Head to head
Axial SCX24 vs FMS FCX24
Both are 1/24 crawlers small enough to drive on a desk, and both arrive complete with a battery and a charger. One is a platform to modify forever; the other is a piece of engineering to admire as it is.
By Ryder M. · Published October 10, 2026 · Last reviewed
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Buy the [Axial SCX24](#axial-scx24) if there is any chance this becomes a hobby rather than a gift, and buy the [FMS FCX24 Power Wagon](#fms-fcx24-power-wagon) if what appeals is the engineering and the scale detail exactly as it comes. The SCX24 is under eight inches long, sold in licensed Jeep, Bronco, C10 and Power Wagon bodies, and backed by the largest aftermarket of any crawler on sale. The FCX24 is 8.25 inches, runs portal axles, oil-filled shocks and a two-speed transmission switched from the third radio channel — specification that is genuinely unusual at this size.
Short version: the SCX24 wins on upgrade paths and parts availability; the FCX24 wins on hardware you cannot normally get at 1/24. Both include a battery and a USB charger, both work indoors, and both are slow enough that crashing is essentially not a failure mode. If it is a gift for a child, the SCX24 is the sturdier choice; if it is for an adult who likes clever mechanisms, the FCX24.
The two crawlers side by side
| Axial SCX24 | FMS FCX24 Power Wagon | |
|---|---|---|
| Scale and length | 1/24, under 8 inches | 1/24, 8.25 inches |
| Axles | Standard solid axles | Portal axles |
| Transmission | Single speed | Two-speed, switched on the third channel |
| Shocks | Coil-over | Oil-filled |
| Bodies | Licensed Jeep, Bronco, C10, Power Wagon | Licensed Dodge Power Wagon, with a factory light kit |
| Battery and charger included | Yes — small LiPo and a USB charger | Yes — 7.4V 380mAh LiPo and a USB charger |
| Aftermarket | The largest in the crawler category | FMS dealers, mail order |
| Where parts come from | Hobby shops plus a huge third-party market | FMS dealers by mail order |
| Best for | A platform to upgrade for years | Scale detail and unusual engineering |
The aftermarket argument, which is the real one
Crawlers are unusual in this hobby in that they get kept. Nothing crashes, nothing wears out quickly, and the entertainment comes from gradually making the truck better at the one thing it does. That turns the aftermarket into the most important specification on the page, and it is where Axial is simply in a different league: brass weights to lower the center of gravity, metal axle housings, better servos, different wheels and tires, and a steady supply of parts from third parties as well as from Axial itself. If the hobby sticks, the SCX24 is the platform where there is always another thing to fit.
FMS does not compete on that ground and does not try to. Its answer is to put the upgrades in the box: portal axles and a two-speed gearbox are things SCX24 owners buy or fabricate, and the FCX24 ships with both. The catch is that spares arrive by mail order from an FMS dealer rather than off a shelf, so a broken part means waiting. For a truck that essentially never crashes, that is a smaller problem than it sounds — but it is a real one if the driver is eight years old.
Why portal axles and two speeds matter at this size
A portal axle puts a gear set at the wheel so the axle housing can sit higher than the hub. On a full-size truck that buys ground clearance; at 1/24, where the obstacles are pebbles and twigs and the gap between the axle and the ground is measured in millimeters, it buys proportionally more. The FCX24 clears things a standard-axle 1/24 truck beaches on, and it does it while staying short enough to turn around inside a shoebox.
The two-speed transmission is the other trick, and it is rarer still. Crawling wants a very low gear for control; getting from one obstacle to the next wants a higher one. FMS switches between them from the third radio channel, which means the truck can crawl properly and still cross a lawn without taking ten minutes about it. The FCX24 Smasher V2 uses the same chassis under a monster-truck body with enormous hollow tires, and FMS quotes 8 km/h — slow, but then it fits on a coffee table.
How we judged the pair
- Upgrade path first. Crawlers are bought to be modified. A platform with no aftermarket has an expiry date, and this is where the SCX24 earns its lead.
- Then hardware you cannot add cheaply. Portal axles and a two-speed gearbox are expensive to retrofit and come fitted on the FCX24.
- Then what is in the box. Both include a battery and a USB charger, which is why both work as gifts.
- Then parts logistics. Hobby-shop shelves beat mail order when something breaks, especially in a household new to this.
- Then durability versus detail. Scale realism and small hands are in tension, and we weight that toward the recipient rather than the spec sheet.
- Honest cons on both. The SCX24's aftermarket is also a cost; the FCX24's 380mAh pack is tiny and its detail parts are fragile.
The crawlers
| # | Product | Best for | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Axial SCX24Under eight inches long, four-wheel drive, and it turns a living room floor into a trail. | Indoor crawling | 8.6 | |
| 2 | FMS FCX24 Power WagonA 1/24 licensed scale crawler with portal axles and a two-speed gearbox, complete with battery and charger. | Scale looks, tiny space | 8.3 | |
| 3 |  FMS FCX24 Smasher V2A 1/24 monster truck on the FCX24 crawler chassis — hollow balloon tires, two speeds, and it fits on a coffee table. | A monster truck indoors | 8.0 |
Illustrative photo — not this exact model.
#1 · Indoor crawling
Axial SCX24
Under eight inches long, four-wheel drive, and it turns a living room floor into a trail.
8.6/10our score for this use
A 1/24 scale crawler — smaller than a shoe — sold as several licensed bodies including Jeep, Ford Bronco, Chevrolet C10 and a Power Wagon. It is a complete ready-to-run package with a small LiPo battery and USB charger, and it crawls over table legs, stairs and garden rockeries at walking pace.
- Size:
- 1/24 (under 8 inches long)
- Drive:
- Full-time 4WD
- Motor:
- brushed motor
What it does well
- Small enough to use indoors year-round, which no other hobby-grade car on this site can claim
- Slow, so crashes barely exist — the failure mode is tipping over, not breaking
- A huge aftermarket of upgrade parts if the hobby sticks
What it does badly
- Tiny. If the person you are buying for wanted something impressive to look at, this is not it
- Not fast, and it never will be
- The included battery is small, so a spare pack is an obvious early purchase
Specifications from Axial's brand pages at Horizon Hobby.
Illustrative photo — not this exact model.
#2 · Scale looks, tiny space
FMS FCX24 Power Wagon
A 1/24 licensed scale crawler with portal axles and a two-speed gearbox, complete with battery and charger.
8.3/10our score for this use
FMS builds small, detailed, licensed crawlers. The Power Wagon is 8.25 inches long, runs portal axles, oil-filled shocks and a two-speed transmission switched from the third radio channel, and arrives with a 7.4 volt 380mAh LiPo and a USB charger.
- Size:
- 1/24 (8.25 inches long)
- Drive:
- Portal-axle 4WD
- Motor:
- brushed motor
What it does well
- Portal axles and a two-speed gearbox at 1/24 scale is genuinely unusual engineering
- Works on a desk, a bookshelf or a flowerbed — the smallest realistic venue of anything here
- Battery, charger and a factory light kit are all included
What it does badly
- At 1/24 it is a display piece as much as a toy; small hands break the scale details
- Spares come from FMS dealers by mail order, not from a local hobby shop shelf
- The 380mAh battery is tiny — plan on buying spares
Specifications from the FMS FCX24 Power Wagon page.
Illustrative photo — not this exact model.
#3 · A monster truck indoors
FMS FCX24 Smasher V2
A 1/24 monster truck on the FCX24 crawler chassis — hollow balloon tires, two speeds, and it fits on a coffee table.
8.0/10our score for this use
The Smasher takes the FCX24 crawler platform and puts a classic monster-truck body and huge hollow tires on it. FMS lists a 130 brushed motor, planetary gear differentials front and rear, a two-speed transmission, 44mm of ground clearance and a 442 gram weight.
- Size:
- 1/24
- Drive:
- 4WD
- Motor:
- brushed motor
What it does well
- Enormous tires relative to its size mean it climbs over things far bigger than it is
- The two-speed transmission gives it a slow crawl gear and a faster run gear
- Light enough that crashing it indoors damages neither the truck nor the furniture
What it does badly
- FMS quotes 8 km/h — this is not a fast truck by any measure
- Outdoors it is limited to short grass and packed dirt
- Parts are mail order from FMS dealers
Specifications from the FMS FCX24 series listing.
Run time, and the thing nobody warns you about
Both of these ship with very small batteries — the FCX24's is a 7.4 volt 380mAh pack — and at 1/24 scale that is enough for a short session rather than an afternoon. This is the single most predictable disappointment with a tiny crawler, and it is also the cheapest to fix: a second and third pack cost very little at this size and roughly triple the time the truck is usable. Buy them with the truck rather than later. RC car battery sizes covers what fits, and how long do RC car batteries last sets realistic expectations.
Which to buy
- There is a real chance this becomes a hobby: the SCX24. The aftermarket is the whole argument.
- An adult who likes mechanisms: the FCX24 Power Wagon — portals, two speeds and oil shocks at 1/24 is genuinely interesting.
- A child under ten: the SCX24, or step up to an eleven-inch truck built for handling.
- A monster truck that works indoors: the FCX24 Smasher V2 — huge tires, light enough that crashing damages neither truck nor furniture.
- The smallest possible footprint: either. Both work on a desk, which nothing larger does.
- A full-size trail rig instead: the best RC rock crawlers covers 1/10, and the best RC crawler brands compares the field.
How we assessed this
By reading both manufacturers' published specifications for scale, axle type, transmission and inclusions, then ranking the pair on what decides long-term satisfaction with a crawler: whether the platform can grow. Every figure above comes from Axial's or FMS' own pages and is linked in Sources; where a figure is not published we have left it out rather than estimated it. No price figures appear anywhere on this site. We do not test these products first-hand, and our methodology page explains exactly what that means.