ASK Cubby – More Astute Questions, Really Terrible Answers

“New budget Trail Rig

Hey Cubby,

Are there any trail rigs worth buying that are less than $200? Here in Canada $200 USD ends up more like $260 CAD and it makes a difference, especially with Christmas presents on a budget. Maybe there’s a builders kit that costs less than $200?

Thanks for the help!

Jadyn D.

P.S. Could I get some of those big squid stickers too?”

Cubby- Ya know Jadyn, the smart thing for me to do with your question is to send a message to our resident scale crawling guy Jeremy. However, Jeremy is busy catching speed run cars with his lower legs, so I will go this one alone, based strictly on my first hand experience.

If I had $200 tops, and wanted the best crawler I could get for the money, I am going with an ECX Barrage Gen 2 all day long. I’ve personally got one, and while it is a bit smaller than a typical 1.9, it performs incredibly well. The Barrage is also easy to upgrade and rarely breaks. After a quick Google search, it looks like a Gen 2 Barrage is going for under $180, perfect for your budget.

Now, if I had to go with a 1.9 unit, and $200 was a rock solid max price, I would totally cut the check on the Axial SCX10 II raw builders kit. Now, it will take a good chunk of cash to get running, but if you already have some electronics, wheels/tires, and a body laying around, you could get a Very high performance crawler up and going on the cheap.

So there ya are Jadyn, thanks for writing in, and please remember, bring it home in a bucket.

“X-Maxx Killer

Arrma is rumored to release/announce a competitor to the x-maxx, check their website for a countdown!

Matthew G.”

Cubby- Well hello there Matty, thanks for writing in.

Ya know, that’s what people were saying during the Mojave teasers, LOL. Which reminds me, I really need to get my hands on the Mojave to see how it stacks up. I keep getting a ton of mail on it, and have yet to put in a full pack with one. To get back on subject, yes, we’ve seen the countdown timer, but we’ll be waiting until the teasers start leaving a few more crumbs before we post.

With that said… I hope it is not what I hear it is. What I’ve heard is pretty chancy in this environment, and without a ton of marketing behind it (like seriously, a 6 digit marketing budget), it would be a tough sell (although now I am hearing they may have dropped/delayed that project). I do not know exactly which unit it is, but if it was going to be their “big” holiday season release, an end of November announcement date is a bit late. You would typically want your “big” holiday unit actually In Stores by mid-November, so the timing is not optimal for a big release. Not that that means a lot in today’s chaotic rc environment, but still, that would be the optimal way of doing it.

So no worries Matty, we will soon know more soon enough about what’s behind that countdown timer. Until then, I hope you are outside wearing out your Kraton, Talion, or whichever ARRMA that you drive.

Have a wacky question? Need an even wackier answer? Have a rant that you can no loner keep inside? Email me- thecubreportrc at gmail dot com.