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r6stu

Why Crawlers?

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Why? Surley something so slow is no fun? what do they do thats good?

 

Not dissing, just dont understand them? 

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I don't crawl in the sense of Clod-based/etc, but I do scale crawling with my modified XC. Many of the same reasons apply.

It is fun because of the customization work for one thing. Sure, a lot of people just bolt Clod axles to a chassis they bought, but real crawlers are always manufacturing/modding parts and making new chassis designs (TWINSET for example). You're always trying to improve your rig, and more money does not automatically mean better performance.

It's also about the ability of your vehicle to take on any terrain. Try sending a "fast" car up a steep muddy hill, or through a rocky area.

With XCs and F350s (scale crawlers) it's about realism. There are more limits to the design, so you have to innovate even more. Just look at all the documented mods for XCs for example. It's real crawling in 1/10 scale. The other bonus to scale crawling is that the same cars do great running trails together, which make for a mix of all kinds of terrain in a more relaxed environment that can last for hours. It's just tons of fun.

Just try it some time. You'll understand.

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XC? what that stand for, I know the VW T is one and the 350 and Wrangler etc but what it mean?

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XC is another name for CC (Tamiya's designation), it means Cross Country. It refers to the chassis series, i.e. CC, TL, TB, TA, you know the drill.

The F350 is not an XC. The Jeep Wrangler, Isuzu Mu, Mitsubishi Pajero and Metaltop Pajero, and Touareg are.

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For me its a more subtle way to enjoy the hobby, its also a more scale way to enjoy the hobby.  Watching the articulation work on my TXT makes me really appreciate how the whole thing is engineered. Speed with monster trucks is fun if you've got the right conditions for them but personally I think the whole side of RC car driving in general which seems to be 'its only really fun and cool if it goes really, really fast' is pretty naff to be honest, thats part of the reason nitro just doesn't appeal to me.

 Crawling also has its advantages in that you don't break things every time you plug in a battery. Its so relaxing not to have the temptation that you just want to push things to their limits all the time and break everything.

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I love the scale details. With cars it was drifters, with the wipers and the brakes and stuff, anything that made the model look more "scalistic".

With the crawlers, it's more relaxed, doesn't required a track, and a pair of batteries can keep you running for hours. Trucks get constantly tweaked and fiddled with, though it's more what you build that counts rather than what you buy.

There are regional differences too. An American truck will look and behave differently to a truck built in the UK, since the rocks are different [:D]

 

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I'm starting to shy away from racing just because getting my car up and running and getting lost in the forest with a couple mates is so much more fun than waiting your turn to race and getting bumped off by people who don't know how to drive.  I do both types of crawling, I got my Twinset chassis Clod and a few XC's. XC's are easier to operate and costs are low for running. The big dawg is a bit more tricky and will require more money and control. 

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Building a crawler forces you to think, and make components from different manufacturers (sometimes they're not even from an RC car) work together. You have to use much more of your brain than with racing just to get the thing built. You don't have to buy a new battery pack every month to remain competitive, your tires last for years, and during a competition it's just you and the course- your run can't be ruined by an idiot who can't drive, unless it's you.

 The opportunity to make something that's never been seen before is also a lure. Try that with a touring car.

 Crawling is a niche for designer/builders rather than assembler/builders. It will surely go downhill once it gets popular enough to have RTR's available.

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Building a crawler forces you to think, and make components from different manufacturers (sometimes they're not even from an RC car) work together. You have to use much more of your brain than with racing just to get the thing built. You don't have to buy a new battery pack every month to remain competitive, your tires last for years, and during a competition it's just you and the course- your run can't be ruined by an idiot who can't drive, unless it's you.

 The opportunity to make something that's never been seen before is also a lure. Try that with a touring car

I'm nearly finished with my first crawler build and fully agree with OBH. Well, its probably going to be more monster truck than a crawler, and I've been  learning the differences that during the project. Its taken me ages to collate everything and mate it all together. Twinset has almost fallen asleep! But its taught me a load more than simply putting a Tamiya model together and bolting on easily swapable hop-ups.

I'm a complete newbie all over again [:)]

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Have to say that I bought a Touareg as everyone at every bash seemed to have an XC and enjoy it. I fully waterproofed it etc etc. I just got bored though. They roll over too easily, have no speed and don't handle very well. They can't even make it up a lot of things which my larger trucks could with most scenery being too much for them.

 If you are into the scale side and mod it a lot, they are good, but for me, they just don't light my candle. Like fishing - I've tried it, but just decided not for me.

My Malboro Touareg is going on E-bay this afternoon!

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I imagine your 1:1 daily driver would roll over "too easily" if you turned it full lock at full speed. You have to drive a scale rig like you would a 1:1, and pick your line carefully over obstacles. It's more involved than just bashing about.

Suzy, be careful with your driving, I've just finished this one. Coming to get you!

attachment20345dfae9.jpg 

Stretched XC with a Chinese Land Rover body, converted to resemble Hamish Macbeth's. 

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OBH - Oh look yours is so lovely you've forced me to take a fresh piccie of mine now.

Draggin' is nearly ready to roll. Roll all over your iddy biddy Landrover with its monster truck tyres! Nar Nar Nar!

getuserimage.asp?t=&id=img6733_05032007194327_1.jpg 

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Crawling is also split into different categories as mentioned earlier.  Some people go for scale such as the XC based ones.  These are very good for realistic off road work, but can roll over if yu aren't careful.

Clod / TLT / Jugg / TXT based crawlers are something else entirely.  I take mine to the local beach and see whether or not I can get it over all the rock formations.  It's somthing else to see a full crawler running like that.  The nice thing is anyone can have a go at it (although it takes practice to get it right).

I have both a Clod based crawler and a Jugg based brushless fast monster truck.  Each are specific to their elements, but the crawler is more fun with big obstacles, the jugg is superb for large grassy areas (much like and E-Maxx)

Just my opinion though.

By the way Suzy, that Landy clod looks awesome!  Is it coming to the next Yeovil bash?

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Just found this rather nice piece of footage on youtube of a TXT based crawler that shows you why speed isn't everything. Personally I think this looks a lot more fun and skillful than having some fast RC car bombing about from left to right.  Actually seeing this makes me want to lock the diffs on my TXT but I'm to scared to.

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Truth be told crawling isn't so bad. I used to think crawling was mind numbingly boring as well, but now that I have tried it is really quite fun. I don't really have a true "crawler" only a few mods to my stock RC18MT'S suspension but it can still scale any rock pretty well.[;)]

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Since I bought my TXT I've really learned to appreciate the control

and skill that goes into climbing and crawling with scale monsters.

Where

I usually bash there's a very steep muddy hill (the local MTB boys use

it for stunts) which is great for climbing.  My Dark Impact will

go up it full-throttle, provided it doesn't get stuck on a rock. 

My Blackfoot Extreme will go up it full-throttle, both rear wheels

spinning and kicking up dirty.  My TXT wouldn't go half-way up

when I first bought it, prompting me to think that big, heavy

metal-chassis trucks were actually rubbish.  I was very

disappointed.

Then I took a different approach, locked the diffs

and fitted high-torque servos.  Now I can climb that hill on every

attempt, not by giving it a full-throttle and watching it blast its way

up on power alone, but by taking it slowly, not letting the wheels

spin, and controlling the truck with seperate front and rear steering

to avoid the loose rocks and big burried stones that would flip it on

its back.

Also arranging a pile of rocks in my back garden and

seeing a TXT miraculously climb over them (usually after trying 5 or 6

different approaches to get the angle just right) is a truly amazing

experience - I often can't believe that it's physically possible to get

a truck over rocks that are in many cases bigger than its wheels.

I'll

admit it's not for everybody, but I get my speed thrills from my carpet

racing and from bashing my Dark Impact and Blackfoot Extreme... 

but when it comes to control, the TXT is where it's at [:)]  

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By the way Suzy, that Landy clod looks awesome!  Is it coming to the next Yeovil bash?
Ooooh yes! I could watch your Brushless Jugg all day...

Looks like Mad Ax and his TXT have come to a comfortable truce so he'll be playing with a big boy too. Alex's new TXT is proving equally capable straight-out-of-the-box too. But we're all noobies with this crawling me-larky; too used to going flat out! It'll be good to get some face-to-face tips from more experienced guys at another Bash.

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Thanks!

Well, if you ever end up in South Wales bring the beastie along and give me a shout.

I know an AWESOME beach for crawling!

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I love to see my F350 HL climb an obsticle that an XC can't, I try it slow, and if that fails it's PEDAL TO METAL!!!! I try, and try, and try again until I get up there. It's great fun.

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there is no worse feeling than watching several hundreds of pounds worth of hand crafted polished dural with lightenend bodywork and priceless suspension units cascading end over end down the shear face of a pile of rocks causing untold damage with every bounce crunch and slither, as you aimlessly twiddle the sticks on your control unit and realise that this is all that is going to be left of your carefully hand made model!

I try and stay on the flat these days.....................it saves a lot of tears.

Ratfink

Owner of clod gekko currently still in one piece

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Crawling is cool, try drive up 2 storey slops with gradients so steep your truck could go end of end (let alone getting yourself up the slope, even on all fours), if you kick the throttle or turn to avoid some obstacle.  Like other sure you can blast up a slope with most cars, but if you had to pick your way though stuff and find the best way though by "feeling" the way then its a different kettle of fish.  My XC is fairly standard but its great at climbing with 2 tamiya locked diffs and slightly modded rear geometry, can crawl better than my mates E-maxx.

 I love racing cars as my showroom suggusts, and have spent many years racing different types and still love visiting the odd track and having a blast on a quiet afternoon (no idiots).  Its just another side of RC cars to have fun with.

 Anybody in the East Northamptonshire region into their XCs?

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Why crawlers, you ask?

Why not? I was very sceptical myself prior to getting the F-350. After testing it out in the mud and puddles I imediately realised that driving slow in rough terrain could also prove to be a challenge. It is technical driving but at the other end of the scale from fast cars.

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Why crawlers, you ask?

Try it out and then if you need to ask, it's obviously not for you.

I spent a couple of hours yesterday in sand dunes crawling with one of Mud-pluggers XC's and i'm totaly hooked!

It's very satisfying when you manage to clear a difficult piece of terrain and it's great seeing a scale vehicle that you wouldn't think capable doing it.

:blink:

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love the scale aspect of it, really enjoy driving my F350 slowly over and through stuff, and running my unfinished dakar support truck. i did start to build a larger TXT type crawler, took it out on a clumber meet, got stuck and really struggled to get it to go over some piles of gravel, then tackled the same piles of gravel with my revo, went over slowly ok, and blitzed over them at full throttle with big air! at this point i too asked "why crawlers?" next day traded it with tam-trucks for the volvo F12 which was the basis of my dakar truck, which i'm now very attached too, cheers nic.

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