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Better crawler


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Right peeps, i am going to save, sell things to get a decent wedge for the purchase of a better crawler, this may take a while so im going to list what i feel is worth a look, lets see what you good peeps feel about the options budget is going to be 400-600 at a push, so take a look at the list and let me know what you would choose and why, im wanting something with very good off road ability and durable plus good parts back up

Traxxas TRX4 Ranger XLT

 

Axial SCX10 iii

 

Gmade Komodo double cab

 

Gmade Buffalo civilian

 

MST CMX

 

Absima CR3.4 Sherpa

 

HPI Venture FJ 

Edited by Jack Reacher
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I HAVE JUST SOLD MY AXIAL SCX10 111 GLADIATOR

FANTASTIC TRUCK LONGER WHEELBASE WENT ANYWHERE THE LADS I  CRAWL WITH MOSTLY HAD TRX4  A GOOD CRAWLER JUST TOP HEAVY EVEN WITH ALL BRASS. ABSIMA SHERPA ( NOT FANTASTIC IN MY THOUGHT)

IM LOOKING FOR NEW CRAWLER NOW AND THINKING ON THE GMADE COMODO DOUBLE CAB

JUST MY THUGHTS THOUGH

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Gmade Buffalo civilian or the HPI venture or the Hobao DC1 or Element Enduro (any really)

TRX4 Fallover 👎 the little i know about you Jack i'd steer so clear of this, pretend they dont exist.
SX10III is a solid choice but i wouldnt get it, full plastic links etc, the new sx10III bronco tho with straight axles and metal links is nice but a fortune and its very big, bigger than the gladiator

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scx10 3 out of any of those. The mst stuff is pretty cool. unfortunately the ventue is a bit outdated these days. Personally id go for the scx10, its new, its current and the aftermarket will be enormous

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48 minutes ago, Bert_w164 said:

How does the Losi Nightcrawler stack up against Jack's list? Don't hear much about them!

 

If they are anything like the original 2.2 night crawlers then it'll have decent performance for "crawling" with the worm gears and relatively low profile axles. I guess most folk want more of a "scale" truck look with a ladder chassis... That said, some of those have some pretty poor bodies where the Losi I personally think looks brilliant 👍

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What about the new Gmade Buffalo pickup (or any of the GS02F trucks)?

 

I love my GS02 Komodo Double Cab, but the newer GS02F chassis models have a few distinct advantages:

- Lower COG

- More front-biased

- 2 speed

- Overdrive options

- More parts and upgrades being produced.

 

If I was on the market for a non-portal truck, that would by my choice. For a portal truck, I like the SCX10 III.

 

Really, though; every truck you've listed will be of FAR better quality and capability than your FTX & Carisma. Pick the one you like most! :good: 

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Thanks for the reples so far, good solid helpful posts, seems i can forget the TRX4 Ranger, i often hear how top heavy it is and that is always a bad thing in a crawler.

Also the HPI can go, maybe to much concern regarding spares and parts, plus it is a little dated.

 

So it could be that an SCX10 III is in the lead and would be a good rig with spares a plenty my only issue here is the fact they only do Jeep shells and i dont care for them, maybe not a deal breaker though and the new Gmade pick up does look sweet with good spec, should be out by time i am ready to buy

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Lol, so many opinions to pick from @Jack Reacher.

 

you know my choice would be the Traxxas Trx4 and learn to drive it properly, you will find it sooooo rewarding!!!

 

hpi venture, is good truck with a few essential mods, but the parts supply is a little worrisome.

 

original scx10 was just awesome and deserved recognition in the top Rc of all time! However the newer models were late coming out, parts supply was/is a joke, rtr electrics have improved but still nothing to jump up and down for and the pricing now is just ridiculous. That new Bronco scx10.3 with portals removed for instance is the same as a new Trx4 which has a enormous parts back catalogue and plenty of 3rd party people making stuff for them.

 

element enduro, no idea, not seen one of these in action or in the flesh.

 

I recall a thread not too long ago I believe was yours @Jack Reacher, asking about the best crawler?

I answered in that too.

 

hang fire and have a go with my Trx4 at the nationals, if you don’t want one (maybe not the Defender but in some form) by then, fair enough and go with something else, it will give you some idea of just what a sorted Trx4 will do on the competition side of things, I’ll even make you a cup of tea :good:

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11 hours ago, Jack Reacher said:

good solid helpful posts, seems i can forget the TRX4 Ranger, i often hear how top heavy it is and that is always a bad thing in a crawler.


you know, learning to drive a rig properly is a FREE upgrade?

 

imagine the camel trophy lads throwing all their supply’s away because it made the truck top heavy??? Don’t be a Chelsea tractor driver.

 

out of all the Rc crawlers I’ve had, at £500 a pop, the 3x new and one used Trx4 I have, I don’t regret spending a penny of it.

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24 minutes ago, Gaz! said:

Lol, so many opinions to pick from @Jack Reacher.

 

you know my choice would be the Traxxas Trx4 and learn to drive it properly, you will find it sooooo rewarding!!!

 

hpi venture, is good truck with a few essential mods, but the parts supply is a little worrisome.

 

original scx10 was just awesome and deserved recognition in the top Rc of all time! However the newer models were late coming out, parts supply was/is a joke, rtr electrics have improved but still nothing to jump up and down for and the pricing now is just ridiculous. That new Bronco scx10.3 with portals removed for instance is the same as a new Trx4 which has a enormous parts back catalogue and plenty of 3rd party people making stuff for them.

 

element enduro, no idea, not seen one of these in action or in the flesh.

 

I recall a thread not too long ago I believe was yours @Jack Reacher, asking about the best crawler?

I answered in that too.

 

hang fire and have a go with my Trx4 at the nationals, if you don’t want one (maybe not the Defender but in some form) by then, fair enough and go with something else, it will give you some idea of just what a sorted Trx4 will do on the competition side of things, I’ll even make you a cup of tea :good:

Oh Gaz you know how to play devils advocate  (in a good way), so lets get my take on the TRX4 and go from there, first up this is a real scale rig, Traxxas NAILED it big time with the Bronco Ranger XLT and no negative points on the drive line, Titan motor locking diff`s and 2s speed trans, i have heard servo`s can die, guess same to be said of a lot of makes (my old carisma Lynx killed its servo first meet i ran it, walk of shame) I do have concerns running this rig on any tough event or course if it rolls down a bad drop it will be real expensive to put say, a new shell on, but of course spares are usually ready available. There is an advantage that a lot of my off road driving is trail driving hence my facebook group and no denying the TRX4 is a great trail rig. 

so maybe i will keep an open mind on the Bronco, and they do come up used but just about mint sometimes.  and to reply to the SCX 10 ii comment yes its a legend, a deserved classic that still cuts the Mustard

 

Might well take you up on the drive and pot of Tea mate

Edited by Jack Reacher
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3 hours ago, Jack Reacher said:

Oh Gaz you know how to play devils advocate  (in a good way), so lets get my take on the TRX4 and go from there, first up this is a real scale rig, Traxxas NAILED it big time with the Bronco Ranger XLT and no negative points on the drive line, Titan motor locking diff`s and 2s speed trans, i have heard servo`s can die, guess same to be said of a lot of makes (my old carisma Lynx killed its servo first meet i ran it, walk of shame) I do have concerns running this rig on any tough event or course if it rolls down a bad drop it will be real expensive to put say, a new shell on, but of course spares are usually ready available. There is an advantage that a lot of my off road driving is trail driving hence my facebook group and no denying the TRX4 is a great trail rig. 

so maybe i will keep an open mind on the Bronco, and they do come up used but just about mint sometimes.  and to reply to the SCX 10 ii comment yes its a legend, a deserved classic that still cuts the Mustard

 

Might well take you up on the drive and pot of Tea mate

Well Jack your in no rush to buy 1 and getting a shot of Gaz's 1 will really help  :good:

Edited by Stormbringer
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23 hours ago, Bert_w164 said:

Hey its Stimpy! How's it going dude? Thanks for that info, genuinely wondered how they stack up against the rest...

 

Must resist, I've been bitten badly by the losi-bug...well @Jack Reacher might be another one to consider 👍🏽

 

hehe, hello dude! Yeah doing ok man, just been killer busy with life... Toys are still waiting for me 👍  I trust you are well?..

 

I had a couple of the old night crawlers many moons ago, they were fun as one of the options also had a dig ( Drive line disconnect) , was a bit of a faff to set up but useful when working... 

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I'm good bud, swimming in RC cars at the moment, ha! I'm going to hold fire on a crawler until I try one in person. Luckily I should be meeting up with @walkbythesea (who has a few) and a few other chaps in a few weeks so will decide then if I need a crawler in the fleet.

 

Your avatar has me captivated, being sideways adds so much to it 😂

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I always find this type of questioning tricky to answer. It is based on many variables; Driving skill level, scale appeal, performance attributes ( Crawl, trail, mud, climb, general) and lets not forget "feel" - which part of that is affected by the control products...

 

I think you are probably after a general well rounded off roader but of more quality parts and with a comfortable level of spares available. Most of the rigs you have listed will do for your intended use, but to fill quality and spares I personally think you need to stick with the big guys from your list - TRX and SCX products.

 

"IF" you were looking at a base scx10 2 then I'd say you could also look at the enduro - though for me whilst it has a clever gearbox I find that also adds weight in the "lightweight"(ish) category of rigs - the body is also ok for performance but not as scale as the Axial. Let's not forget that you have also already experienced a platform similar to that so I would rule them out.

 

A curve ball I would offer which has decent performance, uber quality and spares available would be an SSD Trail King chassis then add your own bits. This would start with an incredible chassis, transmission and axles and is infinitely customisable. I would start by adding some basic bits to it to get you going then upgrade from there. For note, it is  regular axled so if you wanted portals this aint for you.

 

My last curve ball offering would be an RC4wd Trailfinder. They do lack ultimate performance compared to a coil springed truck but offer huge smiles and lots of scale.... Again, no portals.

 

For portals on a reasonable budget with spares back up you are back to the TRX and SCX10 3.

 

As Gaz has said, try some if possible. ** But do bare in mind the feel comment as some great rigs can" feel" poop if not set up to ones own preferences...

 

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13 minutes ago, Bert_w164 said:

I'm good bud, swimming in RC cars at the moment, ha! I'm going to hold fire on a crawler until I try one in person. Luckily I should be meeting up with @walkbythesea (who has a few) and a few other chaps in a few weeks so will decide then if I need a crawler in the fleet.

 

Your avatar has me captivated, being sideways adds so much to it 😂

 

The sideways slant was initially ashamedly down to lack of 'pooter skills! But I then found it added that extra bit of insanity and joy to Stimpy's face so it's a keeper!! 😂

 

Crawlers - in their generic term... can be fun definitely. My interest personally has always been in the Comp stuff and more towards the "rock crawl" rigs and ultimate performance. Trying to make insane lines or find purchase on steep stuff really focuses me and I enjoy that calm. RC ZEN SHIZZLE!! 😂😍👍 

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@stimpy a good friend made a good suggestion (he is not on here but plenty of you will know him) he said to get a TRX4 Ranger xlt bronco, and then get a second cheap pickup shell, paint that up rough and ready, nowt fancy, run the stock shell for trail and easy going venues, but if running a hard venue full on crawling then fit cheap light weight pickup body, then when it rolls down a ravine i wont be crying over a badly damaged expensive scale shell 

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39 minutes ago, stretch said:

Check out the carisma coyote and range rover.

Im pretty much done with carisma, i think i would take an FTX over another Carisma, yes the Coyote can be a decent truck if built from the kit, but they are dated and i wont have another, even think i will sell my Ford F-150 at some point soon

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Love my TRX4 and the list of option parts/stick on tat is huge!   Admittedly I have stuck on a bit of brass (to counter the top weight) but I find it perfectly capable at everything I throw at it and I like how scale it looks.   I also like how smooth the 2nd gear sounds when driving it to a spot that I want to crawl.

 

If I didn't have that then I would probably look at the Gladiator or Enduro.  Again, the part support and general knowledge about is going to be a lot better than slightly less known brands.

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22 hours ago, Jack Reacher said:

Im pretty much done with carisma, i think i would take an FTX over another Carisma, yes the Coyote can be a decent truck if built from the kit, but they are dated and i wont have another, even think i will sell my Ford F-150 at some point soon

Ahh fair do's, I have a trx4 sport as well which is a great bit of kit

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