Axial SWX Crawler reviewed in RRCi - CML Distribution

AxIAl sWx 2.2" ROCk CRAWlER ChAssIs 

By PEtER ‘MAD PEtE’ GRAy 

With the launch of the new SWX ‘Bender Customs’ 

competition chassis from Axial, I decided to 

update my now heavily used and abused Axial 

AX10 that I entered in the 2007 Nationals and have run 

most weekends since! I first contacted the designer 

Brad ‘Bender’ Dumont and asked him about his 

background in crawling, and as the newly 

appointed head of Axial R&D I wanted to know 

what development had gone into this unique 

design and what actually makes a 

competition winning rig work. 

62 WWW.RADIORACECAR.COM 02/09 

back back 

in 

black black 

Axial SWX 2.2” 

Rock Crawler Chassis

BItE My shINy DElRIN skIDPlAtE! 

Brad’s notoriety and the respect he’s garnered from 

enthusiasts worldwide all stems from his own product 

line that started with him competing in the 2.2" class in 

Colorado and Moab. These competitions evolved into 

him developing products such as the SW2, which Brad 

manufactured to sell to the general public under the 

name ‘Bender Customs’. The SW3 was the next chassis 

he designed which was essentially a no frills competition 

specification which went on to win the 2007 RCCRawler. 

com ‘Peoples Choice Award’ for ‘Best Chassis’. After a 

short break from manufacturing chassis, he designed the 

SWX chassis for Axial Racing’s AX10 kit. A culmination 

of four years of R&D, it’s by far the most compact and 

capable chassis he’s designed to date. 

‘MAD’ PEtE INtERVIEWs BRAD 

Here’s my interview with the 

man himself, his thoughts and 

ideas on what makes a good 

competition rig perform and 

his views on the ever-growing 

crawler scene: 

Mad Pete: Where does the Bender in 

Bender Customs come from then? I’m 

thinking Futurama, am I on the right 

track? 

Brad: You are correct, the name mainly 

comes from Futurama. That show cracks 

me up, and Bender is the best character 

on it in my opinion 

So how long have you been into R/C 

rock crawling? 

I’ve been R/C rock crawling since 2000, 

but became heavily involved with 

it when I stumbled upon RCCrawler. 

com in 2004. I won the 2006 USRCCA 

nationals with a rig I designed and built. 

Been competing all over the US for 

the last couple years. My first chassis 

design for the public was the SW2, 

which was designed to be a chassis 

that could be built with any axles out 

there. The next chassis was my SW3, 

which was designed to be strictly a 2.2 

comp chassis. Then I designed the SWX 

hIs MAIN POINts ON BuIlDING A GOOD COMP RIG ARE As fOllOWs: 

• For a 4-linked chassis, link set-up, ride height 

and shock angle play the biggest role in how 

a rig performs 

• Have the upper and lower links double triangulated 

• Ride height has to be set so the rig has a decent 

‘break over’ angle (ground clearance), but 

still set low enough to climb steep vertical faces 

• Driving style, as well as terrain, can play a big role 

too. Some people prefer wheel speed and some 

prefer a lot of torque, one set-up may not work 

for both situations. Experiment to see what’s 

good for you! 

around Axial’s AX10, which they decided 

to buy the rights too. I interviewed with 

them shortly after that for a job as a 

product designer/R&D tester, which is 

now where I currently work in California. 

So where do you see rock crawling 

going in the future? 

For the future of R/C crawling I’d like 

to see the Super Class evolve more. 

I’m hoping more companies will start 

to support this class. Right now there 

isn’t much support for it as far as 

aftermarket parts go. I think that’s the 

biggest reason that the attendance 

numbers for comps are down in that 

class. The 2.2 class seems to be getting 

all the attention lately, which is great to 

see but the Super Class is what really 

kicked this aspect of R/C off, and now it 

seems to have taken a back seat to the 

other classes. I also think that the scale 

trucks are going to receive a lot of 

attention over the next year. I can see 

more and more competitions popping 

up for them. Especially now that Axial 

is releasing the new SCX10 ‘scaler’. The 

toughest part about competing with 

the scale trucks is having a set of rules/ 

guidelines that keeps the playing field 

level, but still allows for all the creative 

ideas that people are coming up with. 

The wheelbases vary greatly too, and 

RRCi fEAtuRE 

that is a big factor on how capable a rig 

is. The wheelbase rule for the 2.2 class 

is what keeps it very competitive. 

To dig or not to dig..? 

That is the question 

I don’t see dig going away in the US. It 

has really taken the capability of the 2.2 

class to a whole new level. There are so 

many situations where it is beneficial, 

and it allows us to run more technical/ 

difficult courses then ever before. The 

USRCCA has also recently added a 1.9 

class to the rules. I believe this class 

will grow very fast, because they are 

not allowing dig. This will let more new 

people that are on tight budgets to 

come in with relatively simple rigs and 

be competitive. 

So what are you working on at the 

moment? Is there an essential hop-up 

or must have Axial add-on? 

Axial is working on a bunch of new 

products for the 2009 season, but that’s 

about all I can say at this point without 

giving up any top-secret info. Right now 

I think the hottest hop-ups we have are 

the aluminium knuckles, aluminium axle 

C’s, the CVD’s. The SWX chassis also 

seems to be a pretty popular hop-up 

right now too, which is nice to see. 

• If you get a lot of torque twist in a shaft driven rig, 

add a stronger spring and oil to the offending rear 

shock, then try it again. If you still get twist move 

the upper link mounting points on the chassis 

down closer to the lower mounting points, 

and see if that helps 

• The best 4-link set-up is one that can flex 

with little change in the wheelbase 

02/09 WWW.RADIORACECAR.COM 63


Left: Hardened diff 

lockers take anything 

you throw at them 

Above: CDV’s give 

tighter turning circle 

without binding at 

full lock 

Right: The SWX 

chassis kit in all its 

dark glory has taken 

Brad 4 years to 

develop 

Left: RC4WD 

axle housings in 

super slippery 

Delrin, note 

rear requires no 

lockouts 

Right: Sub 

assemblies and 

‘Punisher’ drive 

shafts built to 

take abuse 

With all these points in mind, and a new SWX Bender chassis in my 

hands, I started to collect all the components required to make a 

serious competition rig for the 2009 nationals and local competitions. 

My first stop was CML Distribution who had also supplied me the 

chassis to review. I first upgraded the standard Axial diff lockers to the 

comp spec Axial hardened items. Next I swapped the standard front 

axle internals for Axial CVDs, allowing a better steering angle without 

any binding in the driveline, and I added hardened spool and pinion 

gears to each diff. I wanted a black on black look for the rig to match 

the chassis so chose the new Pro-Line Spider crawler shell and plain 

black Fastrax paint. 

Adding to the stealth look, I chose black Pro-Line Eight Shooter 2.2 

beadlock wheels, Pro-Line memory foam inserts and the M3 soft 

compound Pro-Line Badlands 2.2 crawler tyres. I kept the slipper 

clutch assembly but replaced the slipper pads and spur gear that has 

lasted a year of crawling, as I wanted to start fresh! I lastly added a 

Novak Rooster Crawler Edition ESC and the new Venom 50T Crawler 

Spec motor, giving me slightly more wheel speed than a 55 or 60 

turn motor and the amazing drag brakes that have made this ESC my 

favourite choice for any crawler build. 

I then travelled north to visit King Cobra to see their new range of 

RC4WD Axial hop ups. I wanted to make this rig as bullet proof as 

possible across the whole drive-line so I chose a new aluminium 

transmission case and hardened steel internal gears, clock-able 

aluminium ‘C’ hubs and steering knuckles. I also used the RC4WD 

‘Punisher’ steel driveshafts especially made to fit the Axial. I also 

added the new Delrin axle housings for a smooth and slippery surface 

to help avoid hanging up on rocks. 

My final addition was a set of the Losi 2.2 100 mm crawler spec 

shocks. These have fast become the shock of choice in serious 

competition and are ideal for the SWX. With a threaded cartridge 

design, they are easy to assemble, fill and bleed. With Titanium Nitride 


coated shafts, they are perfect for crawling and smooth in operation 

using the supplied soft white springs. These have been used by Brad 

himself in his own SWX builds, though he designed the chassis to also 

use the standard 120 mm Axial shocks mounted in different holes or 

indeed your own shocks of choice. That’s the great thing about a comp 

build, you choose everything that you want to bolt on and build to 

whatever spec, you want. 

ClEANED, luBED, AND READy tO AssEMBlE 

The donor parts from the original rig were the bearings, the diff spools 

and rear drive shafts. I thoroughly cleaned and lubed the bearings by 

leaving them soaking overnight in oil. I also replaced all bolts, washers 

and nylock nuts on everything except the transmission case, as a year 

of wear and tear had taken its toll on the original rig’s hardware with 

some bolt heads almost worn half away! 

When rebuilding the diffs with hardened gears and lockers, I made 

sure the cases were packed with quality LM grease. This also goes for 

the new transmission cases and hardened gears; I want longevity from 

this build with the usual RRCi philosophy of ‘Fit and Forget’. Once built 

correctly these sub assemblies should last a season or two and still be 

ready for more. My original Axial items have performed perfectly, and 

show minimal wear internally, but the lower plastic diff casings have 

taken a real beating so I thought it was time to give the Delrin RC4WD 

items ‘a day in court’. 

When both axles were finished I connected each built sub assembly 

to a cordless drill using a flexible extension and turned them slowly to 

check everything ran smoothly and bed the ring gear to the pinion. The 

RC4WD Delrin cases do not need ‘lock outs’ on the rear assembly, as 

they are a straight moulding that captures the bearings for the output 

shafts internally. This will not allow you to fit 4WS as you can with the 

original Axial items, but as current 2.2 comp rules do not allow 4WS, it 

didn’t bother me.

The front assembly was completed, by adding two M3 bolts to hold 

each ‘C’ hub in place. I realised when fitting these that the mouldings 

on the axle casings are smooth all the way around with nothing to key 

the ‘C’ hubs other than the two M3 bolts. This would allow you to ‘clock’ 

these hubs to any angle required just by re-drilling the two holes in 

a different position. If you make geometry changes in the future by 

altering link lengths the diff angle will change. Shorter bottom links or 

longer top links rotate the diff input shaft upwards giving a better angle 

for the drive shafts and extra clearance in certain situations when 

crawling. Just bear in mind that as you rotate the front diff housing, you 

need to clock the ‘C’ hubs to counteract the castor change induced, 

so the steering kingpin stays as vertical as possible (zero castor) thus 

giving you a better turning circle and more precise steering. 

A DARk BuIlD 

The last job was to bolt all sub assemblies onto the chassis ensuring 

you orientate the gearbox mounting holes in the skid plate opposite 

the cut-out vertical chassis plate for the motor (and yes I put it the 

wrong way round the first time!) 

Top Tip 

Tap all the M3 holes on the skidplate first, as Delrin is a very hard 

material for screws to self-thread into. 

The skid plate has a channel cut in the bottom face that helps stop 

you slipping laterally if you ground it over rocks or obstacles when 

running the rig. All bolts on the sides of the chassis are countersunk 

to avoid catching on rocks and the chassis itself is very narrow in 

comparison to the standard Axial item allowing you to squeeze through 

gaps not possible with a stock rig as long as your bodyshell will allow. 

As the motor and transmission are wider once assembled than the 

chassis itself, Brad has made the motor side of the chassis open 

without a top bar, and even though this looks weird at first, in use it’s 

not an issue and caused no hang ups or damage to the motor or its 

mounting plate. 

Below: Pro-Line Eight Shooter beadlocks 

with memory foam inserts ready to 

assemble after adding weights to rims 

Above: An assembled 

weight of 14 oz for each 

front, and 8 oz for each 

rear, ready to crawl 

Below: Completed rolling chassis ready 

for electrics, check all links move freely 

without binding for smooth shock 

movement and better traction 


The geometry of the chassis allows you to fit shocks between 100 

mm and 120 mm in length and still give good ground clearance while 

maintaining a low centre of gravity. The more you lay the shocks down, 

the softer the set-up becomes. Endless variations are possible with 

enough mounting holes to achieve whatever angle works for you. I 

opted to use the end mount holes as my shorter 100 mm Losi shocks 

fitted perfectly in that position and still allowed a good level of ground 

clearance. 

The supplied SWX links were a breeze to assemble, I used new 

plastic rod ends and made sure that when fixing them to the links that 

the balls were able to move freely and the rod ends were not over 

tightened. I then custom made a set of combination ‘4-link’ and servo 

mount plates from sheet Delrin to put the ends of the top links under 

these plates and remove the Axial Y-pieces from the assembly. Built as 

standard the Axial items work fine, but I have found a true ‘4-link’ more 

stable in use as it stops over articulation and once the shocks are setup 

correctly reduces torque twist significantly. 

I then turned to my wheels and tyres. I added lead ballast to the front 

Pro-Line Eight Shooter rims to make the total weight with Badland 

tyres and memory foam inserts 14 oz per assembly. The rears were 

left without weight at just 8 oz once built. This difference really helps 

a rig’s ability to climb ledges and descend very steep angles, by 

putting the balance point further forward. Different builders alter this 

weight bias, some even run without weighting their front wheels and 

concentrate weight forward by placing split battery packs on the front 

axles. In testing I’ve found that weighting the wheels gives me a more 

predictable set-up and once you learn what your rig can and can’t do, 

it’s your driving style and ability to choose the right lines that makes all 

the difference in a comp. 

Above: RC4WD alloy transmission case and hardened gears for 

hours of maintenance free crawling 

Above: RC4WD alloy ‘C’ Hubs and steering knuckles allow 

‘clocking’ to maintain castor and full steering lock 



sWx’y tOuChEs 

Mounting plates were fabricated out of Lexan sheet to mount 

the ESC and LiPo pack fit to the top links. I was sure to check 

the cable ties were not over tight so the movement of the links 

would not be affected. Lastly I fitted a SR3100 DSM2 Spektrum 

receiver on another Lexan plate just above the transmission. To 

keep the wiring tidy and away from moving parts, I spiral bound 

everything to add a final touch to the electrical installation. I did 

the usual C of G test by standing the rig sideways on its wheels 

and it sat there fine with no sign of falling over. This is the 

simplest and best method of testing how a rig will perform on 

a steep incline. If it falls over the C of G is too high, with weight 

distributed in the right places you will be amazed how much 

better a rig will perform. 

Finally I added the newly painted Pro-Line Spider shell, and 

instead of mounting it through the sides, I opted to use longer 

body mounts and attach it through the top of the shell, so there 

was nothing on the shell that could hang up on rocks and I think 

it actually looks better aesthetically, keeping the lines of the 

shell uncluttered. I stood back and admired the completed rig, 

dark and moody…time to go test! 

ROCk sOlID PERfORMANCE 

On a usual British winter’s day, we took an RRCi crawling squad 

to Burton Dassett for a day’s testing in a good old session of 

‘flow the leader’. I test here regularly and the terrain goes from 

easy climbs and sidehilling sections, to extreme near vertical 

ledges, higher than the wheelbase of most rigs. There is also a 

section of almost impossible descents with tight channels ready 

to trap and bind up a rig’s wheels and axles if the wrong line is 

taken. 

The SWX was a delight to run, as the low C of G really helps its 

stability. The rig climbed everything thrown at it, only grounding 

the straight lower links over certain ledges, and I’m sure the 

Above: 4-link plates with top links 

mounted underneath help reduce 

torque twist and aid stability 


extra clearance that bent lower links would afford would make 

a world of difference. I must say that one thing I sometimes had 

a problem with on my old rig, were high drop offs, but the SWX 

just lapped them up. Holding the rig on drag brakes then letting 

it just drop slowly over the edge before giving it full throttle as it 

lands delivered a perfect result every time. Its ability to side-hill 

also amazed me, as it didn’t show any signs of wanting to roll 

over, it just sat there ready to go wherever you put it. 

The Pro-Line Badlands in the soft M3 compound and memory 

foam really performed well, with great levels of grip on most 

surfaces and only struggling if the tread filled with mud. Once 

cleaned and wiped dry they felt sticky again and ready for 

action. The whole package when combined with the bullet proof 

drive-train enhancements, CVD’s giving better turning circle 

and metal ‘C’ hubs and steering knuckles worked well together. 

I’m really looking forward to putting the SWX through its paces 

at the GB Models Urban Crawler Course and Black Rocks in 

2009, so watch for the videos on my madpete98 ‘You Tube’ 

channel! 

Brad has done a great job with the development and design of 

the SWX and I hope that he takes the Axial brand and crawling 

to even greater heights of innovation in 2009 and beyond. If 

you are looking to upgrade your current Axial to something 

more competitive or are scratch building a rig, then you can’t go 

far wrong with the SWX chassis kit as a starting point. I would 

like to thank Brad for his thoughts and contribution to this 

article, and I hope to go to the West Coast of the US at some 

point in 2009 to crawl in the birthplace of the scene and to see 

what inspired him in the first place. RRCi 

Below: Tidy electrics, with all weight kept 

as low as possible to help reduce the C of G 

Below: Crawler 

spec shocks by 

Losi matched 

with white 

springs seem 

to be the choice 

for serious 

competition

The Pro-Line Spider shell 

gives the feel of a full size 

tube chassis, almost too 

good to scratch 

The SWX took on anything we threw at it 

and came crawling back for more! 


QUICK SPEC 

Class: 2.2” Competition Rock Crawler 

Type: Self-assembly Chassis Kit 

Manufacturer: Axial 

Price: Axial SWX Chassis £69.99 

EQuIPMENt usED 

AxIAl – CMl 

CVD drive shafts 

Hardened diff gears 

Hardened diff lockers 

Novak Rooster Crawler 

Venom 50T motor 

Venom 800 mAh 2s LiPo 

PRO-lINE – CMl 

Spider shell 

Badlands M3 

Memory foams 

8 shooter beadlocks 

RC4WD – kING COBRA 

Delrin diff cases 

‘Punisher’ shafts 

Alloy ‘C’ hubs 

Steering knuckles 

Alloy main gear case 

Hardened reduction gears 

hORIZON hOBBy 

Losi 4" Crawler shocks 

Spektrum DX3R 

SR3100 DSM2 

DIslIkEs 

Skid plate holes very tight 

Straight bottom links 

lIkEs 

National winning design 

Four years real world R&D 

Narrow chassis design 

Virtually no torque twist 

Limiting articulation works 

Delrin axle housings 

Alloy hop-ups bulletproof 

Punisher’s drive shafts 

50T Venom Torque and Speed 

CONtACt 

CML Distribution 

Tel 01527 575349 

or visit www.cmldistribution.co.uk 

King Cobra Distribution Ltd 

Tel 01706 260502 

or visit www.kingcobra.co.uk 

Horizon Hobby UK 

Tel 01279 641097 

or visit www.horizonhobby.co.uk

Axial SWX Crawler reviewed in RRCi - CML Distribution

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