Second crawler... NEW crawler thoughts....

[maxinflixion]

Hey folks-

I dove headfirst back into the RC world while laid up from a minor surgery in anticipation of another major one that will see me laid up for a bit.

After picking up a couple of cheap Rlaarlo bashers for myself and my rapidly aging father to get nostalgic with, I'm gearing up for a Michigan winter by looking at a micro crawler purchase.

My first crawler was a Redcat Gen 7 Pro which I bought before I even knew what a crawler was and sold it because it was "slow".

Countless YT videos later, I am still up in the air on a TRX-4M vs. an SCX24, but now am tossing a 1/18 Axial Capra into the ring for a go 'round.

I am wondering what your thoughts are on these with regard to the following:
- Indoor use
- Fun factor out of the box
- Available upgrades
- Viability and practicality of upgrades

Thanks for any input!

 

[Jamr]

You can't beat the SCX24 for parts availability. I'v never owned a TRX4m and wouldn't recommend Traxxas to anyone.
Before you decide, take a look at FMS's 18 and 24's for fun out of the box.
Not as much aftermarket parts but pretty cool lookin out of the box.

 

[Doom!]

The FMS FCX24 and the Smasher Monster trucks are fun little trucks that also have the added bonus of having two speeds wich really adds to the fun factor.

The Axial SCX24's are a favorite of many, if your looking for performance straight from the box I would lean you towards the Deadbolt or the AX24 which also has 4 wheel steer.

The Traxxas TRX4m is also a nice little crawler. I would recommend the Bronco over the Land rover for performance but highly recommend putting the landrover tires on it.

You really can't go wrong if you have some of each. I have a slight mini crawler addiction.

Forgot to mention, they all work great indoors!

 

[Jerold]

I have an SCX24, did some mods and it does OK. I say OK because I compare it my 1/10 TRX-4 that has about $1K into it. The short coming is the tiny little motor and I really need to upgrade it to the Furitek outrunner setup.

If you want the ultimate micro crawler look at the Furitek. Yes it's expensive, but it's super capable and it's much cheaper than buying a basic rig and doing the mods. But it's not as scale as some of the other rigs.

https://www.amainhobbies.com/furite...-rtr-micro-rock-crawler-ftk-fur-2269/p1466857

 

[Jerold]

Some comparisons

 

[cdstatz]

it kinda depends on what you're planning on doing with it... most indoor mini crawling courses are going to be set up for the SCX24'S. If you're planning on running it mostly outdoors then I'd go with either the Capra or the mini Capra (UTB18). Any of the rtr are going to need upgrades no matter which you choose. I'm still waiting for my Furitek to ship to see how it stacks up... looks in the videos so far. Being a brushless system right out of the box is a big upgrade over most rtrs. What ever you choose... have fun and make it your own...

 

[Xraycer]

Any of the rtr are going to need upgrades no matter which you choose.

I would disagree on  need! I've yet to own a micro crawler that needs an upgrade. A number of mine are still in stock form, and works decently. Of course, this is based upon what the driver is seeking, in terms of performance and ability.

@maxinflixion you stated that the Gen 7 was too slow for you. Is this still the case?
I'm not familiar with the Capra, but will assume it's faster since it's a rock bouncer. However, the SCX24 and 4M are no faster than the Gen7.

Here's an older pic of my micro crawlers. I've added several more since then.

 

[ahr43]

Hey Max. Welcome to the forum. Regarding indoor use, below is an image of the crawler track in my garage, circa 2016. Two 4ft x 4ft tables butted together. Ran 1:18 on it back before the days 1:24 rise to popularity. Would have been great for 1:24, so indoor is doable. Put blue bulbs in the overhead light and ran a few 'moonlight night' crawls.

Have fun. Cheers. 'AC'

 

[maxinflixion]

I would disagree on  need! I've yet to own a micro crawler that needs an upgrade. A number of mine are still in stock form, and works decently. Of course, this is based upon what the driver is seeking, in terms of performance and ability.

@maxinflixion you stated that the Gen 7 was too slow for you. Is this still the case?
I'm not familiar with the Capra, but will assume it's faster since it's a rock bouncer. However, the SCX24 and 4M are no faster than the Gen7.

Here's an older pic of my micro crawlers. I've added several more since then.
View attachment 172398

Gen7 would not be too slow as a crawler now. I think back then, I expected more of a basher because I hadn't researched. As far as size goes, Gen7 would be too big based on what I am looking for these days.

FWIW, I saw the FCX18 release info, and that thing looks real strong!

 

[cdstatz]

I would disagree on  need! I've yet to own a micro crawler that needs an upgrade. A number of mine are still in stock form, and works decently. Of course, this is based upon what the driver is seeking, in terms of performance and ability.

@maxinflixion you stated that the Gen 7 was too slow for you. Is this still the case?
I'm not familiar with the Capra, but will assume it's faster since it's a rock bouncer. However, the SCX24 and 4M are no faster than the Gen7.

Here's an older pic of my micro crawlers. I've added several more since then.

Xraycer... you're right... "need" was a bit strong. I'll agree. we have a few that are still all stock that are just as much fun to run as the custom builds.

 

[Xraycer]

Xraycer... you're right... "need" was a bit strong. I'll agree. we have a few that are still all stock that are just as much fun to run as the custom builds.

The great thing about the SCX24 is the wide availability of aftermarket components. Another great thing is that it can be very cheap to upgrade to a very potent crawler.
Here's my very highly modified SCX24 Deadbolt. I didn't go as far as a brushless system. It's just way more than what I'm willing to spend on a micro-crawler.

 

[Jerold]

I would disagree on  need! I've yet to own a micro crawler that needs an upgrade. A number of mine are still in stock form, and works decently. Of course, this is based upon what the driver is seeking, in terms of performance and ability.

@maxinflixion you stated that the Gen 7 was too slow for you. Is this still the case?
I'm not familiar with the Capra, but will assume it's faster since it's a rock bouncer. However, the SCX24 and 4M are no faster than the Gen7.

Here's an older pic of my micro crawlers. I've added several more since then.
View attachment 172398

It looks like you have a personal lake in the background too. Nice, any RC boats to run on that?

To be fair I've got a pond in my backyard too - a cement pond. Too small for boats though.

 

[Xraycer]

It looks like you have a personal lake in the background too. Nice, any RC boats to run on that?

To be fair I've got a pond in my backyard too - a cement pond. Too small for boats though.

It's just a little pond. Maybe 50ft in diameter. I think it's man made for the orchard my subdivision used be. I'm guessing it has a liner? There's no stream feeding it, yet it has never even come close to drying out the 19 years I've lived here. There are 4 of these ponds in my subdivision of 27 houses.
Anyways, it's too small for any rc boats with speed, but micro would work. I find rc boats kinda boring to be honest. I have thought about making it into a skating rink during the winter months, but it actually would require a lot of maintenance to keep the ice smooth.

 

[Jerold]

It's just a little pond. Maybe 50ft in diameter. I think it's man made for the orchard my subdivision used be. I'm guessing it has a liner? There's no stream feeding it, yet it has never even come close to drying out the 19 years I've lived here. There are 4 of these ponds in my subdivision of 27 houses.
Anyways, it's too small for any rc boats with speed, but micro would work. I find rc boats kinda boring to be honest. I have thought about making it into a skating rink during the winter months, but it actually would require a lot of maintenance to keep the ice smooth.
View attachment 172428

It's nice anyway, just a bit of the outdoor and country in your back yard. It's got to have water flow, otherwise it would turn green ... quickly. Maybe there is a spring under it. If it's got a liner then it's called a pool.

I learned to skate on a frozen pond. My "friends" put their sister's skates on my feet, dragged me out to the middle of the pond and told me to skate back. I started to crawl, which is about the same time a blade came down just in front of my fingers and said "no you have to skate". So I learned. Old school teaching, fear.

Do people even skate on ponds anymore, I thought it was illegal, immoral or bad for the environment or something? I think it hurts the ice. I asked my niece, who lives with some snow, if they skated on the ponds and she thought I was crazy. I thought she was crazy for not skating on them. Granted their ponds might not freeze very well, it's high desert, and they might be swimming instead.

 

[ahr43]

Skated a frozen creek in Nebraska winters - back early 1960s. Shallow creek with rocks poking up through the ice. We'd do ad-hoc hockey matches using tree branches and whatever we could find for a puck. Great times.

Present day, present pond. Heck, you could crawl the pond in winter. Set up an ice challenge for the crawlers. Fortunate you are. Cheers, mate. 'AC'

 

[Jerold]

Skated a frozen creek in Nebraska winters - back early 1960s. Shallow creek with rocks poking up through the ice. We'd do ad-hoc hockey matches using tree branches and whatever we could find for a puck. Great times.

Present day, present pond. Heck, you could crawl the pond in winter. Set up an ice challenge for the crawlers. Fortunate you are. Cheers, mate. 'AC'

Unfortunately I live in Silicon Valley and we can se the snow once in a while on the mountains, but nothing enough to freeze a pond. Also the close the roads to keep the morons out.

But I love the idea. RC ice racing. Maybe I could get some time at the local ICE rink.

 

[Xraycer]

It's nice anyway, just a bit of the outdoor and country in your back yard. It's got to have water flow, otherwise it would turn green ... quickly. Maybe there is a spring under it. If it's got a liner then it's called a pool.

Perhaps there is a spring, I don't know. Thing is, on one side of the pond is a 30 foot drop. My subdivision is on the side of a hill.
The pond is heavily surrounded by thick woods with tall trees so it's well shielded from direct sunlight, so green water has never occurred.
There's actually a whole eco system established in there. Frogs and minnows that the someone must have stocked decades ago. One year it even had a beaver and a family of muskrats. We get regular visits from a stork or heron or something. And a pair of flying ducks stops by every now and then.
It's quite a nice, tranquil spot in the spring time before the bugs run. I even built a redneck dock, using pallets, into the pond to hang out on warm sunny days.

 

[Jamr]

The great thing about the SCX24 is the wide availability of aftermarket components. Another great thing is that it can be very cheap to upgrade to a very potent crawler.
Here's my very highly modified SCX24 Deadbolt. I didn't go as far as a brushless system. It's just way more than what I'm willing to spend on a micro-crawler.
View attachment 172401

That is a nice looking rig!

 

[maxinflixion]

The great thing about the SCX24 is the wide availability of aftermarket components. Another great thing is that it can be very cheap to upgrade to a very potent crawler.
Here's my very highly modified SCX24 Deadbolt. I didn't go as far as a brushless system. It's just way more than what I'm willing to spend on a micro-crawler.
View attachment 172401

@Xraycer- I'd love more info on your build.

Anyone have any thoughts on this new FMS FCX18?? https://www.fmshobby.com/products/f...fL9BWqzXjuiBO46bbncEyn8B06o3aC00aAo7yEALw_wcB

 

[Doom!]

@Xraycer- I'd love more info on your build.

Anyone have any thoughts on this new FMS FCX18?? https://www.fmshobby.com/products/f...fL9BWqzXjuiBO46bbncEyn8B06o3aC00aAo7yEALw_wcB

The FCX18/24 platform is a good performer but I fear that full harbody is going to limit performance. But man what a looker.


It would probably make a decent trail truck, just not sure about the crawling capabilities with it being so top heavy. I really love the FMS 2 speed capabilities. But hate those turn signals blinking every time you turn.