What kits are out there?

[Kingmeow]

I've been away from crawling for many many years. Back then I got a (still have it) SCX10 Jeep Rubicon RTR which was hot stuff if I remembered correctly.

Recently, due to the quarantine and no where to go I decided to dust it off and just run it as I walk around the neighborhood. Then when the shelter in place was relaxed a little I took to it a reservation and did some trail running, then some light rock crawler, well, you know how the rest goes.

Now I want to get another rig but this time I want to build it myself. I fly R/C planes and helicopters so I've been in R/C for quite some time and I've built and flown a 500 size helicopter so I guess I like building.

Doing a quick recon, I noticed the following when one mentions "kit":

- Capra
- SCX10.3
- Various flavors of TRX-4
- Ubber expensive Vanquish

Am I missing anything that's worthwhile to consider? I don't want anything that's a blip outside the Bell curve and be so esoteric that you can't get aftermarket parts, support, etc.

The Vanguish to too expensive and I want to avoid the SCX10.3 only because I want something different than what I have now. Yes, I realized the .1 and .3 are different but concept wise they are similar to me.

I have nothing against my .1 Jeep Rubicon and I do like Axial's quality and choice of materials. I'm also not choosy when it comes to body.

Usage would be trail running and light crawling.

[Timmahh]

Look into the GCM Stuff. They are Canadian, most everything is built in house (there in Canada, all cnc and assembly and work etc)

They do some pretty uber scale things. Not cheap, but no more than the Vanquish rigs if you are more into the scale side over the crawling side.

I hear if you want to do a top end rig the Vanquish kits are nice.

I am building 2 SSD Kits (basically upgraded SXC10 II kits) very very nice straight axle kits. I imagine they'll have a portal version at some point. But These can be converted to portals I think using the SSD SCX10 II Portal Upgrades, but I am not sure.

It is a very nice kit to build no doubt.

Thinking of an SCX10 III myself. Or maybe a Capra or Rock Rey (just RTR in the Rock Rey)

[HumboldtEF]

SSD Trail king and the Element Enduro

[Kingmeow]

Timmahh, wow, you're right, not cheap at all but they do look good! A bit outside of the Bell curve for me.

Humboldt, thanks, will take a look at both. I wasn't aware of them.

[Inspector86]

The GCM stuff is designed to be scale not to be reliable or capable, it is expensive and is certainly not mainstream. I would recommend one of the TRX4 kits. One look at the vast aftermarket support for the TRX4 should give you a clue to it's popularity.

[Piranhaboy]

I second the trx4 kit. I just picked one up and put it together today. So far it seems like a very sturdy rig and there is just a plethora of aftermarket parts from cheap to high end. The element kit also looks like a great choice.


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[$uicide $hift]

You don't really want an SCX10 III

You want to trail and light crawl

Vanquish too expensive

down to Capra and TRX-4

Capra is overkill for light crawling. If you care at all about scale as in what you would see driving down the road, the Capra is not it. If you like the looks of the Capra this may be the rig for you as it will be much more of a different experience compared to your SCX10 OG.

If looking more for scale:

TRX-4 great solid rig with lots of aftermarket support. Great for trailing due to being able to unlock the diffs and will hand more than light crawling if wanted.

As others mentioned the SSD Trail King. Since you state trailing and light crawling you may not want a rig with Portals such as the Capra and TRX-4. The SSD Trail King is scale and built with all upgraded parts already. You won't really need to upgrade any parts due to durability.

For what you have stated I would go with in this order:

1. SSD Trail King

2. TRX-4

3. Capra

[charlesd]

Another company is Gmade.

I have the Gmade BOM and it's a great truck. Very solid and capable.

[Kingmeow]

Originally Posted by $uicide $hift

You don't really want an SCX10 III

You want to trail and light crawl

Vanquish too expensive

down to Capra and TRX-4

Capra is overkill for light crawling. If you care at all about scale as in what you would see driving down the road, the Capra is not it. If you like the looks of the Capra this may be the rig for you as it will be much more of a different experience compared to your SCX10 OG.

If looking more for scale:

TRX-4 great solid rig with lots of aftermarket support. Great for trailing due to being able to unlock the diffs and will hand more than light crawling if wanted.

As others mentioned the SSD Trail King. Since you state trailing and light crawling you may not want a rig with Portals such as the Capra and TRX-4. The SSD Trail King is scale and built with all upgraded parts already. You won't really need to upgrade any parts due to durability.

For what you have stated I would go with in this order:

1. SSD Trail King

2. TRX-4

3. Capra

Excellent info and got me thinking on the choices! So if I were to go TRX-4 as many have mentioned here, do I go Sport kit or the higher end kit? I do realize that the TRX-4 has a TON of aftermarket support and any LHS (whatever is left of them) will carry parts.

I'm going to go and take a look at the SSD videos...

[$uicide $hift]

Originally Posted by Kingmeow

Excellent info and got me thinking on the choices! So if I were to go TRX-4 as many have mentioned here, do I go Sport kit or the higher end kit? I do realize that the TRX-4 has a TON of aftermarket support and any LHS (whatever is left of them) will carry parts.

I'm going to go and take a look at the SSD videos...

As for SSD yes look at videos and research it. I have not had the chance yet to try this rig but from the consensus on this forum it is a great build, very scale, non portal, rig.

As for TRX-4 Sport vs the other variants with 2 speed / unlocking diffs, it would come down to the following differences:

Sport:

Lighter body with minimal scale accessories for better pure crawling experience. No unlocking diffs, it will trail fine but for trailing the unlocking diffs are nice. They are not needed just a nice feature.

Some want a pure crawler and go for the sport because it does not have all the extra bells and whistles they don't need and it is lighter for better side hilling and climbing steep inclines etc... This does not mean it cannot trail great, most people make this choice when they want more of a crawler or sometimes due to budget and they can add the other options later on if they want to.

Bronco / Defender / Blazer etc:

These rigs are more scale obviously. They have larger bodies with more scale accessories that will challenge the rig when pure rock crawling. They still rock crawl great but the large heavy body can get hung up on rocks more easily and it will be more tippy on side hilling and steep inclines etc...

This setup comes with the 2 speed which is nice for when trailing as well as the unlocking diffs. This gives a more scale experience and makes the rig handle higher speed turns with unlocked diffs. You cannot go full speed and cut the wheel but it will handle a higher speed turn better thus better at trailing.

Now either of these rigs can be modified easily to suite your desired driving style and terrain. If you feel the 2 speed with unlockable diffs is not something you are interested in go with the sport or SSD trail king. If you like the 2 speed with unlocking diffs go with the bronco blazer etc.....

You can always make changes to either model to dial it in to your preference. If you go sport route and want the unlocking diffs you can purchase and add after albeit at a bit higher cost than getting it from the start. And if you go with the Bronco you can always remove the unlockable diffs as some have done this to lighten up the rig when they feel it would provide a better crawler experience.

Bottom line you cannot go wrong with any of the choices. They are all great platforms. I think you need to decide what rig fits your driving style best.

I mean honestly between your OG SCX10 and the SSD Trail King / TRX-4 there is not a huge difference in driving experience. All of those are scale with narrow axles and 1.9 wheels. The portals will make the other rigs handle larger obstacles better and the new rigs are built with better quality plastics / parts etc.

The Capra will be more of a different experience driving. It has portals with 2.2 wheels and wider axles. This rig will handle pure rock crawling better out of the box effortlessy. Since you say "light crawling" I am thinking you may get bored with the Capra as it will just roll over that stuff like it was on pavement.


**EDIT**

Oh BTW I was in the same position as you are now. I have the 2012 Rubicon OG SCX 10 too. I also have an OG 2.2 Wraith. I ran with these since 2014 as nothing came out that really made me feel it was worth spending the money over what I already had.

Back in Dec I was bored and wanted to try out the TRX-4 due to unlocking diffs and 2 speed. When I got it my OG SCX did not sit on the shelf. I still loved my OG and drove both. The most noticable difference with the TRX-4 bronco was that it could clear larger obstacles due to the portals but my OG SCX10 was more planted with a droop suspension setup. It would belly drag over obstacles the TRX would not but it could side hill much better and was more planted on more difficult terrain. The Driving experience with the Bronco was more fun trailing due to 2nd speed and the unlocked diffs. Additionally it was just fun to play with those options.

When the SCX10 III came out I had to get one as it was the first Axial rig released that had enough changes in design for me to warrent the price. I love the SCX10 III mostly due to two factors for me: A. It has dig which I love when crawling and B. it has the lower ratio transmission gears. I am able to gear it down to almost 100:1 and then put in a large motor. Currently setup with Caslte Slate 3800Kv and get 6MPH in first and just under 9MPH in second. I do wish as others that there was more of a speed difference between first and second however. Due to minimal speed difference and no unlocking diffs I think you would be happier with the TRX-4 with your stated purpose for the rig. The Fiance will enjoy it more IMO for trailing and you will enjoy it more for crawling as it does both GREAT! Had you said you wanted more of a dedicated crawler I would have suggest the SCX10 III only because I find the dig function more useful than unlocking diffs when pure crawling and especially technical crawling.

If I am on my rock course I take the SCX10 III more often than the TRX-4. If I am trailing the TRX-4 gets the nod. Both trail and crawl great and I use both for those purposes. I just trail more with the TRX and crawl more with the SCX purely due to enjoying dig more when crawling and unlocked diffs when trailing. If I had to give one of the two up it would be a difficult choice as I love both. I say this to enforce my statement that you cannot go wrong with any of these choices. They really are great rigs. Make a decision and down the road you may buy another just to have something slightly different that you enjoy. A second also is great for times when one breaks down and you are waiting on parts!

[Kingmeow]

Originally Posted by $uicide $hift

I mean honestly between your OG SCX10 and the SSD Trail King / TRX-4 there is not a huge difference in driving experience. All of those are scale with narrow axles and 1.9 wheels. The portals will make the other rigs handle larger obstacles better and the new rigs are built with better quality plastics / parts etc.

The Capra will be more of a different experience driving. It has portals with 2.2 wheels and wider axles. This rig will handle pure rock crawling better out of the box effortlessy. Since you say "light crawling" I am thinking you may get bored with the Capra as it will just roll over that stuff like it was on pavement.

@$uicide $hift, first of all thank you for your time in writing all that up. It is greatly appreciated. I had to read it 3x to digest everything you said. LOL! And what you wrote in the above quote kind of made a light bulb light up above my head!

Then I stumbled upon a "Capra vs. TRX-4" two page thread here and read through everything and pretty much everyone said what you said. The 1.9 SCX10, SSD, TRX-4 are similar enough in that they belong to one category - 1.9 scale rigs and not much of a driving difference. The Capra is in another, different, column.

Not that there's anything wrong with my current SCX10 0G, it serves me just fine and I go trailing and light crawling with it with no complaints, now I just want something that I can build and different than what I have. What you said about having another rig while one is waiting for parts is a valid reason too!

As for if I will be bored with the Capra because it can just about climb anything? Well this is my backyard. It was taken in the Winter time from a second floor bedroom. The two large boulders near the orange streamer is about 3-4 foot in diameter to give you a sense of scale. That rock line is only half. There's another half of rocks on the left side, outside of the camera's view. So double the width. Lastly, the rocks delineate my property line. And what's behind it? Wild land owned by the town and not used for anything so if I build a course 5 feet into it, nobody will know or care.



Yes, I've tried to attack those rocks and my SCX10 0G Jeep Rubicon and wasn't so successful. Maybe it's the stock tires.

[Kingmeow]

Originally Posted by $uicide $hift

The Capra will be more of a different experience driving. It has portals with 2.2 wheels and wider axles.

Oh, BTW, can the Capra use 2.2 wheels? I'm pretty sure you 2.2 above was a typo as I thought it comes with 1.9 wheels?

[$uicide $hift]

Originally Posted by Kingmeow

Oh, BTW, can the Capra use 2.2 wheels? I'm pretty sure you 2.2 above was a typo as I thought it comes with 1.9 wheels?

Yes you are right! I think I had that in my head reading of people that were going with 2.2 tires. I mean putting 2.2 tires on the Capra will make it even more capable on your rock piles. But stock yes 1.9.

Is that rock pile your idea of light crawling?

Your stock SCX10 Jeep's tires SUCK!!!! Once I changed out those tires it was much more enjoyable to run. The scale 1.9 rigs can run those rocks in your yard, those rigs just need to take more time picking the best line to get through. The Capra will just have more lines available to it so it will crawl over that pile much easier.

I have often looked at the Capra and want to try it out, I just don't want to spend the money on it.

[Kingmeow]

Originally Posted by $uicide $hift

Y
Is that rock pile your idea of light crawling?

LOL!!! No, that's not my idea of light crawling. I remembered a few years ago when I first got my SCX10 0G I immediately headed over to my backyard. Major fail and I never tried it again. I relegated it to trail running and light crawling if I see a small bunch of rocks while trail running.

I stopped for a few years and now tried to get back into it when two of my friends who I fly planes with recently got rock crawlers.

I suspected it was my stock tires but wasn't sure. Time to go shopping...

[MOguy]

I have a older Wraith 2.2 and older Axial SCX10 an Enduro I built and a TRX4 with selectable lockers and trans. The Wraith is fun to drive but noting I would consider for crawling. People seem to like the newer 1.9s.

I like the TRX4 best. It has the lowest center of gravity and I like how it drives. The Enduro center of gravity is high and its suspension is odd, it sort of hops around. The SCX10 is fine.

The motor and trans are in line and sit low in the TRX4 and even with the portals it doesn't tip as easy as the others. If you want it lower you can do a portal delete. The engine and trans are higher in the SCX10 but not much as in the Enduro they sit high. I don't like how the Enduro drives. BUT my son drives the Enduro and he likes it.

If you go with a TRX4 YOU HAVE TO DUMP the body, unless you get the sport. Other Than the sport the TRX4 bodies are just to big and heavy.

[Timmahh]

Edited to correct my Fckup. lol Whoops. Sorry to get your hopes up folks.

I misunderstood the SUN (Scale Update News) Harley Designs puts out. He announced the 319 price, but the grfx under this part mentioned 279, and waiting six months and that may be the new lower price.

so the SSD kits are 319, not under 300 as I originally thought. Should have smoked that fatty BEFORE I listened to his Monday podcast, not after. lol


For anyone reading. I hears there has been ANOTHER Price Drop on the SSD Trail King kit. Now around 279. Just three months ago, I paid 369. then picked up a 2nd when they went to 319. Now the're down to 279. That means I should get a 130.00 credit to buy a 3rd kit. lol 90 difference from the 1st one, and 40.00 from the 2nd one. Then Id only have to pay the 150.00 difference for the 3rd kit (Hint Hint. lmao)

But yeah, I heard the price was just lowered on them again, FYI.

[JatoTheRipper]

Originally Posted by Timmahh

For anyone reading. I hears there has been ANOTHER Price Drop on the SSD Trail King kit. Now around 279. Just three months ago, I paid 369. then picked up a 2nd when they went to 319. Now the're down to 279. That means I should get a 130.00 credit to buy a 3rd kit. lol 90 difference from the 1st one, and 40.00 from the 2nd one. Then Id only have to pay the 150.00 difference for the 3rd kit (Hint Hint. lmao)

But yeah, I heard the price was just lowered on them again, FYI.

And it's such a great kit! Definitely doesn't get the love it deserves. It's basically an updated SCX10 II with a cooler and more scale drive train. It'll out crawl any stock TRX-4 or SCX10 III.

[RCO]

Thanks for the hint Timmahh!
Order placed.. i’ll go for the ProKit with aluminium Shock Hoops.

[GA Dawg]

Where are you seeing the Trail King for $279? I just looked at Amain and it's still $319.

[JatoTheRipper]

Originally Posted by RCO

Thanks for the hint Timmahh!
Order placed.. i’ll go for the ProKit with aluminium Shock Hoops.

The SSD Trail King kit?

Originally Posted by GA Dawg

Where are you seeing the Trail King for $279? I just looked at Amain and it's still $319.

The price must have gone back up...