Axial SCX24 Base Camp: An Honest Review

I bought the Axial SCX24 a few weeks ago, so here’s an honest review of my experience with it.

Price

I bought the Base Camp edition, which comes in at a whopping

$119.99 at horizonhobby.com right now. Here’s a convenient graphic:

Overall, the price of the crawler is very affordable, but it comes with some downsides and some cuts to get so cheap, which I’ll talk about later. Either way, this is extremely affordable for anyone looking to get into crawling or anyone who wants to give it to someone as a gift.

The price isn’t the best value for a crawler, but it’s definitely up there.

Experience

The unboxing is a decent unboxing and it comes with a Spektrum-branded SLT2 controller and a 350mah 2S battery. This makes the micro crawler in the RTR (Ready to Run) category, which is nice for the price point.

The package I got wasn’t opened until a few days after delivery, and still had a good 20 minutes of runtime on its charge. I will say, the battery life on the car is good, but that’s to be expected because it’s a slow car. 350mah is a good balance of battery size and it’s able to handle 45 minutes of runtime on outside rocks — and inside on my super duper epic professional course that I won’t be showing to the public because it’s too top secret and amazing — on a full charge.

First Impressions

My first impressions of the vehicle?

I love the design. It looks nice and I like the Base Camp theme I got. It also comes with six licensed bodies, but I went with the Axial-made Base Camp edition instead. The licensed bodies look sick too =D

Despite shifting upon flips, it tends to hold on enough to stay on for a good amount of time, and doesn’t interfere with driving.

“The Micro Advantage”

One thing to consider when getting a micro rc crawler is that there’s a bit of an advantage to them. Ever since the release of the Axial SCX10, there’s been a rave about micro crawlers all across the RC community. This car makes crawling super flexible and you can use it indoors or outdoors, perfect for a rainy day or driving on a desk. I’ve found so many ways to mess around with it indoors and the fun is seemingly endless.

Driving Overall

So we’ve touched on the unboxing and my first impressions with the vehicle, now what about the actual driving experience. Well, to start, this car is amazing to drive. Thanks to the Spektrum controller, the throttle curve is smooth and allows for precise shifts in throttle and steering inputs for technical control when crawling. Now I’m no expert at crawling and I’ve only ever owned a few micro crawlers, but I will say it is quite nice. It’s not the best with its raw performance (we’ll talk about that in a bit), but it is abundantly adequate for your average hobbyist.

It is able to handle a good amount of rocks, obstacles and inclines up to 60+ degrees with proper modifications.

The Axial SCX24 is capable and fun right out of the box but not quite good enough to compare to other crawlers with upgrades that come stock, so you might want to make some upgrades.

Downsides of Stock Driving

As mentioned before, this car is great, but there are a few points to observe if you’re looking to get into more technical courses. Here are a few I’ve noticed most:

• Low Weight: The low weight means it flips easily on inclines while crawling, like the hill in my front yard. This isn’t the best car if you’re trying to do rocks while also inclined to the side because of the weight.
  • Modification to Fix: To fix the weight issue, you can install aftermarket brass components (primarily on axles) to weigh it down, or DIY your own weights. Another alternative fix includes widening the stance to widen the center of gravity relative to tire size. In my opinion, the easiest way to go about stopping flips is to install oil filled shocks like these ($18.99 USD), which can also increase the capability for taller obstacles due to a higher ride height.
• Bouncy Friction Shocks: The stock version relies on friction rather than oil, which can lead to issues and limits overall performance in the long run. My stock version tends to be overly bouncy too, which can cause unpredictable movements and can lead to flipping.
  • Modification to Fix: Just like the last con, I recommend installing INJORA Shocks (popular option) or alternatives like Pro-Line and NexxRacing shocks, all oil-filled options that fix these issues.
• Weak Servo: The stock servo can’t handle certain heavier components and fails to turn the wheels under load, which means you may want to upgrade your servo.
  • Modification to Fix: Aftermarket servos (too many options to pick one, search for the perfect SCX24 servo for your use case)
• Underpowered Motor: Though the motor is enough for most people, certain technical crawling may need a more powerful motor. I can’t recommend any other motors because I haven’t found the need for one in my experience with it.

Seems like a lot of downsides right? Well, the good thing is that you don’t really need any of these upgrades. I’ve been doing some casual crawling around the house and on rocks in the forest, and it’s perfectly fine for some casual crawling on its own. Of course, there are many people who won’t just be doing “casual crawling” and may be in the market for these upgrades, but that doesn’t quite apply to me. I haven’t upgraded yet, but I do anticipate maybe installing aftermarket oil-filled shocks—because the stock shocks are, well, not great.

Brushed ESC/Motor Combination

The stock ESC/Motor is brushed, and you’d need to purchase a new combo or new esc/motor to make it brushless if you’d like, which could cost up to $150 if you want a high-end setup. To have it brushless, the car you just spent about a hundred bucks on is now a $250 crawler, so you might as well just get another car that comes brushless for way cheaper.

Where Did They Cut Costs?

The SCX24’s low price suggests there were a good chunk of cuts Axial made to still make money off the car, and that would be correct. Critical areas still have steel components, but the majority of components, where possible, have been converted to plastic. This means plastic driveshafts, suspension links, axle housings, gearbox housing, and servo mount.

The crawler also comes with a significantly underpowered ESC/Motor combo which can be upgraded but for a large added cost. To reduce the cost, Axial has implemented a functional yet underpowered combination of a brushed 030-size motor and a combined ESC/Receiver unit.

Top Secret Course Ideas

As I mentioned at the beginning of my article, I have made my super top secret crawler course that I won’t be showing the internet because it is totally real and amazing and needs to be hidden from copycats, and I may have made you jealous.

So therefore, I shall be perhaps giving you a few ideas for the creation of your very own top secret course.

• Create a track with everyday objects like pillows and books, and try to reach up to a table or a piece of furniture.
• Make mounds of dirt and hills and climb over rocks to reach a certain destination (may take some time)
• Use tape to make bridges for each wheel and carefully craft turns, starting and ending locations, and more!
• Just use natural patches of rocks in your yard, you don’t even need to build anything =D

Those are four quick ideas to make your own very top secret track, just, maybe.. not so top secret if you do it in your yard.

Axial SCX24 vs Traxxas TRX4M Comparison

Now, let’s compare options. Let’s just get this out of the way—The TRX4M is definitely the better option because of the upgraded shocks, faster top speed, and overall increased price, but that doesn’t mean we can’t compare them. I’ve been surprised to see that my slightly modded TRX4M (with INJORA shocks and custom shock weight and aftermarket grippy tires) vs the stock Axial SCX24 is actually quite comparable in my testing. I’ve been driving them together trying to see which one is better on rocks, and the Axial crawler tends to make it to the end of steeper inclines and more technical trails a bit smoother. That doesn’t mean that the TRX4M doesn’t do well though. It has won against the Axial in many comparisons over rocks that require more ground clearance and some sideways inclines because of my upgraded INJORA shocks and the faster incline.

Overall, they are both very comparable, but the TRX4M tends to do better stock, and is even better upgraded. I’m sure that with a few key aftermarket upgrades, you could definitely get a super powerful SCX24 that would win against the TRX4M though.

Summary

All in all, the SCX24 is a very nice car that is capable of doing some surprisingly technical courses with hard obstacles on its own. Serious drivers or inclined courses may require some upgrades that can end up costing over $150, however.

The SCX24 is very comparable to other cars in its price point, despite making a few budget cuts in some areas. This car is perfect for a gift or for a hobbyist and runs well outdoors and indoors, and it a good balance in size.

This car is for a large group of people, from experienced drivers who are serious about crawling to even a gift for someone who’s just getting in to RC crawling. It is adequate enough for all ages and controllable enough to the point where you won’t be gifting a child a weapon of mass destruction.

It also comes at a competitive price which makes it good for a gift because it’s not too expensive and can be a plausible price for a gift.

So if you’re looking to just get into crawling, or if you want to start your next modded crawler to hit the courses, the Axial SCX24 is a great contender.

If you like what you saw in this article and would like to purchase it (not sponsored), you can purchase it at these sites:

• Amazon ($113 USD Today, Base Camp Edition) https://www.amazon.com/Axial-Crawler-Brushed-Everything-Included/dp/B0DM3N7TW5?th=1

• Horizon Hobby (119.99-159.99 USD Today, Depending on Type) https://www.horizonhobby.com/featured-product-guides/axial-scx24-rc-trucks/
• Or, your local hobby shop. Find Axial-Approved Horizon stores near you: https://www.horizonhobby.com/stores. Prices vary.

TechPenguin Review: Axial SCX24 Base Camp

The Axial SCX24 is my go-to RC crawler for a reason. Though the plastic parts and underpowered electronics remind you that’s it a budget rig, it still is perfectly adequate for your average driver. The aftermarket parts selection is extensive and the car is highly modifiable. Whether you’re driving it on a pile of textbooks or on a serious custom crawler track, it’s a ton of fun for its $120 price tag.

Final Verdict: 9/10 – Worth The Purchase!

Let me know what you’d like to see next! Discord: claymorecarl