New to Crawler Game need some input

[Tradman47!]

Iv been doing my research on what Rig I might like to get for my First Rock crawler and Iv Narrowed it down to 2 rigs..Vanquish VRD and Axial gilamon 2.2....Thoughts on what I should pull the trigger on??I'm not looking to compete at this time I just wanna have fun with my kids

 

[jes4man]

VRD kit or VRD Stance RTR? I like the idea of the Gilamon, but I prefer simplicity and the design of the axle housing to incorporate the wheel cutting brake thing just bugs me. Just to throw a wrench in your plans, if you were looking for a ready to run to go out and have fun with I would just get a Vanquish H10 Optic RTR. They dropped the price to $429 after releasing the H10 kit. In the world of RTR higher end crawlers that is a pretty good deal and is similar to the Gilamon albeit a little smaller without any complicated gimmicks. I am sure someone will say TRX4 sport RTR for $329 so I will just spit that out right now.

 

[Tradman47!]

I was also Considering the H10 thanks

 

[Tradman47!]

VRD kit or VRD Stance RTR? I like the idea of the Gilamon, but I prefer simplicity and the design of the axle housing to incorporate the wheel cutting brake thing just bugs me. Just to throw a wrench in your plans, if you were looking for a ready to run to go out and have fun with I would just get a Vanquish H10 Optic RTR. They dropped the price to $429 after releasing the H10 kit. In the world of RTR higher end crawlers that is a pretty good deal and is similar to the Gilamon albeit a little smaller without any complicated gimmicks. I am sure someone will say TRX4 sport RTR for $329 so I will just spit that out right now.

I was looking to get the VDR Stance RTR...if I end up really enjoy the Crawler scene then I'll probably get a kit and add my own set up.

 

[hnoroian]

I just wanna have fun with my kids

Any of them! None will disappoint them when used for fun.

 

[ferp420]

tube chassis look better longer in my opinion lexan bodys get beat up more and at some point need to be replaced especially when kids are involved

the lexan bodyed rigs usualy perform better because of the lower center of gravity

 

[Jfrisch1]

I’d get which ever one you like better. They will all perform differently and they can all be upgraded to perform better.

If your just going to take it on hikes with the kids, get something with larger tires, low cog and one that parts are easy to get, for cheap.

My two younger kids have ax10s, 2.2s make it easy and fun for them to drive. (8yrs and 5yrs)

My oldest has an optic. He loves it. Spends way less time flipped over, so that is a good option.

I only say those things since I’m sure the kids will be driving the rc along with you. Parts are cheap and easy to be had for the optic, stance, axial (idk about the Gilamon yet though) and Traxxas.

 

[Tradman47!]

I'm really learning Towards the Gilamon for myself and the Redcat ascent for the kids

 

[Tradman47!]

I’d get which ever one you like better. They will all perform differently and they can all be upgraded to perform better.

If your just going to take it on hikes with the kids, get something with larger tires, low cog and one that parts are easy to get, for cheap.

My two younger kids have ax10s, 2.2s make it easy and fun for them to drive. (8yrs and 5yrs)

My oldest has an optic. He loves it. Spends way less time flipped over, so that is a good option.

I only say those things since I’m sure the kids will be driving the rc along with you. Parts are cheap and easy to be had for the optic, stance, axial (idk about the Gilamon yet though) and Traxxas.

I'm really learning Towards the Gilamon for myself and the Redcat ascent for the kids

 

[Timmahh]

RedCat Gen 8 is a bit more of a trail rig where the Accent is a bit more rock crawler, but both would be pretty decent for most of what you're looking to run atm.

I just built the Optic Kit but the RTR is a pretty decent setup for the cost honestly. My first full VP Rig.
Gilamon is a bit bigger of a rig than the Accent or Stance or even Fordyce which I am sure are still available also.
Not quite as much aftermarket for the RedCat rigs, but there is some and its mostly pretty decent stuff.
But the Vanquish and Axial rigs have way more available parts and upgrades so that is something you may want to consider also.
But for the Cost, its hard to pass the RedCat rigs because they are pretty decent.

 

[hnoroian]

How old are your kids?

My .02 - Buy 3 of the same. Something will break eventually and it’s nice to have backups when something else goes wrong.

Buy 6 of the same batteries, stick with 2s Lipo and there is less breakage.

From another post a little while ago, I’m sure prices are not really any different.

A $300 Deadbolt is a solid rig with probably the biggest backing of aftermarket, though dated it’s kinda hard to beat. A base camp is $320. Trx4 at $330. Vanquish vs4-10 kit $389, their RTR are north of $450 but great vehicles. Trailrunner and Sendero at $275, Utron at $300. Ascent at $290, Gen 8 at $330, Gen 9 $360.

 

[Col_Sanders]

The Gilamon is a bit larger than the others. It is still too new to know much about reliability.

The H10 Optic is a nice truck. They look great and are fun to trail. Aftermarket has caught on pretty good and there are lots of parts available. The cage is sturdy so it will hold up to rollovers well. Its easy and cheap to swap panels when you want a new look. The VRD would be a bit more capable out of the box but the lower links need to be upgraded, especially if your kid is like mine and he thinks the throttle is just an on/off switch.

The Deadbolt mentioned above is a decent performing rig, but it is a very dated design and Axial cut every corner possible to hit that price. Lots of plastic. The Basecamp is a better buy. I'd choose the TRX4 Sport over either though.

If you enjoy building things, I always recommend kits if they are available. The upgrades they come with cost far more to add later. Up front cost is more but it is worth it in the long run. You can often find brand new takeoff electronics for very cheap to minimize cost. Think I've seen whole Optic electronics packages for ~$50. Same for the tires & wheels.

 

[Tradman47!]

The Gilamon is a bit larger than the others. It is still too new to know much about reliability.

The H10 Optic is a nice truck. They look great and are fun to trail. Aftermarket has caught on pretty good and there are lots of parts available. The cage is sturdy so it will hold up to rollovers well. Its easy and cheap to swap panels when you want a new look. The VRD would be a bit more capable out of the box but the lower links need to be upgraded, especially if your kid is like mine and he thinks the throttle is just an on/off switch.

The Deadbolt mentioned above is a decent performing rig, but it is a very dated design and Axial cut every corner possible to hit that price. Lots of plastic. The Basecamp is a better buy. I'd choose the TRX4 Sport over either though.

If you enjoy building things, I always recommend kits if they are available. The upgrades they come with cost far more to add later. Up front cost is more but it is worth it in the long run. You can often find brand new takeoff electronics for very cheap to minimize cost. Think I've seen whole Optic electronics packages for ~$50. Same for the tires & wheels.

I was ready to get the VDR until I saw the Gilamon 2.2 Go big or go home right. I DO like the V10 Optic also...I have time to way my options before I pull the trigger thanks for your response