New 4x4 SC Truck
 

So, a little history. I've been out of the RC Game for about 8 years. LOL, I'm having to relearn all about batteries, Chargers, motors, esc's.

I have a RC10B3 I raced all the time in Scotsdale, AZ back in the 2000's

I really want back in, and the SC Trucks look awesome.

My dilemma, I'm torn between the Durango Desc10 and the Tekno SCT410.3

Any info and prodding to go one way or the other would be appreciated:)

I'm leaning toward the Tekno as of now

Thanks

I've owned the SCT410.3 for a full season now, I absolutely love it, everyone I've ever let drive it loves it. My friend who's a big Losi fan/driver drove my SCT410.3 and said it's one of the best RC's he's ever driven. Both of those SCT's are bigger/heftier RC's. The SCT410.3 is more proven and has a larger community.

The DESC10 is an up and comer with a pretty loyal following. I personally had some experience with the Arrma Talion which is a very similar platform to the DESC10 and it was a good platform, but it has some annoying weak spots I didn't love, the A-arms and pillowballs were a constant issue after a few months of usage at the track... the Pillowballs on the DESC10 might be a bit better but it's still more than I'd want to risk ever having to deal with again. The SCT410.3 just needs a front aluminum A-brace and it's golden.

currently building a new DESC10 and have to say overall I am impressed so far. I haven't driven it yet so I cannot compare to the Tekno but I have built a Tekno and it was a smooth build but not as smooth as this. I don't know how good parts support will be for either rig at most tracks, I'd guess Tekno will probably start having more parts availability but never like what you can expect from TLR or AE.

I've also got a SCTE and it is a nice truck, I've done a lot to it to make it race capable and I don't think it (or the 2.0 for that matter) are on the level of the DESC10 or SCT410.3.

Both trucks are heavy, Tekno is a little lighter.

The DESC10 does not use a common wheel so you will need to order online most likely. It' s still a 2.2/3.0 wheel but the hex is a 17mm 1/8th scale buggy hex. It is definitely a better platform than what the rest of the 4wd SCT's are using, just an added cost considering Durango does not supply wheels or a wrench and the wrench is not cheap. In all fairness Tekno does not supply wheels either and neither truck comes with a body.

Honestly between the two trucks I don't think you can make a bad choice. I think that moving forward the DESC10 may take the #1 spot but it will depend on parts support. Can't wait to run this truck it looks damn impressive so far.

All this new tech has me going in circles. Gone are the days of stock class 27t, 19t etc. Now everything is Kv.

What Kv motor should I be looking at? Do I need one for play and one for racing? How about battery mah? I'm lost LOL.

In either of these trucks you would want a Tekin Pro 4 HD 4300 kv with a Tekin RX8 ESC and a 2s Lipo 6500 mah and atleast 50c

Go with the tekno. They are absolutely dominating. I have one and love it. Tough as nails. All kinds of adjustability.

I pulled the trigger on the Tekno, paired it with a RX8, Got a Futaba PL3. I'll get a Tekin motor when I figure out which one.

Good choice. You will be glad you got the tekno

I spoke with Tekin on trucks this size they recommend the HD, the standard Pro 4 could probably handle it though. I actually know somebody who ran a pro 2 in the 410.3 and it ran well.

In my DESC10 I opted for the Pro4 HD 4300, I run the standard 4600 in my SCTE though. Good choice on the 3pl, great system for the money. Make sure you get a servo capable of 7.4v so you can get max tq and speed, the rx that comes with your 3pl can handle it and your rx8 has a built in bec so you can set it for 7.4v.

Enjoy your new rig, if you're ever in sacramento, ca bring it over to LSR Speedway and we can compare these two trucks!

I've had the pro4300 hd and now have the pro 4600 tekin, I would consider the pro4600 smooth but really a dog compared to the 4300

For the vehicle comparison, having owned a couple of sct410s and now a couple of durango Desc10's I don't think you can go wrong with either one, you just need to make sure you get whatever is the common durability item for each, for the Tekno from what I have been reading on the latest version it seems you may want:

- Aluminum servo horn (pretty common on all platforms)
- front alloy hingepin brace at a minimum (V1s came with this, V3s don't, don't know why, seems people still reporting breakages)
* NOTE: you may even want at least one for the rear too, maybe the one that offers more adjustment options would be good

On the Durango:

- Aluminum Servo horn
- the Washer that goes between the lower pivot ball and the lower arm, that appears to solve the issue of breaking a-arms by distributing the load of the pivot on the arm on impacts.

For the money, I liked the fact that the durango came with the more machined aluminum items than the Tekno and is built on a true 1/8 drivetrain as the parts as the same as the 1/8 buggy. Now, that doesn't mean teknos stuff is bad there, I just like it. Like having cake with frosting versus just cake, assuming you like frosting. Also, the price comparison it was a bit cheaper for the durango when you factor in the same items added to the Tekno.

All that said, probably the biggest factor for me going with the Durango over another tekno when that time came was people who I trust who also loved the Tekno in general saying the durango was easier to drive in the really loose track conditions like I can run out here and no weird jumping nose down issues. I never felt fully confident with my tekno's jumping and at times traction issues. I never saw a setup online that addressed that either from tekno as it may be the tracks they in general ran on were different than mine and I ended up fighting the car more than I should have. In comparison there ET48 was money basically out of the box.

The Durango offers me the steering I want from the tekno, with the predicable handling I wanted. A very enjoyable vehicle.


For both vehicles, I would recommend you also give the Hobbywing 3656SD 4000Kv motor a look. Having owned that motor, and the various Tekin offerings including the 4300HD motor, I felt the motor offered the best bang for the buck and was easier on my electronics than the 4300HD motor. It also has a longer shaft, which if you are a durango person means you don't need the long shank pinions at all.

If you are racing, make sure your track allows the 4 pole 545 and larger motors. If ROAR rules only you may be limited to 4 pole 540 and 2 pole 550 motors.

For Battery, try and get the highest rated packs you can.

Promatch offers some great packs for the money and a 1 year warranty.

I am using VANT 8000mah lipos, 100C, that I got for $55 shipped new with warranty from another place but I think Promatch may be able to work with you too :)

As for servo, hitec 7955TG servos are great, and can take HV input (just call hitec, that is what I did and they said its fine) or the 7950TH I beleive is great. They also have long servo wires so you don't need an extension to reach the tekno battery box.

As for chargers, make sure what you get has at least 100W per channel. Will allow you to charge at 1C minimum pretty much any 2S lipo pack you use. I also would give duo chargers a look if you plan to run more than one class.

I got a Savox 1258TG, for my servo.

Looking at iCharger 206B? Will that get it done?

Do you already have a power supply? If so then yes it will. Only negative I see to that charger is it can only charge one pack at a time. 20 amp charge rate is nice though.

I use the Hitec X2 ultima, it charges as 10 amps per pack and will charge two packs. Great little charger, no complaints at all.

for 4x4 SCT I wouldn't worry too much about going high over the 1C charge rate. I in general on my 8000mah packs charge at 10 amps even these days, but in general was just doing 1C.

Most of the whole monster amp charging rates I am hearing is for guys wanting to get more out of there packs for stock class, which if you run at ROAR tracks I beleive is illegal to do anyway beyond 1C.

This is really solid information, you obviously have good experience to share with the original poster. I don't want to start some Tekno vs TD war, but I'd just like to offer my personal opinion on this:

The Tekno SCT410.3 is the third generation update on the same platform. It's been raced/bashed at the highest level for more than a few years. The community generally LOVES this truck as it's very tough and very competitive professionally. The community around this truck is phenomenal, you can find setups from epic racers like Ryan Lutz all over the place for many different track types. The Tekno is an excellent truck in every way.

The DESC10 is a brand new truck on a brand new platform. It has not been vetted the same way the Tekno platform has been. While an RC may start out seeming excellent the way the DESC10 does, after prolonged racing/bashing, there may be critical issues that creep up. I believe the community is very small for this platform and even though it's growing, you aren't going to get the same support/experience as the more established platforms. Having owned the Arrma Talion, which is almost identical setup to the TD, but with less quality parts, I did find after 1/2 a season of large outdoor track racing, the truggy kind of fell apart. I know the TD is built with better parts and after honestly assessing the new TD kits, I could tell that almost every component I had an issue with on the Arrma, was upgraded on the TD. However, I'm still very nervous about the pillowballs and A-arms as I had MAJOR issues with these components on my truggy.

So I guess my conclusion is if you don't mind or even actually enjoy being on the bleeding edge, then definitely consider the DESC10. Also, if you don't want to spend 10 hours building a kit, the DESC10 may be the choice for you as well, much faster build than the SCT410.3 which is a fun build, but you're building every little piece.

If you'd like a proven racing platform that you can be 100% assured can get you to the highest level with a full community of support on a trusted design, the Tekno might be the better choice.

I think you're right, price wise, they are so similar, the TD does come with more aluminum upgrades than the Tekno. The Tekno is 50 dollars cheaper, but you get less upgrades.

I just helped a friend who races buy a new SCT410.3 SCT. When he asked me what the alternatives were, i showed him the DESC10. He asked, is TD any good? I told him honestly, it's got a really good reputation right now, but it's a very new platform and the jury is really still out. I also don't prefer the pillowball setup, but that's a personal preference.

Anyway, I hope this doesn't come across as trying to bash the DESC10, just sharing my personal experience with the decision between the two platforms.