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Nobbi1977

Help me spend my money, scale truck wanted

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A little clear out has given me about £265 to play with.

I am looking at the SCX10 raw builders kit but has anyone got a better idea where I should spend my cash. Gmade and others seem to make some nice stuff but no idea what is good.

I want to get my moneys worth out the build so little parts and complicated is good.

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Hi Knobbi' - fwiw. at that price point, I'd probably look at a MST chassis kit - either the CMX (mid motor mount) or CFX (front motor mount) - they seem to get good reviews and work well without having to upgrade much straight away?

They come with various [Tamiya] lexan bodies according to the video, but are also available as a bare chassis kit:

https://tamico.de/MST-CFX-1-10-4WD-Off-Road-Kit

Which would be my preference... then assemble some kind of hard-body - either the Land Rover Defender 90 (basically the Gelande) you see on ebay for around £45 complete with interior, a New Bright Jeep JK body, or go old-school and get a Hilux cab (either Tamiya or RC4WD Trailfinder) and whichever other parts you want to complete the build, whether you want a full bed, tray back or truggy style?

Hope that gives you something to go on...

Jenny x

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ps. I see Modelsport are selling the SCX10 II builders [chassis] kit for £189 which seems pretty decent value - although that is still pretty basic and you'd need to add wheels/tyres, motor and an ESC etc to match the MST spec... but conversely that would give you more options to customise it the way you want initially, plus a huge aftermarket of upgrades too as the build evolves (which they inevitably do of course ;o)

 

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I've also heard good things about the MST kits, and as far as I know, Tamiya CC01 bodies (including the hard shells) drop right on. So a Jeep Wrangler or something isn't hard to do.

Personally, I love my ECX Barrage, but I think they discontinued the kit version. Pity, because it was a great bargain ($180 with full electronics including LED lights), and it's a really nice kit.

I believe there is also a chassis-only Traxxas TRX-4 that comes as a kit and includes the radio gear, but I don't know the price.

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Here is a little comparison in size and stuff. 

http://blog.rcmart.com/rc-scale-crawler-showdown-mst-cmx-vs-tamiya-cc-01-vs-axial-scx10/

If you want something big like SCX, CFX-W is a larger 1/8th version.  CMX, CFX, CFX-W (with portal gears) have been on my radar for some time.  I'm not into hardcore crawling, but CMX and CFX look good to me for some reason. 

 

 

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I've been looking into scale trucks as well.  I own a FJ Cruiser so I've been looking at having a scale version it.  I've been eyeing the HPI Venture FJ:

 

 

The only negative I've really seen so far is that the stock servo could be stronger.  I do wish there was a kit version but there are several upgrades around for it so it has good support (and the body looks very realistic).

 

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All of the RTRs will have weak servos, so you'll want to upgrade the servo regardless.

Axial SCX10 II Raw Builder's Kit - Lowest cost,  newer 1 piece axles so some of the 3rd party upgrades won't work on these.  Old AX-10 Transmission.  No Wheels, Tires, Body.  Plastic not the greatest.
Axial SCX10 II Cherokee Kit - Decent price, multi-piece axle design, 2-speed capable transmission (2-speed gear parts are optional purchases), plenty of aftermarket support. Plastic not the greatest
Vaterra Ascender K10 RTR - Decent price, really capable out of the box, suffers from torque twist that can be modified to be better. moderate aftermarket support, weak stock servo. Good plastic
HPI Venture FJ RTR - average price with the current discount, looks great, weak servo, not as much aftermarket support, but it's starting to get a little traction.
HPI Venture Scale Builder's Kit - Not out yet, more expensive than the Axial Raw Builder's Kit, No body, wheels, tires.  small aftermarket support.
Traxxas TRX-4 Defender, Bronco, Tactical - More expensive, very Capable truck with portal axles, lots of gimmick features that may or may not be desirable.  gimmick features reliant on servos.  RTR servos fail easily. Aftermarket support is slowly growing
Traxxas TRX-4 Sport - average price, locked differentials and single speed transmission so less prone to failing from electronics.  really capable with portal axles.  weak RTR servos. Aftermarket support is slowly growing
Traxxas TRX-4 Kit - expensive for a kit, because it includes the electronics (esc, servos, transmitter, receiver).  Not great if you don't desire to use their electronics. Aftermarket support is slowly growing
GMADE BOM - Average cost, Shares so much with the Axial SCX10 II that it's almost like a SCX10 II version 2.  It can use some SCX10 II aftermarket parts.  Some people have experienced transmission issues, but GMADE is issuing updated housing.  really capable crawler, aftermarket support is limited to in-house Junfac and SCX10 II compatible parts. Plastic is around same as Axial.
GMADE Sawback 4LS/Komodo - Average cost, but it's an older platform.  not as capable as some of the other trucks.  AFtermarket is in-house Junfac,GMADE, and some smaller Asian companies.  Plastic is good
GMADE Sawback - AVerage cost, but it's an older platform and it's a leaf-spring suspension truck.  It's great if you are looking for leaf-spring truck. Plastic is good.
MST CFX-W - Lower cost because it comes without a body (for now...)  Same size class as  SCX10 II, Ascender, Venture, TRX-4.  Plastic quality is great.  Portal axles.  very capable crawler, Aftermarket support is small and mostly in-house MST and a little Samix.
MST CMX, CFX - lower cost, but they are smaller trucks.  CC-01 bodies fit on the CMX and CFX.  good plastic quality, very capable crawler for it's size (definitely out-crawl a CC-01).  Aftermarket support is small and mostly in-house MST.  Lots of scale body opportunities as far as looks though.
HoBao DC-1 kit - Upper Average Cost. Includes a lot in the kit as far as scale details.  decent crawler, but it comes with terrible tires.  Body is heavy, so it'll take more skill to drive (like the TRX-4 Defender and tactical).  AFtermarket is limited to in-house HoBao. Plastic quality is great!

I maybe missing some off the top of my head, but that's the quick rundown.
 

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I'd go with the TRX-4 kit.  I own at least one truck from all of the major brands (except GMade & Haobao) and the TRX is hands down the most capable and enjoyable crawler I've ever owned.  The 2-speed and locking diffs may seem like gimmicks to some, but they really add to the driving experience and make it a much more versatile and capable rig.  The stock steering servo is weak and should be replaced for serious crawling, but that is literally the only thing that needs to be upgraded on the truck.  I run the Bronco body and love it.  I would skip the Defender body, very top heavy.

The SCX10 II is also a great truck.  Very basic but nice, especially with a 2-speed conversion.  

Ascender is OK.  Very well built, but the torque twist (which can be solved) is a bit much.  Other trucks have worked to reduce this significantly out of the box.  Capable truck, but not my favorite.

The MST trucks are great for the price.  Unless you go with the 1/8 scale they are definitely on the small side which leaves them at a bit of a disadvantage in the performance department when compared to true 1/10 scale rigs.

I'm out on the trails nearly every weekend and when I'm not running one of my Tamiyas I'm running the TRX-4.  Its such a fun rig to ride trails and crawl with I can't get enough.  It's definitely the most expensive but in my opinion totally worth it.

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40 minutes ago, 87lc2 said:

I'd go with the TRX-4 kit.  I own at least one truck from all of the major brands (except GMade & Haobao) and the TRX is hands down the most capable and enjoyable crawler I've ever owned.  The 2-speed and locking diffs may seem like gimmicks to some, but they really add to the driving experience and make it a much more versatile and capable rig.  The stock steering servo is weak and should be replaced for serious crawling, but that is literally the only thing that needs to be upgraded on the truck.  I run the Bronco body and love it.  I would skip the Defender body, very top heavy.

The SCX10 II is also a great truck.  Very basic but nice, especially with a 2-speed conversion.  

Ascender is OK.  Very well built, but the torque twist (which can be solved) is a bit much.  Other trucks have worked to reduce this significantly out of the box.  Capable truck, but not my favorite.

The MST trucks are great for the price.  Unless you go with the 1/8 scale they are definitely on the small side which leaves them at a bit of a disadvantage in the performance department when compared to true 1/10 scale rigs.

I'm out on the trails nearly every weekend and when I'm not running one of my Tamiyas I'm running the TRX-4.  Its such a fun rig to ride trails and crawl with I can't get enough.  It's definitely the most expensive but in my opinion totally worth it.

Nice, I just need that HPI Venture to fill out my fleet.  Otherwise, I also have all the major platforms.  I love them all though as they've all got their own uniqueness.

as far as MST sizes... 

MST 1/8 = Axial, Vaterra, HPI, Traxxas, GMADE, HoBao 1/10
MST 1/10 = Tamiya 1/10

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7 hours ago, JennyMo said:

ps. I see Modelsport are selling the SCX10 II builders [chassis] kit for £189 which seems pretty decent value - although that is still pretty basic and you'd need to add wheels/tyres, motor and an ESC etc to match the MST spec... but conversely that would give you more options to customise it the way you want initially, plus a huge aftermarket of upgrades too as the build evolves (which they inevitably do of course ;o)

 

I think I would end up changing most bits anyway so this is why it was a top option for me.

 

I will do some googling of everyone’s great suggestions before I spend my cash.

RTR is out for me, I prefer the build to the run most of the time.

 

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It looks like RTR dominates this market. I could always strip them down to nothing and rebuild to my taste.

The TRX-4 Sport looks good value as does the SCX10 II Honcho.

What am I missing with these 2 that their expensive brothers have?

RCGeeks.co.uk have interest free credit :wub:

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1 hour ago, Nobbi1977 said:

It looks like RTR dominates this market. I could always strip them down to nothing and rebuild to my taste.

The TRX-4 Sport looks good value as does the SCX10 II Honcho.

What am I missing with these 2 that their expensive brothers have?

RCGeeks.co.uk have interest free credit :wub:

TRX-4 Sport:
Single speed transmission vs 2-speed transmission
Full Time locked diffs vs Locking/unlocking diffs

SCX10 Honcho:
Plastic links vs Aluminum Links (rod-ends are still rubbish though, should replace them regardless)
Plastic gears in the AX10 transmission vs Metal gears (not sure about this one) in the more expensive RTRs and Raw builder's kit.  (Cherokee kit comes with 2-speed capable transmission - the only SCX10 II that does so)
Plastic shock bodies vs aluminum shock bodies (really a non issue, they both not that great).
The body.
Single piece axle design vs Older multi-piece axle design in the Cherokee Kit.

 

What you could do if you don't want RTR and know what you want (with Axial).

1. Buy Axial SCX10 II frame rails
2. Buy the plastic sprue parts for - chassis braces, battery tray/servo mount, body posts, mounts, shock hoops, wb8 drive shafts
3. Buy aftermarket Axles and associated parts
4. Buy Chinese all metal AX10 Transmission on ebay for $30.
5. Buy aftermarket suspension links
6. Buy aftermarket Shocks
7. Your choice of wheels, tires, bumpers and body

That should give you the chance to scratch build from ground up with only the parts you want.
 

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2 hours ago, Nobbi1977 said:

It looks like RTR dominates this market.

 

Yep.  I'm looking for something very specific which narrows my options.  I've come to terms that it will likely be RTR since the HPI ticks all the things I want.  However, I'm planning to counter that with another purchase along side it like a buggy kit.  ;)

 

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23 hours ago, 87lc2 said:

I'd go with the TRX-4 kit.  I own at least one truck from all of the major brands (except GMade & Haobao) and the TRX is hands down the most capable and enjoyable crawler I've ever owned.  The 2-speed and locking diffs may seem like gimmicks to some, but they really add to the driving experience and make it a much more versatile and capable rig.  The stock steering servo is weak and should be replaced for serious crawling, but that is literally the only thing that needs to be upgraded on the truck.  I run the Bronco body and love it.  I would skip the Defender body, very top heavy.

The SCX10 II is also a great truck.  Very basic but nice, especially with a 2-speed conversion.  

Ascender is OK.  Very well built, but the torque twist (which can be solved) is a bit much.  Other trucks have worked to reduce this significantly out of the box.  Capable truck, but not my favorite.

The MST trucks are great for the price.  Unless you go with the 1/8 scale they are definitely on the small side which leaves them at a bit of a disadvantage in the performance department when compared to true 1/10 scale rigs.

I'm out on the trails nearly every weekend and when I'm not running one of my Tamiyas I'm running the TRX-4.  Its such a fun rig to ride trails and crawl with I can't get enough.  It's definitely the most expensive but in my opinion totally worth it.

Agree, when I got the TRX-4 Bronco I was blown away. Literally, straight out of the box it's so capable it's not funny. So well built and incredibly high quality. I have to admit though, after running it for ages, I wanted to build a true scaler that didn't handle so well lol ;)

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That is true, the TRX4 does feel like cheating sometimes.  The most fun I have on the trails is with my highly modified custom chassis TA01 Hummers.  It takes real skill to drive them properly with independent suspension, but they will keep up with the big boys if built right and driven properly.

There are two options that I have not thought of and are on my buy list when I get around to it:

RCWD Trailfinder 2 - This is about as scale as it gets.  Not as capable as a 4-link truck due to the leaf springs, but they look awesome and take skill to drive.

Cross RC PG4 Line - I have been eyeing up the PG4A long wheelbase for a while just haven't pulled the trigger.  The truck is huge and looks awesome.  My father has quite a few Cross trucks and the quality is decent, however parts support is not as good as Traxxas, Axial, etc.  

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7 hours ago, khyzersoze said:

 

What you could do if you don't want RTR and know what you want (with Axial).

1. Buy Axial SCX10 II frame rails
2. Buy the plastic sprue parts for - chassis braces, battery tray/servo mount, body posts, mounts, shock hoops, wb8 drive shafts
3. Buy aftermarket Axles and associated parts
4. Buy Chinese all metal AX10 Transmission on ebay for $30.
5. Buy aftermarket suspension links
6. Buy aftermarket Shocks
7. Your choice of wheels, tires, bumpers and body

That should give you the chance to scratch build from ground up with only the parts you want.
 

I am almost there. I have a thread I am using to keep an up date of my sporadic activities. I have started to build the above using a left over Maverick Scout. I am trying for an all metal build apart from the axels. 

I am stalled waiting for parts to come across the water from China at the moment. 

So ideally I should get a top of the line TRX4 and build a bitsa SCX10 clone?

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I have a TRX4 Defender that I absolutely love.  My son loves it too.  Two speed makes it quick enough to not be boring, and locking diffs add another element of complexity.  I like complicated cars so it is all very appealing to me.  

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So I hope you are all feeling very ashamed. I have massively over spent and on Monday I will be trying to explain what arrives in the post. 

 

I have a great excuse but I am not sure it will wash with the boss. 

 

Wish me luck, photos to follow on Monday...

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12 minutes ago, Nobbi1977 said:

A very big box turned up today. 

31323388507_6039ab2c16_b.jpg

 

Blooming 'eck! That's a big un! I hope you rehearsed your script well. I've similar issues, my boss started making heavy hints about clearing out under my desk. That's my XV-01T, a CR-01 and a TT02 I'll need to bring home. Gulp.

Now... what's inside?!

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Told the wife it was something she could wrap for me for Christmas 

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Just now, Nobbi1977 said:

Told the wife it was something she could wrap for me for Christmas 

That means we'll have to wait a few days for the big reveal :D

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46264391841_845a268b7d_b.jpg

RTR but still bits to do I think. Need a experiment with ways to make it as good as the full blown TRX4

Talking of full fat TRX4

 

45351765195_aa3948c8f7_b.jpg

 

 

 

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