Capra RTR or Kit “budget” build

[evan9hunter]

Hello everyone... I hope you’re all safe, and staying relatively sane during these truly crazy times.

I’ve been out of the hobby for the past few years, but have been ramping back up since late last year. I came across Axial’s press release on the Capra and I just knew that when I start up again in the hobby, that was going to be the first thing I bought.

So, here’s my dilemma. I‘ve got exactly $450 to spend (plus some sales tax). I know that will cover the RTR. I also used to love building kits. However, $450 doesn’t leave a ton of cash leftover for the components I’d need (I have a radio, receiver, and LiPo but that’s it). I don’t want to be left with a kit I can’t actually drive, or something so cheaply built it would be less reliable than the RTR.

So what should I do? Do I go RTR so I have a running rig and upgrade over time, or should I/can I build a kit for the same budget number? I guess the third option is save up a little more scratch and build the kit they way I’d want it, but patience has never been my strong suit.

I’m just interested in your opinions here. Is the RTR capable enough to have a good time with, and upgrade pieces over time? Or does it make sense to just do the kit as cheap as I can, and re-upgrade certain things if I need to.

Help?

[DeadboltCrawler25]

I'm in nearly the same boat so I'll be following this thread

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[KD0FRQ]

If I were to do it again, I would get the rtr. Building the kit is fun and you get to set it up any way you like, but there is something to be said for unboxing followed by instant tiny truck glory. I enjoy using a truck and seeing what it needs before I spend my extra cash on upgrades that may not have been needed.

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[Fricker08]

So I’m in the process of building a kit right now. I’m only working 3 days a week so I wanted the kit to kill some time. Even if I was working full time I would still get the kit just personal preference.

To the budget, you really only need a 3 channel radio and receiver to run this thing which next to the car will probably be the expensive part.

The other thing to think about is because of the recent 10.3 release some of the best parts are hard to get your hands on ie: hobbywing 1080 esc. But they are out there.
I think it’s going to be tough to stay under $450 and build a kit

Kit $330
Hobbywing 1080 $44
Holmes hobbies trailmaster $17
Steering servo $40-80
Dig servo $15 on backorder, could lock it out though
Stx3 rx/tx $45
you’ll need tires, $50-80
Compact lipo $33 2s $45 3s
Charger if you don’t have one already?
$30-$70

Maybe some other people will chime in but I hope this helps!


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[bigmatt17073]

I bought a RTR a about two weeks ago. There were two big reasons I bought a RTR. First reason is one of the LHS had it in stock, and no one had a kit. The second reason is most of the other stuff I would have most likely bought for it locally or online (amain, etc.) was out of stock everywhere. I have a Spectrum DX5c radio and all manner of receivers were out of stock as was the Spectrum micro 107 servo.

I changed the battery connector to an XT60, messed with the stocks to get a lower ride height, and then opened up the axles and trans because it doesn't come with any grease anywhere before its first drive. I ran mine mostly stock the first time out only doing the shock tuning beforehand and using a set of Injora beadlocks with Hyrax G8 tires from another truck. It worked, but I wasn't that impressed. The stock servo sucks sucks sucks. It is bad. It isn't very powerful and is super slow. It felt like the servo was on a delay. On a trail it might be fine, but I was in rocks and wasn't happy with it (First thing to upgrade!). The gearing is way to fast with the stock 14t pinion also. I ran most of the day with the radio throttle turned down to 50%.

It stayed the RTR for that one day of crawling and afterwards I swapped electronics with my still under construction Enduro Element project. So I put in a HW1080 ESC, Holmes Crawlmaster sport 16t motor, and a Holmes HV500v2 servo. I kept the RTR's receiver and radio as I actually like those. The stock Dynamite motor and ESC went into the Element project. The stock servo is sitting on my workbench unused where it will stay. I went down to an 11T pinion during the parts swap and its a lot better. I still plan to try a 10t or 9t after my order from Vitavon gets here.

[Ghonda99]

It’s honestly going to be tough to do a kit for $450. Personally it’s always kit for me. Hw 1080 and Holmes sport motors are great choices for “budget” electronics. The battery compartment is a weird size so your lipo might not work. Check the Capra battery section for recommendations. Fricker08 was spot on with the prices. It looks like around $550 would be bare bones for a kit to be in running condition.

[evan9hunter]

Thanks for the feedback so far all!

I've actually never bought an RTR from Axial before. I had a Wraith kit at one point, and still have an original SCX10. The SCX10 I did the way I'd prefer to do the Capra. I hand picked every upgrade as I built. I think it has nearly every upgrade Vanquish made for the SCX10, along with a Hitec 7945, and motor/esc combo from Holmes. It was my baby back in the day and still gets trail time.

I considered pilfering some of the parts to use in my Capra build, but then I wouldn't have a trail truck to run with the few guys I do get together with on occasion. They all run TRX-4s. At one point, I considered doing with that kit despite already having a fairly capable trail rig. Then I saw the Capra and my mind was blown

At one point (prior to married, adult life) I had close to 40 vehicles across the spectrum of air/land/water. I kept my DX4S radio system, and have an extra 3-channel receiver or two. I also kept my Hitec dual-charger (I think it's 200w) and HP server PSU I modded to run it.

I'm not much of a tinkerer, when it comes to my trucks. I swear that any massive changes I've ever tried to make to previous vehicles have just not gone very well. I tend to upgrade the servo(s), motor/esc, wheels and tires, and that's usually it.

I suppose with my pension to just upgrade those parts, the kit probably makes more sense. I might not be able to have a running vehicle day one, but I can do the upgrades as I get some wife-approved $$$ rather than paying an extra $125 to do the exact same things on the RTR.

I appreciate the rundown on costs @Fricker. I wouldn't need a radio/receiver or the charger. I could in theory swap the tires/rims I have on my SCX10 over to the Capra to run it, then swap them back to the SCX10 when I wanted to do some trailing. That's the easiest piece to swap back and forth. When I drop those things off, I'm getting pretty close. Grant it, the compound on my SCX10 tires is a little harder than I'd like, but I could still run day #1. I absolutely want DIG (as I've never had a truck with it and have always wanted it) so the backorder note concerns me.

I was a little disappointed to hear about the overall performance on the RTR @bigmatt. I was hoping it would be decent enough out of the box to not immediately need a servo upgrade at minimum. I suppose performance is somewhat in the eye of the beholder, but I appreciate the feedback on your experience with the RTR. If anyone else has had the RTR and has some feedback I'd appreciate it.

I'm still on the fence. But the feedback is helping. Thanks so much!

[Fricker08]

Thanks for the background, the stuff you have definitely helps in your favor to building a kit.
If you’re not ready to buy today, the sx107 servo is supposed to be back in stock around the end of the month.
I’m trying a different servo in my rig but it’s about double the price, and doesn’t have a saver so I have to be careful there.
My dad just picked up a really clean hardly used rtr for $329, but he upgraded to servo, motor and a few other things right off the bat so I’m not sure of the rtr performance out of the box.
Whatever way you decide I’m sure you’ll be happy

*about the wheels and tires, I had some knock off aluminum bead locks from my old 10.2 and they wouldn’t clean the portals. Just a heads up. I’m hoping the fit the 10.3 but if it’s close to the same design I don’t think they would work without spacers.
I believe there’s a wheel fitment thread on here to check that out

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[MAC FAB]

I bought the RTR because I didn't want to have to mess with assembly...... no time or desire to do so. Still have no desire to do so. What is the terrain you run in? Stock tires are good for me when its hot outside or on wet terrain, a lot of granite for me. However, I will chalk them up for learning curve. If I can clean a section with those, something with Spiderman grip will feel like cheating. I have had zero issues with electronics, but I also realize that some situations will result in breaking parts, so I drive accordingly. Yes, you have to add grease, comes dry as a bone as stated. I run 3s with an adapter to deans, throttle trim backed off big time. Electronics may be slow, I'm ok with that, like you desire, I am driving at $500 out the door, rig, ProTek 3s battery and the adapter.

[evan9hunter]

@Fricker, good call out about the wheel spacing with the portals. I had to run extenders on my SCX10 to get them to clear. I'll keep that in mind if I do go that route.

As for my terrain... Truthfully, thinking about where I actually run this thing starts to make it a lot tougher price justification at all. I live in NE Indiana. It's flat, and exposed rock is difficult to come by. The friend I do trail with lives in the Columbus, OH area and certainly has better luck with exposed rock terrain. I have one spot about 45 minutes from my house that would test the Capra a little, but likely not much.

Man, this has me completely twisted now! Haha!

I have the SCX10 I mentioned, and a Traxxas Summit (I basically stole it from a friend getting out of the hobby, and still have some fun with it from time to time). My SCX10 was built to be a bulletproof trail truck that can crawl when required. My thought on the Capra was an extremely capable crawler that won't spend as much time in the trails, but may when driving from location to location.

Maybe that's 100% not the Capra but another vehicle. Great. I just hijacked my own thread

[MAC FAB]

I also have fun in my back yard, the wife's puppy (bad behavior= wife's dog) loves digging to China. She has dug more holes than a piece of Swiss cheese, like harsh craters on the moon. Dirt crawlin' is fun too. Stock tires work great there as well.

[evan9hunter]

Thanks for the feedback @Mac Fab! I have a 4-5 acre retention pond behind the house that's lined with some gnarly limestone. I'd have some terrain there. Most of my actual landscaping is scaled more for the SCX24 (which I picked up a few weeks ago on a whim).

I know this is a crawler. But what's the "speed" like in the RTR? Does this thing move well enough to keep up on a medium pace walk? If I am doing a bit of trailing (in between exposed rock sections) does this handle that? Or is it more of a "pick it up and carry it" to the next section (I know this will have a negative impact on my battery life if I am just driving on flat ground).

[MAC FAB]

Top speed? I'm guessing about 10 mph with the 3s. My RTR thread shows my terrain, I drive for about 2 hrs every time I get out. I've never had to traill run, (I could crawl for about 2 miles non stop then hike back or drive it back) so I couldn't give you anything useful for input there. If its relatively smooth, let her rip. I have no complaints other than finding the time to drive it.

[evan9hunter]

Sooooooooo jealous of that terrain bud! Should have looked at your thread ahead of time. Apologies for that. 🤦🏼*♂️

That's more than fast enough for a brisk walk. Us midwest guys don't have that kind of terrain so a little hike from spot to spot is normal in Indiana and Ohio. Hence the trail driving question.

Good videos too. Thanks for helping out! I'm still on the fence, but you guys have been awesome!

[WhiskeyThrottle]

I enjoy building kits but I got the RTR this time around. I am fortunate to be working all the hours I want currently so time left to build a kit is lacking. I will use it and see what I like and dislike and change it as needed. Stock electronics will go into another project for my nephew.