Wheely King worth it?

[QuesoDelDiablo]

I know nothing about wheely Kings except that it sounds like they can be converted to a crawler with some simple mods.

That said, I'm wondering if the wk's are any good, or if they're too entry level to do much with. I don't expect it to be top shelf but it should be reliable and capable.

I've got an opportunity to pick one up for a pretty reasonable price and I'm thinking about grabbing it with the intention of converting it into something between mud truck/monster truck/crawler/something for buddies who don't have anything to run.

The one I'm looking at is bone stock, it appears to have pretty minimal run time on it but it is old enough it comes with AM radio gear...

[lonleycreeper]

Wk's as crawlers are terrible out of the box. With a few mods, lockers axle shaft replacement, trans gear replacement, and chassis replacement they are reliable,and crawl good.

Aka they require a lot of modification to compete with a stock scx10.

[makya]

Originally Posted by lonleycreeper

Wk's as crawlers are terrible out of the box. With a few mods, lockers axle shaft replacement, trans gear replacement, and chassis replacement they are reliable,and crawl good.

Aka they require a lot of modification to compete with a stock scx10.

yep. I used the axial ax10 lockers, and overdrive gear unit from an rs4 and i've used both axial chassis and custom chassis.

I still use stock transmission gears on all my WK's and I haven't had a problem, but some people definitely run into issues with the stock gears. I also run the level3 rc motor mount to put the motor low and farther forward in a non-stock chassis.

you can also do the XR10 mod for additional steering, just like on an axial scx10.

I really like the wheely king, but stock it's not as capable as an axial.

[Natedog]

Originally Posted by QuesoDelDiablo

I know nothing about wheely Kings except that it sounds like they can be converted to a crawler with some simple mods.

That said, I'm wondering if the wk's are any good, or if they're too entry level to do much with. I don't expect it to be top shelf but it should be reliable and capable.

I've got an opportunity to pick one up for a pretty reasonable price and I'm thinking about grabbing it with the intention of converting it into something between mud truck/monster truck/crawler/something for buddies who don't have anything to run.

The one I'm looking at is bone stock, it appears to have pretty minimal run time on it but it is old enough it comes with AM radio gear...

I sold my WK and all spare parts long time ago. With all the mods and parts that need replaced, I'd look at something else like a Vaterra Ascender.

[Maggster]

The main thing the WK has going for it is that it is cheaper -if- you keep your expectations reasonable and like to tinker with fabbing stuff yourself. It will probably never be as scale or capable as other rigs, but if you are looking for a basher, in my opinion, it is a decent platform. If not, it would be cheaper in the long run to go with something else.

Having said that, I have had 2 WKs and have no experience with any of the other more popular options.

Just my $.02. YMMV

[QuesoDelDiablo]

Well, everything that's been said here pretty much confirms exactly what I was thinking. It's a lower priced truck that can be mildly capable with some mods.

Based on that, I'm working out details of shipping with the seller now. I'm going to build this into a basher/mud truck/ trail runner. I'll do some mods to improve handling and suspension performance, but I'm not going to try and make this thing a comp crawler - it's really just something for me to go mud bogging with or for the neighbourhood kids to play with so I don't have to feel bad about not letting them try my expensive truck...

Thanks for the feedback gang!

[JatoTheRipper]

Now is certainly the time to avoid the Wheely King, and all other HPI products, like the plague. With rumors of HPI being purchased by Traxxas, you never know which vehicles will be discontinued and that would make finding spare parts a nightmare in the not too distant future.

[QuesoDelDiablo]

A fair point but for as cheap as thing is, I'm not too concerned about that. If it gets to a point where I can't get something, then I'll just fab it myself or if I can't, then I'll salvage what's usable and toss the truck in the bin...

[Gula]

I only have one stock wheely king, it's more of a crawler king now. I gave it to my daughter (3 year old) for her birthday. She loves it! I have about 15-20 of the axles though and they are under a lot of my 1/6 rigs and have held up very good other than the axle shafts snapping at the dog bone end occasionally. Easy fix though if you do the losi lst cvd mod.

[cartronicshn]

I have one still, but it's my Foff rig, and only the axles because the tranny wouldn't hold up imho

[groovethumper]

Hi all,
I personally love my Wheely King. Bought it from my LHS, it was like 40% off. It was a lot of fun stock. I converted it to a 1/8 crawler/mud truck. As it stands, it is a very capable crawler. I have a lot of weight down low, battery is still in the back. Using drilled out HSP driveshafts. I removed the spring in the transmission, and replaced it with a shock spacer. It's my most reliable RC. Personally, I think they are worth the time and effort.

Pertaining to the rumors, I wouldn't put to much stock into it. Specially, if it originated from where I think.
The Wheely King and other HPI models have a excellent fan base. I have 2 Savages.
Just my opinion, so hopefully no one was offended in the making of this post.