NEED ADVICE

[LeePaul]

I am brand NEW to the RC Crawler realm and need advice. I’m 64 yrs old w/Parkinsons. I want to get into 1:24 or 1:18 scale RC Crawler. I’m not a person to leave anything stock out of a box. I’ve been looking at crawlers for many many months and just can’t seem to pull the GO button on any certain brand. Could someone help direct me to the toughest out of box chassis
and has an avenue to upgrade with stout aftermarket parts. Ease of working on the item would also be a plus. I’m sure I’ll want to upgrade my wheels, tires possibly servo maybe even the motor. Also if possible steering links and knuckles and drive shaft. If you you could suggest brands of parts along with part numbers Would be excellent.
I am excited to get started with a NEW hobby.
Thanks,
Lee Paul

 

[hnoroian]

Welcome! It’s an addicting hobby for sure. Plenty to choose from but with what you are asking you would likely be looking at Axial scx24 series. The Traxxas trx4m, or the redcat ascent18 are also viable options. However I actuation you that the hardware on these are small. Quality Magnetic tip hex drivers would be your ticket for maintenance and parts tray/dish. As far as options go the scx24’s probably have the stronghold followed by the trx4m. The ascent is newer but has available options.

Drive what ever you purchase first and then slowly add your options, everyone is different with what they need. You can throw every option available at something and is far worse than stock in running and performance. You don’t say where you would likely be running them but that also would play into which options you would like.

Scale wise you can also look at Mn90’s, or WPL which have a plethora of upgrade options, just not popular here in the states.

 

[high plains drifter]

I would be more inclined to go 1:18 than 1:24. As an SCX24 owner, that hardware is tiny and sometimes a bit frustrating to manage.. especially if doing upgrades. You'll get longer run times with a 1:18 crawler ( larger battery capacity) and you'll have more places to be able to run without having to always seek out 1:24 "appropriate" terrain. It's not that the 1:24 scale isn't fun... just that it has more limitations.

The TRX4m has a great deal of very happy users, solid factory support, and a good amount of aftermarket upgrades.

And don't feel like you have to steer clear of 1:10. Those rigs are just tons of fun. But if you're already knowing that you want to go smaller, again... I'd strongly recommend 1:18 over 1:24.

Welcome to the community.

 

[diezel666]

I would be more inclined to go 1:18 than 1:24. As an SCX24 owner, that hardware is tiny and sometimes a bit frustrating to manage.. especially if doing upgrades. You'll get longer run times with a 1:18 crawler ( larger battery capacity) and you'll have more places to be able to run without having to always seek out 1:24 "appropriate" terrain. It's not that the 1:24 scale isn't fun... just that it has more limitations.

The TRX4m has a great deal of very happy users, solid factory support, and a good amount of aftermarket upgrades.

And don't feel like you have to steer clear of 1:10. Those rigs are just tons of fun. But if you're already knowing that you want to go smaller, again... I'd strongly recommend 1:18 over 1:24.

Welcome to the community.

110% agree'd on everything. Please don't take this as a poke on age. I'm 46, a retired mechanic with the beginnings or arthritis in my hands, and my eyesight needs corrective lenses. I too had a SCX24, and I found it frustrating as heck from time to time to work on the thing.

 

[high plains drifter]

110% agree'd on everything. Please don't take this as a poke on age. I'm 46, a retired mechanic with the beginnings or arthritis in my hands, and my eyesight needs corrective lenses. I too had a SCX24, and I found it frustrating as heck from time to time to work on the thing.

I'm pushing 58 yrs old. And same here... keen eyesight is a big factor the smaller the project. I found myself wearing my glasses a LOT whenever making upgrades/ mods to my scx24. And I also have experienced some numbness, stiffness, and tingling in my hands/ fingers from time to time. I assume that it's onset of arthritis. I won't give up this hobby anytime soon but I'll take 2mm hardware over 1mm any day lol.

 

[rob5059]

Where do you plan on using the crawler?
For indoor use and comps, I would suggest 24th scale.
For out in the yard I prefer 18th scale and larger.

 

[Fallen]

I mostly play with 1:10, so I'm going to defer to the other guys' replies based on their experience.

As far as upgrade availability, Axial and Traxxas are your safest bet. Your local hobby shop will very likely stock replacement parts and upgrades for those two brands.

I have two TRX4Ms (Traxxas 1:18 crawlers) that I've been working on for about 2 years. I've found them quite easy to work on. They use mostly 2mm hardware and the chassis layout makes components pretty easy to access.

 

[JatoTheRipper]

Welcome to the site!

Personally, I'd suggest you only focus on the Axial SCX24 and Traxxas TRX-4M platforms. Those are the most widely supported rigs in the aftermarket. The SCX24 is 1/24th scale and the TRX-4M is 1/18th scale. The SCX24 is the standard for comps, but those rigs probably don't have any stock Axial parts left. The SCX24 is substantially smaller and better for tighter confines. The TRX-4M is larger and better for more challenging obstacles like the outdoors. The TRX-4M is also higher quality out of the box. Both will be fun rigs to build and drive.

SCX24 on the left and TRX-4M on the right.

 

[ferp420]

i love the 1/24 scale for strictly indoor use but i hate working on them just to small for my hands to deal with i have a pile of parts i dont know what to do with i just cant seem to bring my self to build anything with them just to small
the trx4m just a hair bigger than the scx24 but so much easyer to deal with and its right at the edge of being able to run outside you can build it in to a hell of a scale rig or go full comp build
the new assent 18 seems to be the sherbert out of the box and probably needs the least out of the box but has less upgrade options but there as not needed as the others
the a18 is more comp than scale but still looks scaleish

 

[ktse]

Between the SCX24 and TRX4M, TRX4M all day because it's more capable out of the box and easier to work on.

I bought the SCX24 as an introduction to RC crawling with the intent of driving it indoors as a desk crawler. It's good enough for that, but taking it outside was disappointing as it was relatively slow to hike and crawl and too small to clear obstacles larger than a golf ball. Working on it was honestly a pain with the hardware being so small. I began to question if it was even worth upgrading as I would want additional capability. I believe the TRX4M addresses a lot of these shortcomings being larger but still small enough to crawl indoors.

I eventually decided to grab a 1/10 crawler as I preferred driving on trails and found easier to work and getting hooked on the larger aftermarket available.

TLDR: if you are planning to drive mostly outside, skip the small scale and go to 1/10 crawlers. If you're doing a mix of indoor and outdoor, go for the TRX4M. Not too sure I'd recommend an SCX24 unless it's only used indoors.

 

[Col_Sanders]

If you're wanting to go with small scale, i'd go with the trx4m or the redcat ascent. The trx4m has good aftermarket. Not sure about the redcat. 1/18 can be ran indoors or out.

Scx24s suck to work on. Tiny hardware.