cross rc experts please also im new

[Tinyfarts]

So this will be my first RC car and probably last because of the price. which is ok because I only want one. But I have some questions before pulling the trigger. ive done majority of my research before i got approved to post here so I will fist post up what i have learned then i will post my remaining questions

So keep in mind I'm stuck on the exact look of the cross rc sg4c so here is the few builds i was looking at
sp4c kit
sg4c bed/rollcage to convert to the flatdeck
wheel stops



alternatively
SG4c kit
rear shock mount kit to mount the shocks outboard
wheels stops


Athird option that I also like the look of and you can see also here is a link and here is the build list
some suspension mounts for the rear upper links, the Rocker Arm set and the shocks: CBE RC FAB | innovations for your RC

- Traxxas Mini 1/16 E Revo Slash Rocker Arm Set (TRA7158 or TRX7158)

- Traxxas 4x7x2.5mm Blue Rubber Sealed Ball Bearing (TRA5124 or TRX5124)

- 55mm shocks (Tamiya CVA 55mm shocks work fantastic

- Short rod ends with a short push rods

- Hardware

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abPfC8-N-Sg






Then I seen this build https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10224078279801779&set=gm.3297011587001773

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10224266275981566&set=gm.3357629504273314

and want to know more about it
such as
1. why does he have dual shocks?
2. how is the rear frame metal? or is that paint.
3. the wheel hex nuts are they wheel spacers to widen the stance? I was wondering when I saw them for sale also then I seen them on this guys build
Here they are for sale https://www.crossrc.us/shop/sg-4-sr-4-hex-hub-4-count/
4. skidplate looks aftermarket





Now the cpl question I have left are
RC4wd mudslingers VS SS boggers
I will be mostly rocks and streams not as much mud but will see some . generally ill be doing everything with it but again im set on the look.

and what is a good combo of esc, servo, battery and whatnot for this setup..I am super new so this part is very hard to me If I can think of anything else I will post it here .. Thank you to anyone who takes the time to look this over and respond

 

[Tinyfarts]

So by the time this posted I am much farther I feel
sg4c with upgrades straight through crossrc
hobbywing 1080
power hd 25kg
flyskygt5

my only questions left are what battery and what charger?

my friend who runs a cross rc says to get a 2s but then i seen a post on here about guys running the venom fly 2200 3s .. I dont know the runtimes or the difference .. I hear you can burn out your esc and whatnot running the wrong batts

 

[WHITE-TRASH]

Depends on what you want out of it. If you want capability and durability you're going to be extremely disappointed on both accounts. If you want a good looking model car you can drive then you'll be satisfied.

I've had one, it was terrible. The shocks are leaky trash and the axles are cast aluminum junk with weak axle shafts and sintered gears. Basically it's a polystyrene model on top of $150 worth of amazons lowest grade parts all in one shiny box.

 

[Phildirt]

In my limited experience (compared to the gurus on this site) 3s is the way to go. Wheel speed when you want it and night vs day as far as run times. I wish someone had told me 3s was not the boogeyman when I started this hobby, would have saved me some coin and frustration.

 

[Tinyfarts]

Depends on what you want out of it. If you want capability and durability you're going to be extremely disappointed on both accounts. If you want a good looking model car you can drive then you'll be satisfied.

I've had one, it was terrible. The shocks are leaky trash and the axles are cast aluminum junk with weak axle shafts and sintered gears. Basically it's a polystyrene model on top of $150 worth of amazons lowest grade parts all in one shiny box.

what do you currently run ? ive seen the sg4c keep pace with trx4 .. I believe i will enjoy it I also dislike how everytime i ask a question im told my choice in rc is a bad one ... meanwhile there are thousands of videos and satisfied customers

 

[durok]

My crawlin' buddy Miatardo also picked one up - not certain which model, I think it's the fancier one, hardbody, alloy wheels and axles.

He went searching on various forums and ordered a few upgrades that were recommended, it's almost complete but still requires paint and a few minor details - he has several other vehicles and just fell in love with certain scale aspects of the Cross Demon, especially the half doors.

Depending on the model you may have a slightly smaller battery compartment than a standard 2 or 3S pack fits into, make sure you get a LiPo that fits.

I'd also recommend 3S, 2S is no fun, having the extra punch when you need it is highly recommended!

Enjoy your rig, just be aware that it may have some delicate components compared to some of the less scale-accurate trucks out there... "thumbsup"

 

[WHITE-TRASH]

what do you currently run ? ive seen the sg4c keep pace with trx4 .. I believe i will enjoy it I also dislike how everytime i ask a question im told my choice in rc is a bad one ... meanwhile there are thousands of videos and satisfied customers

I run a trx4, a couple capras, a bomber, sportsman and pro cars and I've had a pile of scx10.2s. I'm probably a bit of an axial fanboi but they make what I want and if they don't the aftermarket does.

You can do whatever you like, I've only been doing this for 35 years so I obviously don't know what I'm talking about. :ror: I just gave you my hands on assessment and experience. It seems those that are into them really love them and tend to overlook/ignore or just plain deny issues. The skid plate and link mount setup is a huge one, so are the axle shafts & gears. The s-ocks are trash but that's not a big deal since they get replaced most of the time anyway

 

[King Dork]

Tinyfarts, my wife got me a Cross KR4C Demon for Christmas. I have 9 other crawlers and she got me this one because I specifically asked for it and wanted a Cross kit even knowing that they have some shortcomings compared to other kits. I wanted the KR4C because I wanted the full metal version but have no interest in a hard body. Here’s my 2 pesos. Most important upgrade is the new gearbox. The stock gearbox is garbage and the new one is much improved with wider 32 pitch gears. If you snap a front cvd, replace them with the MIP ones. Just stay with a “milder” 540 motor and resist the urge to drop a high torque motor in it. Definitely go 3s. If you had plans to do more technical crawling the Cross simply isn’t as capable as the current trucks from Traxxas, Axial, and Element, but as long as you’re okay with that then you’ll be just fine. Enjoy your truck and keep us posted!

 

[ScaleLifeNewbie]

Tinyfarts...

Not related, but nice signature lol"thumbsup"

 

[Tinyfarts]

My crawlin' buddy Miatardo also picked one up - not certain which model, I think it's the fancier one, hardbody, alloy wheels and axles.

He went searching on various forums and ordered a few upgrades that were recommended, it's almost complete but still requires paint and a few minor details - he has several other vehicles and just fell in love with certain scale aspects of the Cross Demon, especially the half doors.

Depending on the model you may have a slightly smaller battery compartment than a standard 2 or 3S pack fits into, make sure you get a LiPo that fits.

I'd also recommend 3S, 2S is no fun, having the extra punch when you need it is highly recommended!

Enjoy your rig, just be aware that it may have some delicate components compared to some of the less scale-accurate trucks out there... "thumbsup"

So wHat im hearing is 3s .. I got the hardbody with cnc axles . sg4c was the more expensive option and i went with all the upgrades like the oup skid plate which also stiffens the chassis shim kit for the axles g2 tranny , I fell in love with the demon because it looks like my irl truck which currently sits on 40's

 

[Tinyfarts]

I run a trx4, a couple capras, a bomber, sportsman and pro cars and I've had a pile of scx10.2s. I'm probably a bit of an axial fanboi but they make what I want and if they don't the aftermarket does.

You can do whatever you like, I've only been doing this for 35 years so I obviously don't know what I'm talking about. :ror: I just gave you my hands on assessment and experience. It seems those that are into them really love them and tend to overlook/ignore or just plain deny issues. The skid plate and link mount setup is a huge one, so are the axle shafts & gears. The s-ocks are trash but that's not a big deal since they get replaced most of the time anyway

yes i didnt mean to come across rude just alot of ppl talk down about cross .. and i dont see why .. Just like my real life truck it needs upgrades which is fine .. I did go ahead and get all the upgrades i could think of and will be switching out the tires and shocks more than likely as well.. Personally im just not into traxxas or axial ..

 

[Phildirt]

yes i didnt mean to come across rude just alot of ppl talk down about cross .. and i dont see why .. Just like my real life truck it needs upgrades which is fine .. I did go ahead and get all the upgrades i could think of and will be switching out the tires and shocks more than likely as well.. Personally im just not into traxxas or axial ..

Speaking for this forum only, just based on what I see, people "talk down" about things based on experience and available options.



Cross and RC4WD offerings tend to emphasize scale. The other big name brands don't emphasize it as much but they make up for it in durability. Personally I would rather a truck that performs well, after you take about 50 iphone pictures of your truck flexing out in the sunset it starts to get redundant and you will find yourself having more fun hitting challenging lines...at least I did. At the end of the day they are toy trucks...trust me here whatever is a turnoff about Traxxas or Axial now will flip on its head once you get into this hobby.


So I don't think it's a matter of there being some underhanded reason people don't like the brand you picked, this forum is just slightly leaned towards performance in the spectrum. A forum like Scale Builder's Guild on the other hand is going to tell you RC4WD is the end all/be all because they lean towards scale factor (hence the name lol).



Don't overthink it though, been seeing a lot of that in this forum lately. Buy the Cross since it is speaking to you, then later on buy another rig that does something different (better?). If you dig this hobby you won't buy one truck. Trust me. I come from 1:25 scale model building and thought scale was where it was at, have slowly realized I grin more when I'm doing something ridiculous with my rig...that took some time though.

 

[ScaleLifeNewbie]

Speaking for this forum only, just based on what I see, people "talk down" about things based on experience and available options.



Cross and RC4WD offerings tend to emphasize scale. The other big name brands don't emphasize it as much but they make up for it in durability. Personally I would rather a truck that performs well, after you take about 50 iphone pictures of your truck flexing out in the sunset it starts to get redundant and you will find yourself having more fun hitting challenging lines...at least I did. At the end of the day they are toy trucks...trust me here whatever is a turnoff about Traxxas or Axial now will flip on its head once you get into this hobby.


So I don't think it's a matter of there being some underhanded reason people don't like the brand you picked, this forum is just slightly leaned towards performance in the spectrum. A forum like Scale Builder's Guild on the other hand is going to tell you RC4WD is the end all/be all because they lean towards scale factor (hence the name lol).



Don't overthink it though, been seeing a lot of that in this forum lately. Buy the Cross since it is speaking to you, then later on buy another rig that does something different (better?). If you dig this hobby you won't buy one truck. Trust me. I come from 1:25 scale model building and thought scale was where it was at, have slowly realized I grin more when I'm doing something ridiculous with my rig...that took some time though.

This. "thumbsup" Get what you want, not what other people tell you to get(to an extent. Don't ask for the most capable rig ever and get TF2 then complain:ror Something I learned very quickly.

 

[WHITE-TRASH]

yes i didnt mean to come across rude just alot of ppl talk down about cross .. and i dont see why .. Just like my real life truck it needs upgrades which is fine .. I did go ahead and get all the upgrades i could think of and will be switching out the tires and shocks more than likely as well.. Personally im just not into traxxas or axial ..

Meh, don't worry about being rude, at least not to me it takes an awful lot to ruffle my feathers. :ror:

You're in for a learning experience one way or another especially if you have a 1:1 wheeler on 40s. My old yota was on 44s and tons when I parted it out and it's about time to build another.

If you were getting an scx10.3 because it resembled your 1:1 it'd make way more sense to get a scale rig and not something more capable since looks over performance is the typical modus operandi for that segment. Those with capable rigs tend to gravitate towards toys of the like but obviously it's not a hard & fast rule.

Speaking for this forum only, just based on what I see, people "talk down" about things based on experience and available options.

Cross and RC4WD offerings tend to emphasize scale. The other big name brands don't emphasize it as much but they make up for it in durability. Personally I would rather a truck that performs well, after you take about 50 iphone pictures of your truck flexing out in the sunset it starts to get redundant and you will find yourself having more fun hitting challenging lines...at least I did. At the end of the day they are toy trucks...trust me here whatever is a turnoff about Traxxas or Axial now will flip on its head once you get into this hobby.


So I don't think it's a matter of there being some underhanded reason people don't like the brand you picked, this forum is just slightly leaned towards performance in the spectrum. A forum like Scale Builder's Guild on the other hand is going to tell you RC4WD is the end all/be all because they lean towards scale factor (hence the name lol).



Don't overthink it though, been seeing a lot of that in this forum lately. Buy the Cross since it is speaking to you, then later on buy another rig that does something different (better?). If you dig this hobby you won't buy one truck. Trust me. I come from 1:25 scale model building and thought scale was where it was at, have slowly realized I grin more when I'm doing something ridiculous with my rig...that took some time though.

Most that talk down about rigs or brands never have real experience other than what their buddy saw or what some other fawktards in the bookface echochamber told them.

Love them or hate them axial and Traxxas own the majority of the market for a reason. Aftermarket support out the ears and decent designs to start with.

 

[durok]

There's always new products coming out, and 3 trends I've noticed an increase in are custom chassis rails for improved suspension geometry and lower COG, 3-d printed parts to allow better fitment of upgraded parts or parts from another manufacturer, and finally - something I really like to see - there are many more mounting solutions to allow hardbody scale bodyshells to be easily installed onto the more popular (read as more durable) chassis.

This is all making it easier to have a fully customized rig to your liking that both performs better than a typical "scale-accuracy" focused truck yet still looks the part.

Lexan bodies are lighter and usually hold up well to repeated rollovers, but many people want that extra detail that only comes with styrene!

 

[King Dork]

Not related, but nice signature lol"thumbsup"

Gratitude!

 

[Tinyfarts]

There's always new products coming out, and 3 trends I've noticed an increase in are custom chassis rails for improved suspension geometry and lower COG, 3-d printed parts to allow better fitment of upgraded parts or parts from another manufacturer, and finally - something I really like to see - there are many more mounting solutions to allow hardbody scale bodyshells to be easily installed onto the more popular (read as more durable) chassis.

This is all making it easier to have a fully customized rig to your liking that both performs better than a typical "scale-accuracy" focused truck yet still looks the part.

Lexan bodies are lighter and usually hold up well to repeated rollovers, but many people want that extra detail that only comes with styrene!

They say they are molded plastic .. what is this styrene word I keep seeing ?

My friend has a gen 7 and a gen 8 also a highly modified everest 10 so if i want something capable to play with I have those.He will let me use those without hesitation. But I suspect when I'm done upgrades that my demon will keep up.

Here is my issues with other rc cars // the body is just a shell. I really like the detail of cross that no other brand has to my knowledge
the axial wraith I think it was kinda caught my eye but again hollow shell ..

Tamiya jeep yj was my second choice but its discontinued

I plan to only have one rc just like i only have one pc but you never know in the future maybe If im not satisfied with the cross ill find a more capable chassis to mount it on that is a good idea ..

 

[durok]

The body shell that comes in clear is made of polycarbonate, Lexan is the trademarked name often used.

"Bodies in white" are polystyrene plastic, often abbreviated as just styrene.

Once in a while they will be found in a molded color, but white is by far the most common.

Different paint should be used - TS paint code from Tamiya is best for styrene, PS for polycarbonate.

Styrene sheets can be found at hobby shops if you want to custom fabricate something for the bed, or a matching trailer, etc.

 

[King Dork]

I plan to only have one rc just like i only have one pc but you never know in the future maybe If im not satisfied with the cross ill find a more capable chassis to mount it on that is a good idea ..

Many of us likely said this as well, and then it turned into a very fast addiction. Lol. A few years in and I have 10 crawlers now (was 12, but sold 2). I picked them specifically because I wanted them to give me various driving experiences. A few are relatively stock, some have slight modifications, others have more. Most trail and crawl really well. The rest still perform good. I drive and enjoy all of them.

 

[OnTheTrail]

"....So this will be my first RC car and probably last...... which is ok because I only want one...."

LOL.....If we all had a nickel for every time we each said this. Trust us, you'll be laughing at this too down the road a bit as you try to find room in your house for your "next" rig.