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phiber_optik

Non-Tamiya ... GMade or HPI Scaler

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I know I know its not Tamiya, but I'm trying to decide between a GMade GS02 or the HPI Venture Chassis Kit.

I have a CC01 with a few mods and just want something that can trail with it (a little better lol) 

No competitions, just walking speed through trails and round a course in the garden.

Opinions welcome.

Ta,

Chris

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I've been looking at non-Tamiya trail trucks recently.  Initially I was interested in the GS02 as well however a few reviews put me off.  I think it was the plastics and the gearbox design that they weren't happy with, but I can't remember exactly.  I don't think it was anything that would be a problem for what you want to use it for though.  I haven't seen much about the Venture.

I'm probably getting a Traxxas TRX4 Sport.  The Element RC Enduro is also quite good if you haven't seen it yet.

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There's been a lot of new rigs onto the scalar market over the last couple of years and I'm not really sure what the difference is between them all.  I've had my SCX10 for a very long time, it's been used very hard and never broken a single thing.  I would find it hard to choose anything but an SCX10-II to replace it, but I'd want to see some good comparisons from people who build more scalers than I do.

The only thing putting me off HPI (without deep research into the chassis itself) is the fact that they seem to go down the pan every year and get rescued at the very last minute, I'd worry about parts availability in the future.

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Thanks everyone for the feedback so far. 

The Gmade, I like the design but the amount of e clips would push me away from it alone.

The HPI it seems to get good reviews, theres a few folk have taken them from the bottom to the top of ben nevis and the likes and give it praise. But yes HPI does always seem to have a questionable future.

Not a traxxas fan sorry.

Element RC Enduro This one I have not seen or heard about... off to do my research.

At the minute I think I am still leaning towards the HPI... Just need to find some picture that dont have that Toyota shell on it lol.

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1 hour ago, Blista said:

Initially I was interested in the GS02 as well however a few reviews put me off.  I think it was the plastics and the gearbox design that they weren't happy with, but I can't remember exactly.

Early GS02 gearboxes were moulded in two halves, split across the centre (like an equator) - This meant the top and bottom halves of the gearbox were forced apart under load but that was soon addressed with a re-tooled gearbox.

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13 minutes ago, phiber_optik said:

The Gmade, I like the design but the amount of e clips would push me away from it alone.

GMade and HPI both use 12 :)

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21 minutes ago, phiber_optik said:

Thanks everyone for the feedback so far. 

The Gmade, I like the design but the amount of e clips would push me away from it alone.

The HPI it seems to get good reviews, theres a few folk have taken them from the bottom to the top of ben nevis and the likes and give it praise. But yes HPI does always seem to have a questionable future.

Not a traxxas fan sorry.

Element RC Enduro This one I have not seen or heard about... off to do my research.

At the minute I think I am still leaning towards the HPI... Just need to find some picture that dont have that Toyota shell on it lol.

element is under team associated

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Good to know, the enduro is looking like a contender and i've never own anything Team Associated, so could be an experience.

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Kinda tricky really. I’m a bit iffy about HPI with them going broke and under new ownership.  Gmade makes relatively solid stuff, I guess that you should go with what your gut says, personally i would lean towards the gmade myself.

of the large scale 1/10 crawler trucks I feel the TRX4 sport is probably the best of the “basher” crawlers on  the market, but it lacks soul.

You’ve already ruled out a standard 1/10 scale kit so Tamiya CC02 is probably out, but just to throw in some Tamiya food for thought, here is my short wheelbase conversion CC02. 
15D0C6DA-C065-4095-97AD-24B2863FEAEC.thumb.jpeg.23632b7ea51044e8c3f45d3aeb9dad4c.jpeg

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That does look like a lovely truck, see I have a CC01 and I do love it for what it is, the child loves it even more its perfect for the garden, slowed down and the diffs locked etc. Maybe I am dismissing the CC02 as being similar. 

Possibly some further research into the CC02 is needed.

At the minute im still leaning towards the Venture. The Element Enduro looks the ticket but the battery position doesnt look great for running the standard NiMH stick pack... I have not converted over to lipo and dont image myself doing so any time soon.

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Hi Phiber - a little input from my perspective: I've increasingly been using scale ladder chassis for my projects in recent years, and with regard to the overall geometry, they are all much of a muchness with regard to using C channel outer rails (RC4WD use solid rails) and various cross-members in either plastic or metal to brace the chassis and attach the motor/gearbox and suspension links/shocks etc.

So it really depends on what you want to do with this vehicle - and specifically how far you feel you might want to deviate from standard specification - if it's a four-link/coil shock suspension then it's simple enough to adjust the wheelbase to suit different body styles just by fitting different length links (typically to just the rear axle is sufficient) and perhaps a longer/shorter rear prop - and this can be achieved with essentially 'universal' parts from Ebay etc. (pretty much every prop-shaft has a 5mm internal bore, and there are any number of 6mm diameter rods and associated ball-ends available).

However, if you plan to upgrade the running gear, then different brands are better or lesser supported - as Max Ax says above, by far the most widely supported (and copied/dimensionally patterned) platform is the Axial SCX10 (essentially superseded by the SCX10 II now which is dimensionally similar, but uses a pan-hard rod/3-link front end) - and indeed a lot of the other 3rd party chassis and crossmember components are interchangeable with only a minimal amount of modification.

for info. I have a set of HPI Venture axles on a current rolling chassis I'm building - mainly because they were a good price (new take-off parts) via E bay - other builds I have use RC4WD 'scale' axles (both genuine and Ebay copy versions, there is a difference) and some SCX10 pattern aluminium axles too.

Essentially what I'm saying is everything is pretty much mix and match with this kind of chassis platform - but you do have to be prepared to do a little 'engineering' yourself - not necessarily and machining or welding you understand - but mixing and matching, perhaps cutting/shortening certain components to fit with others.

As a starting point, I would probably go with one of the 'raw chassis builders kits' from any of the main players - they all cost around the £200/$200 mark - as that will get you familiar with how this style of platform goes together, and which components can be swapped out as required - choose a body shell and mate the two together with the correct length 4-links, and start driving it... you may find that the stock specification is more than sufficient; but if/when things do break, or you simply want to experiment with more travel, higher clearance linkages etc. then even swapping one manufacturers axles or transmission for another in not unheard of in this discipline.

Hope that helps!

Jenny x

 

edit. some examples of what I'm talking about:

i-tgLNHmh-XL.jpg

photo. this chassis is an Ebay 'copy' of the RC4WD Gelande/Tralfinder style - solid rails, and in this instance has multiple locations for cross-members and suspension mounts pre-drilled - so very easy if you want to start out with a true custom build. I've used HPI Venture axles, custom-made links (together with an off-the-shelf aluminium Y upper link for the venture chassis for the rear, which just needed slightly bending to fit this chassis); RC4WD motor, R3 gearbox and transfer case, and an Ebay metal-geared servo which is plenty good enough for trail and general crawling. This layout has the motor and gearbox in the forward location, leaving the floorpan area free for a full depth interior if you wish, while the battery (I like to use NiMh 6-cell packs too still) can typically mount across the chassis under the seatbox.

 

i-BDNJFRr-XL.jpg

photo. similarly, this is another example using the same Ebay chassis, but this time the plan is to have more of a scale build - including a detailed engine bay (that is a V8 motor cover over the 540 motor, which has been centrally mounted in this installation with a planetary gearbox and uses a different style of centre transfer case). The axles are RC4WD (actually Chinese copies) scale 'Yota II' axles, which are suitable for both a 4-link/coil set-up or leaf-spring mounting should you wish - and in this instance I've chosen to have a custom long-arm 4-link coil set-up at the rear, but at the front used the RC4WD leaf-springs and twin-shock mounts (all these kinds of parts are available separately as well as in a kit, although typically a kit is a cheaper way to buy them, especially if you need a good number of components from the same model).

 

i-MHHGfRt-XL.jpg

photo. Finally this is more of the 'traditional' route to building a scale crawler - this is the Vanquish VS4-10 chassis kit, with a dedicated stainless steel link kit for a 12.0" wheelbase, 3rd party aluminium 'SCX10 II' style axles (which have the panhard rod mount machined in as required), a centrally mounted aluminium '3 gear' transmission (again, this is 3rd party, but the same dimensions/mounting pattern as an SCX10) and Ebay aluminium adjustable shocks and wheels. Note you can spend high hundreds and into the $1000+ easily if you go for all the high-end Vanquish axles, links, shocks, gearbox etc. - their 'Pro' kit for example is $750, and that is without any motor & electronics - but their chassis kit is actually a reasonable way to get started if you know you want a custom build, as it is dimensionally the same as an SCX10 II, just with higher axle clearance for more travel.

 

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They all Rock, you'll think you'll only spend "X" amount and then realize how fargin cool can you make this vehicle? and then it's On!

i believe every kit (i'personally do not like any RTR or ARTR or any thing that getting not used in a build) that all these kits have there own twist of toughness. after all the research i did the Enduro stood out (even after i purchased this kit, still after market parts seem to be coming in on a weekly basis of late) even SSD with there Trail King kit has many parts for it and most of these parts are compatible with SCX10 and the II and even the MST's. what ever you end up with will be adventurous.

Crawl on, but hold your head up high

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I wasnt a Traxxas fan either but I converted when I realized their build quality blows everything else out of the water.

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1 hour ago, 78Triumph said:

I wasnt a Traxxas fan either but I converted when I realized their build quality blows everything else out of the water.

I agree - I drove their RTR Bronco recently, and it is a really good package - not just the functionality (two-speed gearbox and individual front and rear locking diffs), but the smoothness of the motor and transmission, suspension, even the Transmitter - it really is excellent value at around $450.

i-dmwsR5m-XL.jpg

Another RTR package that already performs well and would be ripe for upgrades in the future if/as required, is the Redcat Gen 8 Scout ($299 RTR) - they do a higher-end electronics version (brushless motor and programable ESC/Transmitter at $499), but I'd say the $299 version would be a great starting point if you are already looking at various $200+ 'builders kit chassis options, since the Redcat has everything  - electronics, body, wheels & tyres for $100 more. Perhaps stick a more detailed hard-body on it, and you're set!

note. Redcat also offer their Gen 8 chassis as a builders kit including the portal axles for $169.

Jx

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There are a ton of great crawlers on the market today as other have mentioned, really becoming my favorite segment of the hobby.  I have quite a few from different manufacturers and like them all for different reasons.  Have you thought about the SCX10 II builders kit?  It's nice because you get to build it (I hate RTRs) and it only comes with what you absolutely need.  The fun part of crawlers is customization so you'll get to choose your own electronics, wheels/tires, body, etc.  It's also dirt cheap at around $200. 

The TRX is also an outstanding truck, but the elctronics are not the greatest (I've ended up replacing th servos/ESC in all of mine).  The Redcat Gen8 is nice for what it is, but for the same money the Axial is a better truck.  I really like the MST as well, but it is a bit on the smaller side and sounds like you want a standard 313mm truck.

Honestly, you really can't make a bad decision here.  Just decide on what features are important to you and what you plan on doing with it and go form there.  The HPI is probably the only chassis I dont have.  I've heard good things about it, but I would worry about parts support in the long run.  HPI tends to discontinue vehicles and parts become scarce.  As other mentioned they are under new ownership, but not sure how thats working out.  Does look like a nice rig though.  

Whatever you choose good luck, I'm sure you'll have a blast with whatever you end up getting.  

 

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