Axial SCX10 II Deadbolt - first impressions

[celt]

Wanted to see what all the fuss was about, so I figured $299.00? Meh...what could possibly go wrong. My subjective opinion for sure, but I've always liked the Deadbolt body, not fond of the neon green of days past, but the 2018 olive drab green? That hooked me.

After getting everything out of the box I immediately check the gear mesh on any RTR. More folks have issues due to something shaking loose, something binding up during assembly or shipping. Who knows...always a good idea to check things out before that first run. Checked gear mesh and it was surprisingly spot on. Disengaged the pinion and the gearbox seemed smooth enough considering the dried grease would work it's way in after a run or two.

Here's where a quick look pays off. Spinning the drive line in both directions with the pinion off, I noticed a violent notchiness from both axles. The front notchy going forward and the rear when going in reverse. Wow...I would not run it like this. Then the probable issue occurred to me. The one piece locker/ring gear and matching pinion are helical cut, not straight cut. Helical cut ring and pinions will naturally walk the pinion away from the ring gear in one direction and pull it in, in the reverse direction. Disconnected the shafts to confirm...yup, sucks the pinion in one way and pushes it out the other direction. Simple fix: 5x7x0.3mm shim placed between the pinion output shaft and drive shafts. All this does is hold the pinion in a more fixed location so it cannot migrate in on the ring gear. I don't want binding...a wee bit of play is fine, but .75mm is way too much play and would eventually cause excessive wear on both the ring gears and pinions. Don't really care for noisy trucks either, at least not that kind of noise. Also gave the motor bushings on each end a quick drop of high quality bushing oil, just for safe measure.

Got that back together, gave it a spin. Money! Silent and smooth with no binding or slop at all.

https://www.amainhobbies.com/kyosho-...kyo96643/p4142

Dropped in a 3S 3300maH battery and headed out to the yard. Not much in my backyard that would seriously test this rig, but that wasn't my intent. Just wanted to give it a powered up shakedown before doing any serious crawling. Test the radio, set trims...that kind of stuff. The chassis runs smooth, quiet, precise steering for what it is. I see RTR electronics as throw away to be honest, but those that equip the newest Deadbolt are not bad at all. The servo re-centers well, the ESC ran cool and had excellent low speed control, and the 35T motor cool to the touch. Again, not a challenging run, but impressed as anyone could be with a $299.00 investment.

The Axial plastic and molds are as I remember - not nearly the quality of materials and mold preciseness that you'll find in race quality kits. I dare say the Traxxas TRX-4 kit has excellent material and mold quality, but like every product, has issues of it's own. The transmitter is actually quite livable in my opinion. Large grip, but getting used to it. Might even stick with it rather than use my Airtronics M12. I would like to soften the steering spring just a bit and I don't see that as being too difficult.

The "hard core" guys can turn away now:

I'm in no hurry to replace the stock plastic suspension or steering member links. These RTR plastic links are far, far and away superior to what Axial used to include on the RTR SCX10. You know the ones...like freaking rubber. Look at them and they bend under their own weight. These on the 2018 Deadbolt? I don't know, I kind of dig them. They are black, scaled looking, don't stand out, plenty strong for 99% of this rigs intended use, and dirt cheap to replace. My point being, they are rigid enough to get the job done and resilient enough to flex when needing to protect more valuable equipment like your servo. The stock links are staying until they give me reason otherwise.

Another thing to note is that for those that built SCX10 II kits and aren't fond of the three piece servo mount? The RTR Deadbolt and Honcho have a new one piece unit that is of the same piece mold as the battery tray - provides a much more rigid servo mount. So check it out...AX31590.

https://www.rpphobby.com/ProductDeta...31590&CartID=8

The RTR tires? Awesome, no complaints at all. In fact they are better than I expected. Plenty soft, reasonable tread...yeah, tires. Same Axial plastic shocks. No leaking when I opened the box and no leaking after a few yard runs. Jury is out but hey, $299.00 RTR...expect Kyosho Velvets?

So...from what I know after poking around this chassis and running a few packs through it? I think it's a more than fair purchase. I'll even go as far to say it's a solid bargain at $299.00. Do what is needed to make sure the drive train is free before running it hard and it should provide a solid platform for years to come. No one has better third party support than Axial for sure.

[jason02ws6]

I’m glad you mentioned that servo mount. I just posted On here the other day looking for alternate options as I am getting a TON of movement in mine.


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[whitrzac]

This is worthwhile to do on a stock truck...
Axial Racing - SCX10 II Handling Adjustment – $3 Shock Mod

[NitroDarwin]

Originally Posted by whitrzac

This is worthwhile to do on a stock truck...
Axial Racing - SCX10 II Handling Adjustment – $3 Shock Mod

I think i would take the extra time to do the shock arrangement that Harley did in his honcho budget built.

[Capt J-rod]

I built the kit and my buddy is running the crc jeep. I think sometimes guys get more focused on the mods than the true performance increase. When you peel out $100-or $200 then you have to see some return on investment to justify the purchase. I added a vanquish topshaft to my kit to take the slop out of the transmission. $13 Thats it. We run all the time and have a blast. When something breaks then I will upgrade. Congrats on the deadbolt!

[JatoTheRipper]

The more I see the new Deadbolt the more I like it.

I also really like the one-piece rear axle housing. I'm not sold on the one-piece front.

[jason02ws6]

Originally Posted by JatoTheRipper

The more I see the new Deadbolt the more I like it.



I also really like the one-piece rear axle housing. I'm not sold on the one-piece front.

Same here.


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[celt]

Originally Posted by JatoTheRipper

I'm not sold on the one-piece front.

A final solution, perhaps not. I think it's substantially better than the three futzy pieces it is in kit form. The battery tray and servo mount kind of hang off of one another. I'd like to see the servo rotated 90 degrees and pushed forward some reasonable dimension, enough to allow proper bumper mounting. And make it a simple one piece part...get cute with your Cirque du Soleil show, not my servo mount.

[JatoTheRipper]

Originally Posted by celt

A final solution, perhaps not. I think it's substantially better than the three futzy pieces it is in kit form. The battery tray and servo mount kind of hang off of one another. I'd like to see the servo rotated 90 degrees and pushed forward some reasonable dimension, enough to allow proper bumper mounting. And make it a simple one piece part...get cute with your Cirque du Soleil show, not my servo mount.

I've broken C-hubs so I'm glad they are replaceable.

I also have an issue with the servo/battery tray mount cluster. What were they thinking?

[celt]

Originally Posted by JatoTheRipper

What were they thinking?

That's just it...they were thinking too much.

Run an "H-shaped" cross-member in the front, similar to what they've done to fasten the rear shock hoops. Why do I want the battery and servo side-by-side?

done, done and done...

[Ninomaniac]

I wanted to check out the pricing in Europe but, lo and behold, no one has it yet.

[celt]

Originally Posted by Workingstiff

After about an hour and a half.... Do u have a link? I found where he put shock hoops but that was it. Thx Dan

Axial Racing - Blog

[DukeMinnix]

Originally Posted by Workingstiff

After about an hour and a half.... Do u have a link? I found where he put shock hoops but that was it. Thx Dan

He just flipped the rear hoops around and took the front shocks and springs to the rear and the rears up front. If memory serves correct.

[Rekreant]

Originally Posted by celt

A final solution, perhaps not. I think it's substantially better than the three futzy pieces it is in kit form. The battery tray and servo mount kind of hang off of one another. I'd like to see the servo rotated 90 degrees and pushed forward some reasonable dimension, enough to allow proper bumper mounting. And make it a simple one piece part...get cute with your Cirque du Soleil show, not my servo mount.

they need to redesign it just like the bowhouse rc one. It just makes more sense and supports the bumper.

[Rekreant]

Originally Posted by DukeMinnix

He just flipped the rear hoops around and took the front shocks and springs to the rear and the rears up front. If memory serves correct.

Yep. I did the same on my honcho. Takes all of 5 minutes.

[Workingstiff]

Thanks guys, lots of good reading in that blog

Originally Posted by celt

Axial Racing - Blog

So I just got done doing this upgrade on our CRC JK. I'm not sure my 9yr old will notice the difference but I'm sure I will. I know the Deadbolt and the JK have different axels. I should have measured while I was out there,btw. I had to take a rat-tail file to the underside/inside of the shock hoops. Yep, I swapped them side to side. The shock caps were hitting and binding. The axel end of the shocks were splayed out to wide. I still may put a washer or two in between the mount and the shock.