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Advice? XXX-SCT Roller vs. SC10 Brushed RTR

Advice? XXX-SCT Roller vs. SC10 Brushed RTR

Old 12-01-2011, 05:53 PM
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Default Advice? XXX-SCT Roller vs. SC10 Brushed RTR

Hey everyone. So I recently got back into the hobby after a 20+ year absence. Upon returning to the hobby, I had no clue what was what. My previous car was a buggy, an RC10 Graphite (TQ10), back in 1990. This past spring I bought a new RTR without researching enough. I had a limited budget, and uninformed self wound up getting the the Traxxas Rustler XL-5. There was no track in my area, and I just wanted to bash. I couldn't afford the cost of a kit + electronics, and I got the Rustler on an impulse purchase.

Fast forward to now, and there is a new track that has opened, and I really want to race. The Rustler isn't for me, but now money is tighter than ever. Ideally, I would get the SC10 Factory Team, and use the Rustler electronics and slowly upgrade, but honestly, the kit is too much, and the task of putting it together is too daunting with my crazy job and 1 year old son. My wife would go batty if I spent all my time putting it together.

So, this is my predicament. I simply can't afford the SC10 FT due to the price and time constraints of building. So, I've boiled my choice down to the XXX-SCT Roller, and will use my Rustler electronics and slowly upgrade electronics and to the TLR kit. But, for only $20 more I can get a stock SC10 Brushed RTR.

So, this is where you guys come in. Why is an RTR SC10 only $20 more than the SCT-XXX Roller? Is this $179 XXX-SCT Roller (http://losi.com/Products/Features.aspx?ProdId=LOSB0113) a better truck all around than this SC10 which costs $199 (http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...=LXXRC7**&P=SM)? Is the build of the XXX-SCT far superior to the build of the SC10 in the link?

The XXX-SCT Roller is simply the cheapest option out there, but of course it has no electronics, and I would use my Rustler electronics and upgrade. For $20 more I can get the SC10 RTR Brushed.

I know, I should get the SC10 FT, but I just don't have the time or the money. Some day, when I have more time, I'll get that, but for now, I need to go with the cheapest and most sensible option.

So, is the XXX-SCT Roller the most sensible, or is the SC10 Brushed RTR?

Any and all input is welcome!

Thanks everyone,
Adam

Last edited by Gamehendge; 12-01-2011 at 06:53 PM. Reason: Rewording
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Old 12-02-2011, 07:47 AM
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Any input? Anyone? Bueller? I want to put this on my Amazon Wishlist ASAP, and I'm torn between the XXX-SCT Roller or the SC10 RTR Brushed. I'm boggled as to why they're so similarly priced, yet the roller has no electronics. I've heard the SCT is much easier to maintain than the SC10, of course I'm an old school AE user, so I am biased to AE.

Additionally, can anyone recommend a cheap, quality 17.5 Brushless motor / esc, or Brushed motor / etc?
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Old 12-02-2011, 08:10 AM
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This is a tough question. The roller is the least of you're costs once you start adding electronics, batteries, charger etc...

If you just want something to run, I would get the brushless SC10 RTR or the Losi RTR. I got the Roller Xxx-SCT and added:

Viper VTX10R and 10.5 motor - $250+
Savox 1257 - $60
Spektrum recvr - $50
TLR kit - $130

Not counting the Lipo's and charger that i had already.

So I'm not really the best person to advise you. If your just bashing - get the most durable truck you can.
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Old 12-02-2011, 08:26 AM
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Here is my .02 cents- Buy the Losi, sell the Rustler and then buy the esc and brushless motor off of www.hobbyking.com for under $100. Once you start racing you are not going to be happy with a brushed motor + a brushless motor lasts longer and requires next to no maintenance.

It sounds like money is an issue and that's why I say buy the Losi. If you buy the SC10 you aren't going to be happy with it after a short time and you'll want to upgrade it. Thats what happened to me and I'm sure a ton of other people on this forum.

The hobbywing systems from hobbyking are pretty good especially for getting started and they are cheap. You don't need to go with a $300 dollar system for your first truck. Also get your lipos from www.hobbypartz.com they are cheap and work well Gens Aces are great
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Old 12-02-2011, 08:34 AM
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Putting your Rustlers' electrics in the Losi will probably produce, IMO, a similar effect to buying the brushed SC10. I cannot recommend anyone spend even a penny more on anything brushed these days. On the track, if the electronics were identical, they should run very similarly.

Have you thought about buying used? Used FT SC10's go for $140-180 in the for sale section here as rollers (I just sold mine for $160 shipped with a bunch of extras for example) and that would be a better option than any low-end RTR. Do a little poking around there and I think you'd be surprised what you can find plus many people on this forum are racers so you'd be buying stuff that was raced and not trashed/bashed like on Ebay.

For a brushless ESC, I would again recommend a used race-grand one as those can often be found for close to the price of a new Chinese un-brand one.

Originally Posted by Gamehendge
I've heard the SCT is much easier to maintain than the SC10, of course I'm an old school AE user, so I am biased to AE.
Maintenance will be a wash on either one. Just be warned that the current made it China era Losi and AE cars will not be quite what someone who took a 20year break from the hobby will remember those brands as...
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Old 12-02-2011, 08:43 AM
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buy used from a reputable seller. Give it a full teardown and rebuild and you will get the most bang for your buck that way.

Things I would recommend getting when refreshing your vehicle:

- diff balls and rings for rebuilt (if equipped, you can also flip the rings at least on the AE I know for sure)

- shock rebuild kit to refresh the orings (Usually if I buy something really rough I get this, not bad to have on hand)

- Spare screws for anything potentially stripped


Anything else you will notice when you do the tear down.

Last edited by Cain; 12-02-2011 at 08:57 AM.
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Old 12-02-2011, 08:54 AM
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Originally Posted by Grandturk
This is a tough question. The roller is the least of you're costs once you start adding electronics, batteries, charger etc...

If you just want something to run, I would get the brushless SC10 RTR or the Losi RTR. I got the Roller Xxx-SCT and added:

Viper VTX10R and 10.5 motor - $250+
Savox 1257 - $60
Spektrum recvr - $50
TLR kit - $130

Not counting the Lipo's and charger that i had already.

So I'm not really the best person to advise you. If your just bashing - get the most durable truck you can.
Thanks! I'm looking to race stock 17.5, not modified. I definitely want to race, but I'm in it just for fun. Not very competitive. I'll bash a little, but I really want to race. Down the road, when I'm better, I'll upgrade to modified. But since money is so tight I just can't afford the brushless sc10 RTR or XXX-SCT RTR.

Any idea why the XXX-SCT part for part is more expensive than the SC10? Since the SC10 RTR is only $20 more, I would imagine a theoretical new SC10 roller would be much cheaper. Better parts in the SCT roller?

Thanks.
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Old 12-02-2011, 08:59 AM
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Originally Posted by Gamehendge
Any idea why the XXX-SCT part for part is more expensive than the SC10? Since the SC10 RTR is only $20 more, I would imagine a theoretical new SC10 roller would be much cheaper. Better parts in the SCT roller?

Thanks.
Nobody buys an SC10 new as a roller unless it is the FT version. And, the brushed electrics really are only worth barley $20 these days...
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Old 12-02-2011, 09:15 AM
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I'm biased toward Losi, so go with that .
Sounds like your on a budget, in that case I like the roller option cause you already have electronics so you can save some money. If you get in to this hobby more, you will eventually put money in to a brushless system. Its a shame that Associated no longer sells their SC10 Team kit for ~170. You maybe be able to find one on the shelf at a local hobby shop if you like the Associated car better. The SC10 Team kit was part number ASC7027. You may be able to find one of those lingering around somewhere as another option.

Good luck!
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Old 12-02-2011, 10:40 AM
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Originally Posted by MarkA
Putting your Rustlers' electrics in the Losi will probably produce, IMO, a similar effect to buying the brushed SC10. I cannot recommend anyone spend even a penny more on anything brushed these days. On the track, if the electronics were identical, they should run very similarly.

Have you thought about buying used? Used FT SC10's go for $140-180 in the for sale section here as rollers (I just sold mine for $160 shipped with a bunch of extras for example) and that would be a better option than any low-end RTR. Do a little poking around there and I think you'd be surprised what you can find plus many people on this forum are racers so you'd be buying stuff that was raced and not trashed/bashed like on Ebay.

For a brushless ESC, I would again recommend a used race-grand one as those can often be found for close to the price of a new Chinese un-brand one.



Maintenance will be a wash on either one. Just be warned that the current made it China era Losi and AE cars will not be quite what someone who took a 20year break from the hobby will remember those brands as...

Thanks for the input. I really want to buy new though, not used. I was seriously considering buying a used FT SC10 here, but I think I have to rely on the truck being purchased as a gift for Christmas. I think I have a much better chance of getting the Roller at that price point than the SC10 FT which is $80 more.

But, on that note, do you think I'm better off seeing if I can get the SC10 FT (which I'm not inclined to do because of the higher price, and the time constraints of my life. I would love to build a kit, but time is soooo limited), or should I go with the SCT Roller and slowly upgrade (with the TLR kit as well) to better electronics and parts down the road. So basically I would end up with an SCT that is comparable to the SC10 FT.

So many decisions!

Thanks...
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Old 12-02-2011, 11:06 AM
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Originally Posted by Gamehendge

But, on that note, do you think I'm better off seeing if I can get the SC10 FT (which I'm not inclined to do because of the higher price, and the time constraints of my life. I would love to build a kit, but time is soooo limited), or should I go with the SCT Roller and slowly upgrade (with the TLR kit as well) to better electronics and parts down the road. So basically I would end up with an SCT that is comparable to the SC10 FT.

So many decisions!

Thanks...
It always costs more to upgrade a truck to "race-spec" than to just buy it that way. For example, the Losi SCT tuning kit is $130 which would make the Losi roller plus that cost more than a Kyosho, let alone a FT SC10.
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Old 12-02-2011, 11:11 AM
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Originally Posted by MarkA
It always costs more to upgrade a truck to "race-spec" than to just buy it that way. For example, the Losi SCT tuning kit is $130 which would make the Losi roller plus that cost more than a Kyosho, let alone a FT SC10.

True. Ok, I'll be honest. If the SC10 FT was given to me as a gift, in addition to the time constraints of building it, I'm really, really scared of screwing up the build. It seems much more complicated than the AE TQ10 was in 1990.

I'm a born again newbie.
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Old 12-02-2011, 11:27 AM
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Originally Posted by Gamehendge
True. Ok, I'll be honest. If the SC10 FT was given to me as a gift, in addition to the time constraints of building it, I'm really, really scared of screwing up the build. It seems much more complicated than the AE TQ10 was in 1990.

I'm a born again newbie.
The one thing AE has really improved over the years is the instructions - you can see them here even. Compared to the 80's-90's AE stuff, the new shocks could be built properly by a blind kindergartener and the diffs are way easier as well. Plus, there's now so much play in some of the parts, the cars tend to slip-fit together very easily. You can't do it any worse than someone making pennies a day in China will have built it for you and that's true regardless of what brand you buy.

Now building a Kyosho with it's worse than Ikea instructions, little washers that all look alike, super tight tolerances and so on, that's a PITA...
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Old 12-02-2011, 01:42 PM
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Originally Posted by Gamehendge
True. Ok, I'll be honest. If the SC10 FT was given to me as a gift, in addition to the time constraints of building it, I'm really, really scared of screwing up the build. It seems much more complicated than the AE TQ10 was in 1990.

I'm a born again newbie.
Dont be afraid of messing something up, thats how you learn your truck. Also, buy this: https://www.ssl-stormerhobbies.com/c...=ns&pn=ASC7046 These are super compettitive right out of the box!!! And, It comes with EVERYTHING you need in the box!!! charger, battery, and so forth.
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Old 12-02-2011, 01:45 PM
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Originally Posted by lodhammerdin
Dont be afraid of messing something up, thats how you learn your truck. Also, buy this: https://www.ssl-stormerhobbies.com/c...=ns&pn=ASC7046 These are super compettitive right out of the box!!! And, It comes with EVERYTHING you need in the box!!! charger, battery, and so forth.
I was once going to get the SC10 RS, but I just can't afford it at this time, which is why the XXX-SCT Roller is so appealing right now. Price.
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