Getting my first Micro (SCX24) What are my must haves?

[Skyd]

Hey all! I'm new to the Crawler scene, I've had RC's before but last time I was into it really was back in the 90's.



I considered putting this in the newbie section but it's mostly questions specifically about getting an SCX24 (or something similar, I'm open to suggestions).


Basically, I'm wanting to start off with a 1:24 so I can use it this winter in my house and also to keep my entry cost low.


That being said, before I add one to my cart - What else will I need right out of the gate? And also what upgrades or mods will I most likely want right off?


This is what I've seen/learned/heard.....


- The charger that comes with it is junk. So what's an affordable alternative? I don't have a local hobby shop so I have to order most everything.


- I've read that servo is kinda weak and a worthwhile first upgrade, but I've also read alot about motor failures, which seems more important to me.


- I'm sure I'll be doing things to lower CoG, what should I do/buy first?


Anything else you guys wanna throw my way would be great. Mostly I want to be able to use the dang thing when it comes and not have to wait around for upgrades or replacements.



I have an actual Jeep JKU that I drive off road so mods are always tempting, fortunately they're much cheaper at 1:24 scale.

 

[Ragenwraith]

White Mountains in Arizona? Go and check out Harley Designs and Scale Builders Guild on You Tube. They are doing a weekly budget build off (this is week 7 of 8)on the SCX24. Good info for upgrade parts and links to where to get them.

Have Fun!

 

[spoo76]

IMO a better battery charger first. If you're not charging alot of different vehicles and just one or a few micros it can be compact and inexpensive.
I don't have specific brand recommendations, but there's some basic features that are helpful.

Since most micro lipos used are about 350mah look for something that has adjustable charging rates. .35 of one amp is perfect for a 350mah to charge at a 1C rate. If you can't find one that low .500mah or half of 1amp is fine.


It's also helpful to look for something that works with AC power instead of just DC.
Having a storage charge/discharge mode is handy for easily getting your batteries to storage voltage when they are out away for a long time.

Being able to read the individual voltages of each cell as well as the total voltage is important, if you're on a budget and your charger doesn't show the individual voltages it's important to get a cheap lipo cell checker. They can be had for $5 or less are valuable to let you know what's going on with your lipo.

As far as mods to your truck, the stock servo is ok for a mostly stock setup, but make sure to make or buy a stronger lateral steering bar and lock your servo saver arm. There's Lots of sloth and deflection in those parts and upgrading your servo without fixing those would be a waste.

Definitely get a spare motor. The factory motors have easily burned out for many people.
A 050 motor and a new pinion is a decent improvement over stock for cheap.
If you want to stay with brushed motors, still use the stock ESC (or even a better ESC) a 130 size motor from PN racing is probably the best brushed motor you will find.

Other than that upgrading your tires will help performance, and of course usually you'll want to swap wheels. Plenty of options there.

Free mods like moving weight around is helpful

Adding a small dab grease to stock shocks will help make them smoother and actually dampen and is much cheaper than aftermarket shocks that generally perform no better than stock.

Imo those are the basics. Most everything else can wait





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[Skyd]

White Mountains in Arizona? Go and check out Harley Designs and Scale Builders Guild on You Tube. They are doing a weekly budget build off (this is week 7 of 8)on the SCX24. Good info for upgrade parts and links to where to get them.

Have Fun!

Naw, the white mountains of NH....almost as far from Arizona as you can get...HAHA. :lmao:

 

[Skyd]

IMO a better battery charger first. If you're not charging alot of different vehicles and just one or a few micros it can be compact and inexpensive.
I don't have specific brand recommendations, but there's some basic features that are helpful.

Since most micro lipos used are about 350mah look for something that has adjustable charging rates. .35 of one amp is perfect for a 350mah to charge at a 1C rate. If you can't find one that low .500mah or half of 1amp is fine.


It's also helpful to look for something that works with AC power instead of just DC.
Having a storage charge/discharge mode is handy for easily getting your batteries to storage voltage when they are out away for a long time.

Being able to read the individual voltages of each cell as well as the total voltage is important, if you're on a budget and your charger doesn't show the individual voltages it's important to get a cheap lipo cell checker. They can be had for $5 or less are valuable to let you know what's going on with your lipo.

As far as mods to your truck, the stock servo is ok for a mostly stock setup, but make sure to make or buy a stronger lateral steering bar and lock your servo saver arm. There's Lots of sloth and deflection in those parts and upgrading your servo without fixing those would be a waste.

Definitely get a spare motor. The factory motors have easily burned out for many people.
A 050 motor and a new pinion is a decent improvement over stock for cheap.
If you want to stay with brushed motors, still use the stock ESC (or even a better ESC) a 130 size motor from PN racing is probably the best brushed motor you will find.

Other than that upgrading your tires will help performance, and of course usually you'll want to swap wheels. Plenty of options there.

Free mods like moving weight around is helpful

Adding a small dab grease to stock shocks will help make them smoother and actually dampen and is much cheaper than aftermarket shocks that generally perform no better than stock.

Imo those are the basics. Most everything else can wait





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Thanks for the in depth reply! Great info on the charger so I know what to look for. I know these plugs are uncommon as well so probably an adapter will be in order as well.



I'm thinking a motor and charger/spare battery will get ordered with the SCX24 and then I'll see what direction I wanna go after that maybe. I've been searching around the forum and seen a few tips and tricks, I couldn't find specifically a "mods" thread like I tend to find in the Jeep forums.

 

[bryco13]

Can’t go wrong with a scx24, and run it stock and see how you like it. As things break or you want more of a custom look you can add to it and learn the truck as you do. I’d say spend the money on a couple extra batteries and some good tools. Just like the bigger ones the sky’s the limit as far as upgrades and customization. If you ever make it down to central ma you’re more than welcome to check out mine and see one in stock form and one very far from. As mentioned before, the videos with Harley and Matt from SBG are great references as well. Have fun!

 

[Skyd]

Awesome! Ya I think I'm going to get myself a better charger and a couple batteries. I'm gonna go ahead and order the spare motor at the same time though, it'll save on shipping and it's cheap enough. Then we'll go from there I guess.


Thanks!! I'm about to order it, just gotta decide on which color Jeep...hmm, I want a red one to match my Actual JKU so painting may be in order, lol.

 

[spoo76]

Imo definitely don't bother with a stock 030 motor as a spare.
At the very least get the HobbyPlus 050 motor for $8 https://www.crossrc.us/shop/cr-18-55t-high-torque-motor/ however if you want a significant upgrade that works on the stock ESC a PN racing 90t 130 is the one to get.

As far as Lipos the Value hobby GeForce lipos are the best bang for your buck. I've used this brand for at about 10-12 years and my original packs are still working great. The 500mah 2s with JST RCY connectors are the same size as the SCX24 2S, so I've asked Valuehobby to cary the same packs with the JST PH 2.0 plug used on the SCX24 and they work great as a stock replacement. 50% more capacity @500mah instead of 350mah and more runtime in the same size for 1/3 the price of a stock replacement at only $5.55
http://www.valuehobby.com/power-systems/batteries/2s-lipo/gforce-30c-500mah-2s-lipo-ph2.html

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[91300zx]

A decent hex driver is a must. The L shaped one with the kit gets old fast. I picked up the dynamite 0.05in. New tires - RC4WD has a lot to offer. I havent had any issues with the stock charger yet although I picked up a extra battery.

 

[Skyd]

Awesome I'm going to check out those batteries, for the time being I picked up a charger with spare batteries and some adapters off Amazon that I saw another member here had good luck with. If I add more RC's to the stable I'll invest in a much better charger that'll cover everything.

I ordered the SCX24 Jeep JLU in white from Amainhobbies yesterday and says it'll be here by Monday so I'm super excited and my 5 year old is already wanting to plan out an indoor track for us....lol.

I ordered this as a spare motor for now - https://www.amainhobbies.com/hot-ra...-w-pinion-66t-hrasxtf50m11/p-qqqcqqqa6cqcqctz

If I manage to burn through the stock one and that one, I'll go full tilt maybe even brushless after that we'll see where this takes me.

Now, I need to figure out how to design an indoor crawler track aprx 4X6' to fit in my Den for the winter ;-)

Oh and I have a plethora of tools and looks like I have a decent hex driver and nut driver in the proper sizes so I'll see how those fit once the rig gets here.

 

[vinceherman]

This is one of my builds with the brushless upgrade kit in front.
I am a big fan of the incredible control that the Furitek ESC and a brushless motor gives.

 

[Skyd]

That's awesome! I might get crazy eventually for now I'm actually running it stock, it just came a few days ago but I'm gonna start changing some things here and there. So far so good and my charger is due to arrive in a few days. The stock one is holding up ok for now.

 

[GBNova]

New owner here as well. My understanding is that the charger supplied will break almost immediately. Are any of the Amazon lipo chargers worth looking at?

 

[Ryanz27]

A decent hex driver is a must. The L shaped one with the kit gets old fast. I picked up the dynamite 0.05in. New tires - RC4WD has a lot to offer. I havent had any issues with the stock charger yet although I picked up a extra battery.

THIS! Having the right tools makes a huge difference in the world of RC tuning/modding. Especially for such a small one like the SCX24.

 

[antonetty.jc]

Naw, the white mountains of NH....almost as far from Arizona as you can get...HAHA. :lmao:

Really far lol

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[76kcfdeng]

Good advice so far, IMHO better servo with the mount, moving stuff for lower CG, diff weights, aluminum or steel beadlocks (for weight down low) and better tires ( Patagonias work on my indoor course), and for something not mentioned Treal overdrive gears in front. The gears help it climb and turn better.