Want to get into crawling to change things up but dont wanna spend a ton of cash

Hey guys so im a big drifting fan but as we all know drifting hasnt really taken off here in southern oregon so just to change stuff up i wanna get a rock crawler! But i dont wanna spend a ton of cash im seening axial and losi for like 3-500 bucks! so i was looking at nitrorcx.com and read some reviews and was woundering what ur guys imput is on this crawler?? http://www.nitrorcx.com/03c09-madtorque-blue.html  I dont really wanna go used btw!

Im gonna go with a knight crawler but with land Rover body. Totally scale realistic. Im not sure about the one your looking at but its gonna be a big boy. have you youtubed reviews for it?. Out of box and in action.

Do yourself a favor and either spend the money on a NAME BRAND new one or I would defintaley buy a used crawler.  The one your looking at is junk and will break after a few batteries and parts are like non-exsistant.    Theres alot of questions you need to ask yourself before you get a crawler, like what kind, size, scaler or standard? ETC ETC.  Best entry level crawler that I could suggest that won't break the bank would be a Losi MRC.

Good call maybe i should start off with too. Prob gonna have to put it on layaway though. I know adam is gonna be selling a used one he built not sure exactlly what model but its 1/10 i think...

I have had a fair amount of dealings with those guys and and various crawlers from their line and the news isn't good unfortunately . These types of trucks I have seen drive more people away from crawling than they have hooked. The way they are setup and the quality of parts used is just plain poor. Servo failure occurs usually day 1 within a few runs if not the first, c hubs and knuckles break very easy in a fall as do axle housings. Lockers strip out after a couple weeks and links will be twisting and popping off the balls also by that time. That describes the average customers complaints and problems I have had with them. Given there have been a couple guys who dropped a ton of money into them and made them somewhat reliable but still lacking in performance comparatively. In my hands they pretty much will die a fast death. I had one brand new my nephew left me to play with and I killed it within minutes. I tried driving it like I would my berg or an axial and things were snapping like twigs in the first few obsticals followed with some nice smoke signals.

There are a lot of different types of crawlers and vehicles you have to chose from in all sizes. I might as first though what do you want to do with it?
Are you looking to just plain dominate rocks and rocks only?
Do you want to run in the dirt and mud also with a little rock mixed in here and there.
Do you want to go out on "trail runs" with groups of guys and run for long periods of time (30min+)?
Do you want something realistic looking?
Do you care more about all out performance over the looks?
Do you like to build and customize?
Are you willing to play with dolls? Seriously are you?
Do you need to go fast.
Do you thing going as slow as you can over the gnarliest stuff is where its at?
Do you want to compete with it ever?

There are 2 main divisions of crawlers with many different groupings within. You have crawlers and scale crawlers. One leans to the performance side the other more for the guys looking for something more realistic.

Here are some scale pics











Here are some crawlers and "comp" crawlers











Depending on what you like Axial has a kit or rtr to suit most needs. They kick ass and every one runs them because the work and don't kill the wallet. There are others out there like Tamiya, Venom, rc4wd, Losi and on and on i guess lol. Tamiya is high quality overly complicated with a lot of parts. Performance is middle ground and price is high. Venom is weak and way overpriced for what you get. [glow=red,2,300]The Losi (comp crawler and night crawler) is experienced crawler oriented and will require very high maintenance routines if you want it to stay alive and not eat motors. Performance is capable of being very high but is not a beginner car at all[/glow]. The Losi mini 1/18 scale is a fair option as well but pretty spendy for its size vs capabilty. My mini easily costs more than most 1/10 crawlers now that its done.

Hopefully I didn't drown you in info and that helps you with your decisions and needs. Look it over and let me know what interests you and I will try and steer you in the right direction.

Oh don't forget the micros ;D

wow thxs for all the info! It didnt turn me away fyi just gives me a heads up on what im willing to spend! To start off i think i want a good alround rig! one that can go play in the mud but also able to get over some rocks or whats in the way! I have pretty much alrdy decieded that i want a 1/10 scale crawler! I do like to build rc's tho i havent built many! I think to start out with that will get me going but afterwards i was thinking of building a realistic looking crawler! I was thinking for my first one to get http://www.ebay.com/itm/130708098354?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 i know that almost all of them come stock with plastic parts build i love to build and modify rc's or real life rigs! do u guys think this is a good starter??

I highlighted my comments on the Losi in my above post. From your description of what you want to do the losi is not going to make you happy and will end up being very costly as you find out it probably doesn't suit you. The losi trucks are pretty much competition oriented rock crawlers. Definitely not going through any mud or trails with one. You run it for 10 mins and let it rest for 10. Honestly half your time will and should be spent cooling back down with a losi. They have a worm gear axle that just is not beginner friendly. They are very slow also and most new guys to the hobby want a little more wheel speed. Not saying they are terrible but just warning that it is the least beginner friendly crawler on the market.

From what you said in your last post it sounds a little like you might like an Axial wraith, ridgecrest or honcho. All of those except the wraith are in the same price range as the losi and are far better choices. The Honcho is what seems to hook a lot of guys and are a very fun rigs. They are about the best platform to customize and parts are abundant. They have a decent amount of wheelspeed and do well all around in all weather. They are very scale looking also. The Wraith is just a beast plain and simple. Plug in your battery mash the throttle and blast over or through whatever you want. Beat it, abuse it, neglect it so what it comes back for more laughing. i drive my wraith more than any other vehicle I own. When just having fun is my main goal he is my go to guy. For performance and realistic looks nothing on the market comes close to it. It has the perfect balance of looks and performance. The Ridgecrest is very similar and shares the AR60 axles with the wraith. It is a little more rock crawling oriented than the wraith but very fun also and a little cheaper. You should try to come and hang out next time we all go out and run. I get together with a few guys from the forum to trail run and next time we go I will let you know. Then you can come see all the crawlers first hand and see what you like. I really think a Wraith would make you very happy in the long run and serve you with years of good service.

Another thing about the above axial trucks is you get a castle esc to power it and the receivers bind to Fly Sky controllers  ;D

Wow awesome pics. Love the scalers. Which brand would u suggest for scale crawler . Would love to get one and would prefer if it was  almost rtr waterproof as i have a flysky to bind it to. Love that yota climbing out of the mud. Or is it a ranger body? Were those iphone pics? Super clear and sharp.

Here is some video of that same truck from when those pics were taken. The 2 pics were taken by a professional photographer that covered the event. It is a Chevy truck cab off an old Clodbuster kit. I think he is one of if not my favorite truck I ever built. All the other pics I took myself with my trusty old Sony camera.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0LFlrQTjR8[/youtube]

You should take a look into the Axial  SCX10 line. They have the Dingo and the Honcho. Both share the same platform (SCX10) with different bodies. It seems the Dingo is only available in kit form for some reason right now though. The old silver one comes with the old bunk electronics package. The honcho rtr has the newer castle esc.

http://www.amainhobbies.com/product_info.php/cPath/1_44_912/products_id/219288/n/Axial-SCX10-Trail-Honcho-1-10th-4WD-Electric-RTR-Rock-Crawler-w-AX-3-24GHz-Radio-System?utm_source=Google-Base&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Product-Feeds&source=google_ext

OMG!! Thats sick. I get why off road is much more popular than drifting given our geographic standpoint. Totally gonna have adam set me up.  Trust his knowledge and "upselling" upgrades. So i know itll be a dope set up. I'd like to get a bit of every thing so that i may participate more in events. Maybe have by this winter. But im still pretty stuck on trying to grow a drift team. Maybe the more i branch out. The more i can get involved in drift. Thanks for the awesome vid and great photos. Ill check to see if u guys meet intown some day to check it out. Would like to get everyone in on some xgames type dirt and road. One guy hittin a jump while the other drift underneath. 

thxs for all the info highlandcrawler! That video was OMG makes me all gitty to get a crawler now!! and those things are just the things i would do with my crawler!! I might be getting one sooner that i think! Thxs to my loving wify!!

Dag, i gotta make it a secrete. I leave in the garage ( my man cave) untill she sees it. And im like." What that. I've had that for days!!". Lol...