Axial SCX24 Newbie

[gmjeeper]

Getting back into R/C Crawling after MANY years. I'll be getting an Axial SCX24 Betty next week.

What are good batteries and chargers?

Must have bolt on upgrades?

[vinceherman]

The stock battery is a great compromise between weight and run time.
Adding more battery usually means adding more weight. The battery sits high in the chassis. Adding weight high makes it a less stable climber.

What do you want to use this for? Crawling? Scale trail running?

Chargers - there are so many. Hobby King for some options. I do prefer ANYTHING rather than the stock USB charger.

The motors in these are tiny and many people have them fail. Over tightening the wheel nuts, tires rubbing on the body, adding weight to the truck. All of these make the motor work harder and lead to failure.
Many people upgrade to other motors. The motor off of the barrage is common. Brushless options are common.

One frustrating aspect of these is that the parts are very frequently out of stock. Everyone in the world is in lock down. North America is in the middle of winter and indoor activities are in higher demand. EVERYONE got themselves one or three of these for Christmas. So parts are difficult to source.

Common first upgrades are the steering servo (emax ES08MAii or MDii, Savox or Reefs 99), wheels and tires, and adding brass for lowering the center of gravity (CG)

There are a zillion videos on youtube that tell the story better. My favorite 3 influencers are:
2FM RC https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCre...mWaTVc9lT4J5sQ
BigSung Hobbies https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3p...H415THspdE_X6A
RC Review https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCim...Q74_Gra8xa-C7A
On each, do a search for SCX24 and see what the experts have to say.

[93civEJ1]

why is the stock charger bad? I havent had any issue out of my stock charger for the stock battery. (yet)

[hodge5]

Originally Posted by 93civEJ1

why is the stock charger bad? I havent had any issue out of my stock charger for the stock battery. (yet)

It is junk. The second time charging my battery, it started blinking red. Googled it, common problem.

[RJW]

Order a spare motor when you order the car. If you stick with the stock motor, order 2. I have 3 scx24's and the motors failed quick. I eventually upgraded the motor after getting tired of replacing them. Great truck overall, but should be sold with a better motor.

[93civEJ1]

Originally Posted by hodge5

It is junk. The second time charging my battery, it started blinking red. Googled it, common problem.

gotcha...crossing my fingers, but mine has been problem free so far.

[93civEJ1]

Originally Posted by RJW

Order a spare motor when you order the car. If you stick with the stock motor, order 2. I have 3 scx24's and the motors failed quick. I eventually upgraded the motor after getting tired of replacing them. Great truck overall, but should be sold with a better motor.

Im like 2 weeks in, and my stock one is ok so far, but i havent been super hard on it.
I have a barrage motor that will be here today.

[vinceherman]

Over-tightening the wheel nuts, tires rubbing the body and adding a lot of weight all lead to early motor death.
I did upgrade several of mine to brushless so I have spare stock motors.

[Slow Runner]

I bought these motors as spares...direct bolt in and claimed as an upgrade in torque and power. Powerhobby is a good seller.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Powerhobby-...72.m2749.l2649

I just got two SCX24's and starting my mods...I have done weeks of research while waiting for them to come back in stock. Here's my plan to mod as well as things I learned:

1) included chargers are fire hazards...get a quality charger! get adapters if needed for the JST PH2 micro connectors. I got a 6 pack of JST adapters so I can use my Elfite 430mah if I wanted to.

2) remove the sticker off the stock motor...it retains heat.

3) I partially removed the metal stickers off the ESC...it gets warm quick.

4) There's a great mod where you just lift the body not the whole chassis. raise the front posts and lower the rear mounting swing bracket on the body.

5) add brass steering knuckles...I don't plan to add the brass wheel inserts...too much rolling resistance for the motor?

6) instead of spending $$$ on brass diffs I'm glueing lead solder strips to the axle tops for more unsprung weight.

7) adding a tiny dab of Marine Grease into the shock tops provides damping. Dynamite makes a nice tube for $8. Don't fill the shock, just a small dab!

I have a ton more mods to do, even though these trucks are awesome out the box....but I'm adding lighting, and putting a black roof on my white Jeep.

Also got to build me a small crawling course! using blue insulation foam...carve and paint...makes convincing rocks!

[vinceherman]

Consider inverting the shocks after adding grease. It helps keep the grease in.

[Slow Runner]

Originally Posted by vinceherman

Consider inverting the shocks after adding grease. It helps keep the grease in.

That's interesting...might try it. The Marine grease is super thick and non-slinging, so hoping it sticks.

There's so many ways to approach each mod!

[Kartooo]

i bought a bag of these, enough room for 1 on each side of the mtr. .50 size mtr you can get 2 on each side. 8.8x8.8x5mm Small Heat Sink Top Mount Pack of 10 e bay, pretty inexpensive. $1.65 + shipping.

[SurlyBurly]

Some good tips in here. Can anyone recommend a good all around charger that can handle bigger batteries, maybe multiple batteries so I'm future proof?