Discussion: Did you chose the right truck for your first crawler?

[rkj__]

It's a frequent question. "I'm new. What crawler should I get?"

In your experience, did you choose the "right" truck for your first crawler, or did you later regret your choice?

Discuss!

[jakemaxwell806]

Originally Posted by rkj__

It's a frequent question. "I'm new. What crawler should I get?"

In your experience, did you choose the "right" truck for your first crawler, or did you later regret your choice?

Discuss!

Each truck has its place my first Redcat rs was a great choice 8 more an still looking they all are fun
They all have to be maintained

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[cfritznewton]

For me, as long as I chose a kit over an RTR, I probably made an ok choice.

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[ferp420]

my first attempt at a crawler was a ta02 and clodbuster i got them both at the same time out of the trash on a job site they sat there next to the trash can for years in the weather along with a juggernaught and a ta03 one day the home owner sead im tossin those do ya want them hell ya and loaded them in to my truck he then came out with a box of parts and controlers and a bunch of stuff i dident restore the jugg or 5he ta03 they got used for parts
my first real crawler was a wraith spawn when they first came out and still one of my favorites i now have around 15-20 rigs and i still run all of them there all fun in there own way

[JC3]

Interesting question. My first crawler was a TRX4 Sport Kit that I bought around March of this year. I have thoroughly enjoyed building, tuning, upgrading, experimenting, and crawling with it. As of now, I have around 75+ hours of crawling on it. I consider myself fortunate to have entered the hobby when this amazing truck came out. If you want to crawl, I don't think that there is a better truck, or truck for the money, on the market today.

On the other hand, three of my friends were experienced trailer/crawlers and they all have Axials SCXII's. When we all started to crawl, the X4's were so competent that I think my friends with their Axials were either put off or frustrated by it. Since then, our crawling time has been very limited and the only person that seems to have time to crawl with me is my other friend that has, guess what, another X4! I'm not implying that the Axial is a bad truck at all, just saying that they are different.

[svt923]

I guess I was happy but back then the available choices for a scale truck were a Tamiya Hi-Lift, CC-01, or something pieced together from a TLT-1.

[JatoTheRipper]

I think the only scaler I've ever regretted is the Tamiya CC-01. It's such a old and shitty design in stock form and I didn't want to tinker with it to make it better. It would be fine for flat walking trails and mild stones, but that's not me. Unless, you're OSRC. He can make CC-01s do incredible things.

[stormridersp]

I still don't know. My first crawler is a RC4WD G2 D90. I love it, but it lags badly in performance behind the reference Scx10 ii and the competition. It was also a lot more expensive in every ways.
Back then, it was novelty and there were several upgrade options available in the market, although the official ones always had a very salty price tag: unaffordable for most. Nowadays, most third party upgrades had discontinued their products; even RC4WD themselves seem to be discontinuing their support for their own product and instead, prefer to support other brands' trucks. Me, I try my best to DIY as much as I can, but I can't do magic.
Think about it: An Overdrive kit for the G2 costs 70% the full price of a brand new SCX10 ii Builders kit!

[Shinchu]

when i got back into RC it was my father in law's yeti. got my own so technicially its more of a "go-fast", it was my first foray into off-road RC (i was an on-road/drifter previously). it led me here and i realized what i wanted was not a go-fast.

started my 79 ford project on the ascender platform and its been AWESOME. mostly due to the amazing ascender community, but the rig itself is proven and has a decent aftermarket to make custom configuration relatively easy.
since its a replica of my pop's 79 f series, its got tiny tires so its not very capable and that's fine with me. its not the rigs fault at all (my son also has an ascender of his own and its on 4.19 tires its a BEAST) so now im looking for another rig to really "DO WORK".
considering my options (and what a time for options a plenty!) i might get a trail king from SSD?

but yeah i think my first actual crawler was PERFECT for my needs. THANK YOU ERNIE!!!!

[HumboldtEF]

I started with a Tamiya CC01 and put a bunch of mods on it that I really shouldn't have. At the time I knew nothing about crawlers or that there were others to choose from, I just saw the FJ40 body and that sold it for me. But I have put that rig out to pasture so to speak. Every time I got it setup to be fun it would strip an axle or break something.

I dont think I regret the purchase because it lead me to a whole new world or RC but its not something I use often at all.

[Browneye]

My original K10 RTR is still goin' strong...

[high plains drifter]

Many years ago I nailed it with my first RC which was an RC10GT kit... awesome truck/ awesome experience.

But as far as crawlers go... I'd have to say no. My first crawler a few years ago was an Exceed MaxStone 16. Fortunately I didn't waste a ton of money with it but it sure wasn't what I was after. Lack of wheel spin, lack of support, lack of everything lol. It was cool indoors although a bit large for an indoor course and when I took it outside, it just sucked in so many ways. I did a few upgrades, and considered trying to make it better but it just wasn't inspiring me at all. That was when I came to RCC and learned about the much more awesome world of scale crawlers!

Shortly after, I had a TRX4 and that was where the fun really began!

[soze]

My first was the GMADE Sawback 4LS. Got it cause I thought it looked cool at the time and I liked what people were doing with them. Then the Ascender K10... Axial, MST, HoBao, more GMADE, more Vaterra, more Axial, more MST... you get the idea.

[nightcrawler48]

My first RC was a Wraith Spawn RTR. I was helping a friend with his display at a local trade show and just down the isle from us a LHS guy had a display with a bunch of different brands and types of RCs. I think I spent more time at his display than I did helping my friend. Decided I wanted a tube chassis and was really looking hard at the G-made R1. Took a business card for the hobby shop and went home to research more before buying. The Wraith Spawn was what I finally decided on and a couple of weeks later headed to the hobby shop to make my first RC purchase. Didn't realize there were all the extras required: batteries, charger, misc. other stuff, so $800+ Canadian later, was the excited owner of a hobby grade RC.

Never ran the Spawn body, immediately ordered an aluminum set of body panels and that was it. I was hooked. Absolutely no regrets and the Wraith gets used more than any of my other RCs. I always take the Wraith if I'm going to a new trail or crawling area for the first time. Depending on what it's like I will usually take a SCX10, SCX10.2, Redcat Gen7, Boyer Truggy, etc. the next time I go back to that spot. Or, if it is a really brutal area, the Wraith goes back again.

[Ironhide13]

My first hobby grade RC was a Slash, and that wasn't what I really wanted. So I started looking at crawlers. I was very close to getting an Ascender, but I didn't like the battery tray setup. I had already ordered the SCX10II kit when the news of the 1st TRX4s got out, but I decided to stay with my order. I picked II kit, so I could learn more about how the truck went together, rather than trying to pull apart an RTR if I had to fix something.

And I'm happy I did. It's not been the best crawler ever, but I'll blame that on driver error and not quite sure what setup I wanted out of the truck. I've customized it quite a bit, trying to figure out exactly what I want with different bumpers, tires, scale accessories, etc. I'm on my third body and bumpers, went from stock shocks to big bores to the TRX4 GTS shocks, and just installed the GCM scale 'mission and T-case. The II will be a Class 1.5 type (mostly Class 2 with Class 1 max tires) rig while I have TF2 Blazer for my Class 1 scale rig.

My point is your first crawler should be one that grabs your attention the most at the time; whether it's price, styling, etc. Someone new to crawling isn't going know what to really expect or what they really want until they hit the trails and get some stick time under their belt. And after that, they'll never want just one crawler!

[Daycrawler]

My first crawler was and still is a TRX4 Defender. So far it seems to excellent in every way. It has shed a few parts since new, and gained weight in other areas. I have no regerts

[vf750rider]

I cut my teeth just 4 days ago! Traxxas TRX4 Blazer RTR. It's amazing, I'm having the most fun (except when it gets a scratch ). There are a couple guys at work that crawl during lunch and breaks, and although I'm remaining as a "scaler" rather than a "crawler", it's just so much fun. I love to see it move along as realistic as I can make it look. Red/Black model - I know I know the Orange is more of the "time", but I loved the Red/Black.

Completely stock ATM, I plan to do some add-ons and upgrade parts in future as I learn what's what, what's weak, etc. Lights will probably be first. In a few months, I will also grab a Sunset Bronco body. Chevy or Ford ... hard choice in late 1970's, so why not have both!

I have a large diversity of interests, and as such I don't have much time to devote to any single one of them. So RTR was the perfect choice for me - I could jump right in and start having fun while endless possibilities if/when I do have more time. I look forward to the tons of learning available here.

[rattmobbins]

TRX4 Defender was my first as well after owning LOTS of other Traxxas vehicles. Then I bought an SCX10II, a Gen 8, 2 TRX4 Sports, a Bomber, have a Sendero on order, probably gonna get an SSD kit, etc. Ugh this damn hobby!

[CODYBOY]

Originally Posted by Shinchu

when i got back into RC it was my father in law's yeti. got my own so technicially its more of a "go-fast", it was my first foray into off-road RC (i was an on-road/drifter previously). it led me here and i realized what i wanted was not a go-fast.

started my 79 ford project on the ascender platform and its been AWESOME. mostly due to the amazing ascender community, but the rig itself is proven and has a decent aftermarket to make custom configuration relatively easy.
since its a replica of my pop's 79 f series, its got tiny tires so its not very capable and that's fine with me. its not the rigs fault at all (my son also has an ascender of his own and its on 4.19 tires its a BEAST) so now im looking for another rig to really "DO WORK".
considering my options (and what a time for options a plenty!) i might get a trail king from SSD?

but yeah i think my first actual crawler was PERFECT for my needs. THANK YOU ERNIE!!!!

Like!
Ernie

[rkj__]

I got into this hobby right after Christmas. I watched a few videos and such, but did not do a ton of research. I thought I might go for a TRX4, but did not realize how expensive they were. I did not really like the Sport body, and I did not like the price of the Bronco. So, I asked the shop owner for his recommendation, and he seemed to suggest the Ascender was a great choice. I generally prefer Chevys over Jeeps and Fords, so the K10 RTR was my pick. It even had licensed Super Swampers. It seemed like a win.

I have been very satisfied with my choice. Hanging out on this forum, and on Facebook groups, I'm always seeing people do all kinds of fancy builds and mods. But, every time I run my truck, I'm like, "dang, this thing is near perfect!" It's taken some big tumbles, and proved to be very durable. The small body, and rear cage really help this truck slither its way through the rocks, without getting hung up excessively. Sure, I'm always debating making changes, but most things I've done to the truck so far have been quite minor. A lot of new products have been released since I picked up my truck, but I don't feel like any of them would be any more fun than my Ascender.

I feel like I made the right choice.