Which Wraith to buy

[Mudfrog]

I have a Ridgecrest but I'm thinking about giving it to my son and building a Wraith. It would be used for 60% Trail / 40% Crawling. There are 3 Wraiths available. I'd love to do the kit but I'm more of a RTR guy, unless I could get the ESC, Motor and Servo on the cheap.

To me the main difference I could see is that the Spyder had beadlocks while the standard kit had lights. I could care less for lights.

If I do the kit the Brushed motor is $20, ESC ~$50 and a decent servo is $50. Which isn't horrible but that would be for the stock motor and ESC in the RTR.

Anyone know of a better motor / esc combo for under $100?

[cmnyj28]

I personally would do the kit. The Kit has better upgrades and it's a fun and easy build.

[Jus]

Get the kit. Build it right from the start. Way less headaches in the long run. Rethink your electronics budget too. I can't see any $50 servo lasting long on a wraith used for *any* crawling, or trails either. At least not the trails I run mine on.

[Mudfrog]

Originally Posted by Jus

Get the kit. Build it right from the start. Way less headaches in the long run. Rethink your electronics budget too. I can't see any $50 servo lasting long on a wraith used for *any* crawling, or trails either. At least not the trails I run mine on.

Well $75 buys a good servo. I've used much less and haven't had any issues as of yet.

I'm more concerned about the motor / esc though.

[Jus]

An Axial AE-2 with a Castle 10A BEC would be an ok esc.

AXIAL Poison Spyder Wraith AE-2 ESC w/ drag brake 2S Lipo

The wraith can be hard on motors so I'd try to get the best motor you can. I'm a big fan of the Holmes torquemaster Pro. Their expert motors aren't bad but my wraith wasn't too kind to a 35t expert that I ran for half a year. That motor is still going strong in my TF2 but was having stalling issues in the wraith.

[infokiz]

I love to build kits and almost always choose that option when it's available. With your intended use and not having the esc/motor/servo. The RTR would be a much better choice. Harley has extensively tested and worked with the beadlocks that come on the poison spider wraith and has had problems with them popping beads. Unless you're really just wanting the body, I would go for the green and black one.

For your intended use, The RTR motor and ESC will work fine. I bought the wraith when it first came out and it suffered much abuse at the hands of my 1:1 crawling buddy's. Who never had driven much less owned a hobby grade RC. They beat on it a lot.

A few things I would do to the RTR before driving it is swap out the screws that hold the C-hubs and knuckles on the front axle to a same size and length machine thread, then lower the gearing.

[Mudfrog]

I bought the PS RTR. I saw a build thread that axial did on the Kit and they still replaced most of the main components. So I ordered the kit with the following:

Axial 1/10 Wraith Jeep Wrangler Poison Spyder RTR
Axial Stage 1 Aluminum Links Kit Wraith
Axial Universal Axle Set
Axial Aluminum Servo Horn 25T

The kit and all of the above only totaled $433. It came with a free 3000mah NIMH that I'll resell for $10 or so.

I'm going to order some Topcad aluminum pieces from Asiatees and call it a day for a while.

I think it will be a fairly capable rig for now.

[Mudfrog]

I picked up the PS for the beadlocks alone. Seeing the above post I have canceled that and switched the order to the standard RTR. I will sipe the Ripsaws like my Ridgecrest and eventually pick up some different beadlocks and tires.

[Mudfrog]

What is a good Steering Link set to go with? I have an STRC on the Ridgecrest and it is "ok". It's the only thing left to order atm.

[Bansh88]

Lights are actually pretty cool. ONE time out after dark and you'll be stoked you have them.
I am still running a stock ESC. I've installed a BEC to run my hitec 5954. I bought a 45t Holmes Hobbies Torquemaster sport. AWESOME crawling ability. Slow as a snail

I picked up XR10 beadlocks for $25-30 bucks. Internal weights and the abilty to run slugs. I tossed the idea of moving electonics/battery around now that i have so much front end weight. It's a billy goat!

[Mudfrog]

Ok, this is what I've ordered.. I hope it's enough for now lol. Now to hide the bill from the wife..

Axial 1/10 Wraith Rock Racer 4WD 2.4GHz RTR
Axial Stage 1 Aluminum Links Kit Wraith
Axial Universal Axle Set
Axial Aluminum Servo Horn 25T
Axial Wraith Aluminum C-Hub Carrier Caster Block (2) Gun Metal
Axial Wraith Aluminum Heavy Duty Steering Block (2) Gun Metal
Axial Wraith Aluminum Lower Suspension Link Mount (2) Gun Metal x2
Axial Wraith Aluminum Rear Axle Lock-out (2) Gun Metal
Axial Wraith Aluminum Servo Mount Gun Metal
CKRC's Wraith Hood Hinge Kit
Axa115 M3x10mm Hex Socket Button Head (Black) (10pcs)
Vanquish Titanium Steering Links Kit Wraith
Axa1331 Axial Flanged Ball 3x5.8x7mm

[Mudfrog]

Originally Posted by Bansh88

Lights are actually pretty cool. ONE time out after dark and you'll be stoked you have them.
I am still running a stock ESC. I've installed a BEC to run my hitec 5954. I bought a 45t Holmes Hobbies Torquemaster sport. AWESOME crawling ability. Slow as a snail

I picked up XR10 beadlocks for $25-30 bucks. Internal weights and the abilty to run slugs. I tossed the idea of moving electonics/battery around now that i have so much front end weight. It's a billy goat!

I have always liked the XR10's but they usually bring such a high price. I'll continue to keep an eye out for them. Either that or in a few months I'll jump all in and order some actual aluminum beadlocks.

[iafr8e]

Looks like you're off to a good start.

I personally bought a PS Wraith RTR and if I were to do it again I would have gone with a kit.

There is just more I want out of this vehicle than either of the RTR's offer.

I've already replaced the servo and steering links. Motor and esc are next. Then on to more goodies.

That being said though I still have a blast every time I drive it.

[evan03]

Hobby king hxt 10kg. Awesome long lasting servo for about 10 bucks. Runs on the trails crawls or cartwheels down the street with authority.

Guys here have no idea how to build on a budget. The crawler works seems very protected from the rest of the rc world.

[Mudfrog]

Well a little update. I received my Wraith yesterday as well as my first delivery of goodies. Last night I flipped the shock mounts, installed the universals and steering links. The other day I ordered a set of 2.2 TSL Swampers, axial 8 hole beadlocks, HH Crawlmaster 13T, MIP Driveshafts, Steel Tranny Gears and GMade Zero Shocks.

I wasn't planning on ordering all this but I just kept doing it lol. The kit would have been best from a money standpoint, but what's done is done.

Anyway a few pics so far. (Some of the parts are for other trucks as well)

[Indetrucks]

I've never been a RTR guy. I think 80% of the fun is building the kit and knowing how it went together. This way when something breaks, you are more inclined to dive right in and fix it without being easily overwhelmed.

In the end, ya did what makes ya happy.
It looks great BTW!

What figures are you guys using in your kits?
They look great and to scale.

[Mudfrog]

This figure is Grayson Hunt from the video game Bulletstorm. I'm eventually going to go in a post apocalyptic "Mad Max" direction with the Wraith so I figured he would fit the bill pretty well.

Amazon.com: NECA Bulletstorm "Grayson Hunt" 7" Action Figure 1: Toys & Games

He looks a little large to me but I don't think I had him all the way back in the seat due to a belt he wears.

[MAVERICKJK]

Originally Posted by Indetrucks

I've never been a RTR guy. I think 80% of the fun is building the kit and knowing how it went together. This way when something breaks, you are more inclined to dive right in and fix it without being easily overwhelmed.

Agreed. I'm far from determining the outcome, but again, I believe I can buy the rtr then sell the parts I don't use... which will be most as I collected a vast array of parts. First, I'll have to disassemble the rtr, THEN build 'my' wraith from the ground up.

[Mudfrog]

Originally Posted by MAVERICKJK

Agreed. I'm far from determining the outcome, but again, I believe I can buy the rtr then sell the parts I don't use... which will be most as I collected a vast array of parts. First, I'll have to disassemble the rtr, THEN build 'my' wraith from the ground up.

I was going to keep everything (with the exception of the wheels / tires) for backup. Is anything really selling for that much?

[Bansh88]

You can flip the shock mounts to lower the ride quite a bit. Makes for a better car in most circumstances