Have you ever found yourself mesmerised by overlanding and off-roading videos, just watching those lifted off-roaders conquering obstacle after obstacle, kicking up mud, driving through puddles, inching down steep slopes and climbing up steep gradients that seem impossible to scale?

I sure did, but without the time, money and commitment to actually do it, I could only remain as a spectator behind my computer screen...

This scale crawler had a ladder-frame chassis along with live-axles just like a true off-roader

That was until I found something that's about as close as I can get to the action, but at a fraction of the cost - RC Crawlers! At 1/16th to 1/10th of the scale of an actual off-road vehicle, an RC Crawler still manages to offer plenty of fun!

I'm someone that can never be content with something that's stock and unmodified - from cars to watches to toy cars to keyboards to computers... needless to say, the RC Crawler got plenty of upgrades before I've even ran it the first time

I started my RC Crawler journey with the purchase of an affordable 1/12th scale (though strictly speaking, it's closer to typical 1/16th scale RC cars) Defender from Taobao - the MN D90. This Chinese-made radio-control crawler kit isn't an officially licensed product, but the details are pretty amazing. Especially when you consider the fact that it could be bought for less than $100.

I've made sure to paint the body in stages of light coats to ensure durability, the painted body was then clear-coated for maximum protection, and a gloss finish

While it is available as a ready-to-run kit, I opted for the unassembled one, as I love putting stuff together. In fact, I've also bought a variety of upgrades so I don't have to live with a fully-stock car. Modifications, customisations and upgrades are what keep me blood pumping - the same applies to my own car... but that's a story for another day.

Having prior experience with building 1/10th scale RC drift cars, this build didn't take much effort to complete, I even painted the shell to a 'Battleship Grey' colour that I thought would be perfect for the rugged nature of an off-roader.

Now, even though I've already had a bunch of upgrades, I am already eyeing more - I would love to increase the articulation of the suspension, maybe raise the height of the crawler for even more clearance, weighted wheels for more stability, a larger motor for more torque... You get the idea, this is just the start of a fun, and potentially expensive journey. But first, let's bring it out into the elements, and get it dirty!

-Zhi Xuan