lakeccrunner

As the title says, I'm looking to build a truck but I don't know where to start, so I figured I would look for some input. I'm not new to the hobby, but have been out for a while. I have a Rustler VXL that I purchased in 2008 and I really enjoy it but it's RTR and I've done about all the modifications I want to at this point. I find that 1/2 the fun in the hobby is taking it apart and rebuilding so that's what I want to do, but this time I want to build from the ground up. So I'm looking for some input on a good model to start with. I'm looking for something that I can order parts here an there and do a build over time, as I don't have all the funds right now and I think it's more enjoyable when it takes time and work. I know this will end up costing me more in the long-run, but I think it will be well worth it. Any suggestions on a model that would work well for what I'm looking to do?

Also, keep in mind that I don't have an LHS (the closest is 40-50 mins away) so I'll be ordering everything from the internet.

EXT2Rob

My Feedback: (1)

Howdy! Well, ya don't really say what kind of truck you're looking to build, and what you're thinking of doing with it. A scale-n-trail? Rock crawler? Off road basher? Are you looking to build a totally custom rig from the ground up? Or are ya looking for a kit that you can modify? What scale? RC4WD.com has tons of parts for custom rigs. You might want to poke around in some of the other forum categories here for ideas.

SyCo_VeNoM

Could buy something used, and fix it up, or heavily modify it.

I have done the part by part thing, and honestly I would never recommend it to anyone as you spend 3-6X more then the RC would just cost outright, but by the time you get it together they might have released something that smokes what you still are building for less then you spent to that date.

As for building as ext said it depends on what you want. SCX10 is a decent RC if you want a scaler/rockcrawler as you can heavily modify it, or even the WheelyKing its sold RTR, but you can make a custom frame rails change the shocks, add a 3rd axle etc. What was my WK doesn't look anything like a WK anymore as I married the axles to a SCX10 tranny using traxxas driveshafts, and on extended SCX 10 chassis rails with a pile of custom mounts. (still gotta finish it been too busy/low on funds, and threw it on the distant back burner)

lakeccrunner

I'm basically looking for something to bash. I don't do any racing or anything. I had a lot of fun with the Rustler so I'm thinking of sticking with a stadium truck. I'll check out RC4WD to try and get some ideas. I'm not opposed to purchasing a kit, but I haven't seen too many around on the sites that I frequent.

EXT2Rob

My Feedback: (1)

A popular kit right now is the Axial Yeti. Go to Tower Hobbies and request a catalog, that'll give you something to browse through easily. You kinda have to look for kits these days, but they are out there. Tamiya is famous for them, but they are mostly on road cars, except for the re-re's of the old buggies. Axial probably has the most bashable kits.

lakeccrunner

Are the Tamiya re-release kits highly modifiable? The thing I really like about the Rustler is how easy it is to mod and upgrade. I actually really like the look of the Tamiya off-road kits, but I've heard that you can't do too much with them. I think it would be cool to bash it and upgrade as needed but I'm under the impression that the ability to mod is much lower than with the Rustler.

EXT2Rob

My Feedback: (1)

You are right. Traxxas has way more after market support.

The Saylors

i did the yeti kit and it was a blast! Was it stupid expensive...YES! Is it faster than everyone's rtr yeti's?...without any doubt! lol its all a trade off. If building makes you happy then get a kit but like some have said you will pay for it if you're not careful.

lakeccrunner

What else is available that has that type of support? The fun of the hobby for me lies in replacing broken parts with better parts and constantly upgrading. I've just reached the point with my Rustler that all of the upgrades I can do are more expensive than I'm willing to shell out right now.

The Saylors

Pretty much all of the big names have high end support. Losi, Traxxas, Team Associated, Axial, Kyosho, Tamiya, Mugen on and on. Its not like 15-20 years ago were everything was was a massive chore to get parts for. Now you just point and click on the computer as long as the car isn't more than 10 years old. The hard part sometimes is figuring out your part number on some of the odd stuff.