare against the Bandit on track.

The PL shocks are designed for heavier weight vehicle. Lighter oil or pistons with less pack, or combination of both.

I seen your buddy at hobby express yesterday I did the power up on my bandit, it does 70 miles per hour now

Love the videos slemmer!

You should put those electronic on the tlr . The bandito.

the outro!!

If I may. Add some weights to the front bulkhead to help with steering.

Looks good man!

This is really interesting I’m looking forward to seeing how it does against the brand new buggy’s 😅

Metal music makes your Bandit go faster. Just sayin'. 🤘

Great series 🔥

Once again, very cool and a lot of fun to watch. Did you put a decent servo up front yet? And try again with aftermarket shocks. Decent shocks can change everything. I have a set of TRF shocks on a Monster Beetle, made it handle good.

Loving this series!

Awesome series. Just subbed

Did you change the rear spindles to accommodate 12mm hexes and if so what’s the part number did you use to make the modification. I want to install more wheel options but I don’t know if I should keep using the original bandit rear spindles or I need spindles from another Traxxas vehicle. Such as the 2wd slash.

I don't know if you changed out the oil in the shocks in the next videos but it was looking pretty bouncy in some of the sections .. I would try some 35 wt in the rear and 32 in the fronts. Definitely will help with the handling can you adjust the tow in the rear control arms ? its a pretty bendy track and if you had more toe in on the rear tires it would help you corner around those turns better .. Man I miss R/C racing !! the last car I had was the B5m and the local tracks near me closed down .. the newest associated was the B6 it was just coming out when I stopped racing .. I did get a chance to race carpet and turf that was so awesome !!

Less is more? Man I have never really wanted a bandit until now 😂

I’m really surprised you didn’t try changing the shock fluid to something a little heavier like 32 1/2. Or adding preload spacers to the shocks so that they don’t bottom out. Also you could’ve added a little bit of weight on the front end to keep the nose down a little bit more and add a little bit of camber to the rear end to let the rear end come out and not hook as much.

Thoughts on the aluminum front bulkhead for strength and weight

Part number for the hexes?

Do you have Velcro or anything under your battery? What’s keeping it in place?

Looked like it had quite a push condition with the PL shocks and Bandit Springs. You thought of trying AE V2 springs?

Sorry if i missed it but what wheels are those ? To they fit without modificatie?

Fantom ftw!!!

Thanks for this vid. I got a battered old bandit and now I've remembered how much fun it was, so time for a build. How did the wheels fit? Mine are pin fit and I've been told won't take hexes.

How do you think the tamiya fast attack could do with some clay tires? Would be awesome to see vintage racing get popular but this bandito is pretty cool.

Why haven't they made the bandit 4 wheel drive yet.

Where can I buy these tires? The green slicks.

I guess you are building a brushed motor class racecar?

I'm looking for new tires for my bandit, are there any yall would recommend for or against?

It turns so good cause it's going slow with that 12t . Drop a 10.5 in there and watch it handle like shit haha we run 10.5 in Sportsman sprint and 5.5s in outlaw sprint and no bandit can hang. They try and fail all the time lol. Ae or custom works is what they run at my track but we are oval not off road

@mxacres Hey brother, I was planning on buying a RTR buggy and wanted a Bandit VXL but they are sold out everywhere. My local Hobby shop has 1 Bandit XL5 for $199 should I buy it or wait or buy another buggy? What’s your suggestion?

What battery you running?

How does your bandit turn so tight and fast?

What are you prepping the tires with?

Awesome little series with the Bandito.! Subbed & liked & best wishes from Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 🙏 ♥ 📻 🎮 🔋 🚓 🚒 🚑 🚐 🚔 🚕 🚖 🚗 🚘 🚙 🚚 🚛 🚜 🏎️ 🏍️ 🚤 🛥️ ✈️ 🛩️ 🚁.

I want to hear what you say, so I set the volume for that, only to be punished by your way too freaking loud music. On the other hand, I enjoy the sound effects you toss in now and then. I'm thinking I want a Bandit.

Liquid Wrench on the tires......isn't that like WD40? what does it do???

3195x 2381x 1996 traxxas part numbers you’ll thank me later

Re release the TRX1

Can barely hear you.

The volume between you talking and the music is still out of control. I have to turn the volume up to hear you then get blasted by music randomly. not so much fun.

guess the beer was for looks..... took zero sips of it in a time lapse poser...

Clay is yesterday. Carpet is today. Get with it bandit boy.

Love the series. I've never seen someone run slicks on a dirt surface. Is there a reason to run them?