Kyosho Mad Crusher GP ReadySet 1/8 4WD Nitro Monster Truck w/2.4GHz Radio & KE25SP Engine

This thing is a beast! My first kyosho, havent run nitro in 15 years when i raced my team associated rc10gt. Have a few electric traxxas and rc4wd crawler and needed something unique to my collection and this fit the bill. Took about 30 pulls to get it started and So far on my 4th break in tank and trust me it is very hard not to squeeze the trigger all the way back and run through the gears. But so far i love how its built and how durable its built. I only have one complaint with it and thats the use of phillips head screws. It has about 75% phillips and 25% hex head. Down the road ill purchase a stainless screw kit for it. If you want a sweet unique basher dont hesitate and get this one, you won't be disappointed.

This is the best nitro RC truck on the market. It makes a lot of power and runs very smoothly when paired with the VP master basher fuel Amain keeps in stock. Rides wheelies on demand! I highly recommend this truck. Would purchase again!

I love this truck! If you're in the market for a nitro truck, look no further. The KE25SP absolutely screams through all 3 gears on Byrons 30% fuel. By far the most fun I've had with a nitro monster truck in years. Easy to break-in and tune. Quality Kyosho construction. Replacement parts are inexpensive (Amain stocks them). Lots of great upgrades available (direct from Kyosho). The lack of socket head cap screws is the only downside. Invest in a properly sized phillips driver and you're good to go.

I love this truck.
Getting back into rc after a decade or so, I wanted an old school style nitro setup... it doesn't disappoint.
This thing screams thru the grass, and down the road.

Some points-
Be very aware of proper break in.

It will require tuning after break in, to realize full engine performance.

The axles are pretty stout- but they have a weak point.
Hitting something with a front tire at any decent speed may result in front axle breakage. I've replaced both mine, and the wife's crusher ve electric version both... in a matter of a week. They both broke in the exact same spot where the screws go through the tube, the hub end and linkage mount.

I have now purchased the aftermarket aluminum axle, waiting on delivery.

That's the only reason I rated at four stars.
Other than that- an awesome machine.

Super scale monster Nitro truck! I have bought aluminum axle housings for mine along with all the Kyosho upgrades for it that Kyosho sells. I use to have a couple of T-Maxx’s and this rig is far better and more fun. Hands down the best monster truck on the market with Kyosho Quality . The Mad Crusher will not disappoint ....

This is a very cool truck that has a lot of cool scale attributes. I have not abused mine yet to say what are weak points however it looks cool bro’s just sitting the way it is. So if you like being cool and ******* chicks in the *** then buy this truck

Ha Ha - This is a funny story: I recently (Late 2019) saw someone doing a big-block conversion on a *Traxxas Revo* and immediately thought to myself, "Just get a MAD CRUSHER - and be done!" ha ha

Seriously folks, I love the amazing aspects of this hobby but if you want a 1/10th scale nitro truck; then get a Traxxas Revo, TMaxx, etc.. But if you want ground-pounding nitro-screaming three-speed shifting wheely-poppin' muscle - then put your money down right here, on a Kyosho Mad Crusher.

Yea, I was skeptical, it's so rudimentary and simple, but it put a big old smile on my face the first time I fired it up. 15-20 minutes after it arrived, that is...

4 double-A batteries into the truck for the receiver and servos to function and 4 more into the transmitter, fuel it up and let's go. I didn't have to adjust the carb - it was rich enough to billow smoke but still had a bit of power. I like breaking-in an engine like I would break in a full sized motor; take it easy, blip the throttle, let the machine roll to get some cooling and slowly blip the throttle a bit more and more as the tank progresses and that's just what I did. I started to hit second-third gear after 1/2 tank so I added some more fuel when it stalled the first time to keep it rich and then I checked the temps, screws and whatnot to see what shook loose. Surprisingly enough nothing needed tightening and I believe that is a first (in 40 years of nitro fumbling)... These KE 25 engines are robust and I have one in an 1/8th Thunder Tiger Rally car, 1 in an older Kyosho buggy, 1 in a Kyosho Monster truggy that I cannot recall the name of and the same motor is in the 1/8 GT Challenger RTR Nitro which I also purchased here at Amain hobbies.

On the third tank, and this is going to be hard to explain, the steering got a bit wonky and I was only able to turn right. Well having been in this hobby for 40 years I assumed it was the servo arm, nope - the servo saver - nope, the steering linkage -(kind-of but) Nope! I looked and looked for what could be the problem for probably 5 minutes before discovering there's a slave-shaft or a jack-shaft that comes from the servo saver to the front axle and from the front axle to the wheels. That jack-shaft slid loose down the front differential housing and two screws were the culprit. A moment later and I was back to bashing... When I got home I put some cragle on the union of these two pieces so that doesn't happen again.

By the fourth tank I leaned the fuel mix a tad and began ripping thru the gears. a two-speed trans is cool but a three-speed it even cooler; I love hearing the RPM's drop a bit and watching the truck's speed increase. The chain drive is cool and efficient. The 5-link suspension is really how it should be for realistic handeling. It looks like a real truck in silouette and that's a bonus. The body is finished with a real chromed front end and that recreated the scale realism we need. There's some windsheild wipers and rearview mirrors and whatnot that I did not use because it'll just fall back off when I''m done!

I like a fully-built model that fits back into it's own packaging and this one does so nicely. The radio os OK; what else can I say? It works. The Challenger RTR came with a computer Radio so I tried to bind it with this receiver and it worked but kicked-the Challenger off. ( No model memory here folks!) So I kept the computer radio linked with the Monster Mad Crusher and then re-binded the analog radio that came with Mad Crusher to the Challenger because the RED grip matched the Challenger better - the Mad Crusher is more Candy Apple Metallic Red and the Challenger is Red-red! Plus the trim knobs will be more useful on an on-road car than on an off-road beast that always uses full; steering, braking, and throttle - no expo's here!

'Nuff said - nice Truck -great price. If I can maintain a 1/10th scale for over 15 years then I'm sure I'll still have this one in twenty! (that comes out to it costing me about $23 per year!) ha ha

Cool Truck but diffs are junk. The rear diff was destroyed before I was even finished breaking it in. For the most part Kyosho is quality stuff as I have owned many of them through the years. Maybe I just got a lemon.

UPDATE:

Replaced the entire rear drive line, still no success. This truck is cool but mine has some sort of drive line/diff issue. I have been running cars, motorcycles, helicopters and boats for 30+ years (mostly nitro) and have never had any issues like this. I just retired this piece of junk to the garbage. It is a waste of money and not to mention a waste of time. R/C nitro cars in general are junk, always broke and require attention at all times. This takes the gold medal though. I consider Kyosho as being quality, but this specific truck is far from quality. Rest peacefully at the city dump "Mad Crusher"