Welcome to my newb guide on scale trucks. I am going to talk about the different kits out there and why you would or wouldn't choose them to build your first truck. This information is for informational purposes only and very generalized.

First and foremost your going to need to do a lot of reading on www.scale4x4rc.org and www.rccrawler.com These sites will give you a lot of information on everything you might be interested in. Your going to want to get used to the search function because theirs lifetimes of info you can read about.

Now that that is out of the way you need to ask yourself just how good you are at building and designing a totally custom project. Most scalers require a lot of homemade parts. These parts are easy to make with the proper tools but you wouldn't want to tackle a custom aluminum frame if your not willing to haul out the power tools and files. The next big question is are you the type to build it or buy it. There plenty of guys offering custom parts on the two sites mentioned above but if you buy everything its going to get expensive.

The different vehicles currently on the market are listed below.

If you need a ready to run solution that is a good price your going to want to look at a HPI Wheely King. It offers a ready to run truck that comes with everything you need to get started and its fun to boot. Once your ready to continue towards the scale / crawling truck it is easy to modify into a longer wheelbase for all the cool 1/10 and 1/8 bodies out there. This is a good option if your on a budget and are willing to do some modifications.

If you want something that close to perfect out of the box then the only thing that is currently out there is the Axial AX10. Build it and you have a great looking and performing truck. The only real downfall is the price. The kit with the parts you need to add are about twice the price of the Wheely King. Of course once your finished modifying the Wheely King the price should be about the same. So its a pay now or pay later scenario...

If your after something in the smaller tires your going to want to look at the TLT / HiLift / Hummer series by Tamiya. The axles are small enough that you can get away with running 1.9 tires. Each kit has its benefits and downfalls like everything in life. The TLT kit is terrible stock at being scale or crawling. So you need to customize it right off the bat. The Hummer is an independent front and rear suspension. Which is great for leaving stock or mild mods but you run into problems if you want to change it in any major way. The HiLift's only real downfall is cost, but it does come with a 3 speed, leaf sprung suspension, and realistic axles. If your interested in a scale type truck your not going to get closer then this, and still keep it upgradeable for more performance.

Tamiya Clod Buster and TXT, as well as Kyosho Twin Force trucks are great for larger crawlers. Most of the time they fit into an unlimited class. These for the most part don't make good scale vehicles except when working in the larger scales (1/6^th) They also require a lot of modification to make decent crawlers. The TXT is the closest one out of the box to being a capable crawler, followed by the Twin Force, and lastly the Clod.