Head to head
Arrma vs Losi
Two brands under the same distribution roof, pulling in opposite directions. Arrma wants to be landed on from height; Losi wants to be good at a small scale.
By Ryder M. · Published September 29, 2026 · Last reviewed
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Buy Arrma if the vehicle will be jumped, crashed and driven by a teenager or adult with space to use it — the Granite 223S is the archetype. Buy Losi if you are shopping for a child, a yard or an indoor space: the Mini LMT is better engineered at its size than anything Arrma sells at 1/18.
The verdict table
| ARRMA | Losi | |
|---|---|---|
| Core strength | Durability at 1/10 and 1/8 scale | Engineering quality at mini scale |
| Typical size | 1/10 and 1/8, with a small Grom range | 1/18 and 1/16, plus larger race platforms |
| Power classes | 2S through 6S | Mostly 2S and 3S in the mini range |
| Body appeal | Aggressive basher styling | Licensed monster truck liveries a child recognizes |
| Parts network | Horizon Hobby distribution | The same network, same reach |
| Best for | A basher with room to grow into | A small tough truck for a child or a yard |
Where ARRMA wins
Survivability at speed. ARRMA over-builds: thicker suspension arms, heavier driveshafts, steel differential gears, and a reputation earned by trucks that keep working after landings that break other brands. The range also spans 2S to 6S, so there is a genuine upgrade path within the brand — you do not have to leave it when the driver improves. For anyone who says the words "he will break it", this is the answer.
Where Losi wins
Small scale done properly. The Mini LMT is 1/18 with an aluminum chassis, solid axles, a four-link suspension and metal differentials — the architecture of a full-size monster truck, shrunk, rather than a small car dressed up as one. Add licensed bodies that a child recognizes on sight, and it becomes the better gift for a household without a field nearby. Losi's Mini-B buggy is also one of the best cars in the hobby for actually learning car control.
The two to compare
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  ARRMA Granite 223S 4x4Brushless power in a monster truck built to be crashed — the most common recommendation for a first serious basher. | Best brushless starter | 8.8 | |
| 2 |  Losi Mini LMTA solid-axle monster truck in miniature, sold in the Grave Digger and Son-uva Digger liveries kids already know. | Licensed monster trucks | 8.4 |
Illustrative photo — not this exact model.
#1 · Best brushless starter
ARRMA Granite 223S 4x4
Brushless power in a monster truck built to be crashed — the most common recommendation for a first serious basher.
8.8/10our score for this use
Arrma designs for bashing: heavy-duty plastic, chunky driveshafts, and a reputation for surviving impacts that break lighter cars. The 223S is the current brushless version of its 1/10 monster truck and takes a 2S or 3S battery.
- Size:
- 1/10
- Drive:
- 4WD
- Motor:
- brushless motor
What it does well
- Built heavy on purpose — the brand's whole identity is surviving bad landings
- Brushless power with a 3S option, so it has room to grow with the driver
- Supported through Horizon Hobby, so parts and service have a real distribution network
What it does badly
- The weight that makes it tough also makes it hard on whatever it hits
- Battery and charger are extra on most versions
- Too fast for a young child without adult supervision
Specifications from ARRMA's current releases.
Illustrative photo — not this exact model.
#2 · Licensed monster trucks
Losi Mini LMT
A solid-axle monster truck in miniature, sold in the Grave Digger and Son-uva Digger liveries kids already know.
8.4/10our score for this use
1/18 scale, four-wheel drive, with an aluminum chassis, solid axles, a four-link suspension and metal differentials — the layout of a real monster truck, shrunk. It runs a brushed 380-size motor, so it is quick without being uncontrollable.
- Size:
- 1/18
- Drive:
- 4WD, solid axles
- Motor:
- brushed motor
What it does well
- The licensed bodies mean instant recognition for a child who watches monster truck events
- Metal differentials and an aluminum chassis at a size that usually gets all-plastic treatment
- Solid axles make it very hard to break on landings
What it does badly
- Brushed motor and modest speed — it is about jumping and bashing, not top end
- Tall and narrow, so it rolls over constantly at first
- Losi parts cost more than the budget brands' equivalents
Specifications from Losi's mini range.
Buy ARRMA if…
- The driver is a teenager or adult with open space to use it in
- The words most often used about them are "hard on things"
- You want a brand with a path from 2S all the way to 6S
- Jumping is the point, rather than technical driving
Buy Losi if…
- You are buying for a child aged roughly 8-12
- The venue is a yard, a driveway or indoors
- A recognizable licensed body will land better than a specification sheet
- You want genuine engineering quality rather than maximum size
The verdict
For a gift buyer, Losi wins more often than the specifications suggest. Most households do not have the space an ARRMA needs, and a Mini LMT that gets driven every day beats a Granite that comes out twice a summer. If the recipient is a teenager or adult with somewhere to run it, buy the ARRMA — nothing Losi makes at that size matches it for taking abuse. Neither brand is a mistake; the venue decides.
How we compared them
On the current ranges each brand actually sells and on published specifications, not on reputation. Both are distributed through the same network, so parts availability is a wash. Our methodology page explains how we handle models that change version numbers.