FEATURES
The Giga Crusher's hit list includes four-wheel independent suspension, fixed upper camber links, a heavily reinforced and braced chassis that's virtually flex free, and a full set of metal shielded ball bearings. Both the receiver and receiver battery are housed in their own separate, sealed boxes on the right and left side of the chassis, and a thick roll-cage/carrying handle assembly protects the twin engine heads from rollovers. All the features you'd expect are there, plus a few you may not have seen coming.

Helical Cut Diffs • Handling all the abuse of a 16 pound monster truck with dual .26 engines is asking a lot of any drivetrain, so Kyosho supplied the Giga Crusher with its heavy-duty 1/8-scale buggy size differentials. Built with hardened steel outdrives and durable cast internal gears, the G-Crusher's diffs receive an additional upgrade in the form of helical-cut ring and pinion gears. The angled helical cuts not only increase durability, they also reduce drivetrain noise and allow the diffs to spin smoothly and quietly.

Three-Speed Transmission • As though a two-speed weren't enough, the Giga Crusher includes an adjustable three-speed transmission with reverse. The three-speed tranny may look familiar to Mad Force owners, but the reversing tranny is built specifically for G-Crusher use. Using Kyosho's "QRC" quick-reversing-clutch mechanism, the transmission can switch quickly and cleanly from forward to reverse with the flip of your transmitter's 3rd channel switch.

Air Filter/Hood Blower • After seeing countless bolt-on, non-functional hood blowers atop RC monster truck bodies in my RC lifetime, I felt giddy to discover that the Giga Crusher's chrome-top blower functions as a real air filter. Twin air-filter elbows connect to a single, central air filter that's encased in the blower's lower body. The blower's trio of mesh-covered holes inducts air into the filter and into the twin .26's, making the chrome blower both stylish and functional.

Dual .26 Engines • The Giga Crusher's twin .26 nitro engines is its true show-stopping feature. While the typical oversized monster truck tends to be powered by a single big-block, the G-Crusher receives its motive power from twin .26 engines. Manufactured by Kyosho, the .26 engines feature twin-needle carbs, large black anodized cooling heads, and a 5-port ABN piston/sleeve.

Long Suspension Arms • For the ultimate in long-travel, independent suspension design, Kyosho went with thick extended length suspension arms with fixed upper camber links. The arms are an impressive 10mm thick, compared to a typical buggy's 9mm thick arms, and the solid upper arms, while not adjustable, are more durable than a typical threaded tie-rod with plastic ends.

Building, Instructions, and Setup
Prepare to spend some time building the Giga Crusher, with its myriad of parts and assemblies. The time spent building is worth it, however, and is not a fault of its instruction manual, which is clearly laid out but fairly basic; there are simply a ton of parts included in the kit. As always, use thread lock on any and ALL metal-to-metal joints. I chose to use two small pieces of fuel tubing to space the center drive bone in step 29 to prevent it from rattling around.

Testing
After breaking in the Giga Crusher's dual engines using a shortened heat-cycle method (the ABN sleeves break in much more quickly than ABC engines), it was time to hit the track. I ran the G'Crusher at Pegasus Hobbies in Montclaire, CA as well as at several construction sites and my backyard. Before getting into performance testing, I tuned each engine independently of the other by dialing in the needles as quickly as possible because running the truck for any extended period of time with one engine shut off can and will damage the non-running engine's clutch bell bearings.

Acceleration and Speed • Be prepared to instantly become the center of attention anywhere you take the Giga Crusher, because the twin engines and the pandemonium they create at full-throttle draws stares whether you're ready or not. With the engines tuned up, the heavy Giga Crusher actually jolts off the line and spins all four wheels on dirt surfaces as it claws its way forward. The truck's super low gear ratios provide awesome acceleration and climbing ability up any terrain, and just when you think the Crusher has maxxed out, it snaps into second gear…and then third! Its top speed of 36 mph is certifiably insane for such a big truck, but the truck's feeling of controlled chaos at top speed is well worth the price of admission.
Rating: 9/10

Braking • When it comes time to slow the rolling thunder down, you'll thank Kyosho's engineers when you grab a handful of brakes—and then, if you're anything like me, turn the end-point setting down on your controller. The Giga Crusher's brakes are grabby enough to send the truck into a full-blown end-o if you're not careful. After reducing my radio's brake EPA to a measly 30%, the Crusher came to a screeching but controllable halt time and again. The truck's locked center diff means that you'll have full four-wheel brakes at all times, so plan accordingly. Braking in corners causes some serious push, so slow down in advance. Although the Crusher's instruction manual surprised me with its instruction to "avoid unnecessary and repeated use of the brake as this may damage the model," I never once noticed fade or damage from my heavy brake finger.
Rating: 9

Low-Speed Handling • The Giga Crusher rolls through almost any terrain with ease at low speeds, with its deep throw, independent front and rear suspension design. Turn-in is decent, though the truck's turning circle does push a wide arc compared to some other MT's on the market. I did give the third-channel reversing mechanism quite a workout in tighter areas, but that's what it's for, right?! Forget using anything but a super high torque steering servo, like the 333-oz/in. Hitec 5955 in my truck, due to the Crusher's weight and wide tires. Overall, the Crusher's dual engine power makes the truck feel relatively nimble, and its mobility is high for a truck of its girth.
Rating: 8.5

High-Speed Handling • Think of installing a 1000HP engine and 20-speed tranny into a school bus; yes, it will haul ass, but it's not exactly going to carve up the canyon twisties. The Giga Crusher's high-speed handling in second and third gear makes your palms sweat, your pulse increase, and your grip go to white-knuckle mode with every gear changing snap. Having plenty of experience with RC cars, I find the Giga Crusher's edgy nature exciting, but I can see an RC noob getting out of control all too easily. To be fair, the Giga Crusher isn't made to bob and weave like a running back, but its ability to nearly break freeway speed limits makes it a handful. Thankfully, the brakes do work well, and the truck is relatively stable. Don't try to take a sharp corner at 35mph and you'll continue smiling ear to ear.
Rating: 7

Rough-Track Handling • Big tires, heavy truck, deep throw suspension…you see where this is going. The Giga Crusher's fun factor jumps higher as the surface becomes rougher. I drove the truck over huge dirt clods, boulders and rock quarries at a construction site, and the dual engines continued to buzz it around without a problem. First gear's super low ratio allows the Cruser to inch its way over the gnarliest terrain, and the dual .26's combined torque makes the truck's low-end power feel like a torquey modified electric motor (which is perfect for crawling).
Rating: 10

Jumping • Make a straight approach, keep the throttle pegged, and let off right before the truck launches and you'll have straight and level flight nearly every time. A poorly constructed jump ramp can toss the Crusher out of level but a quick throttle blip brings the front end up quickly. Landings are no-brainers, as the Crusher's big tires and suspension soaks up hard landings with a pleasing sounding, cushioned "thump."
Rating: 9

Wrenching
Maintenance • After building up the Giga Crusher (which was a smooth but time consuming build), I found myself hoping and praying to never have to access the diffs ever again. The Crusher's bulletproof brick-house construction is a give-and-take. The give: you can nearly run over the truck with an 18-wheeler and it won't notice. The take: to access both diffs and the drivetrain you must disassemble nearly the entire truck because most of the chassis components key into each other to form a strong overall superstructure. The truck's remaining components are easy to work with and disassemble, but I'd love to see hex-head screws rather than the Phillips-head hardware included in the kit.
Rating: 7

Wear and Tear • After several hours of bashing and abuse, the only casualty of war was a stripped steering linkage. The stock steering rods and plastic ends are surprisingly small, considering they have the duty of directing a 16lb truck. The remainder of the truck is, as mentioned, overbuilt and over-engineered, which means that you can thrash and abuse the truck almost as much as you like without worry of it snapping in two.
Rating: 9.5

Tuning • The Giga Crusher's basher-based design doesn't leave a lot of room for tuning adjustments, which is ideal for the truck's intended audience. Molded upper camber links prevent camber adjustment, but you can tune the diffs with silicone oil and change shock oils to alter the truck's overall handling abilities.
Rating: 7.5

Conclusion
It's simply impossible to describe what the Giga Crusher sounds like in words; you must experience its angry swarm-o-bees dual exhaust note to believe it. Bashers tend to enjoy cars and trucks that stick out from the crowd of RTR's out there, and the Giga Crusher is a sure-fire way to guarantee that you won't show up at the bash park to find a lot full of trucks identical to yours. I'm amazed every time I show up at a racetrack or construction area at how many spectators quickly assemble to watch the Giga Crusher do its thing. You'll have to pay to play, as the Giga Crusher's price tag falls several hundred dollars higher than a typical monster truck, but what you get in return is the polar opposite of "typical."