Wanting to get first crawler for certain terrain....

[agarabaghi]

So our vacation home in italy seems to be perfect for a small crawler. I'm trying to figure out what size and brand I should get to bring and leave there.

I've attached pictures of the terrain and I think 1/18 scale would be ideal? Is 1/24 even worth it?

I have a decent surface rc background (sc trucks etc) and build my own FPV drones. I'd love if the batteries could be used between the drone and crawler.

4s 660mah.

So school me on crawlers, brands and things I should look into.

Link to photos: terrain

 

[ferp420]

i have a old losi micro and loved the heck outof it till it died i dident fix it cause the screws and parts are too small for my hands to deal with
the scx24 is basicly the same rig but with wider axles and to small for me to work on
the trx4m the screws are just a bit bigger being 1/18 scale or atleast thats what there claiming and are easyer to handle in my opinion
its kinda a funny platform because of the crazy aftermarket parts that are available for it you can really build wild outhere rigs but in my opinion its still a bit small for outside use

12th scale is a good size to traval with and there are some good options in that size tamiya team associated thundertiger and im sure there are more outhere

10th scale is just a number most 10th scale these days are closer to 1/8th scale
8th scale is my favorite but there hard to traval with cause there just so big 6th scale is fun but you really need a big area with big terrain to really put them through there paces but there the easyest to build and theres alot of 1/6th scale accessories outhere gi joe and barbie are 6th scale so if you have the room thats the way i would go lol

 

[high plains drifter]

I wouldn't do 1/24.. They're fun but small enough that they do have some disadvantages... run time, sometimes frustrating to work on due to tiny hardware, limited terrain capability, etc.

I'd look at the TRX-4M.. It's 1/18... Great bang for the buck, proven quality plastics/ components/ design, lots of manufacturer and aftermarket support, and just big enough to be fun outdoors.

 

[AnimalHippie]

I have to say 1/24 & most 1/18 are not much fun in loose conditions (sand, gravel,etc) like I see in your pictures. I also see that a 1/10 or bigger scale rig is going to be boring real fast on the areas in the pictures. They need more of a challenge.

That said I would suggest either the trx4m or the 1/18 Capra both can be pretty capable from what I’ve seen. I would go Capra if it was me just because they seem pretty awesome from the videos I’ve watched, but I haven’t researched any of them other than a few videos.

As for your 4s batteries…. They’re not going to be useable in any rtr crawlers. Most small stuff can’t handle 4s and the bigger upgraded motor/esc rigs would need a bigger mah 4s. You might find an upgrade esc/motor for the smaller scale rigs that can run 4s but I’m not positive. Good luck on your hunt! Keep us in the loop!

 

[agarabaghi]

So I think looking at the trx 4m high country ... Getting that and the 2 speed transmission could be fun. I will prob get the extended hex adapter so its a bit more stable and maybe some brass upgrades. Is it safe to assume crawlers don't break as easily as say 1/10th short course being driven on tracks?

What about tires I saw the 4m high country come with no foam and not glued? Are tires as important as they were for racing I'm going to guess yes?

 

[JatoTheRipper]

Traxxas TRX-4M is what I'd suggest. The Redcat Acent-18 is another option, but I have zero experience with it.

Either way, I'd also suggest you heed the advice above and go with a 1/18th scale for outdoors instead of a 1/24th scale.

 

[agarabaghi]

1/18 it is.

I will need to get everything and upgrade whatever before I come back.

So I'm starting my list:

Trx4m defender
2 speed Traxxas transmission

Thoughts:
Brass wheels and new tires with foam
Portal axles but does anyone know if the only ones that work with the 2 speed are the Traxxas oem axles?

 

[high plains drifter]

You can get portals for the TRX4M from Traxxas, Injora, Treal, RC4WD, and Meus but I don't know how direct-fit these are... assuming that the Traxxas portals are plug-n-play. I've read about some clearance issues with the Injora's due to the lay-down servo design but I don't know... maybe look at some product reviews or videos if you don't get the answers you're looking for here on RCC.

There are factors that come into play with tires/ foams in regards to how heavy the rig will eventually be with brass parts, battery size/ location, etc so I think that's something to consider. Also your terrain and intended use should play into your decision as well... trails? rocks? combination? I'm thinking that due to the trx4-m relatively light weight out of the box, you'll want a softer foam and tire but again, that's relative to what you're planning to do with the rig and on what kind of terrain it'll spend the majority of its time.

I don't know what upgrade/ aftermarket parts people are putting on these rigs but I would look into adding weight in the way of brass c-hubs, knuckles, aluminum wheels/ brass rings, etc. Rigs typically benefit with weight bias-forward and always down low as possible.

Generally speaking a lot of folks have some ideas and wind up buying parts before they have much experience driving the rig stock.. Then they wind up with parts not used due to whatever reason(s). I suggest running a few battery packs through the rig before making any significant changes. It's good to have a base-line ( stock) for performance comparison and it's smarter in the long run to take things one step at a time rather than throwing a bunch of parts at a rig before you really have a good feel for the rig in stock form. Never know... you may be satisfied with the OEM tires, foams, straight axles, etc.

 

[agarabaghi]

Injore require you to use their chassis.


I totally get what your saying about trying the rig stock but terrain and location I want to use the crawler in is very remote. We just got Amazon Italy here this year, so I kinda wanted to get a few upgrades to bring with me.

I'm thinking I'll just do the Traxxas portals since they support the 2 speed (comes with specific gears for the portals) and just get the black injore brass wheels and a set of tires from them.

I don't have much in terms of crawling spots in flat Florida but I did post some of the terrain from the Italy location

 

[Speedy-Triple]

Welcome to RCC and your first crawler build. I would discourage from lifting these trucks right away (portals) and high center of gravity (2 speed weight) from the beginning before driving it around and checking their limitations even on your terrain. Unless you want to have your hand ready to put it upright every few steps, believe me they look cool all lifted and all but its very discouraging to see them flip over a pebble I would start up on the lower part of the rig such as maybe some weights for the wheels (metal, brass inner rings for the wheel rings or you can use lead or wire wrapped inside the wheels) or even tires upgrade would make a better crawler than lifting it right away as you will find your experience more encouraging and challenging rather than bending over every step to flip it upright. Get the upgrades and have fun with your truck ... the terrain in your pictures looks awesome and challenging enough for the trx4m size. I personally don't own a 4'm but I have a trx4 and they are probably just as good. If you want portals right away the Redcat Ascent18 is a very capable and stout option also affordable ... although parts/upgrades are not as widely available as the 4ms but it wont need anything more than some weight on the wheels to walk laps around a trx4m on performance and the electronics are very smooth but is not as good looking as the 4ms TBH. I have been on a bug of building capable scx24s but they are a bit small in comparison to the 4ms and also for your pictured terrain. MST CFX is a good option as mentioned by Ferp and a very fun and capable option with loots of varied bodies to choose from. I built one with a tamiya bronco body as in my avatar. Many options the important part is to have a joyous time building and driving.

 

[agarabaghi]

Thanks for the info. The reason I was interested in the 2 speed was there some open areas which would be fun to put it in high. Maybe what I'll do is get the trx4m defender, and the upgrades and when everyone is napping build and test. What I don't want to happen is coming back here and needing something and not being able to get it haha