Trimming the Stock Axial AX10 Scorpion RC Rock Crawler Body

When I purchased my Axial AX10 Scorpion "ready to crawl" version, I was a very happy camper indeed. It had tons of flex, gobs of torque and was fun to the extreme. I was completely new to the rock crawler scene, however, and found out quickly that I would want a few upgrades. One of those would be a body trim.

For whatever reason, Axial decided to put rather large fenders on the stock white and green body. I found that at full suspension flex the Scorpion's tires would actually contact the body, and so I broke out the rotary tool with a metal cutoff wheel on it and went to work.

The Axial AX10 Scorpion's body was easy to shave. The trick is not to get in a hurry. I used a Dremel type tool with a metal cutoff wheel, but a hobby knife or even scissors are just as effective. Using the rotary tool, I slowly sank the wheel into the body where I wanted to shave it and then raised it up again. I repeated that process until the fenders were completely cut off.

The reason I did it that way is because trying to make one continuous cut may heat the body up due to friction which may actually warp and melt it. Also, if the wheel gets away from you, as they sometimes do, the body could become cut in places we do not wish it to. So I find that a slow, cut-by-cut process is not only more precise, but safer for the entire RC crawler body in the long run. Just take your time and make each cut as precise as possible.

Once it was cut, I attached the sander to the rotary tool and lightly ran over all the areas that I trimmed. One trick is to round off any sharp corners or edges you may have created because they can cause the body to crack. I made sure all the transitions on my Axial AX10 Scorpion's body were smooth and rounded. After I was done, my Axial AX10 Scorpion's wheels no longer contacted the body at full flex, and the thing looked better to boot in my opinion (see accompanying article picture). Trimming the body on my RC rock crawler was definitely a good idea. At the time of this writing I only use the original body as a spare and run a black VW Bug body that sits low on the chassis. It is also well trimmed.