pythonfan

My Feedback: (1)

Ok so over the past few days ive been debating of 3 new rc's on which to get, 2 of which are the crawler king and the creeper, the other is a mini revo but thats in a whole other thread.

So as it sais king vs creeper. Ive been doing lots of research about the 2 the past few days and i'm stuck and have some questions for some owners.

First off i live in fl so rocks are hard to come by, i have one nice little tiny spot at my park. The beach the have the all rock sea walls so a rock crawler is the last thing you would see in my area. Tho ever since i was a new to the hobby ive always loved watching and trying to see what i could get my rc's to crawl over its just a fascination about them. The last time i was at a crawler you had 3 options all tamiya now we have a real market.

So it would get more use indoors then anything so in a real world i should be looking at losi's mini but its not for me and i don't like it all that much.

So i'm a hpi user for the past few years its the one brand i own the most of, my last venom rc was the vmg and i loved it and always loved venoms products threw thick and thin and the tech support was amazing for the small things i ever needed.

So this is gonna be apples and oranges cause one is rtr and one is kit but there the only two in my price range. Yes i could afford an axial but there not for me.

So first off with hpi its rtr i have a charger and i would need a few basic batteries as i only have one 1500mah pack. With hpi i would not need anything and thats a plus and a con at the same time will understand why soon. Is there front axial server mount kit or is it still we gotta make our own?
I like how i could easily make a 4link with the king and is one of the bigger points for the king.

Now with the venom its a kit and i love doing kits, one of the bigger reasons i got my baja. Anyways i was looking into things, i have a spare radio so i would need a esc motor and servo and receiver as the one for the radio got fried. So as for motor's i was looking at novaks brushed motor esc combo but it puts me close to 300, trying to keep everything under 300. My max is 400 but i want to keep cost down, now to save some cash i could go with the integy 55t motor, but my question is how is that motor? Ive used stuff from integy and well i'm sure anyone who has uesd there products know there a shelf queen company. How do there electronics stand up to others? With the venom i was looking at going with rc4wd 2.4ghz system so i could use it for my baja and get a spare receiver for the crawler. I really like the venom but the hpi is ready set go pretty much.

Tho as i mentioned before there gonna see more use indoors then out.

So for the venom owners, any complaints anything to know from the get go? How does it crawl? Have anything to compare its size to say a 1/8th or 1/10th scale?

So for the hpi owners, how's the king? Anything to know or should get before jumping the gun? Hows it do indoors? Have anything to compare its size to say a 1/8th or 1/10th scale?

If there is any other mini crawler other then pti and losi i would love to here about them.

Here are some old and i mean old videos of my vmg, i had the front shocks off on one of the video pretending to be max D, and i did stick a stranded 7.2v pack in there, runtimes lasted forever...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2CvzToVNo0[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NQW_ag8ZcQ[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HS9AnrPgVYA[/youtube]

Thanks in advance guys.

Alpha Male

My Feedback: (11)

Let me start by saying that I have neither truck, but I've been looking at both the Creeper and the Crawler King for myself. Both look great but have different purposes. I think that the HPI is made to look and drive more like a scale crawler, which I love. The Creeper seems to be a more capable machine as far as getting over tough stuff. I think that once you decide what you want to use the truck for, you will know which one you need.

If there are not many 'rocks' to climb there, you might want the HPI because it can be used as a trail truck/crawler. Water-proof it and drive it on the beach, through mud, water...whatever.

On the other hand, the Creeper has a really cool option (bought seperately) that I wish my Axial had - remote locking differentials. You could use it with open differentials and have a normal turning radius or lock them when you get stuck with one wheel unloaded. With a Jeep body, it would be very much like the HPI, I think.

Either way you will probably get pretty bored crawling inside, but it all comes down to personal preference. I've read good things about both vehicles.

Good Luck!
Jason

Shortbuss

I am in the boat as you guys. I have a fairly modified high lift and its just becoming a money pit. Its fun but I want something more capable. The venom looks cool and the price is great. For a RTR the HPI is pretty damn good too. Not much info or vids on youtube for the HPI thou.

Zim-uh-tosa

Not a long video, but [link=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdphwioyCks]here is a link[/link] to a stretched Wheelie King that has the same wheel base and frame as the King Crawler. I thought it wheeled pretty good for the $119 price I paid(pre stretch). Only thing about the HPI Crawlers that sucks is the top-heaviness. They didn't change the transmission for the King Crawler, so it will be the same. The transmission stands straight up with the motor on the top, making it a bad design for Crawling. If you are good at making your own mounts and engineering new parts, you can make a new motor mount that is below the Spur gear. i have seen it on DNA'a Comp rig that uses the WK tranny. Puller motors are the best to use, since they are thinner overall.

There is a reason that the Creepers are lower in price every time you see them($124.99 now at CKRC). They had some parts that were failing on non-stressed driving and the parts replacement was only over the net. Not one LHS carries the Venom or parts for it. They all carry the WK.

Have you not seen the Axial SCX10 TR? That should be on this list too. It is just under $300 and you get everything including 6 lights pre- installed, a working full size spare tire and wheel, roll bar and more...Check it out. [link=http://www.axialracing.com/ftp/scx10tr/index.html]Axial TR[/link]


55T lathe Motor
CC sidewinder
3S 2200 30C
Flat Iron tires

Z

midntpumkin

i would go with the crawler king or wheelie king , the venom is cheaper though but from some people i know all have the same issue , they keep breaking axles or parts on the truck. my converted wheelie king never broke a hub axle or anything , and the best pare ST RACING makes alot of upgrades for it , longer axles for the 1/10 tires like the savage 14mm hubs etc . check out a main and there extencive parts list for the wheelie king
now if you want a 2.2 crawler there is no comparison, get the berg you will be glad you did.

Skullbasher

Here's my thoughts on the Venom;
I am happy with it for the price I paid. It is a great truck, and with the newer kits, there are no major problems. Venom has fixed the problem with over-hardened parts that they had in the earlier kits. Any of them you get now should be fine, unless they have been sitting in a warehouse. Even if you get an older kit, I'm sure Venom will be happy to send you a new set or parts.
The biggest problem I have had with the Creeper is those damn axle pins wiggling their way out. No matter how much loctite you put, or how tight you get the set screws, the pins are gonna get loose and wreak havok. You can solve this by holding them in with something, be it shrink wrap, electrical tape, etc... But its just annoying.
Another thing you will want to do right off the bat is replace the tires/wheels. The tires are crap, and the wheels are decent, but are made to primarily work with their tires. They have a different bead design than any other tire on the market, so instead of wasting your times trying to mount new tires on the stock rims, just buy some proline 8 shooters for pretty cheap.

Other than those two small problems, it's a great truck and a blast to drive.

Hope that helps