sixohh

when can we expect the wraith to start showing up in LHS's?

anyone stocking them yet? im ready to make a purchase

transambill

iTrader: (10)

Just got mine yesterday that I preordered back the first week of March.
They should be hitting stores now/this week, but good luck finding one. Horizon Hobby quit carrying Axial products so all there orders got cancelled and Canada's mail is kinda screwed up rite now so theres a lot of upset people out there looking for one now. So the pickin's are getting slim fast.

If I were you I would go order one from Tower and save yourself a spot on there waiting list. If your a member of there super saver club, any orders of $300 or more get $50 off plus free shipping on orders of $100 or more.
Mine cost me $315.99 shipped.

sixohh

i appreciate the heads up on that. i had no idea they would be so popular so fast.


how do you guys feel about the ax10 for a mans first RTR crawler as a second choice? im open to suggestions and will be placing an order soon.

transambill

iTrader: (10)

Well people have known it was comming since the last part of February when a spy photo was taken at the KOH 1:1 comp and posted online. So there's been 4 months to build up the hype and at the time the XR10 buzz hadn't wore off yet.

The AX10 is a very good starter rig but it's a completely different rig than the Wraith.
The AX10 is a shafty type comp crawler where the Wraith is more like a scale tuber type crawler. It all really depends on what you want a crawler for.
Bashing,trail riding with a little speed on tap, get the Wraith. If slow technical crawling is more your thing then go with the AX10.

klamp

iTrader: (4)

Also new to crawlers here. I also liked the look of the wraith, but they're on backorder everywhere. Then, I thought of doing an MOA berg or bully build, but wanted the scale look. Finally, I came across the Gmade R1. It looks like a good basher and has a good combination of bashing and crawling and some higher speeds than most crawlers. It turns out this type of car is called a rock racer. I don't know why they're not more popular, but I love the tube chassis look.

kman16jr

iTrader: (56)

the hobbytown i work at has them already

sixohh

bill, i guess i need to ask myself the same questions. And to be honest.. i DONT know the answer!

i love my slash as a highspeed basher but i have never owned, driven, or even seen a crawler in action, i just know i want one.

i am a utility ATV enthusiast and i am normally doing this on a 4x4 bike so this to me, is a way to get my fix while traveling around all these drilling rigs.

i am constantly surrounded by piles of rock, dirt and always by some sort of water pit at the drilling rig so i have the constant potential for a playground for a crawler. i guess what im trying to say is i dont know everything i want out of a crawler and quite frankly, im surprised at all my crawling options.....

my first crawler will be RTR and must be waterproof and tough. i am hard on my machines but i cant see a crawler taking near the abuse that my slash does. i just dont see it happening without the speed. am i wrong?

i dont care if my crawler goes fast i just want it to hold its own and have good run times on a 2c lipo.

what is a man to do?

sixohh

wow, this looks like a descent machine.



this is the first ive heard of them.. my only concern would be parts availibility....

does anyone have any real world feedback on this machine?

transambill

iTrader: (10)

Sounds like you need either a Wraith or Honcho, both are pretty water resistant. Both will need hop up's to improve there durability.
Wraith
links, both suspension and steering
aluminum C's and knuckles (XR10 ones work)
stronger servo and horn

Honcho
links, both suspension and steering(only on the RTR)
driveshafts
servo(on RTR)

The Wraith has better electronics and includes a 2.4 ghz radio.
As far as compareing a crawler to a Slash you've got to remember, a Slash was built for bashing. Being able to run all out banging fenders with other rigs and handle a crash. A crawler is not ment for the rough stuff but can be built to take it.

Cant really say much about the R1. There a Junfac crawler. I've never ownd one but use there driveshafts and shocks on my scaler builds and love them.
There more like a sportsman type comp crawler. They make parts for them but they come from over seas and sometimes it takes a while to get the parts. There far from being waterproof but any crawler can be made water proof. There a pretty good looking crawler but I've never know anyone thats had one to keep it for very long.

I would suggest a Wraith to cover what your wanting in a crawler and expecting it to do.

Take a look,everything you could ever want to know about RC rock crawling can be found here.

http://www.rccrawler.com/forum/index.php

sixohh

thanks for taking the time to lay all that out for me.

and no, i dont expect the crawler to be able to take the bashing of a slash. i guess i just meant that in my eyes i would imagine the lack of speed in a crawler (low speed collisions) would help it hold its own..... but then again i am assuming because i have no real work results.


here is what i have done in the mean time to settle my impatience....

i am having a losi nite crawler 2.4 delivered to me at the drilling rig today just to give me something to play with and get some drive time in. The price was right and i can throw a 2c lipo in there and hit the rocks and creek and have a little fun. i dont expect this thing to be bad to tha bone in any fashion but for something to keep me company and get me learning, it will be more than adequate im sure.

my LHS is ecpecting to get some wraith's in in the next week or 2 and there going to hold one for me. from there i will let the modding begin!

did i make a mistake on jumping out and buying the losi on impulse? i know its not waterproof but its going to need to be.... should i balloon the esc or RTV it? i have some clear RTV here with me....

sixohh

i also see it is very popular to use liquid electrical tape... might need to pick me up a fresh can.

transambill

iTrader: (10)

Jump the gun? Maybe just a little. Don’t get me wrong, a LNC is a great first crawler but not for what you listed that you wanna do with it. The stock plastic links should be replaced before ever putting a battery in it. The stock worm gears in the axels should be closely monitored and there design requires constant maintenance which Im not sure your up for constantly being on the road. As far as waterproofing the ESC, I've never been a fan of useing a baloon. Electronics put off heat and where is that heat to go when trapped in a balloon? I would use RTV/silicone and don't forget the lipo's, there not water friendly so don't forget to at least silicone the packs where the wires exit the packs.

sixohh

well, you live you learn...

i got the LNC yesterday evening. like i said the money wasn't that big of a deal i just wanting something to tinker with out here...

as far as the little crawler goes, your right, its too slow for me. also, the steering servo is too weak and slow for me so that will be needing an upgrade fo sho! it needs weights in the tires like no other. especially up front.

the run time is amazing with a 2s lipo, so that makes me happy but its so slow that i cant even drive it to where the rocks are... the lights are a cool feature at night for playing around on the rig at night.

i broke a pin in the front left drive shaft about 15 mins into it. kind of surprised me but i think i have some traxxas pins lying around to fix it out here....

im not really upset that i bought this machine but you are right, i jumped the gun. i should have waited on the wraith (which i will still buy) but i will make this one my learning machine so to speak.


the biggest problem i see besides the tire weight issue is the lack of overall wheel speed, it needs to be able to spin the tires clean faster and be able to ramp up a rock faster.

any suggestions on a better steering servo i can order online and the best way to increase wheel speed and still keep it "torquey"?

sixohh

another noob question....


i read a lot about the links being replaced on needing to be replaced on several models..... like my LNC for example...

are the stock links just too weak or are after market links made with an arch in them or something to give more clearance in that area? if that's the case i would DEF be interested... i can see this being a point where the machine hangs up or "slides" at that point.

bear with me, once again, im learning.

maxxnslash

iTrader: (46)

Yes most of the time manufactures just produce their trucks with plastic links. Now if you were to have bought the SCX10 honcho kit you would have got aluminum links with that. Sometimes they are bent on more of a ttc style truck or comp trucks. Most of the scalers have straight links for scale performance and appearance. Hope this answers your question man!