Just got back from my first run and, after 3 hours on the trails and rocks, I must say that I'm very impressed. Keep in mind that this rig is box stock save for two small "mods" - slightly longer front links and the GCM Deep Dish wheels instead of the stock glue-ons. Oh, and a paint job. :mrgreen: Everything else is just as it came out of the box, and it just plain works. Very well. So much so that even cr00zah, professional skeptic and grumpy old man that he is :ror:, was left vowing to buy one (he almost never buys new rigs) after watching it for a few hours and driving it for a few minutes.
Here are some initial impressions:
-- Wow is this thing quiet. The drivetrain is almost completely silent, and there was no echo chamber effect like you get with the Ascender Blazer body. You hear a little bit of motor, and that's it. Nicely done, Axial!
-- The suspension is very smooth. I will want to lower it, which will probably involve switching over to dual rate springs, but that's more of a personal preference. It works very well just as is.
-- The truck's overall balance is excellent, from sidehills to steep climbs to steep descents. Axial's engineers really did a nice job with the layout from a functional perspective. Not that it will stop me (and others, I'm sure) from turning the tranny around to face the right way, lol, but this layout works.
-- Stock tires did fairly well. They didn't seem to clear wet dirt as well as some others I've run (including tires on the other two rigs that were running in our group today), and grip on steep climbs and slippery roots wasn't great initially. Performance would probably benefit from more breaking in (which I'll do), venting (which I won't), and new foams (also probably not on my list). But for a stock all terrain tire, these look great and run just fine.
-- Ground clearance is definitely improved over the original SCX-10 thanks to the smaller pumpkins, but don't expect this to be hang-up proof. You'll still need to pick your lines around larger roots and rocks to avoid hanging on the pumpkin or center skid.
-- Those GCM wheels look like they were designed specifically for this body. Maybe Chris knew something the rest of us didn't when he released them...
The natural question on everyone's mind is how this compares to the original SCX-10 and the Ascender. Let's start with the original SCX-10. Simple: the II is vastly better out of the box than any of the original SCX-10s. Stronger components, better steering, better weight distribution, and the best stock body I've seen on an SCX-10. Comparing to the Ascender is a bit tougher. Both are very capable and durable out of the box. The Ascender has slightly better steering, but the SCX-10 has better shocks. Both have terrific bodies. For the moment, the Ascender is in the position of having better aftermarket support (can't believe I just typed that, lol), but we know that will change quickly. Ultimately, this will probably end up much like the Ford vs. Chevy and Jeep vs. Toyota debates. Aficionados on either side will passionately extoll the virtues of their preferred platform, but ultimately, both are excellent. There really is no right or wrong answer, so if you're torn, buy the one you like. You won't be disappointed either way.
I will work on getting some video up this weekend. In the meantime, here are some pix from the outing to hold you over. First shot getting the trail legs under us:
First time on the rocks:
Even cr00zah was impressed and now wants one:
Last shot of our little group (SCX10 II made it to the top unassisted, followed by Roo driving our Ascender, and cr00zah's Dingo):
More to come. In the meantime, thanks to everyone for following and chiming in with your questions and feedback! "thumbsup"
