Finally bought one...

[YellowRabbit]

After looking on and off for the past four years, I finally ordered a crawler kit. I bought an Axial SCXII raw kit. I'm unlikely to ever run it in a competition but I plan on running it with the nephews in the backyard for dirt hill climbs. I don't plan on going all out upgrading it but I would like to upgrade some of the weak links.

I've heard that the shocks are marginal and are prone to leaking. How bad are they?

How are the kit's plastic axles? Would they benefit from Beeftubes or not really? I don't really know much about them.

And is the Top Shaft a problem?

[4kids crawlin]

Originally Posted by YellowRabbit

After looking on and off for the past four years, I finally ordered a crawler kit. I bought an Axial SCXII raw kit. I'm unlikely to ever run it in a competition but I plan on running it with the nephews in the backyard for dirt hill climbs. I don't plan on going all out upgrading it but I would like to upgrade some of the weak links.

I've heard that the shocks are marginal and are prone to leaking. How bad are they?

How are the kit's plastic axles? Would they benefit from Beeftubes or not really? I don't really know much about them.

And is the Top Shaft a problem?

If I were only planning to run it in the backyard I wouldn't change a whole lot. The raw kit should include metal links and the aluminum bodied shocks. But you can find a few articles on here and YouTube about how to get a better seal with other o-rings for the shocks.

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[4kids crawlin]

Sorry I misread where you said plastic axles. Thought it said links. The axles are plenty strong for the weekend basher/dad and son time type events.

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[zanthrax]

"I bought something without researching it first, now tell me I made the right choice"


With a SCX10ii you can't go wrong. Just drive it as is, see what breaks, what you don't like about it or what doesn't perform how you want it to, then fix that.

[2mtech]

Sounded to me like he researched reasonably.

For me, I probably wouldn't even install the stock shocks in lieu of some decent replacements (whole 'nother thread) but would leave everything else stock.

Hobbywing WP1080 ESC, DS3218 servo, reasonably decent 3ch radio and Bob's your uncle.

[Sneetches]

I would not even build the Axial shocks, aluminum body or not. Look up TRX-4 Shocks on Ebay and find a set of take-offs for around $50.

[Hal]

I liked the shocks after I replaced the o rings. I run them on my comp crawler. The aluminum body ones are way better, they have titanium coating on the shafts. This helps the keep seals from getting chewed up. The springs are a bit hard for my liking though. Either lay the shocks down a bit or get softer springs, Losi springs fit. My biggest disslike on the SCX10II is the tires. The stock ties and foams dont work. I would change to a tire like the Pitbulls or something with much softer rubber. Go with Crawler Inovations 2 stage foams, you will notice a huge difference in traction. Tires and foams were my biggest improvement for handling on any of my rigs, comp or not. They are also one of the least expensive unless you are experimenting a lot. Talk to any locals and see what works for them also. Your LHS is also a good source of information as long as the sales person understands your needs and doesnt try to just sell so he can make more money. The SCX10II is a pretty capable rig right out of the box so running it and changing the things you dont like is also a very good method of upgrading. As you get better at driving the truck may hold you back a bit so in the future there will always be more upgrading to do even if it is minor. Constant improvement and change is inevitable. Good luck

[YellowRabbit]

Thank-you everyone for responding.

My kit arrived, I opened the box but have not had the time to build anything yet. I’m glad I purchased the kit as I like building (maybe better than driving). I should be able to start building later this week.

I took advantage of the Black Friday sales and ordered a proline power wagon body. The next purchase will be tires and wheels. Does tread design make a big difference for slow speed driving on dirt? I’m guessing a softer compound is usually better?

[lonleycreeper]

Yes tread design does impact performance.

Mini Tire review....

I have first hand experience with all these tires....

I run a lot of mud and wet conditions, so I look for a open tread design, mud tire. I have found Proline Tsl's the best overall performer in my area and run them on two of my trucks.

My buddy runs Duratrax deepwoods on his truck and I am impressed with the performance. Easily on par with Prolines, if not better. Only issue is his sidewalls are tearing a bit.

I run in all conditions, and find the Rc4wd Mtr's perform well in the wet but lack in forward traction in loose sand, tending to dig holes rather than pull the truck forward.

Pitbull Rock Beasts are another favorite on here, but I found the tread is too closely spaced for the conditions here and load up hampering them when going from wet trail to clean rock. In dry conditions they do beat the Tsl's but not in the wet....

[M1tch]

Tire choice makes a great difference on the away a truck drives.My 1st Ascender had stock tires which were good, but a bit small for the terrain I drive on. Duratrax Deep Woods are good, but I bought another Ascender for spares and it came with Gmade MT1904 tires and I am impressed with them. They are quite a square profile and they work well in the rooty , leafy dirt I drive on.

As for shock, I am biased in favour of the Gmade ones and run them on pretty much all my rc's. They have a Dual Rate shock which i really like.

[lszomb]

For backyard dirt hill bashing, you do not need to change anything. I guess even the link ends will hold up for a while. I have a trail run scx10 II, heavily abused but still perform well. A few thing you might consider: build the truck with waterproof in mind, put enough grease on gears, use marine grease to seal axles. The plastic body shocks are not that bad but you have to build carefully. Put green/yellow grease on first o ring then push in, fill the gap with green/yellow grease and push second o ring in. It will hold up for quite long period of time. I also find myself focus too much on making thing right but forgot to really enjoy it for playing.

Get a kit, put on decent electronics and play hard. Only replace or upgrade when something is broken.

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