bang for my buck

[4bsolute]

Hello all. I am trying to get into crawling, I have been bashing for quite a few years, but its not as interchangeable as I expected. I bought an associated cr12 about a year ago without doing my homework and I am not real happy with it. I can't find any upgrades, it is not great as a rtr crawler, and it allows for little modification. Any suggestions on a budget friendly yet capable crawler. I don't mind slowly building it up with upgrades but would like something that is at least decent out of the box. I am getting smoked by my buddies wraith and redcat 7! Thank you

[Boomer75]

What is your starting budget? I like the Element options from associated (enduro / gatekeeper) and the TRX 4 sport kit. I own both the Sport and the gatekeeper kit version. Bang for the buck, I like the Phoenix from Vanquish but that starts at $500 and I am not sure if the second round preorders have closed. I still haven’t jumped on that one. The term bang for the buck can be relative. The first two options do have a lot of aftermarket support, lower entry price point and great upgrade ability. I still like my scx 10 ii, and I have a redcat gen 8. It is fine and certainly the best budget option but my personal preference is with the other rigs.

[twade984]

I would suggest (in no particular order):

Scx10.2 deadbolt rtr $320 at amain plus they are offering $50 off right now

Axial wraith 1.9 $329 no discounts.

Capra rtr $499 at amain plus $100 off

Element ecto rtr $399 at amain plus $30 off with the feb3022 code.

Trx4 sport rtr $369 at amain

Or if you are interested in building,

Element gatekeeper kit $239 at amain plus $10 off with feb1022

Trx4 sport kit $299 at amain

Capra kit $370 at amain

Or ball out and get the new Phoenix kit for $499


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[ferp420]

redcats are on sale right now for there old prices the gen7 is 199 and the gen8 is 299
the gen8 will almost keep up with a wraith out of the box maybe even better in some places
some mods and it gets even better

[DRED805]

I'm super impressed with the capabilities of the Ecto, with only slight modifications.

That's my vote for sure.

[Cycle.Cats]

My LHS will talk crap about Redcat, but I gotta say I'm pretty dang impressed with my Gen8v2. It's my first 1:10 RC in ~15yrs, and I'm having loads of fun. I'm not going for a comp crawler, just a fun all around trail crawler. Parts support is minimal at the LHS, but many basics are non-brand specific, like motors, pinions, wheel/tire, electronics, etc. The internet is full of name-brand and off-brand replacement parts and hop ups as well.

I considered all the standard RTR crawlers, but the Redcat just struck my fancy with the purple Scout body and pretty decent running gear, and had the best price. Sure it has room for improvement, just like all of the <$500 RTR trucks, but I knew that part of the hobby for me is tinkering and modding, so that didn't bother me. ~40 bucks worth of bolt on parts all but eliminated the steering issues that I think the internet overrated anyway..

[Bob_in az]

You can't go wrong by sticking to the 4 most popular brands/platforms on the market;

Axial SCX10.2/10.3
Element Enduro/Ecto/Gatekeeper
Redcat Gen 8
Traxxas TRX4

[ShapeShifter666]

My Redcat Gen 8 surprised me, its awesome with a good set of tires and little bit of brass.

[Greatscott]

If, in general, you like Associated products, recommend looking into their line of 1/10 crawlers and scalers. Given what your friends have, the Element Gatekeeper. It is a good all-around crawler, easy to work on, and upgradable.

[4bsolute]

Thank you to everyone for the knowledge. I just bought a preowned everest 10. I picked it up for about $165 so it was well below my budget. Now I have a few bucks for upgrades, and I am pleasantly surprised by the prices for redcat parts. I have been building an electric conversion tmaxx so the price difference is huge and it won't need 5 new parts everytime I run it. Thanks again

[ferp420]

Originally Posted by 4bsolute

Thank you to everyone for the knowledge. I just bought a preowned everest 10. I picked it up for about $165 so it was well below my budget. Now I have a few bucks for upgrades, and I am pleasantly surprised by the prices for redcat parts. I have been building an electric conversion tmaxx so the price difference is huge and it won't need 5 new parts everytime I run it. Thanks again

weres the pics
the most important part of running a stock e10 is not over powering it 2s on stock motor is gona last a long time you can change the gearing but any more than that and it will become parts hungry

in my opinion the e10 only needs a few mods to make them great.crawlers

first off there a ax 10 clone so most axial parts for the ax/scx10 will work on it

dont even bother with redcat parts use axial parts to upgrade with the little bit of figiting with the parts to make them fit you have to do is worth it

so first off the chassie pick up any sporty or lcg chassie on the market it will be better than what redcat is using

then shocks and tires

optional mods rear lock outs if you dont want rear steer

new skid plate for better link placement
the axial iron cross lockers can be made.to fit the cats diffs so you can run axial axle shafts there alot stronger

and while you doing the iron cross mod do the narrow xr mod using wraith steering knuckles and c hubs and universal shafts its well worth the time and effort
or just pick up a ar60 axle



almost all e10s end up being 90% axial by the time the mods are done