EvilTwin v2
I wanna be Dave
I've seen alot of questions lately on this and other forums about which axle, crawler, etc. should a person purchase. This is usually followed by some heated discussions and/or bad information being passed along.
Therefore, I'm going to try to post my thoughts on each major player, in as unbiased a manner as possible.
Axial AX10 - I've had and have competed with an Axial-based rig for over a year now. Mine was the original Scorpion kit, and at this point, very little is left stock. About all I have left from the original kit is the transmission & axles, and I've upgraded the outputs and added a dig to the trans along with upgrading the axles with new lockers and aluminum caster & steering blocks and lockouts on the rear. One of the first upgrades that I made to the Axial was shocks and driveshafts. If I were to suggest a new Axial to anyone it would be the ARTR or to simply get axles and transmission & build the rest from scratch. Another option is to pick up a used comp rig from somebody who's made the switch to a LCC or MOA. This would probably get you the best bang for the buck in an Axial.
For the price of setting an Axial up for competition, you would probably be further ahead to look elsewhere. If you want a basher, though, they're a decent way to go and/or a great start into the hobby.
Berg - These are probably the most popular MOA axle on the market. The thing about the Berg is that the axles are the only part from the kit that are worth keeping, and they, too, will require some upgrades right out of the box, or soon after. Axial stub shafts on all 4 corners, along with rear lockouts, and axial front steering blocks and wheel hexes are all things that I would do almost immediately along with disassembly & lock-titing of everything. Once upgraded, these axles are really hard to beat. Thing is that you're already up to the cost of a LCC or AX10 and you don't have a chassis, links, shocks, or electronics. If you're willing to spend the money, though, they're one of the most popular upper level competition axles.
Losi LCC - In my opinion, the absolute most comp worthy out of the box crawler ever produced. However, they're probably also the biggest headach...at least for right now. They're so new, there are some bugs to be worked out, and due to the gearing & friction of the worm gears, people are currently scrambling to find "the best" motor / gearing setup. Many people are burning up their motors due to the high RPM requirements. Losi says to use their brushless, but many people don't care for the low rpm characteristics of brushless. Between that and people breaking CVD's (even the new upgraded shafts), I'd personally wait til the bugs are worked out before buying a Losi. However, if you're the type who likes to tinker and try different setups or you insist on competing with a shafty, this is a great way to go, and at under $300 for the kit, a real bargain. Just forget about this being a basher or maintenance free. It's not.
And this brings us to the...
RC4wd Bully - The early Bully axles had weak axle shafts, but that has been addressed, and the latest, Bully 2 axles are incredibly beefy. They come out of the box with a straight rear axle, XVD's (RC4wd's CVD shafts), and high steer steering knuckles. They also are probably the heaviest axle (weight) on the market. I still haven't decided if this is a pro or a con. While a heavier axle makes for a lower center of gravity, it also makes for a heavier rig, which may (in theory) make some of the very steepest climbs more difficult.
There are currently a few ARTR options for the Bully. You can either buy the axles and build from scratch or RC4wd and JPCustoms both have their own ARTR's. Both look like nice options for under $400. Add electronics, do some tuning and take it to the comps.
After alot of research along with personal experience and watching others at the comps, I went with the Bully2's for my latest comp rig. At least to me, it seemed like you get more for your money than the Berg axle, without the growing pains of the LCC.
Just my .02.
Therefore, I'm going to try to post my thoughts on each major player, in as unbiased a manner as possible.
Axial AX10 - I've had and have competed with an Axial-based rig for over a year now. Mine was the original Scorpion kit, and at this point, very little is left stock. About all I have left from the original kit is the transmission & axles, and I've upgraded the outputs and added a dig to the trans along with upgrading the axles with new lockers and aluminum caster & steering blocks and lockouts on the rear. One of the first upgrades that I made to the Axial was shocks and driveshafts. If I were to suggest a new Axial to anyone it would be the ARTR or to simply get axles and transmission & build the rest from scratch. Another option is to pick up a used comp rig from somebody who's made the switch to a LCC or MOA. This would probably get you the best bang for the buck in an Axial.
For the price of setting an Axial up for competition, you would probably be further ahead to look elsewhere. If you want a basher, though, they're a decent way to go and/or a great start into the hobby.
Berg - These are probably the most popular MOA axle on the market. The thing about the Berg is that the axles are the only part from the kit that are worth keeping, and they, too, will require some upgrades right out of the box, or soon after. Axial stub shafts on all 4 corners, along with rear lockouts, and axial front steering blocks and wheel hexes are all things that I would do almost immediately along with disassembly & lock-titing of everything. Once upgraded, these axles are really hard to beat. Thing is that you're already up to the cost of a LCC or AX10 and you don't have a chassis, links, shocks, or electronics. If you're willing to spend the money, though, they're one of the most popular upper level competition axles.
Losi LCC - In my opinion, the absolute most comp worthy out of the box crawler ever produced. However, they're probably also the biggest headach...at least for right now. They're so new, there are some bugs to be worked out, and due to the gearing & friction of the worm gears, people are currently scrambling to find "the best" motor / gearing setup. Many people are burning up their motors due to the high RPM requirements. Losi says to use their brushless, but many people don't care for the low rpm characteristics of brushless. Between that and people breaking CVD's (even the new upgraded shafts), I'd personally wait til the bugs are worked out before buying a Losi. However, if you're the type who likes to tinker and try different setups or you insist on competing with a shafty, this is a great way to go, and at under $300 for the kit, a real bargain. Just forget about this being a basher or maintenance free. It's not.
And this brings us to the...
RC4wd Bully - The early Bully axles had weak axle shafts, but that has been addressed, and the latest, Bully 2 axles are incredibly beefy. They come out of the box with a straight rear axle, XVD's (RC4wd's CVD shafts), and high steer steering knuckles. They also are probably the heaviest axle (weight) on the market. I still haven't decided if this is a pro or a con. While a heavier axle makes for a lower center of gravity, it also makes for a heavier rig, which may (in theory) make some of the very steepest climbs more difficult.
There are currently a few ARTR options for the Bully. You can either buy the axles and build from scratch or RC4wd and JPCustoms both have their own ARTR's. Both look like nice options for under $400. Add electronics, do some tuning and take it to the comps.
After alot of research along with personal experience and watching others at the comps, I went with the Bully2's for my latest comp rig. At least to me, it seemed like you get more for your money than the Berg axle, without the growing pains of the LCC.
Just my .02.
