News Desk

We love the Axial SCX10 III Jeep Wrangler Rubicon RTR

November 30, 2020

Take it out of the box, add batteries and hit the trails…we love our Axial SCX10 III Jeep Wrangler Rubicon RTR.

Axial is well known for its scale crawlers and the SCX10 lineup has plenty of fans all around the world. The latest-generation SCX10 III RTR crawlers have just arrived in Australia, and we got our hands on this Jeep Wrangler Rubicon RTR (cheers to Model Flight).

Don’t think you’re cheating by stumping for an RTR (ready-to-run) compared to a kit because, hey, we’re all busy people…well, some of us are busier than others at the moment (sorry Melbourne). The only thing you don’t get with the kit are batteries, everything else is in the box.

Now, don’t panic, we’ve got a full video review and written comparison coming very soon and we can’t wait for that…can’t tell you too much but it will involve a full-size Wrangler Rubicon and, er, the off-road. This yarn is just a Quick Look to give you a taster of what to expect from the Axial SCX10 III Wrangler RTR.

Let’s get money out of the way, yes, an RTR is going to cost more than a kit, in this case, the SCX10 III Wrangler Rubicon kit costs $729.00 while the RTR version lists at $899.99. Beyond having to build it yourself, the kit comes with a clear body that you’ll need to paint. The RTR on the other hand comes with everything already done for you, including the painted body…you can choose the colour.

It’s worth noting that the Axial Wrangler is fully licenced by Jeep, KMC and Nitto, indeed, Jeep’s even allowed Axial to slap a Trail Rated badge on the thing and it’s more than just a decal too. See, to get its Trail Rated badge, like all other Jeeps, Axial had to run its scale crawler along the Rubicon Trail (read about that by clicking on these Blue Words). Similarly, the KMC Machete wheels are officially licenced as are the Nitto Grappler tyres that are made from the same compound as the full-size jobbies.

So, there’s quite a bit of new stuff going on with the SCX10 III. For instance, it runs AR45 portal axles now which mean huge clearance, features awesome Spektrum electronics (2.4GHz DX3 3-channel DMSR transmitter and 40A Firma ESC/Reciever combined) , has LED lights, something Axial hasn’t used since the first SCX, now runs a front-mounted motor for increased realism, the chassis/wheelbase is adjustable to allow you to run a different body (like, for example, a Jeep Gladiator), there’s a full interior now, you get beadlock wheels (no glue) which makes it easier to swap tyres, and hidden body clips which makes for a more realistic facade, and the battery tray allows for NiMH or LiPo batteries to be used.

Like we said, this isn’t a full review but we have spent some time wheeling this thing, but here are a few observations. The ESC/Receiver is now one unit and that means you can finally steer and accelerate with just one hand; it also saves space. The fender liners help the thing to look nice and realistic but they also help to keep the dirt out…win-win. The included Dig function is cool. It lets you lock the rear axle via the transmitter for front-wheel drive and a tighter turning radius, it’s called Front Dig by those who rock crawl. The fact the motor is mounted at the front is great for added realism but it’s better for weight distribution when you’re crawling.

But, it’s not all good news. To use the Dig function and the two-speed transmission (fir high- and low-speed running) at the same time you’ll need to add another servo and radio channel, so it’s one or the other out of the box.

While the hidden clips make the body look a whole heap better they can be fiddly to use if you’ve got fat fingers like us, and you don’t get a spare tyre, oh, and the interior setup is left-hand drive only (but you can choose between a baseball cap or a cowboy hat for the driver).

Stay tuned for our video review of the Axial SCX10 III Jeep Wrangler Rubicon RTR and, if you’re keen on getting one for yourself, head on over to Model Flight (and tell ‘em MotoFomo sent you…they won’t care and you won’t get a discount. LOL).