I need some schooling in the ways of Crawlers

All discussions about 1:18 scale and up electric onroad RCs.
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Namuna
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I need some schooling in the ways of Crawlers

Post by Namuna »

I'm a micro man, the smaller the better. But it gets lonely being the only one. My son is almost 4 and I've been thinking of getting a 1/12 or even 1/10 Crawler. My thinking being it's big enough to be able to handle some 4yr old rough housing and being a crawler it would be nice and slow (so the Wife won't be on my ass about the danger and blah blah blah).

So I'm looking for the basics and keeping on a budget, I wouldn't even mind picking up 2nd hand. Would appreciate some guidance on what to be looking for.

Thanks.
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Smoke&Mirrors
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Re: I need some schooling in the ways of Crawlers

Post by Smoke&Mirrors »

Well I do want to put a plug in for micro crawlers. I love crawlers, but it's hard to find things that are a challenge for 1/10 scale for me, so I make mini's!

Okay, with that said let's move on. You could go with something in the 1/18th scale if you want to try and stay small. I have a Losi Mini Rock Crawler and love it. It is an awesome crawler that comes with good electronics and is easy to modify as it is without buy tons of aluminum hop ups (though a few don't hurt). I find that the MRC is fun around the house (in the living room, on couches, etc) and is still fun outside. You will however encounter some obstacles (if you have nice rocks around where you live) that are just too big for 1/18 scale, but 1/10 will work for it.
(If you hover over the models in this paragraph there are links to them)
So, moving on to 1/10th scale. As I'm sure you've heard by now, the Axial AX-10 is a great crawler and almost everyone and their brother has one. Something to consider is whether you want a scale looking rig or if you want a crawler that is designed more for competitions. The AX-10 is a comp rig, but can be converted to a scale rig (as I'm doing currently). It comes as a kit with no electronics, an ARTR (almost ready to run) and an RTR. Oh, they just added the RTC version too which is the "ready to crawl" version where you just need batteries, but a good crawler motor and electronics are included. The cool thing is, because of the popularity of the Scorpion, you can usually find one on craigslist in some modified form for very cheap. If you want to build a scale looking rig, Axial also makes a scale crawler called the SCX-10. It uses the same axles as the Scorpion and currently only comes as a kit. But it is a very cool scale rig out of the box in my opinion.

The two most popular wheel sizes are 1.9 and 2.2. The AX-10 is a 2.2 competition crawler and the SCX-10 is a 1.9 scale crawler. Really what you ought to consider is, what kind of terrain to you plan to run the crawler on. If you want to compete with other people in your area (as well as have something for the kids) you would probably want a 2.2 comp style rig. If you want something smaller but still competition style, I'd say to go with the Losi MRC. If you want to build a scale looking rig then you need to decide if you want it to be based of off 1.9 size wheels or 2.2 as that will determine what kind of bodies you can use.

There are lots of other brands, models, rigs, axles, etc. but in my humble opinion I think an Axial rig is a good starting place and from there you can decide where else you may want to go (Tamiya - narrower axles, higher prices, well build, Losi - Only 2.2 rig with worm gears in the axles and front and rear independent lockers out of the box, etc.). Are there any questions you still have that I can answer?
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Re: I need some schooling in the ways of Crawlers

Post by PimpFloyd »

At the risk of getting lambasted, what about the Cliff Climber? A RTR entry level climber(minus batts) for around $110.00?

Sure, it's not a serious competition crawler but it might just be the ticket for a little one to get the hang of control and stuff, ya can't beat the price and you have the Duratrax warranty etc.

Just a thought, I don't crawl (yet) so I admit I'm hardly an expert on the subject.

PF
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Re: I need some schooling in the ways of Crawlers

Post by Smoke&Mirrors »

Yeah, I thought of the Cliff Climber. It's on the same scale as the MRC, but haven't heard many great things from it. It's MOA which means Motor Over Axle as opposed to a shaft-driven crawler. With shafty's you get torque twist and with MOA you get clod stall. It's a trade off. The nickname I hear a lot is the Duracrap Cliff Climber. Also, MOA is mostly reserved for comp crawlers as it has no scale appeal at all. It's not the worst option, but I think you'll be more satisfied with a shaft-driven crawler - it will give you a better taste of the rc crawling world both in building it up and in what is most popular in the community.

But for serious competition rigs, MOA is a top competitor. Especially with the low center of gravity it provides:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPrJWc4J7i0[/youtube]
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-288:1 Gear Ratio
-BB Steering Servo
-Extended Wheelbase
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-Polaris ATV Tires
-Dean Plugs
-1:35 Scale Willy's Flatfender body
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Re: I need some schooling in the ways of Crawlers

Post by PimpFloyd »

I learned a lot from your last post S&M - thanks for that! Just goes to show how little I know about crawling. It looks like a lot of fun and I like the scale aspect of the sport. Some of those guys make some incredible looking trucks!

Sorry if I'm Hi-Jacking a little Namuna :shock:

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Re: I need some schooling in the ways of Crawlers

Post by Namuna »

Alright, I just pulled the trigger on the Losi MRC!

After seeing S&M's vid, I went on Youtube and saw 2 more vids on the MRC. One was of a bone stock MRC crawling around some furniture and the other was of 2 chunky guys doing a review of it (got to see just how "mini" it is!)...I was SOLD after that.

The average going price on this badboy new is $240, not including shipping. But I found a guy selling a new one for $224.95 shipped on ebay. Since I went through Bing Cashback, I'll be getting 15% back. ANNNND ebay has an 'ebay bucks' promo going on and that'll be another $4.20 back as well.

Total paid after all moneys returned: $189.26!

I'm rather pleased with myself and I'm already scoping the living room out for potential crawling layouts! And I'm SURE my 3-1/2 year old son is going to LOVE IT!...Especially when I'm driving the thing ON and OVER him! :lol:
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Smoke&Mirrors
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Re: I need some schooling in the ways of Crawlers

Post by Smoke&Mirrors »

Not bat at all! I think you'll be very happy with your choice. The spektrum radio is nice, the digital servo is working perfect for me (with the servo saver too), the instant reverse on the ESC is hairpin-sensitive... I digress. If you want I'll try and get up some pics of mine how it is now (Fubar Chassis, Venom battery, relocated electronics) and possibly even a video of my living room scene.
Project Willy
ZZMT
-Articulation Mod
-288:1 Gear Ratio
-BB Steering Servo
-Extended Wheelbase
-Widened Axles
-Polaris ATV Tires
-Dean Plugs
-1:35 Scale Willy's Flatfender body
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