ProfitOfDoom

This started as a harmless recon mission for my son's xmas present but here I am yet again reading countless site's about RC, Bitten by the RC bug yet Again! Just when you think your out of it,They pull you back in!
First off I would like to do a quick study of people who race,Do you enjoy 2wd or 4wd SC racing? Im for sure getting a SC style truck but not 100% on 2wd/4wd. More of me is leaning toward 4wd as I think it would be more managable for my son to start racing with rather then spinning out on turn,but then the fun part is sliding around turns,So what do you prefer?
Im almost certain im going to get him the Traxxas slash Brushless 2wd/4wd set-up as many people told me there great bashers,ok racers but can be track worthy with a LCG mod. Unless im overly convinced another SC truck is better im sticking with that choice for him.

Now on to me I looked at most of the top choices,just when I think I like it I find something that I don't. So maybe some of you can help me,Durability is very important to me. I would substitue a tuning option or 2 if it's not going to break something every other heat.
I like the Jammin 4x4 sc and have owned a jammin truggy in the past and was happy with their products but it is the skinniest in the class I think over a full inch narrower,and for some reason that really bugs me!

I then found a video review of all the top SC trucks "might have been 2wd not sure" but they pretty much gave the nod to AE with their SC although it seem they were doing a race test as said it's the fastest out of the box,but also said it was one of the top choices. I look at that and thought well here is a winner only to find it's belt driven? I guess I could assume why it was the fastest,I never owned a belt driven system "I realize it's gear to gear and just belt from front to back diff" but it just seem's like it will wear out pretty fast,dry up,get nicked up and break often then you would like. I could be way off ,like I said im just guessing and never owned one?
Also it has a composite chassis,I think aluminum is the way to go on these but again this is just my guess,composite chassis pretty sturdy and hold up well to impacts as you take bad jumps?

Then I found the Losi ten and thought this is the one,seemed very well built and had most of the strong points of what im looking for,The I read a thread about it and the owners pretty much picked it apart saying the turning radius is horrible eve with mod's a couple of weak componets and a few issue's with ease of maintenence,Not to mention it would cost more seeing how they said you pretty much have to get a 1/8th brushless set up.

So just when I think I have found my new truck,I just start looking all over again. I know no truck is perfect and all have flaws,I was just wondering if you could help me narrow it down for me. Again I was referring to 4x4,but also don't forget to tell me what type of racing you like 2wd or 4wd,Thanks!

xerxes

id say start da shorty off on a brushed 2wd slash. as basic as u can get. plus aftrmarket support is unmatched.
perfict platform 2 start off on. its a lerning curve so if u wana get 2 sc trucks, get bolth. 2wd brushed 4 him, brushless 4wd for u. wen hees ready 4 a better power system u can opt 4 a better system then the vxl. or just flip flop ur remotes evry once in a while. im guna get a 2wd slash soon [8D]

ProfitOfDoom

That is a option. He is going to be 11 soon and had plenty of experience with our other rc's just bashing around the yard and our homemade silly obstacle course. What your saying makes sense I just think He think's we will be up on the stand together,so I was planning on buying 2 of the same,or at least 2 in the same class.

ThunderbirdJunkie

My Feedback: (3)

XXX-SCT is one of the tougest SCTs out there, if not THE toughest.

Unfortunately, there's no brushless RTR version yet.

xerxes

ahh. hees got prior xperiance. pretty much any sc from any big name company will suffice durability wise.
id say skip 2wd & jump rite in2 4wd, but its all user preferanse. u gota find out wut he likes better. hav eithr of u got any wheel time on a real track ina 2wd or 4wd sc?

ThunderbirdJunkie

My Feedback: (3)

Hang out at the track and ask to test drive a couple.

ThunderbirdJunkie prefers 2w SCT to 4w SCT; generally the drivers are better and they're not quite as easy to drive, both of which make you faster.

However, it's all personal preference. ThunderbirdJunkie has gotten his butt whooped in 4w SCT that can't touch him in 2w SCT.

ProfitOfDoom

I raced a few years back 1/8th scale buggy and Monster truck class and he will be in for a rude awakening as I found out this isnt a drive where you want bash party,you actually have to go one way and stay in the lane,and watch from above. I had a hell of a time the first few outing's to a track. I did bring him to that track once when it was closed and brought up his stampede and needless to say he couldnt drive it hardly at all,but then again with those tires neither could I. So no he hasn't had any track time.

I just seen this truck made by Durango,its a 4x4 SC. I never heard of Durango are they a good quality company? It certainly looked beefy and on the pricey side but I have been out of the RC world for a while now and never heard this name before?

I really want a good truck but then we don't need ton's of tweakable items as for the first few months we will just work on keeping it on the track. I just watched a review on the AE truck,and made up my mind that truck is not for us.
Im still considering the Losi and Really like the Jammin SC but that 1 inch more narrow then any of the rest is killing it for me.

ThunderbirdJunkie

My Feedback: (3)

Durango is a relatively new name. The truck is awesome, except for its penchant for rear hingepins and toe blocks...those are something that have yet to be fixed. However, when it's not broken, it is definitely the fastest 4wd on the track. Durango's quality in general is top notch, although their new 2w buggy is having quite a few teething issues as well.

For 4w SCTs aside from the Durango, the SC10 4x4 needs more work to "work" on the track, and the Losi Ten SCTE is just VERY hard on electronics due to its weight.

It's funny though, because SCTE owners are dropping weight, and SC10 4x4 owners are adding weight, to make their respective trucks work. The Losi is faster out of the box, but the SC10 4x4 rewards a smooth, patient driver that knows how to tune a chassis.

The 2w SCTs have all been figured out.

Also, Team C Racing has a snazzy looking 4wd SCT coming out soon that looks GREAT. Kind of a combination of the Durango and Jammin 4w SCTs.

Right now, out of what's available, having owned an AE SC10 4w and a buddy owning both the Durango and the Losi SCTE, ThunderbirdJunkie would go with the Jammin SCRT10 knowing what he knows. For somebody like you, a former 1/8 buggy driver, it'll be easy and quick to figure out and drive, and fast enough. The only detractor is, if you intend to get SERIOUS serious, you rarely see them on the podiums at big races...but, as always, that's Losi and AE. Ryan Lutz is driving for Durango, so of course their cars show up in the winner's circle, too.

isaacstaco

I'd go with a Blitz, It's based of the E-Firestorm chassis, so you know it's durable (I'dsay it's the most durable SCTout there)and it's a far better racer, out of the box, than any Slash. Plus, 2wd's are more fun IMO.

FahrtAutoRC

It is personal preference.. We have two of them, one HPI Blitz and one Traxxas Slash 4X4. My fiancee loves her Blitz and is one of the faster local racers here. I cannot drive it well for the life of me! Granted its tuned just for her and a ways away from stock (MM, Velineon, Futaba, STRC, RPM etc). Now my Slash I can drive very well and pull consistent times with it (once again, setup for me, far from stock) but she can't drive it good enough to do anything with. Take the above advice; Test drive a few. 2wd I think the Blitz is great, but parts are a bit pricier, less support and in our experience, terrible stock electronics. 4X4, I love my Slash, but I would recommend the Durango if parts are easy for you, or the Losi. The Losi is a bit heavier but with a strong power system it's a great truck, and being Losi parts should be about as plentiful as white bread and skim milk in middle America


Just go to a local track, test a few out of look some over at least, ask questions, make the decision and enjoy!

sheograth

I like the TEN SCT a lot. As well as the Jammin SCT. The Associated RC10

sheograth

I like the TEN SCT a lot. As well as the Jammin SCT. The Associated and Durango ones are good but they're not really that durable. The Slash really isn't as good as the competitors. The Blitz ESE is good.

ElectricGuy007

i HAVE A 4WD SLASH and alot of people here run the truck. I've only seen a couple AE 4wds.
A jammin occassionally. Next year I should have my 4wd slash running so i can race it competitively.
I'll be looking for a novak brushless setup and one of those cheap AE metal geared servos for $79.
That's pretty much all i need, although I will be gluing some caliburs for the rear end of my truck.
One of the things I may do is run LOSI shocks on my 4wd slash. Im not a big fan of traxxas shocks.

Foxy

I'm very pleased with my Jammin, amazing value for money, great basher on 3s, great racer on 2s.

rc awesome

Well, I've had terrible luck with Traxxas so I'd stay way from them. My slash's transmission pretty much self destructed when I put a brushless system in it. Personally I like 2wd more, but it's a bit more unpredictable than a 4x4, which is part of the fun. 

ElectricGuy007

I plan on getting a SC10 4wd anyways for indoor racing. I typically like the belt drive idea.
And just use the 4wd slash for racing outdoors. That's the benefit shaft-drive has over belt drive.
Belt drive is quieter and smoother thou compared to shaft drive. So one benefits over the other.

Foxy

Belt drive can also handle much more power, and eliminates 3 right angles in the drivetrain. It's altogether a better way to roll.

john01374

I have both 2wd and 4wd. Both have their advantages but for overall fun to drive it's hard to beat 2wd. The sliding, wheel spinning dirt flying all over is just more fun to me. The down side is they are considerably harder to drive. 4WD is just pull the trigger and point where's 2WD really needs to be driven. 2WD are also cheaper to buy and considerably easier to maintain. I have both 2 & 4wd slashes and they are both pretty tough. The 2WD Blitz is also a great truck that can take a beating but you do need to really go over the truck before well before running it. Both of mine had a number of missing screws and everything was loose. I'm not a fan of the SC10. I owned one of the original's and it was a complete nightmare. After they did the big revision I bought another one and it had the same problems.

A new comer is the latest Losi XXX-SCT. So far it's turning out to be a great truck. It still has some issues with breakage but nothing like their vehicles from a couple of year back. They are also pretty good right out of the box so that's something to consider.

If I was making a suggestion on 2WD I's say it's hard to beat a Blitz. As for 4WD I'd have to go with the Slash. I have the Jammin SCRT and Hyper 10SC as well and in all honestly I can't recommend them. Way too many issues for what you are paying. The Slash 4x4 takes a some tuning to make it competitive but it's really not that hard.

ThunderbirdJunkie

My Feedback: (3)

john, what did you break?

Rear hub carriers and front skidplates are the only things ThunderbirdJunkie has seen break with any regularity. STRC makes an aluminum front skidplate, and you can just pop on the XXX/T rear hub carriers and never worry about it again.

john01374

If we're talking about the XXX-SCT most of my problems have been suspension arms, steering parts and carriers. I've broke the front arms twice and one rear arm. The rear carriers are fragile as well and I've gone through at least 4 of those so i'll have to look into the STRC parts. The steering carriers also seem to wear extremely fast and become loose. They also seem to be as fragile as the rears so hopefully there is a fix for those as well. Overall It's a decent truck. I don't feel it's the ultimate 2WD SCT like everyone seems to think but it's a good place to start. I still feel it's a little too fragile to play double duty as a basher/racer but with a few mods it should prove to be a very capable racer but I still prefer my Blitz to it.

hound54

my son is only 4 and i got him a brushless stampede we mostly just bash the skatepark or some stairs and we have a ball. i got a 2wd slash i wouldnt trade for the world but i wouldnt mind another a 4x4  sc truck