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cowboyjon

Best 1/10 crawler under £200?

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Bit of a generic question guys. 

My 11 year old loves his scx24 despite it constantly breaking down and has asked for a bigger crawler to take into the nearby woods when we walk the dog. 

This isn't my forte and was hoping someone could help me out. My kid says he fancies the bangood RGT thing but I'm still peeved the 144001 that I bought (that everyone on YouTube swore was the best thing since sliced bread)  stripped it's diff inside the first hour of use and the upgraded spares I bought to fix it don't actually fit properly. 

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The 'best' budget crawler, probably, is going to be the RTR Redcat Gen 8 Scout (the latest version in green or purple), but that is going to cost you $299 (USD) plus shipping to the UK. If you can stretch to that bit extra it ought to be pretty decent out of the box for a good while, and spares (and upgrades) are widely available.

Otherwise, taking a punt on any 'eBay special' can work out, but if parts do break it can be difficult to get spares which fit unless you are confident they are an exact dimensional copy to Axial [SCX10] for example.

Hope that helps...

Jenny x

 

 

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I second the Gen8, very impressed with mine.  It's a lot nice than I thought it would be for the money and haven't broken a thing on it, and I run it pretty hard.  You can get the chassis kit for around $150USD, but you'll need electronics, body, and wheels/tires so by that point you're close to RTR money unless you have stuff lying around.  

I would steer clear of the plastic SCX10 knock-offs.  Got a hold of one at some point and it is absolute junk.  However, the all metal clones are actually nice (but not that cheap).  Got one for free from a supplier at work and have trailed/crawled it a lot and holding up great.  If you can find a good deal on one of them it's worth it.

Other than that I dont think you'll get anything decent for under $300 all in, that seems to be the buy in for a decent, reliable crawler these days.  You definitely get what you pay for with crawler/trail rigs.

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I have one of the HG P402 crawlers which has been really good for mucking about in the garden and on the "trails" (i.e. UK woodland paths). I got it pretty cheap from one of the big HK sellers.

I could list a number of flaws with it but apart from the original servo dying instantly and the low-speed gear stripping after quite a lot of rough use, I can't really knock if for the price. My 12 year old son drives it full throttle into everything.

Since it sounds you are in the UK, FTX do a few notably inexpensive 1/10th crawlers. No idea what they are actually like but you should get a decent bit of support since they are sold in actual shops and supplied by one of the big UK distributors.

Go up to about £300 and you can get an RTR crawler from one of the named brands e.g. Element RC Trailwalker. I've just built up the Element RC kit and I've got no concerns about the quality (haven't had the chance to run it yet though).

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Yeah I've seen the ftx kanyon online and it looks OK. I've no idea if it's any good tho. 

Thanks for the replies guys. £300 is the barrier of entry? That seems really harsh! I'd maybe stretch to £250 but that's about it unfortunately. 

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I'd look for a used SCX10 II or maybe even a TRX-4 or Element R/C. The redcat isn't a bad vehicle at all, and is much better than the clones or FTX/RGT crawlers, but It's still a step down from the other brands IMHO. 

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45 minutes ago, Bash said:

I'd look for a used SCX10 II or maybe even a TRX-4 or Element R/C. The redcat isn't a bad vehicle at all, and is much better than the clones or FTX/RGT crawlers, but It's still a step down from the other brands IMHO. 

This is a great suggestion.  Not sure how it is where you are, but there are used crawlers for decent prices all over in the US.  You can get a lot more for your money when buying used.  I see high end trucks selling for $100-$200 less than retail (with upgrades) all the time because people got bored of them and barely used them.  

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4 minutes ago, cowboyjon said:

A quick look on ebay shows the trx going for £400+

You pobably wont get a great deal used on Ebay.  I would check local sale sites (get most of mine from Craigslist/Facebook here in the US).  In fact, I buy from local sale sites but only sell on Ebay as you get way more on Ebay due to the larger audience.  

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11 hours ago, 87lc2 said:

 

I second the Gen8, very impressed with mine.  It's a lot nice than I thought it would be for the money and haven't broken a thing on it, and I run it pretty hard.

 

Don’t Discount the Redcat Gen 7. It doesn’t have the portals that the Gen 8 does but it’s plenty tough and the RTR is under $200.  Not sure if they have a kit version 

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Yes, it's worth noting that Cowboyjon is in the UK, so a lot of the good [cheaper] stuff we get here in the US is not necessarily the same price in the UK - think dollars for pounds (so at least 30% more money), plus there is shipping to the UK if there isn't a retailer there selling direct.

This is why (when I lived in the UK) it was often cheaper to buy from eBay/the Far East retailers direct, as shipping was approximately the same.

A secondhand SCX10/TRX-4 would be a good alternative too - but again, these cost more in the UK in the first place, so getting something clean for that budget might still be tricky.

Good luck with your search CBJ!

Jenny x

ps. since this is Tamiya Club - is it worth considering a CC-01 based vehicle for your son if it's primarily trial running rather than full-on crawling he intends to do with it?

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For under £200 there is the FTX Outback 2 but expect lots of modding and then there is the Carisma SCA-1E

https://www.modelsport.co.uk/carisma-scale-adventure-sca-1e-coyote-kit/rc-car-products/424042

A 2.1 version is just around the corner

https://www.msuk-forum.co.uk/forums/topic/245306-carisma-sca-1e-coyote-21/

There are a few opinions thrown around in this thread with a budget £50-£100 more than yours. With your budget, the Carisma seems a good shout

https://www.msuk-forum.co.uk/forums/topic/233183-what-is-the-best-budget-trail-truck/

Also, if it a an SCX10ii clone then hopefully aftermarket stuff will fit. Not something you can do with an HPI Venture, for example.

EDIT: 11 pages to skim over here

https://www.msuk-forum.co.uk/forums/topic/226230-got-my-carisma-sca-1e/

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The FTX Outback 2 is a very good trail rig for the money, my only issue with it is the combined esc/rx. A couple of blokes in the group I go trailing with have them and they run well, not up to TRX-4 standards but not far off, and in some instances the short wheelbase helps.

However for £199 I'd suggest the Outback Fury, I've no personal experience but it looks well specced.

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One word of caution about the Carisma: it is a terrible build. Incredibly frustrating, lots of 2mm screws directly into plastic. Each axle housing is 6 pieces held together by about 30 screws. And the hardware quality isn't great.

Once assembled, it is a decent performer, however. So the RTR version is worth considering. But the kit version is not at all beginner-friendly, and is even a frustrating slog of a build for us old timers.

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A lot of very helpful replies, you guys are the best! 

Let me try and shed a bit more light tho. 

1. I am in the UK. Redcats, used trx and scx10 are all out of our budget unfortunately. 

2. Our budget in these covid times really is £200, maybe £250 if the lad saves for a month and does some chores round the house 😂. I appreciate its kind of an Internet thing for someone ask for suggestions within a budget and then being told if you could spend more you'd get better - I already know that, lol. If I said my budget was £300 I'd be told if I'd just stretch to £400 I'd be able to get this other awesome thing 😂

3. Like I said, it's for my 11 year old lad. Playing in the garden, up the walking trails and into the wee hills in the woods. We won't be turning up at local crawling courses (there aren't any). Basically it'll have a somewhat easy life and we don't want or need ultimate performance. I just don't want it to break down every 20 minutes. 

4. The carisma is off the cards - after buying the motor, servo and esc it comes in at over £250.

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The Carisma isn't so bad if you look for the RTR version.  Ace of Axe drove one in competition and had a good time with it so I guess it's a good hobby-grade car, just at the budget end of the spectrum.

Also don't overlook the FTX cars.  There's quite a range now and they are going up in price but the Outback 2 is well within your budget.  The latest Hi Rock looks to be a genuinely good car, although over your budget.  I don't have an Outback but I bought my daughter an FTX Mini X LC90, which is 1:18, and I think it's a genuinely good car for the money.  I'd expect the same from the Outback 2.

Personally I think the SCA1E looks better than the Outback 2 - the body is nicely proportioned and the finish is good, while all the 1:10 FTX offerings look like cheap toys.  But if that bothers you, you could always add a Tamiya or other body later on.  Either car would be quite happy doing trail runs.

Also as J-Mo mentioned, if you're just doing trails, this is where the CC01 is completely at home.  You'd need to hunt around for a deal on the chassis (and remember some CC01s are way more expensive than others due to body licensing, which way the wind is blowing and whether or not there's a sandstorm on Mars) and allow for all the electrics you'll need but you might squeeze in at a little over £200.  It's worth hunting out all the build threads and tips for building the CC01 as there are some weak points and gotchas, but it should be quite happy trailing.  That said, the Outback and SCA1E will probably get hung up a lot less on tree roots.

Built CC01s turn up used all the time.

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7 hours ago, cowboyjon said:

A lot of very helpful replies, you guys are the best! 

Let me try and shed a bit more light tho. 

1. I am in the UK. Redcats, used trx and scx10 are all out of our budget unfortunately. 

2. Our budget in these covid times really is £200, maybe £250 if the lad saves for a month and does some chores round the house 😂. I appreciate its kind of an Internet thing for someone ask for suggestions within a budget and then being told if you could spend more you'd get better - I already know that, lol. If I said my budget was £300 I'd be told if I'd just stretch to £400 I'd be able to get this other awesome thing 😂

3. Like I said, it's for my 11 year old lad. Playing in the garden, up the walking trails and into the wee hills in the woods. We won't be turning up at local crawling courses (there aren't any). Basically it'll have a somewhat easy life and we don't want or need ultimate performance. I just don't want it to break down every 20 minutes. 

4. The carisma is off the cards - after buying the motor, servo and esc it comes in at over £250.

The Carisma RTR is on sale here for 229 euro that is about 203 pound, its a good webshop bought a lot of stuff from them.

https://www.modellbau-berlinski.de/rc-fahrzeuge-und-zubehoer/autos-und-zubehoer/elektro-offroad/sca-1e-range-rover-1981-4wd-scale-crawler-1_10-24ghz-rtr

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3 hours ago, dannymulder said:

The Carisma RTR is on sale here for 229 euro that is about 203 pound, its a good webshop bought a lot of stuff from them.

https://www.modellbau-berlinski.de/rc-fahrzeuge-und-zubehoer/autos-und-zubehoer/elektro-offroad/sca-1e-range-rover-1981-4wd-scale-crawler-1_10-24ghz-rtr

That's a great price! 

 

How does it compare to the kit? 

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On 1/18/2021 at 9:35 AM, Mad Ax said:

The Carisma isn't so bad if you look for the RTR version.  Ace of Axe drove one in competition and had a good time with it so I guess it's a good hobby-grade car, just at the budget end of the spectrum.

Also don't overlook the FTX cars.  There's quite a range now and they are going up in price but the Outback 2 is well within your budget.  The latest Hi Rock looks to be a genuinely good car, although over your budget.  I don't have an Outback but I bought my daughter an FTX Mini X LC90, which is 1:18, and I think it's a genuinely good car for the money.  I'd expect the same from the Outback 2.

Personally I think the SCA1E looks better than the Outback 2 - the body is nicely proportioned and the finish is good, while all the 1:10 FTX offerings look like cheap toys.  But if that bothers you, you could always add a Tamiya or other body later on.  Either car would be quite happy doing trail runs.

Also as J-Mo mentioned, if you're just doing trails, this is where the CC01 is completely at home.  You'd need to hunt around for a deal on the chassis (and remember some CC01s are way more expensive than others due to body licensing, which way the wind is blowing and whether or not there's a sandstorm on Mars) and allow for all the electrics you'll need but you might squeeze in at a little over £200.  It's worth hunting out all the build threads and tips for building the CC01 as there are some weak points and gotchas, but it should be quite happy trailing.  That said, the Outback and SCA1E will probably get hung up a lot less on tree roots.

Built CC01s turn up used all the time.

MB models has the amarok in for around the?£150 odd mark

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We settled on a rtr sca-1e range rover. 

It arrived last night and we had a play indoors. 

Not sure if I'm happy with it or not to be honest.

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1 hour ago, cowboyjon said:

Not sure if I'm happy with it or not to be honest.

What is it you dislike about it?

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Posted this over on msuk. Copied and pasted:

 

So we took the plunge and picked up the rtr range rover yesterday. 

 

Our only other crawler is an scx24 which we love when it's not broke down and waiting for parts!

 

The sca-1e looks and feels great, like a quality bit of kit. Unfortunately upon testing it indoors last night a few things became apparent and I'm hoping someone can point me toward some info. 

 

1. The biggest standout is the lack of steering. Not only is it really slow (which doesn't bother us too much as its a crawler after all) but there just isn't much of turning circle at all. Genuinely surprised how poor it is.

 

2. The tyres are clipping the shell on full lock, on flat ground. We can raise the body some but seriously, this shouldn't be happening out the box? 

 

3. Going from the fine control of our scx24 to this car is jarring! The transmitter is clearly pretty cheap rubbish to be honest. Is this an issue with the quality of the esc also? 

 

4. It's too **** fast! How do we slow this thing down? New motor? Gearing? It also ***** a wheel all the time under a bit of speed  which I've seen crawlers on YouTube doing but I've no idea why. 

 

Send help! 

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I've already got a hobbywing 1080 pencilled in as the first upgrade to help the fine control, which will push things basically to £300 already.

Hopefully can do something to at least increase the steering for next to nothing, otherwise this has been a poor decision. 

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4 minutes ago, cowboyjon said:

I've already got a hobbywing 1080 pencilled in as the first upgrade to help the fine control, which will push things basically to £300 already.

Hopefully can do something to at least increase the steering for next to nothing, otherwise this has been a poor decision. 

Hobbywing 1080 is much better for trail and crawler, really good drag brake as well, makes all the difference!

Sorry I read 1060 by mistake

Edited by taffer
Whoops

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