New to kit building

[jeep95]

Hi I'm new to crawling and already have a stock rtr honcho and wraith and am having lots of fun with them but want to build a kit. How much should I expect to spend on completing the rubicon kit? What is the best esc/motor & steering servo set up to use and what is the cheapest but decent set up? Is the integy stuff any good? I would like to only spend 100-150 beyond the price of the kit is that possible?

Thanks

[6sharky9]

Since youre getting a kit you will already get upgrades you don't get on an RTR such as the aluminum lower links and the aluminum steering links.

Considering the amount you have to spend you may want to consider the same ESC your rtr rigs have.
They run abut 50.00 used and are all over ebay.

As far as a radio you can buy a used RTR 2.4 receiver/radio for around $30.00

For a motor look at the Holmes Hobbies 27t they sell for $35.00 or a throw away sealed can type motor like the RTR,s have for less than $15.00

A 16 tooth motor pinion works very well with the stock 87T spur gear and a 27T brushed motor
$6 to $8 shipped.

For a servo either the Hitec 645mg or the savox 0251..Both in the $35.00-$40.00 dollar range with the savox being the more powerful servo.

Other than that you don't really need anything else unless you want it to just have it.

This is what I recommend in you $150.00 budget range.

[corporatelemon]

I run tekin fx-r esc its about a hundred tho but very well worth it have run hard for over a year on 2s lipo and a 15 turn orion sv2

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[corporatelemon]

I do second the holmes motors have only heard good things about them

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[jeep95]

Thanks for the suggestions the new recon looks like an awesome kit so I'm leaning towards getting that. I also have a traxxas tqi 2.4 remote from my slash 4x4. Would a traxxas receiver work with the any esc's you mentioned? They are $20-30 and the manual says the TQI can bind and save settings from multiple receivers.

[6sharky9]

Originally Posted by jeep95

Thanks for the suggestions the new recon looks like an awesome kit so I'm leaning towards getting that. I also have a traxxas tqi 2.4 remote from my slash 4x4. Would a traxxas receiver work with the any esc's you mentioned? They are $20-30 and the manual says the TQI can bind and save settings from multiple receivers.

Any radio will work with the matching receiver.

The fxr should work as well..A 15T may be a little too much speed but since its a mod motor look for a 27T or 35T armature and put it in it.

You can set your timing for max torque or more speed if you want it.

But I recommended the 16T pinion with a 27T Motor..Not sure how it would be with a 15T motor but always watch motor temps anyway..you don't really want to be over 135-140 range..I guess use whats been working for you pinion wise

[racin707]

My opinion is, and the reason I pick kits is, because I don't want any of the stock electronics and week links, so id take your time building it and get the electronics and nice servo that you want or decide what works be best. or id just go rtr but at the same time building is a blast ! :beer:

[Johnnysplits]

Originally Posted by jeep95

I would like to only spend 100-150 beyond the price of the kit is that possible?

Noooope. I have '12 rubicon kit still in the box while I collect parts for the build. I've already got over $300 in parts sitting here and don't have everything yet. $150 will get you an esc and a cheap motor...that's about it.

[jeep95]

I guess if I'm going to spend the extra money and go the kit route saving up for better electronics to go with the upgraded drivetrain/suspension would be worth it. What is the best waterproof set up for crawling? thats the main thing i would change with my rtrs.

[6sharky9]

Keep this in mind..If you go with the best electronics and run a super hi torque motor then be pre-paired to replace just about everything in the drivetrain to handle it.
Nothing even in the kit form is designed to withstand that...so save up your 300 dollars or more for the esc motor combo then plan to save up another 300-400 to replace all your axles and trans gears and drive shafts and whatever else you will break...If its in your budget then go it.

didnt you say you had an FXR esc and a 15t sv2 motor?..Whats wrong with those electronics?

The motor I don't think will suit your needs but a holmes hobbies 27t or a 35t for $35.00 plus shipping would ...it would with a stock esc as well using a 2s lipo.

[Johnnysplits]

Originally Posted by jeep95

I guess if I'm going to spend the extra money and go the kit route saving up for better electronics to go with the upgraded drivetrain/suspension would be worth it. What is the best waterproof set up for crawling? thats the main thing i would change with my rtrs.

I don't know if it's the best because I've never owned one, but I just got a HH BRXL waterproof esc. The steering servo I waterproofed myself...and I highly recommend it...a Solar D772. Plenty of torque, digital, metal gears, aluminum case, and CHEAP!! $17.50 As far as motors go, I'm going brushed...a pair of Turnigy 35T pro lathe motors. Another part I can recommend is to get a motor cover from Outerwears. It will keep sand, silt, mud and crap out of the motor. This will be my first rig ever to see water, so I keep reading as much as I can to pick up tips here and there. But yeah, you can easily break the $1000 mark once you get going on a build. That's why it takes me months to get all the parts together before I start building.

[jeep95]

Those sound like good options. Basically I want to end up with a more personalized truck that is a little better than stock rtr but not super expensive since I already bought 4 trucks this year. Its pretty addicting. I was going to buy the rtr Rubicon so my brother could use my Honcho but then decided I wanted to build a kit and make something a little better than stock and waterproof if I was going to buy another scx10. Is it cheaper to buy the kit with the upgrades (I like the aluminum shocks and metal linkages) than upgrade an RTR?

[Johnnysplits]

For me and a lot of other people, RTR means...ready to replace. Whenever there are two of the same vehicle and available in RTR and kit form, you ALWAYS go for the kit. Kits allow you to build it which makes servicing and repairs so much easier because you know how everything went together. Another plus is that you usually get upgrades with a kit as well as better quality plastics. Damn man 4 new trucks this year!! You beat me...this year I got the wraith, sprint 2 flux, and now the '12 rubicon kit that i'm spending a small fortune collecting parts for.

[jeep95]

Yeah I started with the slash 4x4 then got a RWD slash for my brother to drive then tower hobbies had a sale on the scx10 so I thought Id give that a try. I'm really having fun with crawling so I just ordered the poison spyder wraith for my bro to drive. all of them are RTRs so I want to try a kit to build something waterproof and little more personalized once I saw the recon G6 come out. Basically my brother somehow talks me into buying stuff for him to drive so I end up getting two of everything.