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Lure Review

 


Molix Making Some Noise With Their New Sculpo XD Rattlin' Crankbait

 

Date: 9/26/18
Tackle Type: Lure
Manufacturer: Molix
Reviewer: Cal






Total Score: 7.25 - GOOD

Introduction:
Exotic cars, mouthwatering meals, great, historic architecture are among the many things that come to mind when thinking of the wonderful country of Italy. Thanks to a continually aggressive and innovative manufacturer out of this same country, Molix is now adding fishing tackle to this list. New for the company this year, set to debut at ICAST 2018, but already available is their medium to deep diving plug, the Sculpo XD Rattlin' Crankbait.

 

Molix Sculpo XD Rattlin' Crankbait Specifications

Type Medium to Deep Diver
Length 2.5"
Weight 1 oz
Depth 10 - 15ft
Material Hard Plastic
Colors 5
Hooks 2x #4 (unspecified brand)
MSRP $10.99

 


Introducing Molix's Sculpo XD Rattlin' Crank.

 

Impressions: Molix's Sculpo XD Rattlin' Crankbait has a compact, two and half inch (2.5") body and a bill that looks even longer than the bait, but actually measures two and a quarter inches (2.25") in length. It has a wide body, and shallow height with realistic 3D eyes and visible gill plates It comes with unbranded, size four trebles.


Fresh out of the package and ready to be tied on.

Real World Tests: I matched the Sculpo XD with a brand new Megabass Orochi XX EMTF and Daiwa 18 Ryoga CC spooled with Sunline FX2 braid for some real world tests.


The Sculpo XD is a wide body crank.

Castability: The Sculpo XD Rattlin' Crankbait is equipped with large and small internal bearings that not only create sound during your retrieve, but shift towards the back of the bait during a cast. This shift in weight creates momentum in the direction of your cast helping the bait fly through the air relatively true. The bait is rated at one full ounce, but somehow doesn't feel like a one ounce bait. Guess I'm just too used to throwing bigger baits now because the three baits we weighed were all within .050 of one full ounce.


The bait's diving bill is 2.25" long.

Dive Time: Once the bait lands, it stays on top of the water until you click over and begin your retrieve. Then it dives down very quickly especially on a long cast. I was targeting a rock pile with this bait sitting in roughly twelve feet of water.


The Sculpo XD begins its dive immediately.

The Sculpo XD hit bottom pretty quickly, shaking, wobbling, vibrating away and I could feel it bounce off miscellaneous rocks and boulders. I didn't manage to snag it, but when you stop your retrieve, the bait does float up. This lead me to believe if you're caught by the bait's bill, you can get it to back up and un-hang by simply stopping your retrieve and giving the bait some slack. If you're caught up by the bait's hooks, well then it's probably time to break out your trusty lure retrieve device.


Craw patterns feature detailing on the diving bill.

Those with a preference for name brand hooks will likely want to swap the stock hooks on this bait with their favorite before tying it on for battle. The stock hooks on the Sculpo XD, while somewhat sharp, are pretty thin.

Where this can be an advantage in allowing you to pull the bait out of a snag, they're not very durable and prone to straightening out after doing battle with a few good sized fish.


There is some bubbling in the diving bill's bracing.

Design/Ergonomics: The Sculpo XD Rattlin' Crankbait is available in a somewhat limited selection of colors for now (only 5), but hopefully this will change as the bait gains in popularity. I'd consider it a rather average sized crank and as I mentioned earlier, it's still difficult for me to comprehend it weighs a full ounce. It just looks and feels like it should be three quarters of an ounce.


The Sculpo XD retails for $10.99 per bait.

Price & Application: Retailing for $10.99 per bait, the Sculpo XD Rattlin' Crankbait is really more of a medium depth diver and performs well bounced off structure or dredging muddy bottoms.

Ratings:

Molix Sculpo XD Rattlin' Crankbait Ratings (?/10)

Construction/Quality Nicely detailed bait though we'd recommend upgrading the hooks 7.5
Performance Casts well, dives quickly, and deflects off obstructions 8
Price About the average for a quality crank these days 7.5
Features Internal rattles 7
Design (Ergonomics) Compact body, limited color palette for now 6
Application A very good medium depth diver 7.5

Total Score

7.25
Ratings Key: 1 = terrible : 2 = poor : 3 = lacking : 4 = sub par : 5 = mediocre : 6 = fair : 7 = good : 8 = great : 9 = excellent : 10 = unbelievable!
For More Details of the updated rating system visit our explanation here

 

Pluses and Minuses:

Plus

Minus
+ Casts really well - Limited color choices
+ Dives quickly - Labeled as extra deep but really more of a medium depth crank
+ Good detailing  


A fine addition to Molix's catalog of quality baits, the Sculpo XD.

Conclusion: With each passing year, Molix appears to gain more ground or at least refine their bait offerings to a point where they are no longer considered merely a boutique manufacturer. With a full line of soft plastics, wired baits, jigs, and surface and diving baits, the Sculpo XD is merely next in line to help fill out their product catalog. We'd like to see this bait offered in more color options, but other than that, it's a fun and effective little bait to throw. Well, as little as a one ounce bait can be I suppose.

 

Looking for Molix Sculpo XD Rattlin' Crankbaits?

Try TackleWarehouse


 

   

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