Got the Gladiator 1st then had to buy the Wrangler. SCX24s are one of the best RC vehicles at any size.
Tips:
Set the transmitter endpoints by ear. Listen to the servo when setting the dual rate. Turn remote full left/right until servo is quite at full range. Any noise at the endpoints means the servo is trying turn the steering past its range. This will burn the servo out. Set the throttle the same way. Click it towards reverse until you hear motor wine. Then click it forward until the motor wines. Should be about 8 clicks. Click it back 4 times for centering the throttle. I set mine back 6 clicks. 2 clicks back from neutral. This seems to give me better slow speed control and range on both the Gladiator and the Wrangler.
Do not over tighten ANYTHING on your SXC24!!! Especially the wheel nuts, steering knuckles and transmission case. Wheels must move freely. Move wheels back and forth with finger while you tighten the wheel nut until their movement starts to become restricted. Then back off wheel nut until they move freely again. Steering knuckles should also move freely. There should be a small gap between the steering knuckle and the axle, upper and lower. It just rides on the screws.
Driveshafts need to be in sync. I do this by making sure all 4 grub screws on the drive shafts line up and face the same direction.
Do not fill axle diffs with grease. This will limit the vehicle’s performance. Use TRI Flow lube on all the bearings and use it to clean the axle shafts and worm gears. Use small amount of Lucas white lithium grease on worm gear and in cv dog bones. Just enough to coat each surface. Remove any excess.
TRI Flow on the transmission gears and bearings also improves performance.
If the motor gets hot check your drive line and transmission case for over tightened bolts.
There are 6 very small clear silicone o-rings. 1 in each dog bone and 2 in each worm gear. Find them on your schematics and don’t lose them during disassembly.
Buy an EMAX ES08MA II 12g Analog Metal Gear Servo. You will want one.
Buy an Injora tight tolerance steering link set. You will want one.
Move front bumpers in to their closest position and clip off the excess plastic. This increases approach angle.
Tape a quarter or nickel of your choice to the top of the steering servo. Improves performance.
These are a game changer. The speed control is much, much better. Though I will say, the slow crawl on video on a table etc is kind of misleading (not intentional of course) because there isn’t much power to actually climb the truck that slow. That being said, it’s still in another league compared to the previous esc. I liked the previous gen’s controller a lot better. Don’t like this one at all, really. One last thing, it is nice to be able to turn the lights off!
OMG!
Too much fun! Worth every penny. Exactly what I wanted. The extra long wheelbase is much better for climbing. Where was this cool stuff when I was a kid? Oh well better late than never. The other reviews are correct when it comes to the light front end. The recommended servo and required mount don’t fit so if you’re new to the hobby check out the web for trimming details and be careful everything is tiny small and easily lost. The aftermarket stuff is crazy cheap compared to the bigger brother items. I picked up some brass knuckles, diff covers and steering linkage to sex it up a little but this thing is just fine out of the box so don’t worry just have fun!
Amazing!
Don’t even hesitate, buy it!
Awesome modulation!!!!! This vehicle performs, climbs and looks great.
I drove this around my kitchen countertops, the stove, my Cali king size bed, obstacles around the house and much more outside! So fun to drive and it just wants to climb.
Comes with a great 4 channel radio, feels expensive and has all the trims you need. The tires are very grippy, and climbs very steep obstacles thanks to the longer wheel base. The servo works very well, could be a little bit better but works very well.
The only mods I’m going to buy are brass differential covers and a servo.
Other videos I watch on YouTube are guys reviewing this awesome machine climbing rock gardens for 1/10 scale rigs. Remember this is a 24 scale truck. For 24 scale rock gardens, it performs phenomenally well for its size. Don’t get stuck on upgrading to brushless, this jeep will entertain you for hours on end.
Item is a christmas present. Shipping was great and fast.
Very nice small crawler with sharp Jeep detailing. A great addition to my collection.
2nd Axial I’ve bought. Have C10 also. Great fun right out of the box. Just add 41-43 mm shocks and you’ll get good lift and travel. Replaced flexy suspension travel arm’s, works so much better.
It arrived perfect and looks great to go along with my jlu. Will definitely buy from amain again
Great little truck. Perfect copy of my real one. I love the scale
This IS the perfect first crawler. And also the best small scale crawler rig. It's incredibly capable out of the box. I'm going to do some brass upgrades but expect for that it's absolutely amazing seriously it's awesome.
Nice truck and thanks for you co operations and supporting.
Absolutely love this little truck. Right out of the box it had good abilities. Much better modulation than some of the 1/10s. Upgrades are well within anyones price-point. Excluding going brushless…. For that you could almost buy 2 more trucks… Great fun indoors and out.
Great RTR truck out of the box and very detailed. One of the best crawlers I have with minor mods. Some nice upgrades are available as well.
Three reasons why only 4 stars.
1: I wish that I could fit a lager capacity battery. The battery that comes with it is only 350mAh and doesn't last. I purchased 900mAh batteries that are double the thickness but won't fit without cutting into the interior of the truck. There is no way to lower the existing battery tray or turn it upside down to fit a larger battery. Had to make a new deeper tray that fits between the rails. My recommendation to Axial is to put a deeper battery tray. It lowers the center of gravity, doesn't interfere with the suspension, and allows for more capacity.
2: The body sits very crooked in the front and the Velcro for holding the hinged body is junk. It comes unglued. The body sits crooked because of the wires going to the to the receiver. First mod was to remove the Velcro and put magnets in. No need for special kit, just 1/4 inch round rare earths will do. I also put a hard bend on my battery and servo cables where they connect to the receiver.
3: The steering links are garbage. They flop all over the place and causes steering loss. Second mod was to put metal ones in. Axial needs to do better on the stock links.
Out the Box it looks awesome but it's seems my esc was bad from the get go steering was glitchy the truck would go in reverse more then forward . I guess I have to buy another esc when there back in stock.
Scx24 is a hard crawler to beat for its size and great selection of options to add. This gladiator is nice that they added a interior and the scale accessories in the back. The little longer wheelbase helps in some situations to get over easier overall great small rig!
Great crawler. A bit different than the older models but gets it right out of the box. Big thanks to Amain and horizon hobby. Great customer service from both companies on any RC!
In my opinion, this is the most capable climber out of the box. It looks amazing and is the smoothest SCX24 so far. I believe Axial hot a home run with this SCX24.
Its here!!! And its amazing :) My first of these was the deadbolt and it was excellent. I modded that one too far so I wanted one more "stock" and saw this for Pre-order and knew it was a no brainer. Its here and I've driven it around and Axel knocked it out of the park. All the details, are spot on. The max-traxx come off and can be used, which is just the best. The radio has been upgraded (at least over the one that came with my deadbolt) so thats neat too.
Thanks Amain for getting this to me ASAP!
Dont buy, if your plan is to run it out of the box it sucks. You’ll have to spend $300 in mods for it to run properly
