Opinions: Wraith Spawn vs Arrma Senton vs 1/16 E-Revo VXL?

[slothRC]

Hi All. This includes some non-crawler stuff so forgive me for that...

I have a TRX4 and SCX-24 for dedicated crawlers. I have a lot of fun with those, but I’ve been thinking for a while about getting something faster, ideally for some speedy off-road trails and jumps in the woods.

I’ve been strongly considering the following 3:

Traxxas 1/16 E-Revo VXL - I like that it’s relatively small, affordable, and seems tough
Arrma Senton v3 3s - short course trucks seem fun. Seems very fast.
Axial Wraith Spawn - I like that it looks like it’s based off of a crawler platform, which I’m familiar with.

I know that those 3 models are totally different platforms. I’m guessing that enough of you are general RC people so may have some experience and thoughts between these 3 different types of rigs.

Again, I’m basically looking for something that I can drive fast and beat up (respectfully, not abuse) on off-road trails. I’m a mountain biker and hiker and like the idea of being able to run something fast on those trails and do some jumps too.

Thanks in advance!


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[Phildirt]

Wraith would fit the trail basher description best out of those 3 mentioned in my opinion. Have you looked at the Element Gatekeeper? Happy medium I think. Will do the go fast thing (sway bar) and the crawler thing (nice tranny and axles) and will fit in places the Wraith won’t with those wide AR60s.

 

[slothRC]

Wraith would fit the trail basher description best out of those 3 mentioned in my opinion. Have you looked at the Element Gatekeeper? Happy medium I think. Will do the go fast thing (sway bar) and the crawler thing (nice tranny and axles) and will fit in places the Wraith won’t with those wide AR60s.

The Gatekeeper seems nice to me too but I thought the Wraith might be more stable at speed because of the wider stance? I’d be interested in hearing more on Gatekeeper vs Wraith pros/cons. I’m not really concerned about it being able to do much crawling since I have my TRX4 for that. Looking for something more stable at higher speeds with decent cornering ability.


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[bbeck006]

Anything in the Arrma 3s range would be good. Maybe look at a Granite or Big Rock, they have bigger tires so would be good for back flips. I tried bashing my Wraith for a long time but kept breaking parts, I ended up selling it and buying a Kraton 4s. That thing is a beast and rarely breaks.

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[rkj__]

Senton 3S is way too fast for trails. 50mph is insane. I think it is over-geared out of the box. I suspect it is a little more usable with a smaller pinion gear.

If I wanted a vehicle for trails that was faster than a crawler, I’d probably get a Bomber.

I did own a Senton, and did try it on trails. Here’s a video. Some of these shots took a lot of takes. I found it a little hard to control on narrow trails.

https://youtu.be/YAe0x4RqrP4

 

[Cyclist]

The 1/16 mini e-revo is fun and crazy fast (I have one) but I wouldn't use it on trail runs. The wheels are small and there is minimal ground clearance. Makes for a fun little basher and is easy to transport however. The Arrma 3s lineup is crazy durable, and easy to work on. I don't have a Wraith or bomber so I can't comment on those.

 

[slothRC]

Thanks for the input everyone! I’m starting to like the idea of an Enduro Gatekeeper or Axial Bomber.

I’m wondering if those would be fast enough for jumps and stable enough in corners for what I want to do with them. I’m not looking for another crawler. I’m not going to be able to afford brushless if I do a rock racer kit. I actually have a spare HobbyWing 1080 ESC sitting in a box, which at least saves the need to purchase that. I’m wondering, with a fast brushed crawler motor, 3s, and tall gearing, are those rock racers really fast? Thoughts on one over the other? I guess I’m just concerned that it wouldn’t be different enough from my TRX4 Sport that I already have.

The E-Revo VXL still seems super “fun”, even if it isn’t suited for trails. And it’s cheap compared to building a Gatekeeper or Bomber kit. I’m guessing smooth dirt paths are probably the max for those little guys though, but I’m sure I’d have tons of fun with it. I’m still pretty new to this whole RC hobby and never had a fast RC that I can do jumps with.


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[ferp420]

if you go the spawn route i have a few sugestions first keep it light your still.gona want aluminum wheels knuckles and chubs for reliabulity the front axle will need the big bearing mod done to it ether do it your self or send it out and have it done or buy a axle housing thats already been modded
you will need a sway bar for the rear atleast and shorter shocks will help too
after doing these mods it will handle alot better at speed and will probably still out crawl your trx4

 

[rkj__]

Thanks for the input everyone! I’m starting to like the idea of an Enduro Gatekeeper or Axial Bomber.

I’m wondering if those would be fast enough for jumps and stable enough in corners for what I want to do with them. I’m not looking for another crawler. I’m not going to be able to afford brushless if I do a rock racer kit. I actually have a spare HobbyWing 1080 ESC sitting in a box, which at least saves the need to purchase that. I’m wondering, with a fast brushed crawler motor, 3s, and tall gearing, are those rock racers really fast? Thoughts on one over the other? I guess I’m just concerned that it wouldn’t be different enough from my TRX4 Sport that I already have.

The E-Revo VXL still seems super “fun”, even if it isn’t suited for trails. And it’s cheap compared to building a Gatekeeper or Bomber kit. I’m guessing smooth dirt paths are probably the max for those little guys though, but I’m sure I’d have tons of fun with it. I’m still pretty new to this whole RC hobby and never had a fast RC that I can do jumps with.


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I’m of the understanding that the Gatekeeper is no faster than the regular Enduro kit. It is not wide, and looks to tip over easily at speed.

 

[themountain]

What about the Losinut ??

 

[Phildirt]

I’m of the understanding that the Gatekeeper is no faster than the regular Enduro kit. It is not wide, and looks to tip over easily at speed.

Faster just depends on motor and gearing. Any rig can be fast.

It has a longer wheelbase than Sendero, rear sway bar, trailing arms, and can handle bigger/wider tires. I think a Gatekeeper with the IFS conversion, 1:1 tranny OD gear swap, and 12 turn motor would make a great speedster/trailer. I have not heard that the cage makes it too much more top heavy but that could be remedied by lowering it a little.

 

[mash914]

I have a 1/16 E-Revo VXL, a Wraith Spawn (Spyder), and TRX4. I bought them in that order.


I had the Revo for years and it was the only RC car I had. It does have limited ground clearance, but when the surface is smooth enough its really fast (stock) and a lot of fun. I've also found the thing to be comically durable. My now 13 year old son has been crashing it into things for probably 8 years and shockingly nothing has broken.


I bought the Wraith because I just wanted all of what the Revo offered, but with more terrain capabilities. I know a lot of folks will disagree with me, but I found it never really felt right at speed - the width and ground clearance helped, but the locked diffs and solid axles always seemed like a compromise that didn't really need to be made. I bought a crawler motor for it and that's what introduced me to crawling, in a roundabout way.


This year I bought a TRX4 because I wanted something to build and I have to say the lockable diffs and 2-speed have made the Wraith feel somewhat obsolete. There really isn't much it can do that the Bronco can't, and for narrower spots, the Bronco's drastically tighter turning radius makes it more fun - for me.


In your shoes, I'd say you need to assess how much ground clearance you'd need - if you're talking yards / baseball fields (so many donuts) / parking lots / walking trails, then the Revo might be just right.


If you're thinking more rooty / rocky areas, and you really want to go fast, I might look into something like the Losi Rock Rey (or even the full size Revo). I can't comment on the build quality or reliability of the Losi, but from what I've seen they look like they'd be a blast. And if the full size Revo is anything like the smaller one it will also be a lot of fun.


Good Luck

 

[slothRC]

I have a 1/16 E-Revo VXL, a Wraith Spawn (Spyder), and TRX4. I bought them in that order.


I had the Revo for years and it was the only RC car I had. It does have limited ground clearance, but when the surface is smooth enough its really fast (stock) and a lot of fun. I've also found the thing to be comically durable. My now 13 year old son has been crashing it into things for probably 8 years and shockingly nothing has broken.


I bought the Wraith because I just wanted all of what the Revo offered, but with more terrain capabilities. I know a lot of folks will disagree with me, but I found it never really felt right at speed - the width and ground clearance helped, but the locked diffs and solid axles always seemed like a compromise that didn't really need to be made. I bought a crawler motor for it and that's what introduced me to crawling, in a roundabout way.


This year I bought a TRX4 because I wanted something to build and I have to say the lockable diffs and 2-speed have made the Wraith feel somewhat obsolete. There really isn't much it can do that the Bronco can't, and for narrower spots, the Bronco's drastically tighter turning radius makes it more fun - for me.


In your shoes, I'd say you need to assess how much ground clearance you'd need - if you're talking yards / baseball fields (so many donuts) / parking lots / walking trails, then the Revo might be just right.


If you're thinking more rooty / rocky areas, and you really want to go fast, I might look into something like the Losi Rock Rey (or even the full size Revo). I can't comment on the build quality or reliability of the Losi, but from what I've seen they look like they'd be a blast. And if the full size Revo is anything like the smaller one it will also be a lot of fun.


Good Luck

Mash, thanks so much for that! That and all other replies have really helped inform my decision making. Leaning pretty hard towards the Losi Rock Rey now. Seems like it’s an absolute blast.


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[Phildirt]

Mash, thanks so much for that! That and all other replies have really helped inform my decision making. Leaning pretty hard towards the Losi Rock Rey now. Seems like it’s an absolute blast.


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some threads to dig into. When I go down this rabbit hole I just google "x vs y" and mostly RCC threads come back, it's faster/better than this site's search engine.


http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/axial-rr10-bomber/599466-bomber-vs-yeti-vs-rock-rey.html


http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/general-scale-talk/587104-axial-rr10-bomber-losi-rock-rey-poll.html


http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/losi-rock-rey/603453-losi-rock-rey-axial-bomber-traxxas-trx4.html

 

[slothRC]

some threads to dig into. When I go down this rabbit hole I just google "x vs y" and mostly RCC threads come back, it's faster/better than this site's search engine.

More very helpful stuff, thanks! Really digging the Rock Rey option, so I just called and had my local hobby store order one in for me! Excited to get it.

Is the Rock Rey “crawler” enough for this forum, or do you think high speed rock racers are better suited for another forum group?


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[Phildirt]

There is a Rock Rey specific sub forum in the Scale Rigs - Brand Specific Tech section.

 

[rkj__]

Rock Rey is a really cool rig. I hope you enjoy it.

 

[mash914]

Wow, that's really cool that you jumped right in.


I've been debating blowing some Christmas money on one :mrgreen: - let us know how you like it.

 

[MOguy]

I have a couple Wraith 2.2s and they are not really good at anything other than maybe as some sort of rock racer thing. I have one with a MambaX and a HH 3800 Trail Pro, it fast and fun but not good for much. The Wraith 2.2 can't crawl like a TRX or Axial ii or iii, not even as good as an Enduro.

The Wraith is worthless as a basher. I also have a Armma Granite and my boys have a Hard Rock and a Mojave and we have had a few Traxxas Bashers. The Wraith sucks as a basher.

Unless you are building a rock racer of some sort I wouldn't recommend a Wraith 2.2.

I have had a few Traxxas (Bandit, Rustler and Slash) and Armma (Granite, Hard Rock and Mojave) bashers. I don't know who is faster but as far as durability the Traxxas bashers suck compared to the Armma bashers I have had.

 

[KenB925]

I would cast a vote against the 1/16th scale Revo. I bought a couple of them for my kids (actually they are 1/16 summits, but they are basically the same). They are cool fun little trucks, the problems are my kids were able to break lots of parts on them, butt the real problem with them is the batteries. If you already have a TRX4, then you have the big batteries, so I would avoid the 1/16 scale trucks. I just got 4x4 Rustlers for my kids so we can use the same batteries across the board.