Hey I want to buy a rock crawler for me and my dad where should I start

[Pabl007]

Hello everyone I have a short course rc car that I am going to show my dad and I want to buy a rock crawler for him something like a Land Rover defender what should I get

 

[Jerold]

Traxxas, Axial, Vanquish and Element are all solid 1/10 scale choices. You will probably find more after market Traxxas and Axial. Redcat is less expensive but you have less support.

The Traxxas TRX4 LR is very cool. It tends to be a bit top heavy when compared to the lighter rigs. This is only an issue if you are doing crazy climbs or off angle stuff.
https://www.amainhobbies.com/traxxa...-defender-body-silver-tra82056-4-slvr/p663344

There are other LR bodied 4wds, like RC4wd. RC4wd makes some quality stuff, but they don't do the volume of the big guys.
https://www.amainhobbies.com/rc4wd-...-rover-defender-d90-body-rc4zrtr0043/p1216338

There are some very high performance rigs out there, but lack the scale details.

You/your dad need to decide how much scale detail you want versus performance.

 

[sumguy75]

Yep, TRX4 or Axial would be 2 of your best choices for a first crawling rig. Tons of support, youtube videos, etc. I've had a TRX4 for a year now and its reliable, fun and easy to work on.

 

[Pabl007]

Traxxas, Axial, Vanquish and Element are all solid 1/10 scale choices. You will probably find more after market Traxxas and Axial. Redcat is less expensive but you have less support.

The Traxxas TRX4 LR is very cool. It tends to be a bit top heavy when compared to the lighter rigs. This is only an issue if you are doing crazy climbs or off angle stuff.
https://www.amainhobbies.com/traxxa...-defender-body-silver-tra82056-4-slvr/p663344

There are other LR bodied 4wds, like RC4wd. RC4wd makes some quality stuff, but they don't do the volume of the big guys.
https://www.amainhobbies.com/rc4wd-...-rover-defender-d90-body-rc4zrtr0043/p1216338

There are some very high performance rigs out there, but lack the scale details.

You/your dad need to decide how much scale detail you want versus performance.

Thank you

Yep, TRX4 or Axial would be 2 of your best choices for a first crawling rig. Tons of support, youtube videos, etc. I've had a TRX4 for a year now and its reliable, fun and easy to work on.

Thank you

Hello everyone I have a short course rc car that I am going to show my dad and I want to buy a rock crawler for him something like a Land Rover defender what should I get

I have come to the conclusion I am going over to one of the biggest hobby shops in my state in Australia to buy a axial deadbolt since I can buy a defender body later on leaving enough to buy some other things as well

 

[Jerold]

This might help, Francis at RC Review does excellent reviews of different RCs and after market parts.
https://www.youtube.com/@RCReviewChannel

 

[Jamr]

Im confused. Is @Pabl007 looking for a 10th scale or 24th scale?

 

[Jerold]

Im confused. Is @Pabl007 looking for a 10th scale or 24th scale?

Hmm. Good question. I started thinking maybe he wanted 1/6 scale. You can drive the kids too school in the car pool lane.

https://www.amainhobbies.com/axial-...ectric-rock-crawler-green-axi05000t1/p1367542

 

[razorrc]

I’ll be honest, I’d rather watch paint dry than drive a crawler. I’m not saying some people don’t enjoy it, but make sure he likes going slow before you buy him a crawler.

 

[Jerold]

I’ll be honest, I’d rather watch paint dry than drive a crawler. I’m not saying some people don’t enjoy it, but make sure he likes going slow before you buy him a crawler.

I was that guy too, until I actually went 4-wheeling for real. I raced on all the Norcal tracks and thought the only way to get a thrill was to look death in the face and say bring it on.

When you are off-road on some goat path with a 500' drop on one side, a wheel in the air and you see nothing but sky, you have a whole lot of time to think about your life choices.

 

[Pabl007]

Im confused. Is @Pabl007 looking for a 10th scale or 24th

Both mate s

 

[sumguy75]

I’ll be honest, I’d rather watch paint dry than drive a crawler. I’m not saying some people don’t enjoy it, but make sure he likes going slow before you buy him a crawler.

I'd rather drive a crawler in wet conditions than watch my bashers dry, lol. But I definitely prefer bashing to crawling in dry conditions.

Its a completely different experience crawling. Lacks the speed and power thrills of bashing, more of a slow technical/problem solving type of experience. I think the easiest thing to do is let him drive your basher and if he likes it a lot, get him a basher because you know he likes it. A rock crawler can be added later. Another thing on crawling is you need some really good places to crawl. Trails and short easy climbs get old real fast without some challenging rocky climbs.

 

[Uncle Pete]

I’ve had a few of the Traxxas 1/10 crawlers and liked all them. Decent price and good quality.
Had the Defender, really enjoyed, many hours trailing and crawling. Also had the 79 Chevy Blazer,
almost to nice looking to take out.

Here’s a video about three years back.

 

[SrC]

Traxxas, Axial, Vanquish and Element are all solid 1/10 scale choices. You will probably find more after market Traxxas and Axial. Redcat is less expensive but you have less support.

The Traxxas TRX4 LR is very cool. It tends to be a bit top heavy when compared to the lighter rigs. This is only an issue if you are doing crazy climbs or off angle stuff.
https://www.amainhobbies.com/traxxa...-defender-body-silver-tra82056-4-slvr/p663344

There are other LR bodied 4wds, like RC4wd. RC4wd makes some quality stuff, but they don't do the volume of the big guys.
https://www.amainhobbies.com/rc4wd-...-rover-defender-d90-body-rc4zrtr0043/p1216338

There are some very high performance rigs out there, but lack the scale details.

You/your dad need to decide how much scale detail you want versus performance.

Having both TRX-4 and 2 Axials. TRX-4 was a freebie, that I modded heavily, little Trx parts remaining. My Axials still rule, by comparison. Just me.
Stay away from any Top heavy models whatever you choose. The TRX-4 Defender body is truly sweet looking, But....... completely sucks for serious Rock climbing. Extremely TOP heavy. With Crawling, roll overs are consider a fail. Govern yourself accordingly.
Just a fact jack. Fundemental Crawler advice. Want to Rock climb, need a light and low CoG body. Many add so much $Brass$ on their TRX-4 Defender to offset being top heavy. This has its drawbacks.
And these days, better Crawler setups have gone the other direction Staying very Light now , not adding much brass etc. And the focus is on very light and low bodies. That Defender body is very heavy and sits quite high. Much like a 1:1 does.
My TRX-4 now runs an Arrma Notorious Painted body. It is my Avatar to the left, here. My Axials have way better Tranny's, IMHO.

Vanguish Products makes the absolute best Crawlers and Upgrade parts out there. Bar none. Licensed Method crawler wheels and all. But Need a very deep wallet for them. Precision fit and finish throughout the drive train and all. Much of the VP upgrade stuff, drivetrain parts, etc are also designed for Axial's as well.
Not so with Trx Crawlers. Just maybe with wheels which are pretty much universal with most any Crawler brand. Trx is very sensitive about upgrade brands offering parts for their Crawlers. But they are out there. Treal and Integy come to mind.

>>> FWIW, TRX-4 platforms are still not allowed to compete in G6 Crawling events, last I heard.
Not that most will want to. But there is a reason why. Want a legit Crawler. It wont be a Trx-4. Doesn't mean a Trx-4 can't hold its own if setup nicely. Just saying...

 

[Diem Turner]

Go with the tried and true TRX-4. Hard to go wrong with that and there are lots of "flavors" available.

 

[SrC]

You mean to say Axial's are not Tried and True???? Hmm.
Axials have always been synonymous with the Crawling RC niche segment, years before Trx was even thinking about offering one. Trx has a potential performer to some extent with theirs. Just that as an official Crawler spec'ed platform, TRX has watered it down some, and deviated from it, trying to create something else. As more of a Basher/Crawler, IMHO. I also noticed many TRX-4 stock and upgrade brand parts are more costly, by comparison to most other competitors. When it comes to similar parts.
I will only admit that The TRX-4 line is probably one of TRX's best offerings, FWIW, of all their stuff. I'm just saying, if you want a real Crawler, TRX-4 is not the one. Again, having one myself.
If being a TRX guy and that is your only motivation in choosing a TRX-4 over others, you may be just be missing out on what a true Crawler really is.
In pictures, all Crawlers generally "look" the same, some with nice scale bodies, etc. all to an unfamiliar eye. They are not.

Edited.

 

[Pabl007]

You mean to say Axial's are not Tried and True???? Hmm.
Axials have always been synonymous with the Crawling RC niche segment, years before Trx was even thinking about offering one. Trx has a potential performer to some extent with theirs. Just that as an official Crawler spec'ed platform, TRX has watered it down some, and deviated from it, trying to create something else. As more of a Basher/Crawler, IMHO. I also noticed many TRX-4 stock and upgrade brand parts are more costly, by comparison to most other competitors. When it comes to similar parts.
I will only admit that The TRX-4 line is probably one of TRX's best offerings, FWIW, of all their stuff. I'm just saying, if you want a real Crawler, TRX-4 is not the one. Again, having one myself.
If being a TRX guy and that is your only motivation in choosing a TRX-4 over others, you may be just be missing out on what a true Crawler really is.
In pictures, all Crawlers generally "look" the same, some with nice scale bodies, etc. all to an unfamiliar eye. They are not.

Edited.

Yeah when I was doing research on rock crawlers a lot of people including donut media said that a axial deadbolt is the best starting out rock crawler and upgrade it over time

 

[sumguy75]

Want to Rock climb, need a light and low CoG body. Many add so much $Brass$ on their TRX-4 Defender to offset being top heavy. This has its drawbacks.
And these days, better Crawler setups have gone the other direction Staying very Light now , not adding much brass etc. And the focus is on very light and low bodies. That Defender body is very heavy and sits quite high. Much like a 1:1 does.

I started with a TRX4 sport kit that came with the Knightrunner body(much lighter than the Defender body). I did the whole thing, bed rack & accessories etc. and all because it was my first crawler. Some people just want a trail truck that does some light climbing and TRX4's do this very well. But to crawl, it needs to some changes.

I ditched the bed rack and accessories on mine first, small improvement. Next I ditched the Knightrunner body to save more weight. JConcepts makes some really good/light crawler bodies, I did the 1970 Chevy and it saved around 2 ounces vs stock body and was able to mount it lower which also helps. Added some brass portal covers (42g each) after that and wow, what a difference. Got rid of the battery bar and use straps instead, another ounce saved. Got a 3000mah battery too, for crawling it will last over 1 hour no problem, less weight higher up. Overall the rig weighs close to the same as stock, but with most of the change coming from weight up top being eliminated and weight added at wheel level. I have no idea how it compares to other brands as I don't have any other 1/10 rigs, but just those few changes made a huge difference for crawling which is what I do.

For someone that wants a trail truck instead of a crawler, a stock TRX4 will be fine. Doesn't take much to turn it into a solid crawler.

 

[Jerold]

You mean to say Axial's are not Tried and True???? Hmm.
Axials have always been synonymous with the Crawling RC niche segment, years before Trx was even thinking about offering one. Trx has a potential performer to some extent with theirs. Just that as an official Crawler spec'ed platform, TRX has watered it down some, and deviated from it, trying to create something else. As more of a Basher/Crawler, IMHO. I also noticed many TRX-4 stock and upgrade brand parts are more costly, by comparison to most other competitors. When it comes to similar parts.
I will only admit that The TRX-4 line is probably one of TRX's best offerings, FWIW, of all their stuff. I'm just saying, if you want a real Crawler, TRX-4 is not the one. Again, having one myself.
If being a TRX guy and that is your only motivation in choosing a TRX-4 over others, you may be just be missing out on what a true Crawler really is.
In pictures, all Crawlers generally "look" the same, some with nice scale bodies, etc. all to an unfamiliar eye. They are not.

Edited.

All good info but it's an assumption that they want to do comps and play on the big rocks. If that's true I doubt they will find a completely stock rig to compete and will need to build/customize the rig for the rules. It's the same conversation I have with racing friends. The problem is my wife doesn't want to drive an Spec Touring car.

My TRX4 is capable, but it's not, nor ever will be a belly drager. However, I'm considering the new Vanquish VRD or the Axial Pro to build something more capable. But still a completely custom tuned rig will be better.

If you want a scale truck, TRX is good. The Axial CJ-7 is pretty awesome. It's far from the most capable but looks great.

BTW I love the Injora wheels. They are good quality and a fraction of Vanquish or SSDs. You can find brass everything for the TRX if that's your thing, but don't buy cheap brass, it may not t fit right. The body mounts are goofy though.

 

[Pabl007]

All good info but it's an assumption that they want to do comps and play on the big rocks. If that's true I doubt they will find a completely stock rig to compete and will need to build/customize the rig for the rules. It's the same conversation I have with racing friends. The problem is my wife doesn't want to drive an Spec Touring car.

My TRX4 is capable, but it's not, nor ever will be a belly drager. However, I'm considering the new Vanquish VRD or the Axial Pro to build something more capable. But still a completely custom tuned rig will be better.

If you want a scale truck, TRX is good. The Axial CJ-7 is pretty awesome. It's far from the most capable but looks great.

BTW I love the Injora wheels. They are good quality and a fraction of Vanquish or SSDs. You can find brass everything for the TRX if that's your thing, but don't buy cheap brass, it may not t fit right. The body mounts are goofy though.

Thanks for your opinion and your views and experience

 

[phm14]

We've seen some serious advancements in RTR crawlers, even since I got back into RC back in May. I started with a Axial Base Camp, added tires, and a Hobbywing Fusion Pro system, which transformed the power delivery-muuuch better. Then, I added an AE Enduro Ecto, upgraded tires, and installed another HW fusion pro system. Better yet. About 4 weeks ago, I added a Axial Capra 4WS (4 wheel steering). Still better. This buggy is a game changer. Tires only, so far, but better electronics than the 1st two. I pulled the Fusion pro out of the Base Camp, for the Capra, then sold the Base Camp. Came across a scratch and dent Capra deal at Tower, which amounted to ~$200 off, because one of the leds in the light bar was out. Now I have 2. When I researched the Vanquish VRD Stance, I had to have that, and it is inbound. I enjoy taking these rigs out stock, then adding tires, and other mods, testing one change at a time, to improve performance. Some like the gummy dual stage foam tire set up on the VRD well enough, they're not even spending the ~$100 to do top shelf rubber and foams. They'll all likely need servos (two for the Capra). If I had to pick only one, having not driven the VRD, I'd pick the Capra. It's going to do things no drag axle set up can, and you won't be spending time and money replacing noisy lexan bodies. Some whine that a 4WS rock buggy is a "cheater car". They've got that wrong. If you've ever done any real full scale off roading, in a street legal vehicle, you come to realize, quickly, that you are compromising-pressing a vehicle that's designed for the roads, off of the road. You can total that vehicle with one light rollover. A purpose built, tube frame off road machine can roll over, then be flipped back over, and just keep on truckin', because it's built for technical terrain.
Box stock vs custom Capras, in the red rocks