Everybody’s Scalin’ – What Should He Get?

Answering questions around here is normally within the domain of Cubby, but it’s been awhile since I’ve answered any directly through the site and I recently had a good one tossed my way, so here goes:

Big Squid,

I am ready to get into scaling and have narrowed my choices down to (not in
any particular order):
·         Vaterra Ascender Kit
·         GMADE Sawback Kit
·         Axial SCX10 Kit
Augh!!! I can’t make a choice as to which one to buy. Can you give me some
pointers on each that may help me?

Thanks,
Dan

I have read your review on the Sawback but was not able to find any of your
reviews on the SCX10 & Ascender.

Thanks for the e-mail Dan. First off, here is a link to a recent Vaterra Ascender review that we did. I’d link you to an SCX10 review (we’ve done several of them) but we have not reviewed the newest generation of the truck, the SCX10 II.

I’d first cross the Sawback off your list. I would not recommend a leaf spring truck for a first scaler; it’s for that reason I also can’t recommend the superior-to-the-Sawback RC4WD Trail Finder 2.

Ok, so it’s Ascender vs. SCX10 II for your choice then. This is the scaler version of Losi vs. Associated. The RTR Ascender retails for $399, while the SCX10 II goes for $409. Price is so close that it’s pretty much negligible on that front.

I’ve driven both and I can say each one is a capable truck. They also both enjoy excellent aftermarket support. You’ll most likely be happy either way but if you want a personal recommendation I’ll say the Vaterra because our crew have had plenty of hands-on time with them and we’ve yet to do a thorough SCX10 II review.

Let me throw a wild-card into this; how about an ECX Barrage? It’s only $179 and, well, I can’t give away the full review that is nearly finished being written up….but I can say you will DEFINITELY want to read it and I’d recommend checking that out before committing to your purchase.

Whichever choice you make, be sure and let me know how it goes.