Scaler Crawling

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Scaler Crawling

By Tony Arnold - StampedeProject.com

Unless you have been hiding under a rock, no pun intended, you have probably heard about the whole crawling segment. There are two major categories regardless of size; performance tuned crawler rigs which tend to look more like lunar rovers, and then there are scale models or "Scalers' that replicate the look of a real 1:1 rig. ProScaler's bolt on chassis for either the Axial Scorpion or Wheelie King paired with a Revo/Savage body transforms either platform into an RC that looks like the real deal hitting the rocks.

For me, the realism of scale chassis's brings back great memories. As a kid I remember running ditches with my grandfather to secret fishing holes and hunting spots all over Southern Illinois in his International Harvester Scout, so recreating and even upgrading that memory a bit was a fun project. My grandfather's scout wasn't running billet bead locks from Visionary Fabrication with sticky Pro Line Moabs or MaxAmps, Neumotor, and Castle Sidewinder brushless power, but he still would have loved this little RC.

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What's Included
There are a number of similar scaler chassis available and they all include about the same components. Left and right chassis plates, chassis spacers, body post mount brackets, and all the screws required to assemble the naked chassis. In the case of ProScaler's $80 chassis, it is beautifully CNC machined billet aluminum with a mirror polish and tri-angle electrics mounting plates.

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Parts List
ProScaler Chassis
4X4 RTR Wheelie King
RCGUY.com Servo Relocation Plate
RCGUY.com Diff Lockers
Emaxx Drive Shafts
DuBro Body Mounts
HiTec High Torque Servo
Castle Sidewinder ESC
Nuemotor 1100 Series Crawler Motor
Spectrum RX/TX
MaxAmps.com 1700Mh LiPo Pack
Pro Line Ambush Body
Pro Line M3 Moabs Tires
Visionary Fabrication Beadlocks
12T Robinson Pinion
Custom Motor Plate & Battery Plate
Kreepy Krawler Memory Foam Tire Inserts
Misc. Screws and Spacers
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The Build
The easy path would have been to use an Axial chassis since ProScaler sells the chassis as a direct replacement - bolt it together and go. I however thought the Wheelie King chassis added a little more realism for my IH Scout build. Due to my comments, ProScaler has added a couple extra chassis holes to help make future Wheelie King builds easier and to improve link and driveshaft angles. Following my previous Rock King crawler build style, I flipped the axle stays, moved the steering links up front, used a RC-Guy servo mount and diff lockers, and extended the driveshafts with Emaxx versions. The only real challenges on this bolt together build were fabricating a simple low CG side mount motor plate and mounting the Wheelie King transmission inside the ProScaler chassis. The engineered tranny mount solution was pretty simple with spacers and long 3mm screws holding the transmission securely. Although the stock motor plate would work, the side mount motor mount plate greatly lowered CG and was a simple trace and cut fabrication job using the old motor mount as a template and some 1/8" aluminum. With the exception of the noted part list, everything else used in the build came out of the Stock 4X4 Wheelie King box.

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For a power I used a Neumotor 1100 crawler motor which I am testing for Neu. Even with a much smaller can diameter, the little motor delivered more than enough power. I used the stock receiver with my recently tested Castle Sidewinder brushless ESC with the non-Beta upgrade patch loaded for smoother operation. A tiny MaxAmps 1700Mh crawler pack was tucked neatly on top of the front axle next to a RCGuy.com servo mount plate.

Since I plan on making the chassis sparkle with more aluminum bits later, I went ahead an added some Visionary Fabrication beadlocks. These weighted beadlocks are CNC machined from 3' solid billet aluminum stock exclusively for rock crawling. The narrow 1" beads and solid weighty construction balloon up the tires and are optimized for crawling. To up the crawling ability more, I dropped in a set of rock conforming Kreepy Krawler memory foam inserts into some sticky Pro Line M3 compound Moabs. I topped off the ProScaler chassis with Savage sized IH Scout-like Pro Line Ambush body with a classic yellow and white paint job.

Testing
Typically scale rigs don't perform as well as performance tuned crawlers due to higher CG and lower approach angles, but the consolation is they look freaking cool working the rocks. The ProScaler build did much better than any scale rig I have driven, due to some cleaver chassis engineering and their forward thought into suggesting a droop style suspension setup for the stock Wheelie King shocks. The kit includes what appear to be four ink pen springs - disassemble the shocks, load the springs under the pistons, reassemble with 80wt oil, add 1/2" external spacers, and you have a droop suspension that makes this chassis really perform. In fact a properly setup ProScaler chassis may out crawl some performance tuned rigs.

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What We Liked
Bringing back great memories, and still delivering great performance. $80 retail is a bargain, even if you do have to buy it direct from Canada. This mirror polished chassis is complete with spacers, and body mount holders, and all the screws needed for the build. Great chassis flexibility for a variety of build styles.

What We Would Change
ProScaler is very small and is still setting up their distributor network so you can only purchase direct at the time of this article. There are a couple parts that are needed to really make this a complete kit, the RC-Guy Servo Relocation Plate, and a fabricated battery and motor mounts. Although I used stock plastic Wheelie King links, building or buying a nice set of links would greatly increase durability and the overall looks of the build.

Conclusion
The ProScaler based crawler was a fun build which limits performance to a more realistic level. Its realistic look will definitely make the passing hiker do a double take while you are hitting the trails. I had a great weekend of testing, running trails and riverbeds all the while enjoying the great outdoors… something my grandfather would have loved.

Highs - Great price for converting a WK chassis into a scale crawler.
Lows - RCCrawler.ca is probably not in you browser favorites list yet. Motor and battery mounts are needed.
Final Call - Competition level performance in a bolt together chassis replacement.

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Sources: ProScaler - www.RCCrawler.CA, HPI - www.HPIRacing.com, NeuMotors - www.Neumotors.com, Castle Creations - www.CastleCreations.com. RC Guy - www.RCGUY.com, Pro Line - www.Pro-LineRacing.com, MaxAmps - www.MaxAmps.com, Visionary Fabrication - www.VisionaryFabrication.com, Kreepy Krawler at www.RCPCrawlers.com, Custom Decals - SupersportUSA.com