Are the Bandit and Rustler essentially the same car? I see people all over YouTube hopping up their Rustler, I was curious if you could do similar modifications to the Bandit.

You can do pretty much the same with the Bandit as with the Rustler as they share very many parts, it is easier to say what not fits than what fits between them Many aftermakret part numbers are also marked "fits Rustler/Bandit" in most cases.