Looking to get back in the RC Game. Which Crawler would be best to start with now

[champ198]

Looking to get back into the game. Been out for a few years. Im not new to the RC world as I have had quite a few different ones over the years.
Mostly all of mine have been Axial based platforms.
In looking now it seems like the Vanquish rigs have a lot more models now than they did back then and they are priced similarly to what most of the Axial based rigs are.
Local shop dosent carry much of anything of Vanquish so hard to see them first hand.
Are these Vanquish rigs a better platform to start with than the Axial?
I know the Vanquish parts in the past have all been really great. I would assume that their RTR and Kit rigs are the same quality.
And then the question would be, what to go with, A RTR or a Kit. I know the kits I could do what I want with it. But how are the RTR rigs as far as decent Electronics etc. as I know that is always a problem with most all RTR rigs.

 

[JatoTheRipper]

Do you want a trail rig or capable scale crawler?

Axial quality is still shit. The plastics got better, but the engineering did not on the SCX10 III. If you need an Axial, get an SCX10 II. Maybe the SCX10 Pro kit is a good choice, but I have no experience with that and for the price I'd go with a Vanquish VRD Carbon.

I'm currently upgrading a Vanquish Fordcyce RTR and it impressed the heck out of me on its first trail run in mostly stock RTR form except for wheels and tires. I'd highly suggest Vanquish these days. They just released VS4-10 Straight Axle and VRD Straight Axle builder kits and you could start there if you don't like any of the RTRs.

The Traxxas TRX-4 is a durable beast and a very fun platform. It is heavy so the capability can suffer somewhat, but it's still a great truck.

Go kit if you can. RTR electronics are weak and you will end up spending more money upgrading those. My Fordyce is getting a new ESC, motor and servo. The transmitter is fine. Even the ESC and motor are acceptable, but the servo is too weak for me.

 

[svt923]

In general, the Vanquish trucks are very good. Out of the box, they are probably slightly better than most comparable trucks since the weight of the motor is kept so low. Some people have stripped out the one-piece ring gear/locker and broken the sintered gears in the transmission. The shocks are also hit or miss on holding oil. The RTR radio is way above most others (multi model memory, all the adjustments you will need) while the other electronics are basic but get the job done.

The SCX10III is pretty good but I am not a fan of the 2 speed & dig transmission, it is heavy, clunky, and puts the motor up really high. The transmission of the Base Camp version is better. The Base Camp builders kits are on sale right now for $200 if you want to build your own kit. There seems to be hefty sale on Axial trucks all the time, the exact models on sale tend to rotate. The Gladiator version looks great and offers a different driving experience than most RTRs since it is really long. Otherwise, not much at Axial is worth paying full price for these days.

The Element RTRs are solid as well outside of the Enduro SE, they really cheaped out on that version (plastic everything, bushings instead of bearings, etc). They give you better than average 5 pole motors in the RTRs but all the other electroncs are super basic. I like the fact you can get a bunch of different configurations (solid axle, IFS, trailing arms, short wheelbase) outside of the standard RTR options.

The TRX-4 is a solid truck, performs well, and has some great body options. The Sport is a great value while the High Trail versions are expensive for a version that is actively worse.

All in all, pretty much any truck you can buy today is better at everything than what could have been bought 5+ years ago. It is hard to go wrong these days.

 

[Col_Sanders]

The Vanquish trucks are great. VS410 platform for scale or VRD for performance. The H10 looks pretty cool but I do not own one to comment on performance. Some of VPs trucks have a sintered one piece ring gear/spool that are prone to failure if you put much power on them. If the product page does not mention hardened machined gears, they are the sintered. There are plenty of ring and pinion upgrades available for them though since they are based off the AR44 from the SCX10 II. The shocks are also prone to leak but if you're an Axial guy thats something you should be used to.

TRX-4s are great trail trucks and they're pretty darn tough. Playing around with the lockers and two speed transmission can be fun. They are a bit on the top heavy side though so performance suffers.

 

[pwjm]

In general, the Vanquish trucks are very good. Out of the box, they are probably slightly better than most comparable trucks since the weight of the motor is kept so low. Some people have stripped out the one-piece ring gear/locker and broken the sintered gears in the transmission. The shocks are also hit or miss on holding oil. The RTR radio is way above most others (multi model memory, all the adjustments you will need) while the other electronics are basic but get the job done.

The SCX10III is pretty good but I am not a fan of the 2 speed & dig transmission, it is heavy, clunky, and puts the motor up really high. The transmission of the Base Camp version is better. The Base Camp builders kits are on sale right now for $200 if you want to build your own kit. There seems to be hefty sale on Axial trucks all the time, the exact models on sale tend to rotate. The Gladiator version looks great and offers a different driving experience than most RTRs since it is really long. Otherwise, not much at Axial is worth paying full price for these days.

The Element RTRs are solid as well outside of the Enduro SE, they really cheaped out on that version (plastic everything, bushings instead of bearings, etc). They give you better than average 5 pole motors in the RTRs but all the other electroncs are super basic. I like the fact you can get a bunch of different configurations (solid axle, IFS, trailing arms, short wheelbase) outside of the standard RTR options.

The TRX-4 is a solid truck, performs well, and has some great body options. The Sport is a great value while the High Trail versions are expensive for a version that is actively worse.

All in all, pretty much any truck you can buy today is better at everything than what could have been bought 5+ years ago. It is hard to go wrong these days.

Can you expand on the Vanquish transmission issues? I've got a phoenix portal kit awaiting assembly this winter and another club member warned me about the transmission as well, but didn't have specifics.

Recommended parts or upgrades?

 

[svt923]

Can you expand on the Vanquish transmission issues? I've got a phoenix portal kit awaiting assembly this winter and another club member warned me about the transmission as well, but didn't have specifics.

Recommended parts or upgrades?

Some people have broken teeth off the sintered gears in the transfer case. Not sure if this is a real issue or just a case of some people can break anything.

Vanquish makes machined steel upgrades for all the transmission gears.

 

[JatoTheRipper]

Can you expand on the Vanquish transmission issues? I've got a phoenix portal kit awaiting assembly this winter and another club member warned me about the transmission as well, but didn't have specifics.

Recommended parts or upgrades?

Sintered gears aren't as durable as machined. If you go to the Phoenix Portal Kit product page, linked below, and search for "sintered" it will tell you what is sintered vs what is machined. You can upgrade the sintered gears to machined while building or wait until the sintered parts fail. If you switch to a machined ring and pinion gear, you also need the spool as the stock sintered part has the spool cast into it.

VS4-10 Phoenix Portal - Kit

VS4-10 Phoenix Portal 2024 Updated VPS09007 Includes VPS10103 4.65" Falken Wildpeak MT's in Red Compound. Link to updated manual sheets. Drivetrain The VS4-10 Phoenix Portal is the first platform to feature the Vanquish Products VFD Twin transmission (patent pending) and F10 Portal Axles...

vanquishproducts.com

Vanquish's new website is pretty good. You can look for parts by vehicle. As far as I know, only Vanquish is making Vanquish gears at the moment.

VS4-10 Parts

Explore Vanquish Products for top-tier RC components designed to elevate your hobby experience. Specializing in durable upgrade parts and accessories, we bring unmatched performance and quality to your RC adventures. Shop now for the ultimate in RC innovation.

vanquishproducts.com

 

[ferp420]

any new rig these days will be better than the old axials
you almost have to try to find a bad model

 

[themountain]

Looking to get back into the game.

I would look for a used cheater rig... momentarily they are cheap to fetch. BTW ....love your avatar pic

 

[MAGNUMB]

Redcat Gen 9 Trail Truck - 1/10 Scale International Harvester Scout 800A

1/10 Scale Brushed Scale Trail Truck Crawler - Includes: 2.4Ghz Radio, Ready to Run, Battery and Charger Not Included

www.redcatracing.com

If you what a trail truck this deal is hard to beat!

 

[JatoTheRipper]

Redcat Gen 9 Trail Truck - 1/10 Scale International Harvester Scout 800A

1/10 Scale Brushed Scale Trail Truck Crawler - Includes: 2.4Ghz Radio, Ready to Run, Battery and Charger Not Included

www.redcatracing.com

If you what a trail truck this deal is hard to beat!

But it's a Redcat. It's still not a top-tier truck. Nothing from that brand is top-shelf quality. Just a caveat the OP should be aware of.

 

[MAGNUMB]

But it's a Redcat. It's still not a top-tier truck. Nothing from that brand is top-shelf quality. Just a caveat the OP should be aware of.

For $224($240shipped) is it's the best RTR you can buy right now for the money. And what negative things have you experienced with this model or heard. I hear mostly great things about it besides noisy trans that is caused by tight intermediate shaft between trans and transfer.

 

[MAGNUMB]

Funny my sub $250 dollar Carisma is one of the most durable rigs i have and i've put over a 150 hours for sure. The front axles so worn you can almost turn the front wheel halfway around before it catches But the thing keeps going!! Quality and chassis flex seems terrible, but for some reason it just keeps going.... sometimes price and plastic/fit and finish doesn't always translate into a "better" rig

 

[JatoTheRipper]

For $224($240shipped) is it's the best RTR you can buy right now for the money. And what negative things have you experienced with this model or heard. I hear mostly great things about it besides noisy trans that is caused by tight intermediate shaft between trans and transfer.

I'm no lover of the Axial SCX10III, but I'd still easily pay $125 more and get the Axial SCX10 III Base Camp Chevy K10 that is on sale now over any Redcat.

1/10 SCX10 III Base Camp 1982 Chevy K10 4X4 RTR, Blue | Axial Adventure

Axial Adventure

www.axialadventure.com

The Axial SCX10 III Base Camp Builder Kit is also on sale right now for $200 and I'd also take that over the Redcat.

https://www.axialadventure.com/product/1-10-scx10-iii-base-camp-4wd-rock-crawler-builders-kit/AXI03011.html

Or $70 more than the Redcat gets you Vanquish builder kits.

You will never convince me to push anybody to a Redcat and it seems like you will never be convinced otherwise so I'll leave it at that.

Funny my sub $250 dollar Carisma is one of the most durable rigs i have and i've put over a 150 hours for sure. The front axles so worn you can almost turn the front wheel halfway around before it catches But the thing keeps going!! Quality and chassis flex seems terrible, but for some reason it just keeps going.... sometimes price and plastic/fit and finish doesn't always translate into a "better" rig

Carisma is not Redcat.

 

[ktse]

Are these Vanquish rigs a better platform to start with than the Axial?
I know the Vanquish parts in the past have all been really great. I would assume that their RTR and Kit rigs are the same quality.
And then the question would be, what to go with, A RTR or a Kit. I know the kits I could do what I want with it. But how are the RTR rigs as far as decent Electronics etc. as I know that is always a problem with most all RTR rigs.

In my opinion yes it's a better platform. The VS4-10 Phoenix doesn't need much to perform really well. A couple folks my local group run the 10.3 platforms and while they do the trail parts fine, they need more upgrades to be on par. I've run my Phoenix stock for a season and recently got front portal weights. It was a definitely better for technical steep climbs, but still an excellent performer without.

The RTR and the kits are mostly the same as long as we're talking about the Phoenix portal and straight axle kits. The recent releases have had some notable downgrades with the most recent RTRs ( Fordyce, Optic, and Stance) having sintered gears and spools rather than machined. Even their current batch of builders kits are sintered gears which isn't great, but a cost cutting measure most people probably wouldn't notice unless they are running a powerful motor through them.

In terms of RTRs vs Kits, it all comes down to how particular you are about the electronics. I think if you're new to the hobby or you haven't tried more refined systems, the Vanquish RTRs are serviceable. Anecdotally, my cousin has a mostly stock RTR Phoenix straight axle, and I have the Phoenix Portal Kit with brushless motor and brushless high torque servos. Mine is more refined, but they can both do the same things and obstacles. If you are already thinking of getting a specific electronics package, kit is the way to go.

 

[MAGNUMB]

I'm no lover of the Axial SCX10III, but I'd still easily pay $125 more and get the Axial SCX10 III Base Camp Chevy K10 that is on sale now over any Redcat.

1/10 SCX10 III Base Camp 1982 Chevy K10 4X4 RTR, Blue | Axial Adventure

Axial Adventure

www.axialadventure.com

The Axial SCX10 III Base Camp Builder Kit is also on sale right now for $200 and I'd also take that over the Redcat.

https://www.axialadventure.com/product/1-10-scx10-iii-base-camp-4wd-rock-crawler-builders-kit/AXI03011.html

Or $70 more than the Redcat gets you Vanquish builder kits.

You will never convince me to push anybody to a Redcat and it seems like you will never be convinced otherwise so I'll leave it at that.




Carisma is not Redcat.

The redcat is junk and breaks easily and is not fun at all!

Have a couple SCX10 III and never really drive them, there are not enjoyable and rear portal axle housings are of poor quality and causes annoying gear mesh. The k10 body is a looker, but lexan were the bed meets the cab cracks almost immediately. Also the tires suck, redcats new tires are good for RTR, real good. Axial is $125 more and half as fun! Get the redcat and some aluminum or brass knuckles and a better shift servo and beat on it! And Axial deadbolt would be the much better choice overall over the k10, forget the portal and the deadbolt is a real performer with a few tweaks

 

[Col_Sanders]

The redcat is junk and breaks easily and is not fun at all!

Have a couple SCX10 III and never really drive them, there are not enjoyable and rear portal axle housings are of poor quality and causes annoying gear mesh. The k10 body is a looker, but lexan were the bed meets the cab cracks almost immediately. Also the tires suck, redcats new tires are good for RTR, real good. Axial is $125 more and half as fun! Get the redcat and some aluminum or brass knuckles and a better shift servo and beat on it! And Axial deadbolt would be the much better choice overall over the k10, forget the portal and the deadbolt is a real performer with a few tweaks

I've never owned a Redcat, nor have I done any research on them regarding parts availability so I have a question. How much parts support do you get and for how long? The oldest truck in my fleet is a Vanquish VS410 Pro. I bought it in 2019 IIRC. Here we are 5 years later and I can still buy pretty much any part I need for it. The only thing I can think of that is not available is the rear axle housing but they have a few different housings that are compatible. The SCX10 II came out in 2016 and you can still buy parts for it. Can you do the same with a Redcat?

 

[JatoTheRipper]

The redcat is junk and breaks easily and is not fun at all!

You said it not me!

 

[MAGNUMB]

I've never owned a Redcat, nor have I done any research on them regarding parts availability so I have a question. How much parts support do you get and for how long? The oldest truck in my fleet is a Vanquish VS410 Pro. I bought it in 2019 IIRC. Here we are 5 years later and I can still buy pretty much any part I need for it. The only thing I can think of that is not available is the rear axle housing but they have a few different housings that are compatible. The SCX10 II came out in 2016 and you can still buy parts for it. Can you do the same with a Redcat?

I'd buy a couple sets of knuckles(Total $12), a set of the non-serviceable axles($36) and a front/rear axle set($16) and not worry about....Total would be $300 with tax and shipping for a fun trail truck with good tires and good radio. The only thing i see breaking on this rig are the knuckles myself, but you'd probably have to hit something hard in 2nd gear. This truck is pretty fast in 2nd!

Also, i have some RC that are over 30 years old and i can always find parts on ebay if i'm willing to shell out some cash.

 

[champ198]

Right now the one I am looking at getting is the Vanquish Phoenix RTR.
Right at this point i have 0 for anything RC Crawler left as I sold off all of my stuff from the last go around, Meaning batteries, chargers spare parts etc are all gone.
So I think the RTR from Vanquish will suit me best as it has everything i need minus batteries and a charger.
Down the road I might get another and possibly will also go the kit route as well as I did that in the past as well.