The xmaxx is really cool, but after running it twice I realized it is underpowered for what I want, so I need to do a motor and esc swap for the hobbywing max6 combo ($269 on ebay). I honestly was expecting standing backflips out of the box. I babied it for the first couple runs to protect the body (running on asphalt) and thought it had a ton of power. Then when taking it off road and jumping it, it doesn't even want to do regular backflips. That is a real bummer for a $900 truck. It has all the durability in the world, but really needs the motor and esc upgrade to live up to the hype. That puts you in at $1200 + batteries and charger. My money is already spent on batteries, charger, and the truck, so the extra $269 at this point is no big deal, but it would have been nice to to know this was necessary prior to purchasing. Once I do the swap out I think I will have a shit eating grin ear to ear.
If you want to go the route of a kit, the tekno mt410 seems like a no brainer. Watch a few videos on youtube and you'll see what I'm talking about. It has all the durability you could ever want, backflips, front to backflip, standing backflip etc...without effort, and is relatively maintenance free. You decide on electronics, so your end product is whatever you want it to be. I went with the hobbywing max8 combo with 2200kv motor amd a Savox sv-1270tg servo (you need a decent servo with power), and the spektrum dx5r receiver. It doesnt come with wheels and tires, nor a body, so you have to factor that in as well (I went with the unbreakable russian body by rc maniacs since i know this truck will be thrashed). I got a few other upgrades as well like beefed up braces and hardened steel spur gear for the center diff. Im guessing I'm in it for around $1200 when everything is said and done.
Once I do the engine and esc swap on the xmaxx aND finish the build on the mt410, I doubt I'll even be using the senton and slash.