RC Rock Crawlers

If you have ever in the market for an RC rock crawler, or any other type small scale model, then you’ll see the word “scale” mentioned. For example, a Traxass TRX-4 is 1/10 scale.  The scale is almost always made very clear.  But what does this mean? It means that the model is 10 times smaller than the full size vehicle. Looking at this another way, it means that every 10 inches on the full size vehicle is reduced to 1 inch in the model.

So here’s a test, which is bigger? …the 1:18 scale Cheerwig crawler or the 1:8 scale MaxStone Crawler? Thats right, the 1:8 scale MaxStone Crawler is larger.

What is the most popular scale?

With all that said, you will find that 1/10 scale is a very popular size for rc rock crawlers. If you ever go rock crawling with a group or club, its always nice to have a similar sized vehicle. So that might be a deciding factor as well. 1/10 scale is a good in-between size for many people, as it is not too large or too small.  1/10 scale crawlers are also easier to work on than smaller ones, much easier to get your fingers in tight spaces.

What is the best scale?

There is no right answer to that question, and will vary from person to person. It also depends on the type of terrain available to you.  The larger rock crawler is obviously able to scale bigger rocks and obstacles easier than smaller ones.  But if all you have are small obstacles, what is the fun in being able to easier conquer every obstacle?  In this case, it would be more fun and challenging to choose a smaller crawler.

If you find yourself in terrain with larger obstacles, then a larger rock crawler may better fit the bill for you.  Personally, the larger crawlers just feel more real to me, and less toyish. Larger vehicles start to behave more predictably and realistic as you get larger in size. Smaller crawlers tend to behave more twitchy.  This principal is true in almost all aspects of RC modeling, including RC planes and boats.

In the end there is no right answer, and if you’re an active RC rock crawler, you might even find yourself with multiple crawlers of many different sizes.