ARRMA TALION 6S EXB Review: Why the New 1/7 Talion Feels Different From the Old 1/8

The short answer is this: the new 1/7 ARRMA TALION 6S EXB is not simply the 1/8 Talion made larger. It feels more deliberate than that. The new truck is longer, lower in attitude, more planted at speed, and much more committed to the idea of being a true off-road speed truck rather than a fast truggy with a familiar name. If you liked the older Talion, that difference is easy to understand. If you never owned one, it explains why this return has landed with more weight than a normal new-release announcement.

The new Talion matters because it finally feels like ARRMA leaned fully into what the platform always hinted at. 1/8 Talions were already respected for being quick, balanced, and more composed than some bigger bashers. But this new 1/7 version pushes the identity further. It looks longer because it is. It sits lower. It carries itself like a truck meant to stay flatter at speed. And once you step back from the spec sheet, that is really the whole story: this version feels less like a compromise machine and more like a truck built around one clear idea.

That idea is simple. Talion is no longer trying to win the argument for most dramatic stunt truck in the lineup. It is trying to be the truck you grab when you want speed, stability, and confidence on real surfaces that are not perfectly smooth. That may sound like a small distinction, but in practice it changes how the truck is judged, how it should be driven, and even how it should be powered.

Why people still cared when Talion came back

Some RC releases are interesting for a week and then disappear into the same noise as everything else. Talion was never really that kind of name. Even while it was gone, it stayed in the background as one of those ARRMA models that people kept bringing up when talking about older favorites, balanced designs, and trucks they wished had not disappeared. That matters because it changes the expectations. This was never going to be judged like a brand-new platform with no history behind it. The new truck had to feel like a real Talion, not just a badge on a modern 6S parts bin special.

That is one reason this release feels stronger than it might look at first glance. It is not just a return. It is a return with a point. The new Talion still has that fast-standing-still profile that made the older truck so easy to remember, but now the hardware underneath supports that look more honestly. Instead of feeling like a truck that happens to be quick, it feels like a truck that was built from the start to behave well when the speed gets real.

And that is where the emotional side of this release actually connects to the practical side. People did not want Talion back just to look at it on a shelf. They wanted it back because the old truck had a very specific balance that other ARRMA models never fully replaced. The new 1/7 version does not recreate that balance exactly, but it does preserve the spirit of it in a more modern, more speed-focused form.

The real upgrade is the platform, not just the electronics

The easiest mistake to make with the new Talion is to start the story with the power system and stop there. Yes, the modern electronics matter. Yes, the truck can be geared for serious top speed. Yes, there are EXB hardware gains worth talking about. But the biggest upgrade is still the one you can understand before turning a wheel: the platform itself is now more honest about what Talion wants to be.

The truck is visibly longer. It looks stretched because it is stretched. The body stays low and sleek. The stance makes more sense as a speed-truck stance than before. The longer rear section changes the whole visual impression of the vehicle, but more importantly it changes how the truck behaves in the category it now clearly wants to own.

That does not mean the electronics are irrelevant. It means the electronics are not the first thing that defines the truck. What defines it is the way the new 1/7 format supports speed and composure together. A truck can always be made quicker with enough gearing, enough battery, and enough optimism. What is harder to fake is the feeling that the platform itself still wants to cooperate once the speed arrives. Talion now feels much more like that kind of platform.

New 1/7 Arrma Talion vs 1/8 Talion: what actually changed

The most useful way to compare the new truck with the 1/8 Talion is not to ask whether one is simply better. It is better to ask what ARRMA changed the truck to do more clearly. Once you frame it that way, the answer becomes much cleaner.

The 1/8 Arrma Talion already had the reputation of being one of the more balanced ARRMA 6S vehicles. It had speed, it had enough truggy practicality, and it did not feel as exaggerated in one direction as some other trucks in the family. The new 1/7 Talion takes that foundation and shifts it harder toward speed-truck behavior. The wheelbase is longer. The body profile is more obviously stretched. The truck feels less like an all-around 6S machine with speed credentials and more like a purpose-built off-road speed platform that happens to still be a basher.

That distinction matters. A lot of the conversation around the new Talion ends up circling back to the same point: yes, it still looks like a Talion, but it now behaves like a truck that has chosen its lane much more aggressively. For some 1/8 Talion 6S fans, that is exactly the right move. For others, especially people who loved the more compact 1/8 feel, it may take a little longer to decide whether the new truck kept the right parts of the original personality.

In practice, the easiest way to describe the difference is this: the 1/8 Talion felt like a very good fast 6S ARRMA. The new Talion feels like a speed truck first.

Why the new Talion feels so stable

The new Talion’s strongest argument is not that it posts a big top-speed number. Its strongest argument is that it makes speed feel usable. Those are not the same thing.

Some RC trucks feel exciting because they are always half a mistake away from a scene. That can be fun, but it is not the same as confidence. The new Talion feels like the truck that lets you stay in the throttle longer on imperfect ground because the platform itself wants to help rather than argue. It reads the surface more calmly. It does not come across as eager to lift, tip, or turn every rough patch into a panic correction.

This is where the longer wheelbase earns its place. The truck feels more willing to stay settled. The lower, flatter attitude helps the whole package feel more attached to the ground. On real roads, rougher asphalt, hard dirt, and mixed surfaces, that becomes easier to appreciate than any single spec claim. It is one thing to say a truck is fast. It is another thing to say it still feels worth pushing when the road is not perfect.

That is also why the Talion does not need to be evaluated like a pure stunt truck. If someone wants the vehicle most likely to entertain from every angle, every jump, and every bad idea, there are other trucks that lean further into that role. Talion is doing something more focused. It is trading a little of that chaos for speed confidence.

1/7 Talion 6S vs Kraton 6S EXB: same family, different purpose

This is the comparison everyone makes, and there is no reason to avoid it. The Talion and the Kraton 6S EXB now live close enough in buyer intent, price territory, and general ARRMA ecosystem logic that a lot of people will naturally end up deciding between them.

If you already own a Kraton 6S EXB, the Talion is not going to feel like a mandatory second purchase just because it exists. The shared family DNA is too obvious for that. But that does not mean the Talion is redundant. It means the choice comes down to personality rather than hardware overlap.

The Kraton still makes more sense if you want a taller, more playful, more stunt-friendly 6S basher with a bigger appetite for that classic “send it and see” energy. The Talion makes more sense if what you want is lower, flatter, faster-feeling ground behavior with a more speed-truck identity. It is less about which one is more capable in a vacuum and more about what kind of driving experience you actually enjoy.

That is why describing the new Talion as “just a longer Kraton” misses the point. Shared parts do not automatically create the same driving experience. The tire direction, the body shape, the chassis attitude, and the whole visual and dynamic posture of the truck point toward a different goal. Talion feels like ARRMA took the modern EXB 6S foundation and then pushed it toward fast, planted off-road speed instead of all-around spectacle.

The long chassis is both the advantage and the boundary

It is completely fair to look at the longer chassis and think about what it gives the truck, but it is just as fair to ask what it asks in return. The long-wheelbase layout is a big part of what makes the Talion so believable at speed. It is also why some people immediately start thinking about rear support, big jumps, and whether the truck is happiest when it stays more connected to the ground.

That is not a contradiction. It is just the reality of a more specialized design. The Talion’s long platform is there to help it track, settle, and hold itself together under speed. It is not there to advertise how much abuse it wants from huge, repeated, badly judged launches. That does not make the truck weak. It makes the truck honest.

And that honesty is actually part of what makes the new Talion easier to understand than some broader, more compromise-heavy bashers. It knows what it wants to be. It wants to go fast on real surfaces and stay together while doing it. Once you accept that, a lot of the debates around the truck become simpler.

Stock gearing, speed gearing, and why 75 mph is not the whole story

The 75 mph headline is useful, but it should not be the only thing people take away from the truck. What matters more in day-to-day use is how Talion feels in the ranges most people actually drive.

Out of the box, the truck already sits in a speed zone that feels serious enough for most normal bashing. That matters because it keeps the truck from becoming one of those models where the only story is the maximum number under perfect conditions. Talion has enough pace in stock form to feel alive and enough platform confidence to make that pace worth using.

Once the speed gearing conversation starts, the truck moves into a different kind of use case. That is where battery quality, sustained load, temperature, and overall setup balance begin to matter more. This is also where a lot of people end up misunderstanding the truck. The most aggressive speed setup is not automatically the best everyday Talion setup. In fact, for many owners, it will not be.

The better way to think about it is this: the Talion works in layers. Stock gearing gives you a very usable high-speed basher. Speed gearing gives you access to the upper edge of what the platform can do. Those are related experiences, but they are not the same use case. Treating them as identical is one of the fastest ways to end up with a truck that looks impressive on paper but feels less satisfying in reality.

Why the stock tires tell you what this truck is really for

The stock tire direction makes the Talion’s intent easier to read. This is not a setup built around maximum air correction or maximum stunt flexibility. It is built around ground behavior first.

That is why some people will immediately imagine changing the tire direction if they want a different kind of truck out of the same chassis. And honestly, that thought process makes sense. If your goal is more jump correction, a little more forgiveness in the air, or a more versatile mix of speed and stunt feel, tire choice may change the Talion’s personality more than people expect.

But that also proves the point. The stock truck is making a decision for you. It is prioritizing the thing the Talion is supposed to be best at: fast, planted running on real surfaces. That is part of why it feels different from some other ARRMA 6S trucks before you even start comparing the harder mechanical details.

Battery choice matters more here than some owners expect

The Talion is one of those trucks where battery choice has a bigger effect on feel than many owners assume. That is not because it is unusually difficult to power. It is because the truck’s identity is so tied to speed, response, and stability that the wrong battery can flatten the whole experience very quickly.

For most people, the best answer is still a clean single 6S setup. That keeps installation simple, suits the Talion’s speed-truck nature, and avoids overcomplicating what is already a very complete RTR platform. For a first-choice setup, the CNHL Racing Series 5200mAh 22.2V 6S 90C Lipo Battery with EC5 Plug is the most natural starting point. It gives the truck the kind of punch and balance that feels right for daily fast use without making the recommendation feel forced.

If you want something a little fuller and more substantial, the CNHL Racing Series 6200mAh 22.2V 6S 90C Lipo Battery with EC5 Plug makes a lot of sense. If you want the truck to feel a touch sharper and more speed-biased, the CNHL G+Plus 5000mAh 22.2V 6S 100C Lipo Battery with EC5 Plug is a very smart step.

And for owners who want a more upgrade-style setup, the LiHV route is where Talion starts to feel even more purpose-built. The CNHL Lightning LiHV 5500mAh 22.8V 6S 120C HV Lipo Battery with EC5 Plug and CNHL Lightning LiHV 6000mAh 22.8V 6S 120C HV Lipo Battery with EC5 Plug are the kind of packs that suit a more serious Talion build without turning the recommendation into a simple “bigger is better” mistake.

For owners who already prefer paired hard-case packs, dual 3S is still absolutely valid. That is one reason our Talion battery collection also includes dual-3S-ready hard-case options for both the new 1/7 truck and many older 1/8 Talion setups.

EC5 vs IC5 on the Talion: this is simpler than it looks

A lot of Talion owners get stuck on the connector question the first time they start shopping for batteries. ARRMA’s stock battery language points people toward Spektrum IC5 Smart packs, so it is easy to assume the truck really wants an IC5 battery and nothing else. That is where the confusion starts. The CNHL batteries here use EC5 plugs, but in practical Talion use, EC5 is physically compatible with IC5. So if you are seeing IC5 in the truck listing and EC5 on the battery page, that does not mean you are looking at the wrong battery.

In fact, for a lot of drivers, EC5 is the easier route to live with. A good EC5 battery is often more useful across a wider mix of RC vehicles, and it usually makes more sense if you do not want to stay tied to one brand’s battery ecosystem every time you buy another pack. That is part of why CNHL EC5 batteries fit the Talion so naturally. They give you a practical setup, solid value, and a connector format that many RC owners already use elsewhere. So if your only concern is “the truck says IC5, but this battery says EC5,” the important takeaway is simple: for the Talion, that is usually not a problem at all.

Why this return also matters for 1/8 Arrma Talion owners

One of the best things about the new Talion return is that it does not force older owners into a completely different battery conversation. The new 1/7 platform is more speed-focused and more specialized, but the battery logic remains close enough that many older 1/8 Talion 6S BLX and EXB owners can still shop very naturally in the same space.

That makes this return more useful than a normal launch cycle. It is not just a page for people buying the new truck. It is also a relevant guide for owners who already know the Talion name, still own an older one, and want a cleaner replacement or upgrade path without being pushed into generic basher advice that ignores what Talions are actually like to drive.

So even if you are not planning to buy the new 1/7 Talion right away, this release still matters. It sharpens the way people talk about the platform, and it makes it easier to think clearly about what kind of battery and setup actually suit a Talion rather than just suit a random 6S truck.

Is the new Arrma 1/7 Talion worth it?

That depends on what you are hoping to get out of a large ARRMA. If you want the most dramatic stunt feel, or the broadest do-everything basher identity, Talion will not automatically be the easiest truck to justify. Some people will still prefer the Kraton route. Some will look higher up the price ladder. Some will decide they want more electronic assistance at this price point.

But if what you want is a truck that feels focused, fast, and unusually committed to stable off-road speed, then the new 1/7 Talion finally feels like a release that fully understands its own purpose. It is not trying to be every kind of basher at once. It is not trying to out-chaos the trucks that are better at chaos. It is trying to be the truck that makes speed feel cleaner, calmer, and more satisfying than most people expect from a big RTR.

And that is why the release works. The truck did not just come back. It came back with a clearer identity than before.

FAQ

Is the new 1/7 Arrma Talion 6S better than the 1/8 Talion?
It is better if what you want is a clearer speed-truck identity. The 1/8 Talion still has its own appeal, especially if you prefer a slightly more compact, older-school Talion feel.

Is the new 1/7 Arrma Talion 6S better than the Kraton 6S EXB?
Not in a universal sense. Talion 6S is more focused. Kraton 6S is more broad-purpose. Talion makes more sense if your priority is planted speed and fast mixed-surface running.

Is 75 mph realistic in everyday use?
It is more realistic as a speed-gearing target than an everyday stock-gearing expectation. The more important point is that the truck already feels quick and stable well below that number.

Can I use an EC5 battery if the Talion is usually listed with IC5?
Yes. In this application, EC5 and IC5 are physically compatible, which is why EC5 CNHL packs make practical sense for Talion owners.

What is the best everyday Talion battery?
For most owners, the best place to start is the CNHL Racing 5200mAh 6S 90C.

Should I use single 6S or dual 3S in the Talion?
Single 6S is the cleanest and simplest answer for most drivers. Dual 3S still makes sense if you already prefer paired hard-case packs or are refreshing 1/8 Talion setup.

Is the Talion bad for jumping?
No. It is just not defined by jumping in the same way some other big bashers are. Its strongest identity is still low, stable, fast running on the ground.