Oil-filled shock absorbers with internal springs, 5 mm piston rods and damper bellows provide silky smooth and realistic response. Portal axles not only offer a greater distance from the differential housing to the ground than conventional axles, they also have another positive feature. With conventional crawlers, torque applies so much force that the vehicle jumps over the obstacle. The design of portal axles reduces the gear ratio at the wheels and virtually eliminates torque shocks from the drivetrain. The overall reduction ratio of the axle drive is more than double that of non-portal designs to allow smooth running.