New guy and not sure what direction to go

[jcareyDFW]

I've been interested in the RC Crawler hobby for a few years now and think I am about ready to jump in. I thought I had my heart set on an Axial SCX10 but have since started looking at the RC4WD C2X and the Element RC Crawlers. I'm sure any of these option's capabilities would exceed mine at this point but would appreciate input on the value of one over the other. Perhaps there's another option I should be considering. Is one more upgradable than another? Does one come more upgraded than the others out of the box? I'm getting that feeling on the RC4WD and kind of leaning towards going that direction. Any input and guidance from the experts is appreciated.

[mikemcE]

As someone who’s played with all of those, look past the RC4WD rigs. Yes great detail, pretty good specs, and fit and finish are nice. That said not a lot of performance without lots of work.
Axial has been the trend setter in crawling and element are the new kids.

All that said , my element across the board has been the best for the bang.
Lotsa upgrades available from mother associated, and axial has many companies making upgrades.

I’ll also say look at Traxxas TRX4, many rave about theirs. I personally don’t play with Traxxas.

Bottom line? Get what you like the most. My preference may be the opposite of what YOU like.
Here’s a RC4WD truck made by JDM a lot of fun and lots of tinkering regularly.


Hang up and Drive

[Goro Majima]

The C2X is a very nice rig to start with, as RC4WD is known for their scale stuff. It may be quite a bit more expensive than a SCX10II rig but you're obviously paying for those better parts that come with. IMO if you want something as capable right out from the jump and has a plastic hard body, you get the C2X. But if you like modifying, making something your own and buying tons of parts for it to make it a performer, Axial has so much stuff for their SCX rigs. You'll have fun either way.

[indybama]

Imo, rc4wd is a bit pricey n more scale based. N dont seem to be as capable as the scx10 ii or the element trucks. As for upgrades, axial has endless options for upgrades. The element is comin around in the aftermaket world, slowly but surely. U want a good capable rig out of the box, axial scx10 ii is a great choice, as is the traxxas trx4. The trx4 sport has a single speed trans n locked diffs, less to go wrong electronically. The trx4 (bronco, blazer, defender, tactical) has 2 speed trans, n manual locking diffs, both use a micro servo, which can potentially fail. But its a very durable n capable rig out of the box.

If i were to choose, id go axial because of aftermarket parts support n theyre durable. But which one catches your eye? Which do u feel would make u the happiest? Fun is the name of the game lol. If youre happy n havin fun with which ever rig u buy, then u made the right choice

[smc-93]

In the end the best rig is anyone that puts a smile on your face. And you'll probably end up with more than one anyway

TLDR: I might not be to helpful, I don't think you can go wrong with any of those options.

My 2¢? If you want a capable RTR, get a SCX10II or III. The TRX4 or 6 is one of the most expensive options but are great trucks. You can still get down to the $300-$400 range with a Sport in RTR or kit form if you're not interested in the 2-speed and remote diff-lockers. Keep in mind, the TRX trucks and the 10.3 each have portal axles but I don't think the 10.3 portals offer any reduction like the TRX.

If a kit tickles your fancy, I highly recommended the SSD Trail King, if you find them in stock. They're a well made solid kit that's almost link a pre-upgraded (with SSD aftermarket parts) 10.2. mine turned out to be my favorite truck out of 6 chassis I've had experience with.

I don't have any personal experience with any RC4WD trucks but I've been told they break easily, they might have just been referring to the Yota axle though.

I've been told the elements are good RTR trucks but don't have any personal experience, yet. I do plan on buying the Knight runner at some point.

All these trucks have very good part support and huge aftermarkets

Sent from my LM-V600 using Tapatalk

[twade984]

That’s a tough question to answer, it can take some time in the hobby and experience with several rigs to figure what exactly you value the most. That being said, there’s almost no wrong choice, all of the major names have something of value to offer. What’s important is to not expect a particular truck to be something it wasn’t intended to.

I haven’t owned one, but the consensus seems to be rc4wd for scale accurate, less capable, less reliable trucks.

Trx4 can be very realistic up until you get to the portal axles. Very reliable, not a bad value for what you get, plenty of aftermarket if you want to tinker, and not the most capable, but not bad at all.

Axial, scx10.2 - proven geometry/capability, great platform to build from, tons of aftermarket, not the most reliable in stock form, and not the greatest quality of components, (assuming rtr, leaky shocks, weak rod ends, plastic trans gears, sintered axle gears, generally weak plastic throughout the chassis, plastic pivot balls, plastic links, etc).
Scx10.3- bodies are super accurate, offer high level of detail, shocks are not the best, but miles better than previous 10.2 versions, after market is pretty good, stainless links, stainless pivot balls, much beefier pretty much all around compared to 10.2, rtr electronics are some of the best imo, not the best or most universal platforms to build from.

Element, very capable box stock, stainless links, o/d to the front axle stock, okay electronics, very good shocks, decent platform to build from, decent factory upgrades options, not the most realistic, or aesthetically pleasing (except maybe the knight runner ), axle housings are bulky particularly the diff, and they do not use high pinion axle gears, also I’ve heard people have pinion bearing failures due to them being slightly under sized compared to other brands. Relatively good value though for what you get.

All that being said, I would say pick whatever vehicle you like the looks of best out of element, axial, or Traxxas and buy that one. Run it until something breaks, and figure what aspects you like or dislike about it. Depending on what those things may be, you can either upgrade/modify your existing truck, or find a different platform closer to what you are wanting, and buy that as well. Most people end up with several rigs, as they all have something to offer.

[CURL3FR13Z]

Stick to a smaller Crawler, as parts are generally cheaper. I guess I'm a little biased, but the Axial scx24 is your best bet. Lots of upgrades, but great out of the box. Check out this video from Berm Peak Express.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AjLkmhzgDOM

The best of luck!!

[Timmahh]

Axial or Element. Unless you really like working and fixing.
RC4WD Look killer, but are not the best quality though you wouldn't know that by their price tag on their kits.

[TexasSP]

I see you're in Fort Worth. With that, there is not a lot out their in the way of rocks etc. It's easy to watch guys on the internet build cool rock builds and want to emulate that. Problem is, trucks should be built for how they'll be run. That said, what type of running will you be doing? Are you going to comp and is there a group for you to comp with? If so, see where they go and what type of terrain they run on so you can decide around that.

For all around rigs to start with, SCX10, Element, or TRX will be good. They're all extremely versatile with a lot of parts support both OEM and Aftermarket. You can set any of these up to look very scale with hard bodies and what not.

If you're strictly trail running with minimal actual rock crawling, then take a peak at the RC4WD models, they are nice and RC4WD offers excellent support. I wouldn't want to build a true rock rig with one and compete with it though. Not that there aren't some that do, but it's very few and for good reason.

I wouldn't recommend the SCX24 or any other micro rig unless you're just going to be running around the house, indoors, and in the back yard. They're cool and capable with upgrade potential, but you won't be taking them for trail runs or through any serious rocks.

Personally I think the Element is the best bang for the buck right now. It's a solid rig with great support and backed by one of the best companies in the business. The TRX is nice, and I would tend toward the sport as I just don't have great interest in the unlockable diffs. The SCX10 offers many options to start with, and the SCX10ii can be had for quite a bit less than the SCX10iii.

[MOguy]

I really like my Element Enduro with Axial AR44s and TRX shocks.

The big bonus with the Element/Enduro is transmission and the chassis design. For me I could not get the Enduro shocks to settle the way I wanted to so I went with TRX shocks. I did not like the low pinion Enduro axles because of clearance and torque twist. The AR44s are high pinion, better clearance, less torque twist and better aftermarket support.