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Static Age

Budget Rock Crawler

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That's a weird angle for an articulation shots. Doesn't looks like a bad "budget crawler". Articulation looks a bit limited though.

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Thanks for the advice.

I'm a total newcomer to RC crawling so any advice is welcome. Here's a vid of the above truck in action

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I looked at the Maverick Scout a few weeks back, everything i read on the 'net and in magazines gave a positive review - some articles said they couldn't believe how they did it for the price. The bodywork isn't the prettiest but bodies with lumps hacked off seems to be part of the scene !

I also looked at the Yokomo crawler, which is really cheap at end of line rc... http://www.end-of-line-rc.com/cars/kits/cl...awler-artr.html

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EOLRC also have a Venom Creeper Comp Crawler Kit that whilst a bit more expensive than the Maverick may be a good buy too..

http://www.end-of-line-rc.com/cars/kits/ve...-kit-green.html

ven-8300gr-actual.jpg

You'll need to read the specs about whether ESCs / motor are included etc to fully compare prices - the Venom one looks a more serious bit of kit, the Maverick / Yokomos are good starter vehicles and pretty capable for 'hobby' use. The Maverick looks to have larger tyres too, which should reduce fouling of the steering linkages and turnbuckles during rock crawling.

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The venom looks a good buy, not a great deal more expensive, but you do have to buy all the electrics, then its alot more expensive, the maverick looks a much better buy with its 2.4ghz radio etc.

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Thanks for all the replies. Wheelspin models have a ton of spares for the Maverick so it looks like I might go for it.

At the end of the youtube vid there is a link to a video of a Axial AX10 on the same course, interesting to get a comparison.

If I do go for it I will have to change that shell, a proper truck body would look alot better.

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The dampers looks a little on the hard side judging by the clip. The cantis on the CR-01 is a lot more responsive and doesn't "hop" along as the Mav' does. Should sort that out easily with some aftermarket goodies. Well if spares are available and reviews are positive, I can't see a reason not to get one.

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I'm sure there will be a little room for improvement. My friends & I are keen to have a go at the crawling so I think we might buy one each. A couple of us like to make short films so no doubt we'll get some videos online if we go for it.

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Go for it. Crawling is really fun and there isn't any way to get into other than to just try. The Maverick looks like an Axial knock-off to me and is likely a good starter rig.

You will absolutely get the bug to modify anything you buy anyway. I bought an RTR Axial AX10. It was awesome right out of the box. Within an hour I noticed some things that I thought would improve the handling - mostly from watching others and getting tips from more experienced crawlers. I added weights to the wheels, shaved fenders, changed the spring tensions, vented the wheels, rearranged the electronics.... Pretty soon I wondered why I didn't just scratch build something, but actually I didn't know a thing about crawling when the madness began. Still feel like a complete noob sometimes too, but crawling rocks (forgive the pun).

Buying an RTR is a great way to get into this aspect of R/C and don't worry about getting the "perfect" or the "best" one. Just go into it with an open mind and be willing to experiment with different set-ups as you see things that could be improved. You don't need to spend a king's ransom either, but just keep tinkering with little improvements. You'd be surprised at how much difference a few "minor" mods will make to performance.

Watching those with tons of experience is priceless though. You'll see how they choose lines and approach the rocks, what they modify and why/how. You can take their ideas and put it to work on your rig, even if you only take the basic premise. Word of warning though: you don't have to spend a ton of cash - there are so many "upgrades" that you can buy that are dead simple to do yourself for free or next to nothing. Don't let someone sell you something that you can achieve for free if you just put some thought into it. That's half the fun anyway.

My 2 cents worth. :lol:

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I will no doubt get the bug to modify it, all of the RC cars in my collection are modified.

Some great advice, thanks.

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Weight the wheels, more in front than rear starting at 8-9oz in front and 4-5oz in the rear. Get some new tyres Hot bodies Sedona`s or Rover`s in white compound. Get a smaller battery and stick it on the front axle somewhere.

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Weight the wheels, more in front than rear starting at 8-9oz in front and 4-5oz in the rear. Get some new tyres Hot bodies Sedona`s or Rover`s in white compound. Get a smaller battery and stick it on the front axle somewhere.

Thanks for the tips. How do I go about adding weight to the front wheels?

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Thanks for the tips. How do I go about adding weight to the front wheels?

I use the weights they use to balance 1:1 road car mag wheels. I then just use the double sided tape they already have on to stick them around the wheels. It work a charm for me, but I do believe there are more RC specific items for just this kind of use.

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I used to use 1:1 wheel weights on the inside of the tire wrapped around the wheel. But I was given a roll of lead flashing and I use that now. You can also use the lead flashing that window fitters use to make leaded windows, its not cheap but its sticky and the right size.

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You can find it even cheaper as the HSP Kulak. I was selling these for $129.99 USD. I'm keeping the last one as a scaler project.

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I'm interested to know what you went for in the end and how you got on with it. I would like to have a go at rock crawling and I wondered about getting a budget rock crawler and doing a few modifications to make it perform better.

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Decided to go with the Maverick Scout. Cant give an opinion yet as no one in the UK seems to have stock. Modelsport are getting some in on April the 27th.

I'll be sure to post as soon as I have had a test run.

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The Maverick Scout looks quite good as a base for some modifications. I saw one that had Axial AX10 axle link bars fitted (the bent ones) and the mountings had been moved to the inside of the chassis so that the wheels could turn further. They had also moved the electronics round a little bit to give it a lower centre of gravity. The other modification was to weight the wheels a bit so that it was more stable.

The video I saw of it in action made it look quite capable, although the guy said that the tyres let it down a bit and would be the next upgrade. He did say that it was quite good out of the box and very similar to the AX10 in terms of design to the point where a lot of the parts were interchangable.

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The Maverick Scout looks quite good as a base for some modifications. I saw one that had Axial AX10 axle link bars fitted (the bent ones) and the mountings had been moved to the inside of the chassis so that the wheels could turn further. They had also moved the electronics round a little bit to give it a lower centre of gravity. The other modification was to weight the wheels a bit so that it was more stable.

The video I saw of it in action made it look quite capable, although the guy said that the tyres let it down a bit and would be the next upgrade. He did say that it was quite good out of the box and very similar to the AX10 in terms of design to the point where a lot of the parts were interchangable.

I saw this exact one two, found a thread on a RC forum while searching. Its one of the reasons I decided on the scout.

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I thought I'd throw this into the mix. It's a bit more expensive but it looks like a very capable machine; HBX RockFighter rock crawler

[ebay link removed]

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Twin 380 motors on crawlers are usually prone to stalling (stopping)

Do some research on 'Clod stall' on the HBX if you're considering it.

A 540 motored shaftie would probably be far more capable and there's plenty of motor options

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Thanks for that, I was just looking around to see what was available and I liked the idea of having a low centre of gravity with the motors mounted in the axles. I did notice in some of the videos that it looked like the back wheels were stopping on steep slopes but the front ones were still scrabbling away. It looks like there's just no getting away from the Maverick Scout in terms of value for money, plus the fact there are so many hop ups for it via the AX10 compatability.

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Yeah, the stopping is a problem on crawlers with motors on the axle (MOA)

Even on 540 motored trucks it happens, it's commonly referred to as 'Clod Stall' as Clods were the first MOA trucks to be mass-converted into crawlers.

If the Maverick can use Axial parts and hop-ups there will be running spares readily available

You can lower the COG by weighting the wheels and moving the battery etc - crawlers are one looooooooong mod :unsure:

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Hi all

Ive been reading with interest as im debating whether to sell my wild dagger

(as i cant afford the repair/parts bill anymore)

and get one of these maverick scouts.

Ive just got my rebuilt Dagger back from the shop rebuilt , Ive run it once rolled it and bust the rear body mount again!!!

I cant keep buying spares like this

Any opinions??

post-35998-1303678208_thumb.jpg

my Dagger

post-35998-1303678305_thumb.jpg

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