By what you want to do
The best RC cars for stunts
A stunt truck is geared and balanced for air rather than lap times, and built on the assumption that it will land on its roof.
By Ryder M. · Published November 10, 2026 · Last reviewed
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For stunts, buy the [ARRMA Outcast 4S](#arrma-outcast-4s). It is a purpose-built stunt truck rather than a basher doing stunts: short wheelbase, a wheelie bar from the factory, steel differential gears, EXtreme Bash driveshafts and a waterproof 120-amp speed control, all designed around landing upside down and carrying on. The budget pick is the [DEERC 9312E](#deerc-9312e), which has a wheelie bar and rollover protection at a fraction of the spend — a genuinely useful way to find out whether someone enjoys this before buying a 4S truck.
Direct answer: the best RC cars for stunts are short-wheelbase stunt trucks on high-voltage power — the ARRMA Outcast 4S first, then the ARRMA Notorious 6S and the Traxxas Maxx. The ARRMA Vorteks 223S and Typhon Grom are the smaller, cheaper versions of the same idea, and the DEERC 9312E is the budget way to try it. A long, heavy, low car is the wrong shape: it does not rotate and it lands badly.
What makes a truck a stunt truck
Three things, and only the first is about power. Geometry comes first: a short wheelbase rotates, which is what makes a backflip and a sustained wheelie possible at all. Second is a drivetrain that survives rotation — the loads on a driveshaft during a bad landing are nothing like the loads of driving fast in a straight line, which is why the stunt-specific models fit stronger shafts and steel gears as standard. Third is power on tap at low speed, which is what lifts the nose. A 4S or 6S setup does that; a modest brushed motor does not.
- A wheelie bar. It is what lets you hold the throttle at the balance point instead of flipping over backwards immediately. Both ARRMA stunt trucks have one fitted.
- A reinforced body or a roll cage. The body takes landings that the chassis never sees. The Maxx uses an internal support cage inside a clipless shell for exactly this.
- Tires designed for landing. ARRMA's BACK-FLIP tires on the Notorious exist for this job.
- Shocks with enough travel and real damping. This is where a cheap truck fails first; it is also the one upgrade worth making to any truck here.
- Symmetry. A truck that drives the same way upside down saves you walking across the yard every thirty seconds.
What stunts cost in parts
More than bashing does, and it is worth knowing before buying. Rotation puts loads through the driveline in directions it was not designed for, so driveshafts and differential gears wear faster than on a truck that is simply driven hard. Shock shafts bend. Body posts crack. None of this is a reason not to do it — it is the sport — but the running cost is real, and the trucks here are specified accordingly.
The practical consequence is that the parts network matters as much here as it does on a durability list. ARRMA sits inside the Horizon Hobby dealer network and Traxxas publishes a numbered diagram for every component, which is why both brands dominate this page. What breaks first on an RC car sets out the sequence, and how long do RC cars last is the honest answer on lifespan.
| Pick | Power class | What the maker fits for stunts |
|---|---|---|
| ARRMA Outcast 4S | 4S | Wheelie bar, steel diff gears, EXtreme Bash driveshafts |
| ARRMA Notorious 6S | 4S or 6S | BACK-FLIP tires, BLX185 speed control, stunt gearing |
| Traxxas Maxx | 4S | WideMaxx suspension, internal body support cage |
| ARRMA Vorteks 223S | 2S or 3S | Stadium-truck travel, designed to be jumped |
| ARRMA Typhon Grom | 2S or 3S | A 1/18 version of the same philosophy, for smaller hands |
| DEERC 9312E | Brushed | Wheelie bar and rollover protection, two packs included |
The trucks, ranked
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  ARRMA Outcast 4S 4x4The stunt-truck idea at a manageable 1/10 size, with a rubber-tired wheelie bar fitted from the factory. | Stunts at 1/10 size | 8.5 | $522.50$549.99(5% off)View on Amazon #ad — how we earn · price as of November 12, 2026 |
| 2 |  ARRMA Notorious 6SThe 1/8 stunt truck: a 2050Kv brushless system, a high-downforce wing, and a chassis meant to be landed on. | Big air and stunts | 8.4 | $699.99View on Amazon #ad — how we earn · price as of November 12, 2026 |
| 3 |  Traxxas MaxxLarge, heavy, and built to be jumped off things — a serious machine, not a starter car. | Adults who want the big one | 8.2 | $599.95View on Amazon #ad — how we earn · price as of November 12, 2026 |
| 4 |  ARRMA Vorteks 223S 4x4Arrma's stadium truck: lower than the Big Rock, tougher than most things it will land on. | Jumping and landing | 8.6 | $339.99View on Amazon #ad — how we earn · price as of November 12, 2026 |
| 5 |  ARRMA Typhon Grom 223SA scaled-down Arrma buggy — the same toughness in a size and speed a younger driver can actually manage. | Smaller hands, real power | 8.6 | $209.99View on Amazon #ad — how we earn · price as of November 12, 2026 |
| 6 |  DEERC 9312EThe DEERC with the metal drivetrain and the longest stated run time — two packs for about fifty minutes between them. | Longest run time | 8.0 | $72.99$89.99(19% off)View on Amazon #ad — how we earn · price as of November 12, 2026 |
| 7 |  Traxxas GTR Long Aluminum ShocksAluminum-bodied oil shocks with 70% more oil capacity than the standard ones, which is what stops them fading. | Landing jumps | 8.5 | $35.95View on Amazon #ad — how we earn · price as of November 12, 2026 |
Product photo via Amazon.
#1 · Stunts at 1/10 size
ARRMA Outcast 4S 4x4
The stunt-truck idea at a manageable 1/10 size, with a rubber-tired wheelie bar fitted from the factory.
8.5/10our score for this use
A short-wheelbase 1/10 stunt truck built to flip, wheelie and land upside down without caring. ARRMA fits a Spektrum Firma 120A waterproof speed control, steel differential gears, EXtreme Bash driveshafts and a wheelie bar, and runs it on 4S.
- Size:
- 1/10
- Drive:
- 4WD
- Motor:
- brushless motor
What it does well
- The 11.3 inch wheelbase makes it genuinely nimble — it flips and recovers rather than cartwheeling away
- Wishbone dirt guards, outdrive protectors and taller side guards come fitted, not as upgrades
- Smaller and cheaper to run than the 6S trucks while behaving the same way
What it does badly
- Open wheels and a high center of gravity: it rolls constantly, which is the point but still costs parts
- 4S battery and charger are extra
- Too fast and too aggressive for a younger child
Specifications from the ARRMA Outcast 4S product page.
#ad — how we earn · price as of November 12, 2026
Product photo via Amazon.
#2 · Big air and stunts
ARRMA Notorious 6S
The 1/8 stunt truck: a 2050Kv brushless system, a high-downforce wing, and a chassis meant to be landed on.
8.4/10our score for this use
A stunt truck is a monster truck geared and balanced for jumping rather than racing. The Notorious pairs a 2050Kv motor with the BLX185 speed control on 4S or 6S batteries, rides on multi-terrain dBoots BACK-FLIP tires, and ARRMA quotes 60+ mph.
- Size:
- 1/8
- Drive:
- 4WD
- Motor:
- brushless motor
What it does well
- Adjustable 4mm oil-filled shocks on aluminum towers soak up landings that break lesser trucks
- Waterproof electronics and a factory-fitted metal-geared servo
- Runs 4S as well as 6S, so it can be driven at lower power while the driver learns it
What it does badly
- 6S batteries are a serious additional expense and are not included
- Big, heavy and fast — it damages what it hits, including itself
- Not a gift for a child, and not a first RC car
Specifications from the ARRMA Notorious 6S product page.
#ad — how we earn · price as of November 12, 2026
Product photo via Amazon.
#3 · Adults who want the big one
Traxxas Maxx
Large, heavy, and built to be jumped off things — a serious machine, not a starter car.
8.2/10our score for this use
A wide-stance monster truck designed around higher-voltage batteries. This is the size and power level people move up to after a year, not the one they start with. The version stocked is the Maxx Extreme 4s: an Extreme Velineon VXL-4s speed control on a 540XL brushless motor, a factory WideMaxx suspension kit, 5.6-inch Sledgehammer tires, a reinforced clipless body with an internal support cage, and Traxxas Stability Management on the TQi radio. Battery and charger are not included.
- Size:
- 1/10 (oversized)
- Drive:
- Shaft-driven 4WD
- Motor:
- brushless motor
What it does well
- Built for jumps and hard landings in a way the smaller trucks are not
- Presence: it looks and sounds like a serious piece of equipment
- Full Traxxas parts and upgrade support
What it does badly
- Expensive before you have bought batteries, and it wants big ones
- Genuinely dangerous at speed around people and pets — it needs open ground
- Far too much car for a first-timer of any age
Specifications from Traxxas' model and parts finder.
#ad — how we earn · price as of November 12, 2026
Product photo via Amazon.
#4 · Jumping and landing
ARRMA Vorteks 223S 4x4
Arrma's stadium truck: lower than the Big Rock, tougher than most things it will land on.
8.6/10our score for this use
A stadium truck sits between a buggy and a monster truck — open wheels, long suspension, designed to be jumped. The Vorteks is the brushless 1/10 version in Arrma's current line.
- Size:
- 1/10
- Drive:
- 4WD
- Motor:
- brushless motor
What it does well
- Long suspension travel absorbs jump landings that break lesser trucks
- Lower and more stable in corners than a monster truck
- Horizon Hobby parts and service network
What it does badly
- Open wheels snag on fences, curbs and long grass
- Fast enough to need open space
- Battery and charger extra
Specifications from ARRMA's current releases.
#ad — how we earn · price as of November 12, 2026
Product photo via Amazon.
#5 · Smaller hands, real power
ARRMA Typhon Grom 223S
A scaled-down Arrma buggy — the same toughness in a size and speed a younger driver can actually manage.
8.6/10our score for this use
The Grom is a small-scale version of Arrma's Typhon buggy, made deliberately for younger and newer drivers: lower, lighter, cheaper, and still built on the brand's bash-it-and-see philosophy.
- Size:
- 1/18
- Drive:
- 4WD
- Motor:
- brushless motor
What it does well
- Arrma durability in a size that does not overwhelm a ten-year-old
- Low buggy shape means far fewer rollovers than the monster trucks
- Cheaper than the full-size Arrma models while keeping the parts support
What it does badly
- Still brushless and still fast — supervision matters for the first few runs
- Small wheels limit it on long grass
- Costs more than 1/18 cars from the budget brands
Specifications from ARRMA's current releases.
#ad — how we earn · price as of November 12, 2026
Product photo via Amazon.
#6 · Longest run time
DEERC 9312E
The DEERC with the metal drivetrain and the longest stated run time — two packs for about fifty minutes between them.
8.0/10our score for this use
A 1/18 off-road truck, about eleven inches long. DEERC lists a high-torque 390 brushed motor good for 42 km/h — roughly 26 mph — four-wheel drive, metal oil-filled shocks, a metal differential, a metal drive shaft and a metal-geared steering servo. Two 1200mAh LiPo packs give around fifty minutes of combined driving, and there is a wheelie bar, rollover protection and LED headlights.
- Size:
- 1/18 (about 11 inches long)
- Drive:
- 4WD
- Motor:
- toy-grade motor
What it does well
- A metal differential, drive shaft, shocks and steering servo, which is unusual at this price
- Two LiPo packs for about fifty minutes — the longest stated figure of any DEERC here
- An IPX4-rated speed control, so damp grass is not a problem
What it does badly
- Parts come from DEERC alone — nothing like a hobby brand's network
- 26 mph into a curb still breaks suspension parts, metal drivetrain or not
- The wheelie bar and rollover bar add height, and it rolls more readily for it
Specifications from DEERC's own store listing.
#ad — how we earn · price as of November 12, 2026
Product photo via Amazon.
#7 · Landing jumps
Traxxas GTR Long Aluminum Shocks
Aluminum-bodied oil shocks with 70% more oil capacity than the standard ones, which is what stops them fading.
8.5/10our score for this use
Shock absorbers control how the suspension moves. The standard plastic-bodied shocks hold little oil, so after a few minutes of hard driving the oil heats, thins and the truck starts bottoming out. Traxxas' GTR shocks are aluminum with titanium-coated shafts and, by the company's own figure, 70% greater oil capacity.
What it does well
- Consistent damping through a whole battery pack rather than just the first three minutes
- Rebuildable: you replace the oil and seals rather than the whole shock
- Springs are sold separately, so the truck can be tuned for how it is actually driven
What it does badly
- Sold in pairs, so a full set is two purchases
- Only worth the money if the truck is genuinely being jumped
- Rebuilding shocks is fiddly and easy to get wrong the first time
Specifications from the Traxxas Slash 4X4 upgrade guide.
#ad — how we earn · price as of November 12, 2026
Where to do this
Grass, almost always. A lawn is forgiving in a way that concrete is not: it absorbs a landing, it does not grind the body shell flat, and it is slippery enough that a wheelie is easier to hold. Concrete looks better on video and costs twice as much in parts. A skate park is tempting and genuinely hard on a truck, because the transitions load the suspension in both directions at once.
Also worth saying: this is the one area of the hobby where a throttle limiter is not the answer. Stunts need instant power at low speed, so a limited truck cannot do them. That makes stunt trucks a poor first car and a very good second one, which is roughly how ARRMA and Traxxas position them. Where to drive RC cars covers the practical side.
Which one to buy
- Best for stunts overall: the ARRMA Outcast 4S — the purpose-built one, with a wheelie bar and a driveline specified for landings.
- The biggest air: the ARRMA Notorious 6S, on BACK-FLIP tires and up to 6S power.
- Traxxas instead, with a parts shop nearby: the Traxxas Maxx, with its internal body cage.
- A cheaper 1/10 that still jumps properly: the ARRMA Vorteks 223S.
- Smaller hands or a smaller yard: the ARRMA Typhon Grom.
- The budget pick: the DEERC 9312E, wheelie bar included, toy-grade parts caveat stated.
- The one upgrade worth making: a better set of oil-filled shocks.
How we ranked these
On whether the manufacturer designed the truck for rotation — wheelbase, wheelie bar, driveline specification — then on power class, then on body and suspension strength, then on parts availability for the components stunts actually consume. Specifications come from each maker's own published pages, linked under Sources. We do not test these products first-hand, we publish no ratings or test results, and nothing here is described as award-winning; our methodology page explains the approach.