Kit build or ground up?

[jwall046]

Being very new to Rc and newer to scale or rock crawling. I am building a wraith and because I want it to be bad ass. I'm replacing modifying everything or replacing.
So if I want to build another is it better to just start with a concept and make or buy the custom items I want?
$400 for a rtr and another $1200 ending up with 90% after market parts it seems better to the way to go?
Just curious what others have done.

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[Markeje]

I would just buy a wraith stock roller for a couple hundred and go from there.

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[k7zpj]

There is a difference between being "Bad Ass" and just expensive. I would start out with a kit and build it stock and run it a while that way. When you find a problem is limiting your crawling then try to fix that problem. Once you have that problem fixed move on to the next one. Follow this approach you will learn how the various upgrades work, when they are used and you will be a lot happier with your rig too.

This process also works on the most important and most overlooked upgrade -- Driving Skills. You need to learn to find the lines to crawl and how your crawler handles it.

[Duuuuuuuude]

Bad ass is a relative term. I had someone call my not-too-far-from-stock looking Wraith bad ass once. Personally, mine is far from bad ass, and to qualify for my own bad ass stamp of approval it would have to be something scratch built from bare axles. And by built I mean welded/cut/shaped/etc by hand or machine, not an assemblage of parts that you pull out of the mailbox and bolt on.

[jwall046]

I'm a machinist and pretty sure my upgrades that someone machined or I machine will qualify for my bad ass wraith or what I personally percieve as bad ass.
Im replacing most of my plastic items that I prefer to be aluminum. I'm sure 90% people can't machine or weld their own parts. My version of badass is my personal opinion and happens to be 98% of what I see on Rc crawler lol. Someone has to make the part to begin with lol. I'll machine it and someone bolts it on hahaha.
Basically I'm curious if it as cheaper to customize (bolt on) what I like ot buy a kit and cannibalize it?
This is a really cool hobby and building it 1/2 the fun. I'm not sure what I want to build next. But I'm sure it will be bad ass like all these on Rc crawler.

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[Duuuuuuuude]

I couldn't weld or machine either until I learned how.

As far as expenses go...if you're going to redo the whole thing, just start with the parts you aren't going to replace and buy everything else bit by bit.

[jwall046]

Thank you bud. The machining is easy for me. Welding is intriguing!
So far my buddy does my welding on my 1st wraith. But man next winter id love to learn this brazing technique. There are some seriously skilled builders to learn from that for sure.

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[Duuuuuuuude]

Brazing is easy to do, but takes time and experience to master. Doesn't cost a whole lot to get started either.

[jwall046]

Its funny I feel like a mechanic who doesnt want to work on his own car. Hahaha.
I don't feel like machining my own rims ect. But I'm not a welder or brazer. That sounds like something I want to try.

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[k7zpj]

Originally Posted by jwall046

I'm a machinist and pretty sure my upgrades that someone machined or I machine will qualify for my bad ass wraith or what I personally percieve as bad ass.
Im replacing most of my plastic items that I prefer to be aluminum. I'm sure 90% people can't machine or weld their own parts. My version of badass is my personal opinion and happens to be 98% of what I see on Rc crawler lol. Someone has to make the part to begin with lol. I'll machine it and someone bolts it on hahaha.
Basically I'm curious if it as cheaper to customize (bolt on) what I like ot buy a kit and cannibalize it?
This is a really cool hobby and building it 1/2 the fun. I'm not sure what I want to build next. But I'm sure it will be bad ass like all these on Rc crawler.

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What you are doing is exactly what I was talking about. I just didn't want to enable another Bing Mobile that someone throws a lot of money into and then gets tired of it after a little while because they didn't really learn or put anything but money into it.

In you case I would just buy the parts that you don't want to make. Don't limit your self to the current Wraith configurations. Look at some of the other brands of rigs and see if there are ideas that would improve the Wraith but no one has tried yet.

Pushing the boundaries of your rig is a great way way to learn new skills like brazing and is a really good excuse to buy new tools.

[jwall046]

Gotcha,
I must say I'm bolting on a bunch of stuff. But stuff I feel I want. Lol
Trying to build a neat looking yet rugged truck. So I'm knowingly guilty of blinging out my truck I'm still trying to ad my own customized twist.
I do want to build another one but trying to learn and decide what way I want to go with it. I think it will still take some bolt on items but id like to try making my own cage at least.
Cudos to all the seriously skilled builders that we learn from.

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[Trubble]

Originally Posted by jwall046

Basically I'm curious if it as cheaper to customize (bolt on) what I like ot buy a kit and cannibalize it?

When I built JUNKFOOT!, I started with just axles and a trans, bought the pieces as I went along, never really started with a base vehicle. I think I'm about $550 into it. (including the 4PL radio)

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When the wife decided she didn't ever want to drive her Scorpion RTC ever again, I was given the go-ahead to turn it into whatever I want. Cannibalized her drivetrain, added an SCX frame kit, Micro Sidewinder, HH motor, 1.9 t/w, home-made links, Blazer body, and Viola', I have me my CUCV. I did a rough add up, and I came out to where I had more into the CUCV than if I'da just bought a kit.

Then came the expensive part. I had the wife's Scorp hanging on the wall..... and it really wasn't very far from running again..... sure enough, wound up cruisin' the classified section, looking for the previously k-balled axles, trans, and driveshafts. So now I have a drivetrain that's going to require more parts to rebuild, just so they can get her Scorp back to an operational state.

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I think if you start with a base vehicle you can raid for parts, after you finish your current build, you'll have another vehicle sitting there just waiting to drain your wallet even more. Might as well budget for two builds at that point. Now, if your goal at the end of this is to have one 'user' Wraith, and one 'show' Wraith, then you might be onto something.
Provided you had the good sense to sell off everything as you replace, then you wouldn't have a pile sitting there begging to be reassembled, but I suppose I just didn't have that kind of discipline.
I guess to make a short story painfully long, I'd agree with not buying a kit or roller, just go to SuperShafty, get you a bulletproof trans, then order up a couple axle kits and go from there. I've done it both ways, there's really no right answer. Go whichever way you think will get you where you want to be.

[MrMouse]

Think of it this way. A full rtr cost about $500. If you buy a kit artr for $389 you have to figure out what electronics you want.
My first rtr was a rc madd gear cliff $300 rtr. My rought was scx10 kit since u had the electronics
Firsr kit ive done and lived it. Deff worth doing kit so you know what the weakest parts are and kit come with metal parts unluke the rtr version