Axial RTC ESC questions.

[Ipe]

My son and I have been crawling a Losi MRC for about a 9 months now. We got it as a joint Christmas present and while thats fun, sharing is getting old. ;) Because of this I'm considering getting a crawler for myself and letting my son keep the MRC for himself.

I've been looking at the For Sale section and saw a couple rigs that caught my eye and may go that direction, but if I decide to go new I'm leaning towards the AX10 RTC. The only thing I don't like about the RTC is the ESC and its lack of a load holding brake. If I do get the RTC it looks like I'll be swapping out the ESC first thing. I've gotten used to the load holding ESC in our Losi and want to have it in whatever I get next.

So here's my questions:

Can I just "unplug" the stock ESC and plug in the new ESC or is there soldering involved? I've used the search function but I just can't find the answer to this. :?

After reading everything I've narrowed the ESC options to the Novak Rooster Crawler; the Tekin FXR; and the Castle Creations Sidewinder. All are about the same price but it looks like only the CC Sidewinder can handle a 3s lipo. Is there a lesser expensive ESC option then these that has a good load holding brake that I've missed? I don't mind saving some $$$ if thats an option.

Note: At this point I'd plan on leaving the stock motor in place and upgrading that later

Am I missing anything? I'm sure I am but just don't know enough yet to know what it is

Thanks in advance,

Ipe

[RustlerHustler]

I'm pretty sure the RTC motor has bullet plugs to connect it to the ESC. I have the rooster combo and had to solder the motor wires to the esc.

The fxr has solder posts, so you'll have to solder.

It appears that the sidewinder has plugs already installed:
http://images.amainhobbies.com/image...sdwcms5700.jpg
You would just plug in the bullets on your rtc motor, skipping the white one as that is for brushless setups.

Soldering is not that hard. I never soldered before I got into this hobby 6 months ago. The first time was a little daunting but you pick it up real quick.

[Tbone]

You should check into the Tekin fxr combos; they include the fxr and a 35,45 or 55 turn motor for very little less than the fxr alone.

Don't be afraid of soldering, practice on something else first but you should have very little problems putting it all together. Eliminating the bullet connectors will only help your setup.

If you like, run deans connectors for the motor connections rather than the bullets.

[Ipe]

Thanks for the tips guys. If push comes to shove I guess I'll have to break out the soldering iron. No biggie... I think I'll do some practicing first though. ;)