Axial Wraith vs SCX10: The Best Model for You!

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The fact that Wraith and SCX10 are both from Axial can create confusion. It’s been years that Axial is producing great models like this. They might be from the same brand, but they are quite different in terms of features. 

So if you want to choose, which one will you go for? The Axial Wraith or SCX10? 

The first impression of Axial Wraith is great. The car is pretty big with big wheels and a tall body. But the flexibility of SCX10 is much better. The engine of SCX10 gives better performance. With full throttle, SCX10 can easily win a race with Wraith. The only drawback of the SCX10 is the wheels. 

Well, that’s not all of it! You are going to need a lot more information before jumping into what to buy. So without further ado let’s move on to the battle! 

Axial Wraith vs SCX10: Head-to-Head Battle

We need to clear out the features before the detailed debate. To do that we have categorized these two crawlers!

Just check out the quick peek of this battle-

Features Axial Wraith SCX10
Body Design Wider body with 9.4 inches height Small body, 8.1 inches height.
Chassis Realistic full tube-shaped chassis Carbon Graphite chassis with rails.
Wheel 1.9 inches KMC XD tires with overhauled internals. 1.9 inches tires but upgradable to 2.2 inches.
Battery Gens Ace 5000mAh to 7200mAh 2S battery. Rear & Side front for Gens Ace 5000mAh 3S battery.
Motor T20 Brushed Motor 35T Brushed Motor
Price $360-$400 $350-$420

Well, it looks like we will have an interesting debate. These two RC cars rival each other in every field. 

Now that you know the notable differences, let’s go over the detailed differences. 

Axial Wraith vs SCX10: Detailed Battle

The Wraith and the SCX10 are two of the most amazing RC cars now. All the hype about these two RC can gamble with your mind.

That’s why we have created this unbiased battle between these two. Because comparing these two is like comparing Axial bomber with Yeti, as they are from the same brand. 

However, we have got all the features of both of the cars.

Now it’s time to move on to the details. Let’s discuss the body of both of the cars. 

Body Design 

The first difference you are going to notice is that the Axial Wraith is bigger, in all aspects. This car comes with a heavy box with the tactic radio.

Axial wraith has a Lexan body. You get a little guy inside the car. The model is almost 8 years older in specs.

The ESC has no power button on it.  So you have to locate it inside a wacky plate of the car. 

The steering linkage on the car is plastic.  So the steering of the car is not that great.

The drive shafts and most of the links of the car are plastic. So you can understand the quality.

The car is not bouncy at all. But keep in mind that we are going to use this for rock crawling purposes. 

On the other hand, the SCX10 is a full-featured bouncy trail crawler. It has portal axels with a detailed body. It has a fair amount of 3D molded parts.

The body post of this car is at the bottom. So the SCX10 is completely stealthy and a lot handier. 

The details they went to make the car better are amazing.  

So, if we are looking for a winner here, Axial SCX10 wins. Because the body design of the SCX10 will keep it running on the rocks with better speed. 

Winner: Axial SCX10

Performance

The performance of your RC car will depend on the engine you have. We only want good performance on the trail.

If we talk about the overall performance of the Axial Wraith, it’s surprisingly good. But let’s be real, what do we expect from a rock crawler? The flexibility. What’s missing on the Axial Wraith?

So if you go over a rock with the wraith, it will start to tilt. It will just flip over when you are at speed and hit something

If you jump with the wraith, it will not bounce after the landing. It’s kind of disappointing for a rock crawler. The reason behind this is the oversized 3.5mm shocks on this.

The speed on this wraith is pretty good. Because it uses a 700+ horsepower engine. 

But for SCX10, I cannot complain about the performance. With 800+ horsepower it can obviously make the wraith lose.

The performance on SCX10 is really appreciable. The articulation is great. 

The flexibility of this car is nicer than you expect. It can easily go through rocky and watery terrain. Don’t worry if the water takes it deep, with the full throttle it can blow out the water.

SCX10 uses a high-quality nitro engine. 

You can upgrade the wraith and make the performance better. But naturally, the winner of this section is SCX10. You are getting faster acceleration with flexibility. 

Winner: Axial SCX10

Wheels

Well, the wheels might not look important but they are important. For rock crawling performance you are going to need better wheels. 

Axial Wraith uses 1.9 inches KMC XD tires. They come with overhauled internals. 

The traction of the wheels is amazing. If you are racing or playing on muddy terrain, the wheels are going to help you.

Another interesting fact about the Wraith is its R35 compound construction. 

On the other hand, SCX10 uses 1.9 inches tires. But you can upgrade to 2.2 inches. The wheels give a decent performance on the terrain.

If we create a wheel battle between these two, Axial Wraith is going to win. 

But keep in mind that you can always get better wheels in the aftermarket. As a matter of fact, we have some amazing wheel options for your RC car. Check them out!

Product 1
Product 2

However, if you’re looking for the best wheels, we can say they both are tied in this section. 

Battery 

The run time of your RC car depend on what kind of battery it uses. But keep in mind that the weight of the battery adds to the car’s weight.

First of all, the Axial Wraith uses Gens Ace 5000mAh. But for ease of comparison, we will compare with 3800mAh batteries on both Wraith and SCX10.

We have already measured down the runtime of both of the cars. 

If you choose the toughest terrain, you can easily get 30 to 35 minutes with the Wraith.

On the other hand, SCX10 can give you 38 to 45 minutes of runtime. The power of the SCX10 is better at this point.

But if your runtime is lesser than this, you should check the condition of your battery.

When narrowing down the runtime, the winner of this feature is SCX10 with 10 or 15 minutes of more runtime.

Winner: Axial Wraith 

Final Verdict

Well, we are almost at the end. Now it’s time to choose between these two great RC rock crawlers.

Keep in mind that we are using both of the cars for rock crawling. So the engine, suspension, and speed of the SCX10 can easily serve our purpose.

But when it comes to the wheels of the car, SCX10 might disappoint you. Because the wheels are not the best for muddy terrains.

If you are interested in racing, the SCX10 will win at any cost. With full throttle, it will blow out water and make you the winner.

So considering everything, we can say that the SCX10 is the winner here. 

That’s all we had here to offer today!

FAQs

How fast can my SCX10 go?

Well, the SCX10 is not meant for racing but for rock crawling. But if you want to race on rocky terrain you can get as much as 7mph speed. The speed of this car depends on the track you are using.

Can I exchange tires from my SCX10 to Wraith?

No, you cannot. Because the SCX10 uses a smaller steering axle. The arms of this car are also smaller. Overall, you cannot use the tires as they won’t fit at all.

Why is my Wraith running slower?

Sometimes a battery can run out of juice. That’s why your RC car is getting slower. Another cause behind this is battery failure. Fix or replace the batteries on your Wraith to get rid of this situation.

Conclusion

Well, we shared all of the information you need to choose from Axial Wraith vs SCX10. So, it’s your time to make a decision and get the best rock crawler out there.

Make sure you have the right terrain for the car.

Drive and share the experience with us!

About the author

Travis Murray

I am Travis Murray, and my love for RC began in 2017. It gradually turned into a passion, leading me to become an RC enthusiast and blogger. I write in-depth reviews and DIY guides for RC enthusiasts to provide troubleshooting tips and insider knowledge to help starters find the hidden gems in the hobby.
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