Okay.. Be honest with me :)

[ericinMD]

Short version of a much longer story.. I've been into RC for over 20 years. Had one crawler a couple of years ago for a very short time. Due to health issues and the loss of my longtime RC buddy to an illness I have not accomplished alot RC wise in the last 2 years. My own health issues keep me indoors most of the time. I have been searching for something to "play" with indoors. I apparently have been living under a rock because I never even heard of a Mini Rock Crawler until today. This thing got my interest up in a big hurry!

I read through the FAQ, quite a few old posts, the gallery, checked some prices, and I'm semi pumped about it.

The only thing I really fear about this thing is I worry it may be an upgrade pig. I mean being realistic, how happy for how long can an adult be with this thing as it comes out of the box? I'd really like to have one but if it's the kind of RC (like most out there) that requires big bucks to make it dependable and perform well, I might have to spend the money on something else. what I don't know because I've not found a lot of good indoor RC candidates.

I also want to say that I live in the sorriest place in the USA for rock crawling. The eastern Shore of Maryland has very flat terrain and no rocks to speak of. So if I could find objects to crawl inside with this thing, it may be my very best chance to enjoy crawling in general.

I'm not fool enough to think I'm not going to spend any money on it, just want to make sure a lot of you don't regret what you've spent on yours.

Upgrade Pig?

[slowride1]

lokers an tire r the bigest thing it needs an there is some cheep comp chasis out there that work better than stock so id say 100 bucks more in the truck an its ok them upgrade alil at a time

[liverkiller1]

youll be happy excelent couch crawler, and cheap to upgrade bent links (4)-$25 rcbros chassis $15 on the bay and maybe new wheels and tires since the stocks are fake beadlocks with glued tires can make em beadlocks with 2" pvc but its a b**** you cant go wrong i bought it for the gf and she loves it its a torquey SOB

[slowride1]

an u will upgrade . i like mine so well i have about 500 bucks in it now an have about everything u can get for it but it all wasnt nec. to get but i like it that well an comp it all the time

[jamescam]

Completely understand what you are saying. The stock vehicle is a lot of fun but after about 5 runs you start to realize it's short comings. There is a very good thread on here about cheap or free mods to improve the stock performance quit a bit. The biggest upgrade I would say is to add weight to the front tires. You can do this for very little money by peeling off the tires and gluing lead on the plastic rims or spend over $100 on a nice set of weighted bead locks (lots of options in between).

With the MRC (and probably all other crawlers) you get tired of your terrain before you get tired of the vehicle. When that happens find new terrain! Good luck but realize if you do pick one up you will look at rock piles a whole new way.

[Prybar]

I've had mine for a year or so now and I still love it! My best friend got one and I got one for my son as well. We have put bent links on them, done the "free" mods, painted a new body etc, but they are still pretty stock. We crawl together inside mostly and have a blast! I'm also the guy that goes crazy on all of my other cars, planes, helis etc. but this one is fun inside as a stocker! If you were going to try to win major comps with it it'll take a bit more money but you should be happy for what you are looking for.

[liverkiller1]

im the same way my mrc just has bent links the gf runs it but my axial on the other hand... dont wanna get started on that ha

[Crawl_Before_Walking]

Its a great little crawler. Indoors and Outdoors.

Very easy to make some fun indoor courses round the couch/table/cat/dog/wife(gf) and just about anything that stays still long enough to try and drive over.

Very easy to work on and very easy to make it far more capable than it is out of the box with little or no cost.

WARNING: The LOSI MRC is an EXTREMELY addictive RC and you WILL spend money upgrading it - believe me, I have tried to resist but have been infected with the financialy deadly disease of UPGRADITIS

Consequently I know have a $300 shopping list im saving up for

Get one though, you will love it and its very very reliable - im still running stock plastic lockers in the diffs and stock servo with no saver on it and after a month its going strong with no breakages.

[JatoTheRipper]

I'm very sorry to hear about your loss and your health issues! I hope all is well.

In stock form the Losi MRC is not a good crawler because it's very top heavy. But you can lower the weight and center of gravity for almost no money at all. You just need some servo tape, plastic lexan to build "shelves" on the upper links, and some zip ties or glue to hold those shelves on. Then you move the electronics accordingly. This is detailed on this site in numerous threads.

Eventually you will need some parts to make it perform better. Tires and shocks are number one on that list. Interestingly, I find the harder stock tires crawl best on indoor fabric-covered furniture and pillows. You will also want beadlock wheels so that you can change tires and add or remove weight easily without the hassle of glue. This is because making a crawler perform better is trial and error. You can convert the stock wheels to beadlocks, buy plastic beadlocks (such as the Axial 1.9 5-Holes that I have), or aluminum (most expensive option) beadlocks. You can simply use stick on lead weights to weight the wheels.

I get bored with my MRC indoors. And it's capable enough that I even get bored with it outside in the little rock garden we have here at home. You might want to check out the Losi Micro Crawler if you're stuck indoors. I do not have one, but they look cool and are much less than a Mini Rock Crawler. They won't perform as well outdoors, but indoors it will be much easier to find challenges for it and build fun little courses than it would be to do the same for the MRC.

Just out of curiosity, if you don't go with the MRC what other options are you looking at for indoor RCs? I own a bunch that I use indoors so I could help you in that area as well. I run mine in our basement.

[ericinMD]

Guys, thanks alot for the help!

Jato, I'm not really entertaining anything else seriously right now. I have a SCX10 on backorder and was seeing if I had any indoor options.

There is a part of me that wants to just spend the money on an AX10 instead of a MRC, but I don't think that will do me much good indoors in my little apartment. I think if I am going to play indoors, the MRC is probably going to be my choice. I don't really want to go any smaller, so that osrta counts the micro out. Mostly due to my eye issues.

What sort of turning radius does the MRC have box stock?

[Crawl_Before_Walking]

Originally Posted by ericinMD

What sort of turning radius does the MRC have box stock?

A BIG ONE

but again, this is easy to improve with some careful filing and a few new holes in the knuckles.

There is a thread on here about filing down the cups and dogbones to make it turn a lot tighter.
Modding stock MRC for increased steering throw

[ericinMD]

I'll make note of that stuff. thanks a bunch!

[the other 2.2 guy]

i love my MRC, i just got new beadlocks the axial 8 hole are cheap and i got new tires but i have ran the stockers for about a year just adjust your driving. just the free mods for me and a new body. it needs weights and move the electronics lower. just get it and have fun you wont be upset, the mod monsters on here are going crazy but thats so they can do comps.

[ericinMD]

When you use those axial 1.9 wheels, do they change the width of the truck or have any clearance issues you have to overcome? I only ask because I could see me wanting those. I think the worse letdown I have read about the MRC is that the wheels were fake and I couldn't get over that. They looked pretty cool at first glance.

Well make no mistake about it, if I get one, I'll upgrade it. It's happened to every RC I've ever had. If it's stuff that is low cost, no cost, or even if it does cost, that's fine with me but I hope a lot of it is optional and not "must have" stuff. Don't want to give the impression that I won't spend money, because I will LMAO. That's what I'm worried about. LOL

I'm already looking at the Vanquish wheels and stuff like that. I'm not usually that big on aluminum upgrades of the strictly bling variety, but I could almost argue that I need those wheels. I can hear me trying to convince myself of that right now. LOL

[Crawl_Before_Walking]

I just got plastic axial beadlocks with the metal lockrings for about $8 a pair on ebay.

They are a heavier wheel than the stock without any tires on but you will still need to add some lead to the front wheels.

Just remember the stock lockers are only plastic and have read a lot of people breaking them quickly when running heavier wheels.

Mine weigh in at 51/2 Oz each on the front with tires on. I dont run any weight in the rears and so far no breakages (1 month on)

[ericinMD]

I'll probably give the MRC a try. I'll think about it this weekend, but imagine that's what I'll do.

I have an eBay voucher for $25 from using my eBay card and I need to use it before it expires. Several sellers have the DX3E for 99 and free shipping. So it would only cost me $75 shipped.

Then I could buy the Bind N Drive version from Ultimate Hobbies for $175 shipped.

I don't think having $250 shipped in a MRC with a DX3E is that bad of a deal since I think some people paid $240 for the RTR anyway. If worse comes to worse and I don't care for the MRC, I'll keep the DX3E for my SCX10.

Or there's a slimmer chance I might just spring for the DX3R to use in everything. I took a 1-2 year break from the hobby and it's been expensive climbing back in. LOL

[crazyracer]

Upgrade wise, you don't have to dump a lot into it to have fun. Tires, steering servos and some a little shock/linkage modifications and you've got yourself a fun toy. Also, you can build your own rocks by laying down a couple 4x8 sheets of plywood, screwing a bunch of random chunks of wood to them, draping some chicken wire over the everything, laying a sheet down over the chicken wire, then covering the mess with stucco. VWala, you've got your own miniature mountain to play on hours at a time.

[tomh1426@yahoo.com]

I was totaly happy with mine the way it came out of the box for about 2 batteries, then I broke the little servo.
So I got a hi-tec 645 and it was good to go for another couple of batteries then the servo horn striped.
So I got a metal servo horn and right away I noticed the torque twist is terrible, I never noticed it that much I think the leaking shocks have somthing to do w/ it.
So now I wanna 4 link it and Im thinkin I might as well get a GC3 kit and Ill b set.
It is a $ pit, I want new tires, better shocks, metal gears another lipo all this stuff is cheap but it adds up!
Id run it as is and upgrade it as u see fit, spending the money over time makes it a little easier and gives you time to figure out exactly what u want/need.

[slowride1]

yup get it an do all the free mods an there all easy to do an upgrade what u break on it as u go an it dont cost as much that way an u will find out u will be putting money it to just make it batter an look nice on your own not cause u broke it just a fun lil truck

[macruz]

If your not doing any serious crawling you won't need to buy much. Most of the best mods out there are free or close to it if the have some basic tools and a little skill. The stock chassis is fine, no lockers

PVC bead locks
bent links- brake tube screws
four link- recycle lower links for uppers
remove batt & electronics tray and relocate to upper links/rear plate
WEIGHT on all 4 corners
lower body
remove servo saver
steering mod- file dremil/drill

It sounds like you have radio
if you have a lipo charger
I would get a lipo 400-800 mah $15 - $50