An Intro Into Rock Crawling

Which one do I get??? So you want to get into the wonderful hobby of rock crawling, but not sure what to buy. After all there's about a million different choices and that can be intimidating! You're probably wondering, "which one is right for me"? Well they are all right for you, it just depends on what you want. Do you want a "scale" vehicle? Scale means you have an rc truck that looks like a real vehicle that you can drive to the grocery store then go off-roading in the same afternoon. Then there are the rc vehicles that climb over everything but do not resemble anything off the street. Scale vehicles have street type bodies (Chevy, Ford, Jeep etc) with small tires that are either 1.55 or 1.9 in size.

The R/C vehicles that are not scale have 2.2 sized tires with roll cages and some body panels. The non-scale vehicles are easier to drive and go over most obstacles, however the scale vehicles are a lot of fun because of the different ways you can paint the bodies, add accessories such as small coolers, drivers, fishing poles, etc

As for which truck to purchase, It really depends on what you want to spend. New rock crawlers can go for about $400.00 but these come with upgrades such as metal links, metal gears, better electronics, etc. You can also start with the basics about $299.00-yes you'll get plastic parts, but if you want to make sure this hobby is for you before spending a bunch of money then this route is the way to go. You can always upgrade parts at a later date as you can afford to. Also there are a bunch of R/C groups on Facebook (like Axial Scx10 Owners) I would highly recommend joining these groups; there is a wealth of information on there and you might even find a great deal on a used crawler.

Before I go, let me familiarize you with some RC lingo:

Kit means an R/C vehicle that you have to build from scratch, they also have no electronics which means you still need to buy the remote, servo, motor, esc, battery, and charger.

Ready to run (RTR) means the truck is ready to go, BUT it does not mean it has a battery and charger, you'll still need to buy those, unless you find a hobby store that is selling some kind of package deal.

As always ask questions! There are many R/C veterans that don't mind helping. See you at the track!!