Today I review a legend among monster trucks, the infamous Ford that started it all—BIGFOOT! This model is based on the popular and rugged Traxxas Stampede chassis, meaning it has the Stampede’s working components under the hood, but the body of the truck is all BIGFOOT. This truck is listed at Best Buy as the Traxxas BIGFOOT No.1 2WD 1/10 Scale RC Truck, and today we’re going to learn all about it. Read on for more!
Traxxas BIGFOOT Features and Specs
The Traxxas BIGFOOT RC truck is a 2-WD vehicle that’s based on the F-100 Ford XLT Ranger body and officially licensed to include all of the amazing details of the original BIGFOOT monster truck. This includes various branding and decals (such as Firestone and Ford), KC Lights, and the cool BIGFOOT Missouri license plate with the number 79 in the bottom left corner to commemorate the year of BIGFOOT’s official debut (even though the truck was first developed in 1975). BIGFOOT features the Titan 12-turn 550 modified motor by Traxxas as well as XL-5 electronic speed control that helps it to reach speeds of up to 48+ Km/h (about 30mph). BIGFOOT also has a Magnum 272 transmission, an integrated cooling fan (to keep it running longer and stronger), and waterproof electronics (including a sealed XL-5 ESC and receiver box) to keep you running great in all weather conditions. Powered by an included 8.4 Volt, 3000mAh, NiMH, Traxxas Power Cell ID battery that charges via a car cigarette lighter compatible quick charger, and controlled by the reliable Traxxas TQ 2.4GHz radio transmitter, BIGFOOT provides several minutes of fast fun before needing to be recharged. This truck, which is suitable for users (both pros and novices) ages 14 and up, also has a number of other great specs and features that I’ll touch on as we work our way through the review, beginning with how BIGFOOT performed during my testing on a large sand beach.
Driving the Traxxas BIGFOOT
My experience driving the Traxxas BIGFOOT was simply awesome! I drove it on a large sand beach in Lockeport, Nova Scotia and found it doing constant pop wheelies and just tearing up the terrain. It seemed to give me about 12-15 minutes of total running time each time I charged it up, which was pretty much as expected. But what was especially lucky was that Best Buy had also sent me over a Traxxas AC to DC Power Supply Adapter (see photo below), meaning I didn’t have to use the included charging system to charge the battery in my car. I simply had to plug the quick charger into this adapter and plug the adapter into a standard wall outlet. This is not only much more convenient for charging a Traxxas Power Cell, but it’s also safer as you’re otherwise forced to run your automobile to get the battery charged. In other words, I would strongly suggest one of these adapters to anyone with a Traxxas RC vehicle (or anyone that’s planning to get one) that doesn’t have a standard wall charger.
Controlling the Traxxas BIGFOOT was extremely easy to do with the Top Qualifier 2.4GHz radio transmitter (shown below). It’s pretty much the same basic controller that we’ve seen with various other Traxxas RC vehicles, with a trigger to operate the throttle (pull for forward, push for backwards), a steering trim knob, and a prominent steering wheel with soft, foam grip just above the trigger. This controller is much easier to use for those that are right handed. If you’re left handed, it’s likely to be somewhat awkward for you, but still generally straightforward. The controller requires 4 x AA batteries to operate and offers a very good driving range for the BIGFOOT. At times I easily had it 200 or more feet away from my own position without ever having even the slightest interruption in signal transmission. I couldn’t find the exact specs on the controller’s maximum range, but I believe it’s somewhere in the neighbourhood of 300 feet.
The coolest thing about driving BIGFOOT on sand was that the terrain was just solid enough to offer excellent traction for high speed driving while still being loose enough to tear up nicely when doing quick spinout stops or sharp turns at high speed. I was able to throw quite a bit of sand around and reach some fairly impressive speeds as BIGFOOT continually put on a fun show. The only problem I had was cleaning the sand out of every nook and cranny after the run was over. I used a clean, dry paintbrush to get most of it out, but a commercial grade air compressor would likely be even better. All up I had a really fun time driving BIGFOOT on the beach, and I went back several times for more testing and filming (which you can see below).
One additional note that I wanted to mention about the Traxxas BIGFOOT RC monster truck is that it has a special Training Mode for newcomers to Traxxas and the RC hobby. This clever system actually cuts the motor’s power output in half so that BIGFOOT is much easier for new users to control. Once you get the hang of driving it, simply switch over to full power mode and hit the gas!
Examining the Video Evidence
My experience driving the Traxxas BIGFOOT 2WD monster truck was captured on film and edited into the following brief video overview. I tested the truck on a large sandy beach in Lockeport, Nova Scotia and invite you now to watch how it all went. Hint: BIGFOOT really seemed to love the sandy terrain, and the pop-wheelies came fast and furious during my entire run. Click the play button below to give the video a look:
Final Thoughts
I think that the Traxxas BIGFOOT 2WD 1/10 Scale RC Truck is an excellent entry level truck for both RC newcomers and pros alike, especially among those with a love for the true original Ford monster truck. The only complaint I can really level against it is the fact that this model is a 2WD vehicle and the real BIGFOOT is famous for being a 4X4. Had Traxxas used a 4WD chassis as the basis for their BIGFOOT model, that certainly would have been more accurate to the original. Still, that also would have been more expensive and it may have put BIGFOOT out of reach for many prospective buyers. All in all I guess it’s a good thing that the Traxxas BIGFOOT is an entry level RC vehicle that is hopefully within the reach of most. Better still, pretty much anyone can operate this truck with no difficulty whatsoever, and they’re bound to have fun doing it. It’s not every review product that I enjoy enough to say I’d buy one myself, but the Traxxas BIGFOOT monster truck is certainly one of them. I highly recommended this hobby grade vehicle for virtually anyone!
