You hit the nail on the head Budget is the key thing Going smaller isn’t always a great choice if you’re crawling with a bunch of guys who have 10th scale rigs , you certainly don’t wanna be the mini crawler in the bunch as you’re gonna need more skill to crawl the same lines as they will The next thing to consider after those two is what will you be doing with the truck Not meaning crawl wise but meaning do you keep the trucks you buy or are you the kind who likes to swap out trucks often selling off the old ones to fund the new truck purchase Myself I keep them so I usually look at what I am going to do long term If you’re gonna buy a 400 truck then place 1200 into aftermarket upgrades (this is easy to do with 10th scale or larger scales ) then you may want a kit or to buy used Or even a chassis and build accordingly to what you want I have well over 2 grand into my trx4 This is cause I’ve bought things and had to replace as I changed vision or parts compatibility wasn’t there If you plan to build a specific purpose truck then a set of rails and axle choice may be the best spot to begin Buying a lcg chassis and deciding if axial based or traxxas based axles are what you want along with wheel base Building along the way as you go to make it the best truck you can have for your needs I got a toyzuki v2.5 chassis that’s on axial axles I plan to use the portal based vanquish ones eventually but for now I’ve got boom racing that came with kit I will wind up about 800-1000 into that when complete cs my trx4 which is nearly doubled easy in price to that truck and has less expensive components However when I started to crawl I wasn’t sure what I wanted and the trx4 was used allowing me to get the truck and a few small upgrades fairly cheap (think I paid 350 for the defender version with hyrax tires savox servo ) upgrading along the way was my downfall cause I bought things and learned When I got my trx4m I followed my used rig recipe that I normally do getting 3 trucks for 200 one having a few decent upgrades (servo chassis and a set of wheels ) others having links ect I was able to sell off one complete truck for half the cost I paid passing on a decent deal and giving myself a great start I still would up after buying over under drive gears new links brass and esc motor combo with well over 500 into that (Lgrp had a spell on me lol ) However I was well under this project budget as someone else buying their truck new would spent nearly 200 just on truck I’m the end it’s best to at least go mid grade axial traxxas associated senduro This way when you decide to get away from the hobby you can still recoupe some of your money back (most rc sales if the parts are mint only bring 65 percent back ) on fast sale you nearly always loose 25% regardless
Dlux Fab kit cars are the best for all out performance. Vanquish is also a great company for RTR and kit cars. A good suggestion for beginners, run what the locals run or hobby store carries. That way you can get your feet wet and reduce newb frustrations.
I live in PNW and lots cold rain. Indoor is great for the 18,24 scales. My wpl 16scale is little big for indoor now with the 370 motor. but still not bad. But to walk on my Trail to the Rocks i carry the little guy in a backpack. The wplc24-1 will run the Trail. Cheap. is my Middle name. Holmes 370 motor would be cool. I run a 60a esc in it. 2s-3s. 3s is a blast.
Budget and type of use i think should be the 2 factors to be considered. For trailing i would say Axial Basecamp or TRX4 sport. For more of a preformance driven crawler id suggest the redcast amAscent line up or Axial SCX10.3. The regular ascent is good if someone is wanring to tinker and learn on swapping some stuff out and fine tuning. The Ascent fusion is a great out of the box rtr for the money. Now if budget isnt an issue the VRD and VS410 are pretty great platforms.
I have a Doctors Note that says i Must go Crawl my RC so i get exercise. Well i guess i will go Hahahahaa. Yeah, i want to get everyone a RC to play with. Entire neighborhood playing with them would be Awesome.
I'm thinking I want a "Volt up, gear down!" T-shirt with the Holmes Hobbies logo! And maybe some other cool shirts from you too. DO IT! Oh, and love your vids I link them to new owners on Facebook for learning about electric motor terms, ESC programming, etc..., so keep those edutainment info vids coming!
My 1st crawler was a kit. Vaterra Ascender, loved it but the torque twist got on my nerves. My 2nd Crawler was a Traxxas TRX4 Defender. Best $500 I've ever spent I did replace the steering servo after a month of hard crawling, but I've gotten 4,5, and 6 years out of the shift and locking servos. I just replaced them all with 7.4V servos. I expect to get many more years out of them. Nothing wrong with a TRX4 with all the features as a 1st rig. I always get compliments on my near stock looking Defender. I did add a light kit. It has been so much fun. I've bought many of your motors and Castle Creations escs. I swap out motors and escs just to get a different feel at times.
The trx4 sport kit with updated electronics, another pinion and better wheels is good for beginners , and it's a tank! My scx24 with all the upgrades and mods now weighs not 130 doll hairs but more like 450 ... These tiny things can be expensive.... I'd go for a fms or furitek tiny if so, not the scx24 from axial
As just some guy on the internet this is some extra info to help new owners not make the mistakes I made. I would add "you will break something". This is across the board on all variations of RC fun. Also, maybe decide if you want a "Trail truck" that can crawl vs a pure "rock crawler". Most of the market is composed of trail trucks that can crawl and with some tuning/adjusting of stock parts and a bit of aftermarket upgrading can become very good crawlers. This requires you to make some decisions on how much you value "realistic scale looks". All of those details(roof racks, spare tire mounts, light bars, snorkles, bolted on high lift jacks, sand ladders, etc...) add weight and reduce pure dedicated crawling ability, but sure look cool. If you decide the more dedicated competition style crawler is your route there are fewer choices. The bodies also tend to be more minimalistic with less detail, no wheel wells, and narrower but lighter weight. fully assembled ready to run examples Vanquish VRD Stance, Enduro Ecto and Zuul trucks, and Redcat Ascent Fusion (and the more budget oriented regular Ascent). Axial also make a competition rig call the SCX10 PRO, but it currently only comes as a kit (you need to buy electronics and such). Speaking of kits If you are new to crawlers but not new to RC kit building (you've built race buggies or drift car kits etc...) Then a kit migh be what you want (no those new to RC). Finally if you are getting this for someone else as a gift they will need a few other items (not a cheap hobby) that some other family members wondering what to get them could pitch in on. Very few rigs come with a battery which will cost between $25 to $60ish depending on brand, size, and type. You will want ask for help on this if you are unsure. A charger for the battery. Some companies have great setups like Traxxas and Axial where can get a charger and battery combo, but this sometime have dedicated proprietary plugs (there are adapters, search a video on battery plugs Holmes has one). Tools. These can range from beginner level Online (like Amazon) generic sets in the $20 range to easily $100 for high end stuff. The amazon RC starter tool kits are fine for a first set. I also recommend a generic RC M3 hardware kit that includes several lengths of button head and counter sunk head screws, nyloc nuts, washers, pins, and body pins. These little parts can get lost (especially when doing maintenance) and it sucks to not be able to finish when a screw rolled off the table to never be seen again. These kits are $10 to $30 depending on the variety and number of hardware pieces(a beginner doesn't need the 2000 piece set). if you search RC tool and hardware kit you can even find good starter combos. Go online and watch some reviews/comparisons of the truck you are interested in. After getting a truck join a Facebook group or social media group around that truck. Here you will find friendly people that can answer questions and help if you encounter any issues, plus post some pics of you driving your truck. Local hobby shops can order parts they don't have, answer questions, and give tips like good local places to go crawl with other people. Do upgrades 1 at a time and test it out. If you throw an additional $500 of parts on a truck in one go you may not notice how 1 or 2 of them negatively affect performance, and you won't learn much about how each change does what it does for the truck. Finally it is your truck, so do what you like. If you want to put a heavy hardbody on a comp chassis then do it. If you want to add lots of bling and lift it to make a Bro-dozer truck and have fun driving it then do it. Have fun.
My first crawler was a 1/10 element enduro trailrunner ~4 years back, which was a very good initial purchase and then after a year I waned to invest on a more capable 2-speed. I got the trx4 bronco 2021. That has been my favorite and I have a ton of upgrades there. I had a hobby plus 1/24 scale that I had got as a free offer from amain hobbies ~4 years back which I liked to play around indoors but was a pain to work on for upgrades. But I liked the small scale and got the trx4m last year and was very pleased with it. It was definitely a step up in the small scale for me. I was always interested in owning a 6x6 but the 10 scale ones are super expensive (e.g. trx6) and I really never needed that as much. More recently I came to know about the hobby plus arktos 6x6, which is 18 scale but seems bigger than a 18 scale really. I am very pleased with how many features it provides at the price point! - 2 speed, portals, servo winch, full light kit etc. It seems very capable too - of course the price point means that parts are going to eventually break sooner but I am going to upgrade the parts in any case. I think this is definitely a great buy at that budget.
I think another component is if you have friends already in the hobby what scale are they driving? It is more fun to drive similar sized rigs with your friends as you can challenge each other to the same obstacles and switch off driving in a follow the leader manner. But the smaller scale is definitely upfront a lower cost way to test the hobby out.
I like your sales I was fortunate enough to up the 10 shooter 2700 KV I would like to try one of your 32-bit ESCs ps thanks for the matching purple stickers and as for your question vanquish vs 410 Phoenix ready to run and the remotes love the fact that I can hook other things up to it control in points you just can't do that with the ones they normally give you in a ready to run
Traxxas is the biggest gateway company to get new people into the hobby. Parts for them is plentiful and widely available almost anywhere. Once they're hooked, get them into Vanquish and Dlux 😆
I personally disagree and think the two speed (particularly in the TRX4) is a great place to start. Being able to manage a nice crawling speed, then flipping a switch, bumping up the speed to tackle a few jumps and bash around makes the truck much more versatile. The open/locking diffs make easier trails more fun while reserving the ability to tackle harder ones also; essentially making more potential lines off of the same stretch of trail. The trade off in complexity for versatility is well worth it, particular if one might only have the ability to own one rig. I also have two TRX4’s and I’ve only replaced one mico servo in 4 years (knock on wood).
You hit the nail on the head
Budget is the key thing
Going smaller isn’t always a great choice if you’re crawling with a bunch of guys who have 10th scale rigs , you certainly don’t wanna be the mini crawler in the bunch as you’re gonna need more skill to crawl the same lines as they will
The next thing to consider after those two is what will you be doing with the truck
Not meaning crawl wise but meaning do you keep the trucks you buy or are you the kind who likes to swap out trucks often selling off the old ones to fund the new truck purchase
Myself I keep them so I usually look at what I am going to do long term
If you’re gonna buy a 400 truck then place 1200 into aftermarket upgrades (this is easy to do with 10th scale or larger scales ) then you may want a kit or to buy used
Or even a chassis and build accordingly to what you want
I have well over 2 grand into my trx4
This is cause I’ve bought things and had to replace as I changed vision or parts compatibility wasn’t there
If you plan to build a specific purpose truck then a set of rails and axle choice may be the best spot to begin
Buying a lcg chassis and deciding if axial based or traxxas based axles are what you want along with wheel base
Building along the way as you go to make it the best truck you can have for your needs
I got a toyzuki v2.5 chassis that’s on axial axles
I plan to use the portal based vanquish ones eventually but for now I’ve got boom racing that came with kit
I will wind up about 800-1000 into that when complete cs my trx4 which is nearly doubled easy in price to that truck and has less expensive components
However when I started to crawl I wasn’t sure what I wanted and the trx4 was used allowing me to get the truck and a few small upgrades fairly cheap (think I paid 350 for the defender version with hyrax tires savox servo ) upgrading along the way was my downfall cause I bought things and learned
When I got my trx4m I followed my used rig recipe that I normally do getting 3 trucks for 200 one having a few decent upgrades (servo chassis and a set of wheels ) others having links ect I was able to sell off one complete truck for half the cost I paid passing on a decent deal and giving myself a great start
I still would up after buying over under drive gears new links brass and esc motor combo with well over 500 into that
(Lgrp had a spell on me lol )
However I was well under this project budget as someone else buying their truck new would spent nearly 200 just on truck
I’m the end it’s best to at least go mid grade axial traxxas associated senduro
This way when you decide to get away from the hobby you can still recoupe some of your money back (most rc sales if the parts are mint only bring 65 percent back ) on fast sale you nearly always loose 25% regardless
I’ve got a ton of people hooked off a Danchee ridge rock $115 dollars right now and they have been insanely reliable
Great advice. My first crawler was an Element Gatekeeper kit. Now I have an RC for just about every occasion. 😂
The UTB18 is a good little rig, cheap at 150 and capable out of the box.
Your list was spot on!
And now they are four wheel steer!
319. Axial BaseCamp really has the most bang for the buck. IMO
That or a TRX4 sport. Both are great rigs with bulletproof drivetrains, tons of aftermarket support, and a reputable name brand.
I enjoy running 1/24th scale whenever I'm hiking or biking easier to fit in a book bag than the 1/10 scale
Dlux Fab kit cars are the best for all out performance.
Vanquish is also a great company for RTR and kit cars.
A good suggestion for beginners, run what the locals run or hobby store carries. That way you can get your feet wet and reduce newb frustrations.
For a first time crawler 18th scale is the way to go. The scx24 is a cool little truck but it can be hard to really crawl outdoors.
I live in PNW and lots cold rain. Indoor is great for the 18,24 scales. My wpl 16scale is little big for indoor now with the 370 motor. but still not bad. But to walk on my Trail to the Rocks i carry the little guy in a backpack. The wplc24-1 will run the Trail. Cheap. is my Middle name. Holmes 370 motor would be cool. I run a 60a esc in it. 2s-3s. 3s is a blast.
Budget and type of use i think should be the 2 factors to be considered. For trailing i would say Axial Basecamp or TRX4 sport. For more of a preformance driven crawler id suggest the redcast amAscent line up or Axial SCX10.3. The regular ascent is good if someone is wanring to tinker and learn on swapping some stuff out and fine tuning. The Ascent fusion is a great out of the box rtr for the money. Now if budget isnt an issue the VRD and VS410 are pretty great platforms.
I have a Doctors Note that says i Must go Crawl my RC so i get exercise. Well i guess i will go Hahahahaa. Yeah, i want to get everyone a RC to play with. Entire neighborhood playing with them would be Awesome.
I'm thinking I want a "Volt up, gear down!" T-shirt with the Holmes Hobbies logo! And maybe some other cool shirts from you too. DO IT! Oh, and love your vids I link them to new owners on Facebook for learning about electric motor terms, ESC programming, etc..., so keep those edutainment info vids coming!
My 1st crawler was a kit. Vaterra Ascender, loved it but the torque twist got on my nerves. My 2nd Crawler was a Traxxas TRX4 Defender. Best $500 I've ever spent I did replace the steering servo after a month of hard crawling, but I've gotten 4,5, and 6 years out of the shift and locking servos. I just replaced them all with 7.4V servos. I expect to get many more years out of them. Nothing wrong with a TRX4 with all the features as a 1st rig. I always get compliments on my near stock looking Defender. I did add a light kit. It has been so much fun. I've bought many of your motors and Castle Creations escs. I swap out motors and escs just to get a different feel at times.
The trx4 sport kit with updated electronics, another pinion and better wheels is good for beginners , and it's a tank!
My scx24 with all the upgrades and mods now weighs not 130 doll hairs but more like 450 ... These tiny things can be expensive.... I'd go for a fms or furitek tiny if so, not the scx24 from axial
As just some guy on the internet this is some extra info to help new owners not make the mistakes I made. I would add "you will break something". This is across the board on all variations of RC fun. Also, maybe decide if you want a "Trail truck" that can crawl vs a pure "rock crawler". Most of the market is composed of trail trucks that can crawl and with some tuning/adjusting of stock parts and a bit of aftermarket upgrading can become very good crawlers. This requires you to make some decisions on how much you value "realistic scale looks". All of those details(roof racks, spare tire mounts, light bars, snorkles, bolted on high lift jacks, sand ladders, etc...) add weight and reduce pure dedicated crawling ability, but sure look cool. If you decide the more dedicated competition style crawler is your route there are fewer choices. The bodies also tend to be more minimalistic with less detail, no wheel wells, and narrower but lighter weight. fully assembled ready to run examples Vanquish VRD Stance, Enduro Ecto and Zuul trucks, and Redcat Ascent Fusion (and the more budget oriented regular Ascent). Axial also make a competition rig call the SCX10 PRO, but it currently only comes as a kit (you need to buy electronics and such). Speaking of kits If you are new to crawlers but not new to RC kit building (you've built race buggies or drift car kits etc...) Then a kit migh be what you want (no those new to RC). Finally if you are getting this for someone else as a gift they will need a few other items (not a cheap hobby) that some other family members wondering what to get them could pitch in on. Very few rigs come with a battery which will cost between $25 to $60ish depending on brand, size, and type. You will want ask for help on this if you are unsure. A charger for the battery. Some companies have great setups like Traxxas and Axial where can get a charger and battery combo, but this sometime have dedicated proprietary plugs (there are adapters, search a video on battery plugs Holmes has one). Tools. These can range from beginner level Online (like Amazon) generic sets in the $20 range to easily $100 for high end stuff. The amazon RC starter tool kits are fine for a first set. I also recommend a generic RC M3 hardware kit that includes several lengths of button head and counter sunk head screws, nyloc nuts, washers, pins, and body pins. These little parts can get lost (especially when doing maintenance) and it sucks to not be able to finish when a screw rolled off the table to never be seen again. These kits are $10 to $30 depending on the variety and number of hardware pieces(a beginner doesn't need the 2000 piece set). if you search RC tool and hardware kit you can even find good starter combos. Go online and watch some reviews/comparisons of the truck you are interested in. After getting a truck join a Facebook group or social media group around that truck. Here you will find friendly people that can answer questions and help if you encounter any issues, plus post some pics of you driving your truck. Local hobby shops can order parts they don't have, answer questions, and give tips like good local places to go crawl with other people. Do upgrades 1 at a time and test it out. If you throw an additional $500 of parts on a truck in one go you may not notice how 1 or 2 of them negatively affect performance, and you won't learn much about how each change does what it does for the truck. Finally it is your truck, so do what you like. If you want to put a heavy hardbody on a comp chassis then do it. If you want to add lots of bling and lift it to make a Bro-dozer truck and have fun driving it then do it. Have fun.
👏
Another budget would be hobby plus, and you are correct parts will break when ever they feel like it
For a 1st timer stay with the 1-10 scale. When you 1st hook up with other RCers you will have a rig the same size and fit in.
My first crawler was a 1/10 element enduro trailrunner ~4 years back, which was a very good initial purchase and then after a year I waned to invest on a more capable 2-speed. I got the trx4 bronco 2021. That has been my favorite and I have a ton of upgrades there. I had a hobby plus 1/24 scale that I had got as a free offer from amain hobbies ~4 years back which I liked to play around indoors but was a pain to work on for upgrades. But I liked the small scale and got the trx4m last year and was very pleased with it. It was definitely a step up in the small scale for me. I was always interested in owning a 6x6 but the 10 scale ones are super expensive (e.g. trx6) and I really never needed that as much. More recently I came to know about the hobby plus arktos 6x6, which is 18 scale but seems bigger than a 18 scale really. I am very pleased with how many features it provides at the price point! - 2 speed, portals, servo winch, full light kit etc. It seems very capable too - of course the price point means that parts are going to eventually break sooner but I am going to upgrade the parts in any case. I think this is definitely a great buy at that budget.
Enduro SE is very capable, very basic and good for the money, i think.
good video
A good way into crawling for newbie is mini 1/24 or 1/18 I've noticed. 1/10 isn't for everyone.
I think another component is if you have friends already in the hobby what scale are they driving? It is more fun to drive similar sized rigs with your friends as you can challenge each other to the same obstacles and switch off driving in a follow the leader manner. But the smaller scale is definitely upfront a lower cost way to test the hobby out.
I’ve always wondered if your logo is an homage to the other Mr.Holmes 😏
I like your sales I was fortunate enough to up the 10 shooter 2700 KV I would like to try one of your 32-bit ESCs ps thanks for the matching purple stickers and as for your question vanquish vs 410 Phoenix ready to run and the remotes love the fact that I can hook other things up to it control in points you just can't do that with the ones they normally give you in a ready to run
🤘🍻🤘
Traxxas is the biggest gateway company to get new people into the hobby. Parts for them is plentiful and widely available almost anywhere. Once they're hooked, get them into Vanquish and Dlux 😆
I personally disagree and think the two speed (particularly in the TRX4) is a great place to start. Being able to manage a nice crawling speed, then flipping a switch, bumping up the speed to tackle a few jumps and bash around makes the truck much more versatile. The open/locking diffs make easier trails more fun while reserving the ability to tackle harder ones also; essentially making more potential lines off of the same stretch of trail. The trade off in complexity for versatility is well worth it, particular if one might only have the ability to own one rig. I also have two TRX4’s and I’ve only replaced one mico servo in 4 years (knock on wood).
Tbh not sure how much longer we will see Element
I buy used
shame you cant make a chassis so looks tie dye
carbon tie dye weave👌🏼
@@theweldingone hydro dip could
Vanquish overpriced