DuraTrax 1/18 Scale Mini Quake EP Monster Truck RTR

[StevePond]

http://www.rccaraction.com/pics/duratrax/dtxd11xx.jpg

http://www.rccaraction.com/pics/duratrax/dtxd11_chassis.jpg

There's nothing "toy" about this mini monster!

The scale may be 1/18...but the Mini Quake EP Monster Truck is equipped like today's best 1/10 scale Ready-To-Runs! A Futaba radio, electronic speed control, oil shocks, complete ball bearings - these are just some of the hobby-quality features that you'll find on the Mini Quake. And for all of the sophistication that this truck has, it's also surprisingly affordable!


Top-of-the-line features of the Mini Quake:
* A FUTABA radio!
* FOUR WHEEL drive!
* An ELECTRONIC SPEED CONTROL!
* EIGHT OIL FILLED shocks!
* COMPLETE BALL BEARINGS!

Protected by a 1-Year Stress-Tech Guarantee

Includes a 2-channel pistol grip radio made by Futaba®
* Lightweight, comfortable transmitter
* Battery LED
* Fine trims for throttle and steering
* Adjustable steering rate
* Charge jack for optional NiCds
* Includes (1) SX100 servo and 8 "AA" batteries
* All on-board radio gear is factory-installed


Made of light, rip-resistant polycarbonate.
* Six different colors, each keyed to a different radio frequency.
* Bodies are trimmed, painted and ready for decals!


Tough composite tub chassis w/countersunk screws
Fully independent suspension
Powerful Mabuchi 380 motor - leaves 280-size motors in the dust!
Eight oil shocks - for twice the dampening action.
Durable gear diffs
6-cell/600mAh NiCd battery w/AC charger
Front and rear skidplates and bumpers
ESC5000 Electronic Speed Control - offers smooth, fast reliable response, along with reverse, braking and BEC!
Simple, effective 4WD shaft drive
Adjustable body mount
1.25" of ground clearance!
Telescoping universal drive

Complete ball bearings - 14 in all, for smoother running and faster speeds!

* Length: 9.5 in (240mm) * Width: 7.4 in (185mm) * Height (w/body): 4.7 in (120mm) * Weight: 25 oz (725g) * Includes: 2-channel radio by Futaba®, 380 motor, forward/reverse ESC, 6-cell NiCd battery, AC wall charger, 8 "AA" batteries * Requires: nothing!

Replacement Parts
DTXC2196 7.2V 6-Cell 600mAh NiCd Battery
DTXC3307 380 Motor w/Connector
DTXC6260 Ball Stud 3.8mm (6)
DTXC6299 Battery Hold Down Set
DTXC6459 Body Post Set (4)
DTXC6523 Body, Painted & Trimmed-Blue
DTXC6524 Body, Painted & Trimmed-Green
DTXC6525 Body, Painted & Trimmed-Red
DTXC6526 Body, Painted & Trimmed-Orange
DTXC6527 Body, Painted & Trimmed-White
DTXC6528 Body, Painted & Trimmed-Purple
DTXC6604 Chassis Brace Rod
DTXC6817 Drive Line Covers
DTXC6870 Front Bumper/Skidplate
DTXC6871 Rear Bumper/Skidplate
DTXC7029 Chassis
DTXC7318 Decal Sheet
DTXC7410 Diff Set Complete
DTXC7411 Diff Case w/Gear
DTXC7412 Diff Gear Set
DTXC7413 Spur Gear Set
DTXC7414 Spur Gear 46T
DTXC7415 Front Diff Pinion Assembly
DTXC7416 Diff Pinion Set
DTXC7417 Shaft Coupler Set
DTXC7418 Universal Slider Shaft Set (4)
DTXC7419 Main Drive Shaft
DTXC7987 Lower Hinge Pin Set (4)
DTXC8208 Knuckle Arm Set (4)
DTXC8278 Motor Mount
DTXC8353 Pinion 16T
DTXC8528 Lower Suspension Arm Set (4)
DTXC8686 Motor Mount Screw Set (4)
DTXC8858 Bellcrank Set
DTXC8859 Bellcrank Post Set (2)
DTXC9037 Shock Mount Pins 94)
DTXC9038 Shock Set w/o Springs (4)
DTXC9039 Shock Spring (4)
DTXC9040 Shock O-Ring (8)
DTXC9041 Shock Cap Set (4)
DTXC9042 Shock Shaft (4)
DTXC9043 Shock Parts Set
DTXC9044 Shock Diaphragm (4)
DTXC9207 Shock Tower (2)
DTXC9473 Servo Arm Set (3)
DTXC9474 Linkage Rod Set (6)
DTXC9529 Upper Arm Set (4)
DTXC9589 Uper Arm Mounts (2)
DTXC9716 Tires (4)
DTXC9868 Wheel Set (4)
DTXM1260 ESC5000 w/brake & reverse
DTXZ1108 Exploded View/Parts List
DTXZ1109 Instruction Manual


DTXD11** 1/18 Mini Quake EP Monster Truck RTR
62-Green
64-Blue
68-Red
70-Orange
72-White
74-Purple
Retail Price: $299.99
Street Price: $199.99

DUE IN STOCK LATE OCTOBER

For more information, please visit the Duratrax (http://www.duratrax.com) website.

[monyet fangkeh]

wow...looks good :cool:

[r.c.dealer]

Cool, looks kinda like a mini emaxx.

[Prelude14WRX]

duratrax is starting to make some really nice looking cars.

[microrcdude]

Looks like another thing for me to buy! Puts my other TO-GETS at the bottom of the list!

[2.0dohc]

its about time someone did this!!!!!!!

[AudiTT-Quattro]

its about time someone did this!!!!!!!

And I wonder what Venom, Kyosho, and Tamiya were doing all this time... :rolleyes:

Not bad. I was surprised that my Monster Mini-Z was taking jumps so well. This should be interesting.

[2.0dohc]

"And I wonder what Venom, Kyosho, and Tamiya were doing all this time... "
maybe making solid axel, poor handeling, slow toys???

what gets around a track quicker, a clodbuster or emaxx?

[MaxxThrasher]

WOW! Wake up and take notice.

[2.0dohc]

any chance of body off shots?

$199.99 is this with battery/charger ?

[BPPSupermaxx]

"And I wonder what Venom, Kyosho, and Tamiya were doing all this time... "
maybe making solid axel, poor handeling, slow toys???

what gets around a track quicker, a clodbuster or emaxx?


Now thats a 1 track mind right there. TRACK.

Nobody races mini monster trucks (Mini-T is not an MT). People who buy them want to have something small to play around with.

[Hard Core RC Guy]

Any chance that Billy was behind this one?

[microrcdude]

no. he quit a while ago.

[maxxamillion]

Looks cool. Hopefully it won't have bump steer like the VMG has.
And... It does NOT need eight shocks.
But, will it crawl as good as the VMG?
RC is a twelve month Christmas this year!

[SS Pede]

I've been toying with the idea of buying a mini offroad vehicle, but man, too many choices! I already have a Stampede...I think it would be more fun to have a crawler type vehicle, since I don't have any hobby-grade 4wd vehicles yet. This looks like less of a crawler to me, but still possibly very fun! Decisions decisions...

[TNX]

What is really interesting is that it looks just like a mini Terra Crusher. The body is almost identical. Weird. If it were a "mini quake" it would be much uglier. The Nitro and ThunderQuake bodies are the grossest bodies in RC. I wonder who the actual manufacturer is.

[metalry101]

Well...independent suspension is nice...but no biggie in a truck that size...but four wheel drive on the other hand...HELL YA! I will definately be trying this little monster out as soon as my shop gets 'em in...nice job Duratrax! It's about time someone made a 1/18 truck w/ 4WD.

[4wdmt]

hmmm, no info on their website.

[RespirologyRC]

What is really interesting is that it looks just like a mini Terra Crusher. The body is almost identical. Weird. If it were a "mini quake" it would be much uglier. The Nitro and ThunderQuake bodies are the grossest bodies in RC. I wonder who the actual manufacturer is.

I was thinking the exact same thing. Looks exactly like a Terra crusher. look at the body; it is styled just like it. I was hoping that traxxas would have made a mini e-maxx by now, but guess not. :(

Either way now I'm gonna have to sell the mini giant to make room for this guy. I can't wait to start painting bodies for this thing, not only this but putting that body on my mini-t would be very cool. I wonder if those tires can fit the mini-t? They would look really cool on it.

I MUST HAVE IT!!!

[uncle_jo3]

i something way kooler and looks better than any other mini ive seen

[irish_SVM]

(writes new x-mas list)

[4wdmt]

its good they are releasing it before winter. there is something to run around the house.

[2.0dohc]

"Nobody races mini monster trucks (Mini-T is not an MT). "
why not, this thing has a 380 size motor(speed 400 anyone?) and a 6 cell pack, should be plenty quick

[shibby6]

ah another to get...... hope traxxas makes one now

I wanna see the innerds so I could see if you could stick a 540 in there

[RespirologyRC]

I just put a Venom 370 in my mini-t I guess I'll have to buy this 380 and shoe horn it in now. I can't wait!!! I paid 160.00 for my mini-t when it came out, and this is selling for just under $200,... I think I'll have to wait and see how it looks, and shock articulation. The mini giant provides really good low end grunt but wheelies like crazy, almost to the point of annoiance (sp). I like wheelies but I also enjoy driving!

[Fidelio]

it's certainly the best looking of all the mini monsters. looks like fun, probably more fun than my mini-z.

[Strike 4]

Wow shaft drive 4wd independant suspension with oil filled shocks for 200$??? :eek: That's insane!

[NitroBoy24]

That thing is Uber Tight Yo!!!! :D

That is without a doubt the coolest mini r/c I have seen. Period.

DEFINITELY on my "To Get List"!!!!

Cant wait for more pics and info on this bad boy!!!

[minitdriver]

Well it seems that i'll get pulled into this car like the mini-t.A 380?!?!It's not big enough.A mamba 8000, 3 cell Li-poly and maybe that will be good enough.Oh soo many ideas soo little money!I need a job fast.
Stay classy readers
Ken

[4wdmt]

for $200, you also get the 6 cell batt and charger plus the 8 batts for the Tx. seems a good deal. i hope the price still drops though.

[NitroBoy24]

Must..have..more..pics

:D

[shibby6]

inside picture inside (http://www.one18th.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&attachmentid=4335)

[metalry101]

Sweeeeet...hope they offer some nice blue components (especially shock bodies to go w/ the caps)...That's a solid looking chassis. I'm kinda dissapointed in the 600 mah Nicd battery though. I would much rather pay 5 or 10 bux more and get an 1100 mah Nimh pack, like what every aftermarket pack is. No cell memory, twice the run time, better in every other way as well...hmm...5 bux for all that? Guess that had some extras layin around from the 1/18 Street Force and didn't know how else 2 get rid of them. Whatever works, it's a free pack I guess...just would preferred a decent Nimh pack instead of the cheap crappy Nicd.

Any specs on that little ESC? Cell count? Motor limit (size)...etc...Not that it'll matter really...I'll probably never push it too hard. That truck is just begging for the Mamba BL system, and I plan on satisfying the truck's need...

[StevePond]

New full chassis shot posted on page 1. :cool:

[minitdriver]

Those sub-C batterrries!?!?If so then screw Mamba, slap an orion revolution 10x2 or a 10th scale brushless system!Although I'm sure it isn't sub-C but my fingers are crossed.I think i need to rethink my christmas list and sell a couple R/C cars for hop up money!OH i have to go and use a sales pitch on my parents!
Stay classy readers
Ken

[SS Pede]

Looks too small for a regular stick pack...connector looks different too. I don't know though, hard to judge. I don't feel like I need another battery and charger, that's for sure. But if that's what I need to run the truck, I guess I'd have to accept the added cost.

[metalry101]

That's a standard Micro connector. Same plug that the Micro RS4 and Mini-T packs use. No, those aren't Sub-C cells. As for the additional pack...not a real big deal...but it is more stuff...so if you've already got other packs from other 1/18 scale cars, it is just one more to keep track of and whatnot. However...the charger is probably just a wall charger...so no biggie there. Just toss it and use your good charger if you've got one. Buy the 2 dollar Tamiya to 1/18 adapter and you're ready to go!

[4wdmt]

sweet, more pictures pls.

wow, its now listed at towers for $199.99 - coming out in mid Oct. i hope they will have some $20 off offer on that month.anyone here going to backorder this MQ?

[shibby6]

why do things have to come out near the holidays........:( I'de be broke and coulndt buy gifts for everybody else......unless best buy gives me the job........*wishfull thinking*

I dont need that crappy battery or charger I have my micro rs4 pack I could reconfigure. and I thinks the micro esc that duratrax has are ugly

when will rcca do a reveiw on this truck....?

btw there is a whole new forum on one18th.com dedicated for this truck
here is a referal link here (http://www.one18th.com/forums/index.php?referrerid=682) (incase you didnt see it in the site seeing prt of the new rcca

[minitdriver]

Well it seems like a M18 battery pack will fit nicely in the truck.Right now I have one Kan 6 cell in my Mini-t and thats staying for sure so I'll need a new battery pack.The motor will stay for only awhile.That thing needs a big dog motor to push that around.Maybe not Mamba because of the cogging but a Graupner 480 on 8 cell Gp 1100's.Wonder if the radio gear is any good.I'm It's good enough for what it is stock but if you go any bigger that thing'll fry.Oh well I still need one really bad.Yes need not want need.
Stay classy readers
Ken

[Strike 4]

I don't see why people are upset about the battery... IT'S FREE who cares if you dont want it ship it to me! :D

Nice deal too bad I have a Mini-T :( .......




MINI-T FOR SALE! :D

[rckid11]

I think I will stick with my mini-t. I have had bad experiences with duratrax! :eek: :mad:

[kitty]

What is really interesting is that it looks just like a mini Terra Crusher. The body is almost identical. Weird. If it were a "mini quake" it would be much uglier. The Nitro and ThunderQuake bodies are the grossest bodies in RC. I wonder who the actual manufacturer is.
I guess Tower is trying to confuse us as to your query:
(from the listing (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXHMC9**&P=7) for this cute little bugger on Tower)
INCLUDES: Kyosho Mini Quake with eight oil-filled shocks
Kyosho? I'm sure it was just a typo, but it's kinda funny.

[4wdmt]

lol, didnt notice that one.

[minitdriver]

If anybody gets this car(me being one).What are you going to do to it for hop ups??

I was thinking about getting a 6 cell 7.2 volt M18 battery or figuring out how to fit more cells in there.Then I would step up on the motor.Fit a Graupner 480 or go brushless.Then change the body when better ones come out.Change the tires ad rims of course and the get a few choice aluminum parts to make it stronger because this thing will be seein some airtime :cool: .Then I'm sure some other part will come out and I will toatly ditch those plans for whatever the "cool" thing seems at that time but I am going to love this little truck.
Stay classy readers
Ken

[bullaculla]

I have one on backorder at Tower and the only thing I plan on doing is getting this body to fit and driving it around my living room:D I'm sure its fast enough for me.


My Rav4L
http://photos.imageevent.com/bullaculla1/sumstuf/rav4-1.jpg
http://photos.imageevent.com/bullaculla1/sumstuf/rav4-2.jpg
look at that detail!
http://photos.imageevent.com/bullaculla1/sumstuf/rav4-3.jpg
BTW, I do have a real Rav4L except in black, so I might have to paint this body:P

[birdy233]

bullaculla, where did you get the Rav 4 R/C??

[ZeroMax]

hey is that RAV4 made by a company called 'REALDRIVE' because i've seen a car like that before.

wow! that duratrax looks nice looks like i won;t be getting a mini-T so fast. . . are they ever gonna make nitro ones? oh yeah and HOW FAST HOW FAST??

[thunderbt3]

looks like a mini monster tc3 hehe

[Strike 4]

The chassis actually looks very easy to convert to nitro, you can rig it sorta like a NTC3 with a small Norvell engine.

[bullaculla]

bullaculla, where did you get the Rav 4 R/C??

I picked up the Rav4 while I was in a toy store in japan last month. Its a $35 POS. the damned thing doesnt even have suspension :rolleyes:I just wanted it for the body since I coundn't find any Rav4 bodies. The only thing is there isn't a real 2 door Rav4 available here(new model)

hey is that RAV4 made by a company called 'REALDRIVE' because i've seen a car like that before.

Its made by Toyco. I've search the internet for days and I've only found the same truck on a japan site here (http://hobbyworld.aoshima-bk.co.jp/scripts/hw/seek.aspx?seek_code=TOY4778)

but being shipped from japan, the shipping and handling will be more than $40.

Back to the duratrax, I hope the release it early :D

[jimbow]

not to be pessimistic or anything, but hang on to your mini-t's. i seriosly doubt that this will be better. it seems like after the minit came out, everyone is slapping together a micro truck and getting it out as fast as they can. not a turn on for me.

[rckid11]

I got my mini-t for 120$ and for that 80$ I could make my mini-t great. But hey it hasn't come out yet so maybe it could be a good investment. We will see. :rolleyes:

[ElectricThunder]

Something I've noticed with Duratrax stuff is that at first, they're expensive, such as the delphi for example. That was about 120 RTR or maybe a bit more, now it's dropped to 80 bucks RTR! So I would imagine that the 200 buck price tag will drop to like, 160 within 3 months of it's release probably, maybe 6. Looks like an interesting little truck though. I like the wheel/tire combo, and the shaft drive idea. The dual shocks per wheel is overkill though, but it looks like a pretty formidable little bugger if set up right. And looks FUN!

[RespirologyRC]

I think people have been waiting for a suspension like this. I know I have!! I was hoping traxxas would release a mini E-maxx. I have a mini giant and like it a lot but the suspension leaves much to be desired. i bet this truck will handle very well, probably even better than a mini-t.

Does anyone know where we can pre order on of these?

[SS Pede]

bullaculla says he has one on backorder at Tower Hobbies.

[bullaculla]

yep,
Duratrax mini quake at Tower (http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin/wti0001p?&I=LXHMC9**&P=0)

You have to click "e-mail when available" and then it will ask you if you want to put it on backorder.
:D

:edit:
You might as well put it on back order cause they dont charge you till they ship it out.

[minimole]

i have to say, this car looks quite good, and i may consider getting it, as if i mopve house, i will make a mini track, so it is probably be between getting this, or a mini t..... :confused: :confused:

although i would obviously love it if traxxas brought out a mini Emaxx with 8 shocks, 2 batteries, 2 motors, 2 gears, big wheels e.t.c., how sick would that be!!!!!

lol

Duane :D :D

[studysession]

OK - I did not read all the posts. But I do like this truck. From looking at the pics i could do a flat pan style aluminum chassis and a conversion to fit a 540 size motor easily. From the looks of the ruck, it looks like it can take a better beating than some of the other Micro Monster trucks.

I might get one. Anyone know the release date?

[shibby6]

october

[RespirologyRC]

I'm betting that this will be my B-Day gift from my wife!!:) My Bday is in early Nov. and I already started dropping heavy hints as to what I would like:)
Hope she gets it right

[minitdriver]

Hopin for X-mas here.Or Birthday.Thats only 6 or 7 days after X-mas anyways.I have some plans for this.Started shop class and a bigger motor mount might be a project.That will be fun but I'm turning my Mini-t into a full blown capet racer and this will be the off-roader.Oh i can't wait!!!
Stay classy readers
Ken

[GT Freak]

well, theres my complete collection, in 18th scale:
MT:mini quake
ST: mini-t
sedan: rs4

all that fit on a shelf 2X4 ft long
not bad at all if i say so, talk about no cluter :D

[studysession]

You already have the 1/18 scale quake?

[RespirologyRC]

No, no-- he's just preparing himself for when he gets it:)

[studysession]

Ok................

[bullaculla]

my new desktop:D
feel free to save it :cool:
here (http://photos.imageevent.com/bullaculla1/sumstuf/desktop.jpg)

[4wdmt]

how come duratraxs' site still doesnt have this truck listed yet. its already september. more pics and if possible....videos please.

[bullaculla]

:werd:

[Cain]

I wonder if this will be raceable with the mini-t and the new AE mini vehicle? If you could mount up some stadium sized tires, it doesn't look like it would handle too bad.

[4wdmt]

guys, check it out. duratrax mini quake is now up on their website. more pics, vids and infos. now, what body color scheme to order, hmmmm. :D

[bullaculla]

finally!!!

[4wdmt]

yup, its about time. from the vids, this little beast can jump. i wonder, how fast it is in stock form.

[studysession]

Where did you see video? I want to see! I want one of these and the Assoc 1/18 scale, I want one of those too. I think both will be on my Christmas list this year. :)

[minimole]

Its on the website. When you are on the mini quake main page, i think they are at the bottom, with the pic.

Duane :D :D

[jimbow]

Yeah, im now thinking of getting a micro, looking more at the Associated RC18T.

[2.0dohc]

um...380 motor with a 6 cell or a 280 motor with a 6 cell.....wonder which is gonna be faster???

any one heard a ship date yet?

[jimbow]

yeah, but who actually keeps the stocker? im goiing baja!

[minitdriver]

Baja!?!?!?Graupner 480.Or maybe rig up a motor plate for 540 motors.oh yes.thats the stuff.
Stay classy readers
Ken

[studysession]

Yeah - I was thinking 540 conversion myself. I have a CNC Mill in my garage that I make my own parts with. It would be no big deal to convert it to a 540 motor.

[minitdriver]

well i have a shop class and when i can use the plasma cutter i may make one.For now though my main concern is the battery.The stock one is not going to be good enough for me.start with a kan 6 cell for a M18 then maybe use velcro strap and make 7,8 or 9 cell hump packs.Oh yes I have plans but I need one first so when x-mas arrives along with the Mini-quake I will look to see what I can make better.
Stay classy readers
Ken

[ChumsGum]

http://www.rc10.com/shusting/CatalogHub/kitspecs_18t/chassis.top.700.jpg

This picture really shows off the amazing engineering AE used for their new RC18T.

[4wdmt]

lol, i have to double check the title of the tread if this was for the duratrax 1/18 scale Mini Quake EP Monster truck RTR.

[ChumsGum]

http://www.rc10.com/shusting/CatalogHub/kitspecs_18t/chassis.top.700.jpg

This picture really shows off the amazing engineering AE used for their new RC18T.

http://www.duratrax.com/cars/dtxd11galn.jpg

OK, both look pretty darn good. The MiniQuake looks like you can easily use one shock, then change the tires to make it more "stadium." Then, the RC18T looks like you can do the exact opposite; change the tires, up the ground clearance, and it's more "monster."

[4wdmt]

nice. almost of the same footprint. good comparative pictures. ill go for the MT.

[2.0dohc]

look how wimpy the asc motor looks compared to the dtx motor!!!

[ElectricThunder]

Hmmmm... Crap, now I'm torn between this and the RC18T. GAH! Curse people for making cool stuff! :D

About the associated motor... Who in their right mind would keep that for more than a month? I say go brushless on 3s2p lipos! :D

[studysession]

Yes brushless all the way. I am putting a 540 size brushless in my Micro RS4. I just need a new ESC for it first.

I would put a 540 size brushless in the MiniQuake when i get it too. I am hoping the MiniQuake comes out first because that is the one I want first then later get the RC18T.

[ElectricThunder]

That'll be nuts study! That'll either tear the drivetrain apart or make it wheelie like CRAZY! Are you allowed to post pics of that little project once you have it done? :eek:

[studysession]

Funny -

With the Mamba 8000 I tore up entire drive train of my Micro RS4 - A 540 will do even worse. I will have to upgrade to ali on most of the truck. :)

[ElectricThunder]

LOL! That's nuts. If duratrax has aftermarket parts for this baby, this thing is goin on a christmas/birthday list...:D Eh...it'll go on there anyways...lol!

BTW: Duratrax has it on their main page now if you want more details about it.

[studysession]

I think you can turn the MiniQuake into a stadium truck easily for those who want to race in a ST class.

[ElectricThunder]

That'd be interesting... Then maybe the associated would have some competition!

[shibby6]

has you seen the trinity shot yet? (they have truck now too or just a pic of one)

[ElectricThunder]

Yeah, saw that last night actually. I think I read it retails for 200, but street will be like...120 RTR or something!??!?! Now i'm torn between that and this thing! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH! :confused:

[minitdriver]

Well i saw the "itsy spyder" and I thought it was a Mini-t 4wd conversion kit!Doesn't look that exciting.This MT was a real first and that got it hype.Then AE comes along with a different enterpritation of the MTand thats cool but Trinity is going to kill it.There Savage look alike Spyder and there AE look-a-like itsy is madness.It maybe good but that doesn't take away from the fact of what it is.I will not gid rid of my minit and will get the Duratrax.
Stay classy readers
Ken

[bullaculla]

Werd.
I'm sticking with the Duratrax
:D

[Cain]

I like the look of both, but I think duratrax could have made the electronics look cleaner in the vehicle. Even if it meant making smaller electronics, I think the presentation would have been much better. Other than that however I think they got a winner on there hands.

[4wdmt]

i second to that, i will also go for the mini quake. its now a contender for next year RCCA awards.

[JDAWG53]

The only electronic part that looks oversized is the receiver. But, I am willing to overlook the size seeing as it is a FUTABA receiver. I would rather have a good quality slightly larger receiver than some off brand glitchy small receiver. The ESC is the same size as the one that comes in the Micro Street Force, which is pretty small. It comes with a standard size servo but again, I would rather have a standard servo than a micro with less torque. You can always upgrade your servo and rx, I know I will. Hey at least it doesnt look the the Itsy Bitsy Spider. The chassis layout on it looks horrible.

[bullaculla]

If you look closely at the MQ suspension arms in the photo (or the manual), the front and rear look the same except reversed. So it might be easy to convert to 4ws.
:D

[Noreaga]

This looks to have almost the same set up as Team Associated RC18T....

[2.0dohc]

This looks to have almost the same set up as Team Associated RC18T....

except for the 8 shocks, bigger motor, bigger tires, gear diffs, standard size servo....

and since this was out first, then you could say the RC18t has about the same set up as the mini quake ;)

[RS4rally1124]

ok im gettin one for the dorms its official. lol glad i didnt get the minit now.

JT

[4wdmt]

now, its listed $179.99 at towers. can't wait.

[jollyd007]

In europe it is released as a Losi without electronics!!

check this link : www.gm-raqcing.de

it is called mtx4.

price is about 139 euro and that is about 109 us dollars.

:) :) :) :) :) :)

[4wdmt]

when i click, it doesnt work. any other links?

[ElectricThunder]

Take out the "q" he accidentally put in the URL, that should help. ;) The truck is under the forums part.

[4wdmt]

gotcha!, thanks electricthunder. i like the finish of that body. so, is this just an imported item by duratrax?

[studysession]

http://www.gm-racing.de/webnews/include_this/archiv.php?id=73

[Noff]

price is about 139 euro and that is about 109 us dollars.

****

I think you have that backwards. 1 euro = $1.24 at todays exchange rate, so this costs around $172. Sure makes the DTX Mini Quake seem like a much better value.

[Josh89]

very cool truck...

[jollyd007]

I seem to have made 2 mistakes but thanks for correcting me!!!!

:o :o :o :o

[hancadam]

I think this mini Quake will own. I do have a mini-t and love it, but I think this will be better for what I like in RC. I have a speed 300 in my mini-t and it flies, so I can't wait to see what the mini quake will do with a speed 400. Brushless is to much for me, since I have so many other toys. :)

[hancadam]

I know this doesn't have anything to do with this mini quake, but how fast do you think a Delphi with a 10 turn motor will be. I fried my esc, so I am just going to get a new motor and esc. Dang water puddles. :confused:

[4wdmt]

oh man. tower had it listed before at mid oct for $199. then it was early oct for $179. now its On Order status, bummer.

[bullaculla]

back to early oct.
:(

[4wdmt]

i hope it stays early oct. i want to take advantage of towers' $20 off on orders more than $150.

[bullaculla]

Backorder it. thats what I did. and I used the $20 off coupon.
my order history status page says
"invoiced, awaiting product from manufacturer"
:D

[Casey]

Are those SCREWS holding the wheels on?

[bullaculla]

^
Yes
http://photos.imageevent.com/bullaculla1/sumstuf/manual.jpg

[sosidge]

Nothing much wrong with that (although M2.6 is a rather small thread) - the XRAY cars use a screw to hold the wheels on, and Scumachers used to as well.

[bullaculla]

i hope it stays early oct. i want to take advantage of towers' $20 off on orders more than $150.

went back to mid oct
:mad:

[bullaculla]

tower has em in stock!
:D

[4wdmt]

oh man. i just got my tlt-1 :D . it will take me 'till december to get this mini quake.

for those new mini quake owners, review please.

[2.0dohc]

I hope they run them at the show this weekend

[bullaculla]

got mine today!:D
I'll post pics tomorrow:p

[4wdmt]

bullaculla, how fast does it run? how long does the stock battery last? hows the handling?

please post some pics with your other rc (comparison in size) and a review will be nice. thanks.

[^j!nx^]

i seen them at my LHS today. Its awsome!!!

[always_opencarb]

duratrax just does whatever is "in" and its nomally a copy cat of sum other car

[MaxxThrasher]

Looks like I'll have mine Monday. Can't wait to see if it meets my expectations.

[CooLJoE8]

You asked for it.....

Yup, I got my MiniQuake on Friday. I whipped out the camera and tooks some shots of the retail box, the truck, and some comparison shots against the Losi Mini-T.


We'll start off with the retail box and what comes inside:

http://specialed.no-ip.com/minitrucks/dtxminiquake/dtxmq-frontofbox.jpg
http://specialed.no-ip.com/minitrucks/dtxminiquake/dtxmq-cornerofbox.jpg
http://specialed.no-ip.com/minitrucks/dtxminiquake/dtxmq-backofbox.jpg
http://specialed.no-ip.com/minitrucks/dtxminiquake/dtxmq-outofbox.jpg

[CooLJoE8]

Here's some quick shots of the truck, including the drive shafts up close, lower shock mounts (hingepins), and the axle/wheel mount setup (shown in that order):

http://specialed.no-ip.com/minitrucks/dtxminiquake/dtxmq-top.jpg
http://specialed.no-ip.com/minitrucks/dtxminiquake/dtxmq-bottom.jpg
http://specialed.no-ip.com/minitrucks/dtxminiquake/dtxmq-driveshaft.jpg
http://specialed.no-ip.com/minitrucks/dtxminiquake/dtxmq-shockbottom-front.jpg
http://specialed.no-ip.com/minitrucks/dtxminiquake/dtxmq-shockbottom-back.jpg
http://specialed.no-ip.com/minitrucks/dtxminiquake/dtxmq-axle-wheel.jpg

[CooLJoE8]

Now some comparison shots of the MiniQuake & Mini-T:

http://specialed.no-ip.com/minitrucks/dtxminiquake/dtxmq-comparison-sidebyside.jpg
http://specialed.no-ip.com/minitrucks/dtxminiquake/dtxmq-comparison-top.jpg
http://specialed.no-ip.com/minitrucks/dtxminiquake/dtxmq-comparison-backtoback.jpg
http://specialed.no-ip.com/minitrucks/dtxminiquake/dtxmq-comparison-sidebyside2.jpg
http://specialed.no-ip.com/minitrucks/dtxminiquake/dtxmq-comparison-clearance.jpg

[CooLJoE8]

http://specialed.no-ip.com/minitrucks/dtxminiquake/dtxmq-comparison-clearance2.jpg
http://specialed.no-ip.com/minitrucks/dtxminiquake/dtxmq-comparison-tires.jpg


And 2 shots comparing the stock MiniQuake battery pack against a 6-cell pack for the M18:

http://specialed.no-ip.com/minitrucks/dtxminiquake/dtxmq-battery-length.jpg
http://specialed.no-ip.com/minitrucks/dtxminiquake/dtxmq-battery-width.jpg


BTW, I'll be updating more on MiniOffroaders:

http://www.ultimaterc.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=39953

Would do it here, but I'm also updating at one18th, MaxxTraxx, and Michigan-RC.


Some basic answers though:
- speed is probably in the low 20s
- runtime is likely about 20-30 minutes (havent run it down, but have run for 5 minutes with no sign of it wearing down)
- handling is good. better turning radius than the Mini-T and takes the turns better too.

Problems:
- plastic telescoping drive shafts will need replacing if you want brushless. Duratrax already has part numbers for CVD drive shafts.
- the steering knuckles can bend easy where it meets the turnbuckle mount that goes to the steering setup. Doubt they will break super easy, but enough strong forces against the wheel could do them in. Duratrax already has part numbers for aluminum knuckles.
- plastic turnbuckles are kind of bendy. I imagine they will break with enough force or just bend out of shape and get weak. Duratrax already has part numbers for adjustable turnbuckles.
- lower shock ends mount using hingepins and e-clips. you could probably find a replacement screw. The ones on the mini-t are small enough to fit through the shock ends, but too small to thread into the arms. next size larger I have is for normal cars and is too big for the shock ends, but will thread into the arms. my solution (which I submitted to RC Driver as a tip) is to replace the hingepins with metal rod and linkage collars. works like a charm.

I was gonna hit a track today, but its like 30F outside and the track has puddles all over it (plus its 1 1/2 hours away). So my plan is to hit a local indoor dirt track sometime this week and run the truck there during practice hours.

[littlebuddha]

hey, i thought the mini quake had aluminum shocks, guess they changed it to plastic huh.

[studysession]

Looks very cool! Even though they are smaller, do the MiniT tires fit onto the MiniQuake and if someone bought a MiniT body would it fit onto the MiniQuake as well????

[ChumsGum]

Thanks for those comparison pics; I'll probably choose the Mini-Quake over the RC18T because the Mini-Quake will handle the rocks better than a RC18T.

[studysession]

Looking at the pictures with the way the tire mounts - not to many after market rims will fit. I wish Duratrax had more after market support. :( Other than that it really looks nice!! :)

[ChumsGum]

Will Mini-T bodies fit? I might just order one with the Hummer SUT body.

[minimole]

Bit of topic, but CoolJoe8, are those the proline dirt hawg tires on your minimt? How do you find them? are they slightly larger than the stock ones?

Duane :D

[CooLJoE8]

Lots of questions...hehehe. Lets see if I can get them all...

littlebudha - yeah, not aluminum like was mentioned. but still not disappointing....they don't leak. :)

studysession - correct, the rims mount differently than the mini-t. the mounting the MQ uses is like that of the micrors4 and xray m18. No one jump on me for saying this, like they did on one18th, but I think aftermarket drive shafts could solve this easily. Heck, DuraTrax could just release a replacement part that is just the axle part of the driveshaft assembly and make it so its a full axle with nut/bolt style mounting and compatible with mini-t wheels. Could be easily made and sold cheap as well so people could choose between each type of wheel.

minimole - Yes, they are proline dirt hawgs on the mini-t. I found em at the LHS while looking for other mini-t parts (namely an airtronics servo and servo saver). They perform well and hook up great on dirt tractions (alot better than the stockers, which would be fine on a hard packed track). The tire comparison picture above shows the mini-t stocks, dirt hawgs, and MQ stocks in that order. As you can see, they are slightly bigger.

ChumsGum - Nope, I didn't forget about you. I answered yours last because I'm including pics to give a better idea, and hopefully it answers your question.

http://specialed.no-ip.com/minitrucks/dtxminiquake/dtxmq-comparison-body.jpg
http://specialed.no-ip.com/minitrucks/dtxminiquake/dtxmq-minit-body1.jpg
http://specialed.no-ip.com/minitrucks/dtxminiquake/dtxmq-minit-body2.jpg

[Ferrari_Spyder]

thats pretty sick :D

[4wdmt]

nice review and good shots of comparison pics. thanks Cooljoe8. just keep us updated with those "weak spots" you mentioned when you beat the hell out of this MQ.

[Mr. Furious]

The radio system runs on 75mhz AM? Judging by the order freq. it seems so but you never know with Tower. If so that will definitely push me in the MQ direction. I still have plenty of slots on my 2PL.....


LMK...

[studysession]

Thanks and looks good! Nice pics!

[MaxxThrasher]

CooLJoE8, it seems that some of the memebers of one18th just like to argue for argue sake. I for one appreciate the time and effort it took for you to post such a detailed, thoughful review with plenty of pics and especially on multiple boards.

I find your review to be honest, insightful and I would have to agree with most of it, but I'll need the truck in my hand to determine for myself, which should be here sometime today.

Thanks again.

[studysession]

YES!! I agree with MaxxThrasher - this is a great review and that fact you took the time to post in multiple locations was very nice!!! THANKS!!!!

Looks good!!!!!!!!!!

[ChumsGum]

Can't wait to hear your track impressions.

[PippenCa]

ODohc, Did they have the Mini Quake at the show? If so, please fill us in. This looks bad ass. But...I'm going to wait a while and see what types of hop-ups come out for this. If they come like they have for the Mini-T, then thing will be tops among 1/18's. Especially is you can fit the Mamba in it. I saw a Mini-T video with a Mamba in it and it was just pointless. It was far too much motor. All it did was flip over. You had to baby it with the throttle.

The Mini-T folks are going to have to come out with a 4WD or get left behind.

[PippenCa]

CoolJoE,

How did it perform on the dirt and with jumps? What size jumps are you taking it off?

For those of you out there who bought one of these...Where did you pick yours up at? I have a friend who wants a couple and he's thinking he has to wait a week or two.

Thanks dudes and dudettes.

[maxxamillion]

Nice review. I like the mutiple lower shock mounting holes-lower it for the track. With some aluminum goodies & alu. shocks the MQ could be the one to beat. And brushless!!??

[ChumsGum]

Do anyone have any of those Trinity oversized Mini-T wheels to compare the MQ wheels to? I wanna see how the RC18T compares to the MQ if I "monster" it up by adding some oversized wheels to it.

[bullaculla]

I ordered mine from tower and just ran it a little for the first time. I've never driven another mini before, but to me, this thing is pretty fast. I keep rolling it over just tearing around my living room. it'll run right over my over sized pillows on the floor. and yeah, it needs some alum.

[CooLJoE8]

Before I post my track results, let me just say thanks for the comments (good and bad). I loved reviewing and checking out the Mini-T when it was released (got one first day they came out), and just loved the idea of getting info about the MQ into the masses (by way of messageboards). Right now this info is now on 5 boards: Here, one18th, minioffroaders, maxxtraxx, and michigan-rc. Sadly, one18th had a couple bad apples, but I'm still updating over there. The more coverage the MQ gets, the better.

BTW, yes brushless can be insane in the Mini-T. But it did help mine clear a triple section at the track that only an LST and 2 Revos could do. And to top it off, the Revos were only able to clear enough to land on the backside of the 3rd jump. The Mini-T could clear the 3rd jump completely. Sadly....I didn't get good enough traction before the triple to give a clean jump and landing. Only managed to land it once. After my 5th/6th time....the stock turnbuckle in the rear bent 90 degrees (yeah I know...im stupid for keeping stocks so long) and I broke a 3Racing driveshaft right at the axle joint. Oh well....lesson learned.......never jump the mini-t so far without having ALL hopups installed ;)

Anyways....on to the track results for the MQ (aka, next post).

[CooLJoE8]

Ok you all asked for it, and now I can finally deliver. I finally got to an offroad track to test out the MiniQuake in stock form, exactly as it comes out of the box. No moving of shocks, no changing of battery, no nothing.....STOCK.

Let me give a quick rundown of the track. Its located in Commerce Twp in south east Michigan. For those in that area, its on Haggery road, just north of Pontiac Trail. The track has a decent layout. Starts with a long straight that curves around to an S. The S goes into a jump and an immediate turn, which followes into a double...smooths for about 5 or so feet.....and then a triple (the S-area/double/triple area is on a 45 degree angle from the rest of the track). After the triple it goes into another S and meets back up with the straight. The track is hardpacked and was wet when I was running (not damp, but enough to eliminate dust completely). It has pits and grooves around the track since its raced on 3 times a week from Nitro (trucks and buggies) and electric (trucks and buggies). Otherwise its decently maintained.


With that aside, lets get to the results. First thing I noticed was that the V-tread tires hooked up just fine on the track. Pins or bowties (if ever made) would hook up awesome, but for now the V-treads are fine and do a good job. Next up, the acceleration was good as was the torque. First time around the track I rolled over the jumps and got used to the track design (was my first time on this track setup and haven't been to this track in about 2 years). The truck rolled nicely throughout the track and soaked up every single pit and groove, just like the bigger MTs do (thanks to 8 oil filled shocks). Torque was nice and I was able to pull up the jumps even at low speeds, or from stand stills.

Finally after a couple runs I decided to try out the jumps a bit. Not too much, since these are designed for 1/10th trucks and were about 3-4 times the height of the MQ, but enough to utilize the suspension and test the air control. I'll tell ya, the truck is just like the bigger versions. First it soaks up bumps just like them, as mentioned above, but now I find it reacts to jumps in a similar fashion. Launching the jumps was the same as the bigger ones. You'd lift off and it wouldn't nose dive or backflip; it would sit level. And cuz of the big meats and 4wd action, air control was great. It doesn't have the torque like the big ones to force a backflip, but you could easily nose dive or frontflip if you wanted. Landings were good too. The suspension just soaked them up, and the tires grabbed nicely and let you accelerate out of the jumps with ease.

Speed of the STOCK MQ was about the same as a stock Mini-T with bearings, 6-cell nimh pack, and tuned 300 motor (roughly 20-22mph). And I don't think the 380 motor in the MQ is tuned/optimized, so theres another 3-5mph. Also, with all the turns, jumps, and fullspeed straights......I never flipped it. Well....I flipped it on the jumps from bad launches or bad landings (my fault), but what I mean is that it doesn't flip from high CG or anything like that (aka, what the Maxx's were famous for doing early on).



All in all, the MQ is awesome on the track. I'd love to be able to race them on dirt tracks all the time. Unfortunately, most places are setting up carpet tracks for these things. I'm gonna see about convincing this track to try a dirt class for awhile and see how it goes. I think it would be alot more fun than carpet.

Only downsides are the 600mah pack gives low runtimes (around 6 or so minutes before it starts to slow down. full dead pack would probably be around 10-15 minutes), the mini-t wheels aren't compatible, and mini-t bodies are too small to really fit well. Runtime problem can be attributed to a couple things. 1) its a 600mah pack....1100s will give better results for sure..and a power increase to boot. 2) the servo is a fullsize servo and probably draws more power than the submicros (used in the Mini-T, RC18T, M18T, etc). I'm looking at getting a metal gear micro servo since it will pull less power, and getting a couple 6-cell GP1100 packs (8-cell will come later since I have to custom make a battery bar for those). The wheel issue could be resolved with new driveshafts/axles that have the nut/bolt setup with a pin-drive, like the Mini-T. Bodies...well I'm sure someone will release a couple bodies at some point. For now, you could probably try out the proline regular looking truck bodies (ones that don't look like stadium race trucks....Hummer, Escalade, etc).

If you don't own an MQ but are thinking about it, I recommend keeping an eye on the aftermarket (specifically in terms of wheels/tires) for the MQ.....and keep an eye on what Xray has coming out. The MQ and the "MT-mode" M18T will be perfect competition. If Xray pulls the MT thing off as well as the MQ....the Xray could be the one to get. Time will tell.



BTW, I'd like to mention that Tower sold out of MiniQuakes early this morning (monday morning) and my LHS got there's in 5 minutes after I left the store on Friday and they sold out that day. So the MiniQuakes could catch on nicely and hopefully warrant some good hop-ups (aside from Duratrax ones).

[CooLJoE8]

The radio system runs on 75mhz AM? Judging by the order freq. it seems so but you never know with Tower. If so that will definitely push me in the MQ direction. I still have plenty of slots on my 2PL.....


LMK...

Yup, 75mhz AM.

I think they are 62, 64, 70, 72, 76, 80 for channels. I know 70 is one of them (orange body) cuz thats what I have.

[minimole]

Thanks for that great review, very informative!!!

Duane :D

[4wdmt]

very nice review. from the looks of it, its one tough truck.

[2.0dohc]

"Speed of the STOCK MQ was about the same as a stock Mini-T with bearings, 6-cell nimh pack, and tuned 300 motor (roughly 20-22mph). "

but the mini-t dosn't come with bearings, a 6 cell pack or a tuned 300 motor
how do the trucks compare, stock to stock?

[CooLJoE8]

"Speed of the STOCK MQ was about the same as a stock Mini-T with bearings, 6-cell nimh pack, and tuned 300 motor (roughly 20-22mph). "

but the mini-t dosn't come with bearings, a 6 cell pack or a tuned 300 motor
how do the trucks compare, stock to stock?

Well, I've never run a completely stock mini-t on this track, so I can't really answer that in relation to this track.

However, overall the MQ handles better than the Mini-T, is faster than the Mini-T, and will likely take more of a beating than the Mini-T. Anyone who's used a Mini-T knows that they bounce all over with the stock shocks and only go about 8-10mph in stock form. Honestly, it would only be fair to compare using a 6-cell nimh pack on the Mini-T as well since you don't get any battery with it and the best choice would be a 6-cell nimh. A Mini-T with 6-cell nimh pack (and no other mods) would do about 13mph.

The point for comparing the stock MQ against a Mini-T with tuned 300, bearings, and 6-cell pack was that to get a Mini-T to be as fast as an MQ, you would need to buy those things. Aka, the Mini-T will end up costing more for the same speed. If you want the same performance, you'd also need to get the oil shocks for the Mini-T, which adds another ~$25 to the price. And in the end, the MQ still has more ground clearance and will take rough terrain alot better.

*yes I know, the MQ is an MT and the Mini-T is a stadium truck. but enough people asked for comparisons so I did*


I hope that answers your question.

[MaxxThrasher]

Well I've had a chance to drive mine today and I can confirm everything CooLJoE8 has stated. The review is dead on. I also have a Mini-T and as far as an out of box comparisson... well there just isn't any. The MQ blows the M-T away. I haven't run them side be side yet, but just from eyeball I'd say speed is pretty close. My Mini-T has a Baja motor and runs on United RC 1100mAh Xtreme 32 pack and 17T Xray pinion. Right out of the box the MQ is comparably close to the same speed, but handles much better and steering is incredibly responsive. The MQ is very agile and can run in the grass and climb steep hills with no problem. I have a United RC Xtreme 23 pack I want to put in it. I can only imagine the possibilities you can come up with to improve this truck. What's best is right out of the box it really doesn't need a thing. It has enough to put a big grin on your face just like it is.
The MQ is a very affordable and pleasurable vehicle to own. I'm pleased with my purchase and glad it's part of my collection.
I think the only truck to compare to the MQ is going to be Xray's, but that's just my opinion.

[Mr. Furious]

Thanks for the reply cooljoe. I had a pretty orange one in my shopping cart on Tower yesterday. As my Mini-z Monster was selling on another forum and I had the money to buy the MQ, the suckers sold out of Tower in less than 1 hour. Now I'm stuck waiting until November......The bad thing about that is that by then I'll have to decide between the RC18T and the MQ. The only thing that detracts from the MQ is the stupid wheel mounting system. If it used the Losi style wheels and tires it would have all the advantages. But the RC18T will be stadium style and with the addition of some Trinity Monster Mini-T tires will be almost as much a monster as the MQ. Plus there are sooo many mod motors out there that the RC18T already has on the shelf thanks to the Mini-T. But I hate those stupid little crappy servos in the the Mini-T and RC18T and I'll need to get a 75mhz rx for the RC18T but, and, then, well, on and on and on and on. It's gonna be a tough decision. If only Tower had held on to on for a few more minutes the instant gratification factor would have had a MQ on the way to my house right now. Now I have a month to research and think and wonder and worry about which one I'm gonna buy.

[2.0dohc]

I saw this truck at the show, was really impresed, at the end of the show the big ramp was put at the end of the table, the truck jump well

[jimbow]

oh i thought it could use losi rims. that sucks. Hmm, this finalizes my decision to go for the 18T.......... (not flaming, just IMO they should use standard 1/18 equipment.)

[CooLJoE8]

Mr Furious - Well, you gotta remember a couple things. Trinity tires will lift the RC18T quite a bit, but it still won't have the ground clearance of the MQ nor will it have the suspension style. Also, the mod motors for the RC18T would be more of a negative feature in my eyes. Those mod motors will only make the RC18T catch up to the MQ...not pass it. Atleast thats my guesstimate. Otherwise, yeah, its going to be a tough call. Worse is that I'm sure that Xray will have more info and pics out of their truck before the RC18T gets released, so the choices get even deeper.


Jimbow - yeah it does suck. And you are right that they should have gone with Mini-T compatible wheels and all. However, there is no standard for 1/18th equipment. The Mini-T was the only 1/18th truck before the Mini Quake. So really there wasn't a standard, just Losi had chosen a method to use. I'm still hoping someone comes out with a part to fix it. I may have a go at custom making some adapters.


*don't worry, I know you weren't flaming me. Opinions are always welcome*

[MaxxThrasher]

I ran the United RC 1100 pack in the MQ a while ago. What a difference it makes. It gives the truck much more speed and torque, not that the stock pack was bad. This pack is just much better. I've ran the truck just as hard as I do my 1/10 scale MTs and so far no problems. Everything is holding up just fine. The tires are starting to rough up on the corners due to my running it hard on concrete. It hooks up well though no matter what surface your on.

I really like how the truck comes with EVERYTHING needed, but my only complaint thus far would be with the charger it comes with. There is no indicator what-so-ever as to when the battery is completely charged. Nor could I find anywhere in the instructions as to how long to charge it.

[ChumsGum]

Anyone got a link to the Xray truck?

[Mr. Furious]

No pics yet of the XRay. Just some crappy pen and ink drawings. They show the truck in stadium trim looking much like the RC18T and then with monster tires and 2 shocks per corner in monster trim. From the pics the ground clearance doesn't look much different and neither pic has a body on so it's pretty vague. I will say that the shock towers look awfully tall for a stadium truck so it looks like those will be universal and just swap tires and add or remove shocks to switch between the 2 modes. I would think the same could be done by putting stiffer springs and some heavier oil in a stadium truck's shocks and adding a spacer or 2.

[Kaymin]

No pics yet of the XRay. Just some crappy pen and ink drawings. They show the truck in stadium trim looking much like the RC18T and then with monster tires and 2 shocks per corner in monster trim. From the pics the ground clearance doesn't look much different and neither pic has a body on so it's pretty vague. I will say that the shock towers look awfully tall for a stadium truck so it looks like those will be universal and just swap tires and add or remove shocks to switch between the 2 modes. I would think the same could be done by putting stiffer springs and some heavier oil in a stadium truck's shocks and adding a spacer or 2.

I read somewhere the xray truck will be switchable from 2wd to 4wd so you can race agains mini-ts if you want!

[CooLJoE8]

The 8 shocks help a bit more when its an offroad truck. Especially when thats what you are aiming for.

BTW, it may look like it has no ground clearance in MT mode, but if you look at the MQ on tower...it looks the same way. I'm sure in MT mode the Xray will have like 1" clearance or about. I'm thinking the MQ will have more tho.

[ChumsGum]

The MQ has 1.25" of clearance.

I can't wait until we see these trucks in a shootout. Don't count the RC18T out either. You can easily "monster" that up by changing the shock mounting position, and those bigger Trinity monster wheels/tires.

[bullaculla]

I really like how the truck comes with EVERYTHING needed, but my only complaint thus far would be with the charger it comes with. There is no indicator what-so-ever as to when the battery is completely charged. Nor could I find anywhere in the instructions as to how long to charge it.

the manual says no more than 3 hours. but, it also says the charger has a red LED to tell you its charging. Like yours, mine doesn't have a light either :(
that is also my only complaint. but they want to keep the cost down and it works.
I am also very happy with my purchase...but I might just buy the rc18t too since it really is a totally diferent truck.
(and its cheap:D)

[bullaculla]

oh, and those little tiny "e" clips holding on the lower shock pins suck too. one popped off somewhere in my office. I found it with a magnet. so I lowered the front to bring the bumper lower. It gives the pins a little more protection.

[bullaculla]

one more complaint. there is a lot of play in the steering. when reversing fast, the front end wobbles bad. too much plastic. the knuckle is too flexible.

[SteveK]

That wiggle when you reverse is common to many vehicles: It has as much to do with the caster as it does with steering slop. Slop in the suspension isn't always a bad thing, as it can help the car 'correct' itself.

I'm trying to decide if I want to unload my Mini-T and get one of these. I have the hop-up shocks, bearings, Associated turnbuckles, and TRC tires in it, so it will be nearly as big as the MQ (An extended chassis will help it match the body), but the MQ just looked more solid to me in the suspension department. And the 4WD is attractive too.

[MaxxThrasher]

the manual says no more than 3 hours. but, it also says the charger has a red LED to tell you its charging. Like yours, mine doesn't have a light either :(
that is also my only complaint. but they want to keep the cost down and it works.[QUOTE]True, I commend Duratrax for at least including a charger (albeit low quality) and a battery pack ( not requiring AA's). They do work and the truck with them has good speed and power.

[QUOTE]oh, and those little tiny "e" clips holding on the lower shock pins suck too. I've not tried to adjust mine and I haven't had any problems with the shocks or anything else for that matter.

one more complaint. there is a lot of play in the steering. when reversing fast, the front end wobbles bad. too much plastic. the knuckle is too flexible. My steering is tight and the truck doesn't wobble in reverse as you stated yours does. Maybe something is loose on your truck?
I've driven my truck really hard through 5 charges so far and not a problem one.
I like it much better then my Mini-T. I did get a chance today to run both my MQ and M-T side by side and the M-T is faster, but the MQ turns quicker and hooks up better. Also as I stated before my M-T has hop ups. The MQ is stock except for the United RC battery pack.

Also I would like to say that most of you that are looking for comparisons are comparing Stadium trucks to Monster trucks. There's only one or two MTs you can compare the MQ to and as far as I'm concerned it really isn't a comparison as the MQ stands alone. I think the only truck that will stand up to the MQ or possibly be better will be the Xray.

[CooLJoE8]

oh, and those little tiny "e" clips holding on the lower shock pins suck too. one popped off somewhere in my office. I found it with a magnet. so I lowered the front to bring the bumper lower. It gives the pins a little more protection.

one more complaint. there is a lot of play in the steering. when reversing fast, the front end wobbles bad. too much plastic. the knuckle is too flexible.

Well, I never had a problem with my e-clips shooting off, but mine did come without 1 of the e-clips. Either way, I found a fix that works (was even used during some of the track time). I'll put in pics at the end of this post.

Much like maxxthrasher, I never noticed any wobbling while going in reverse. Mine was actually quite stable in reverse, even at full speed. I think you have something loose. I don't have much (if any) play in the steering. Heck, my Mini-T has an aluminum steering crank, and it has more play in the steering than my MQ. I'd look into that, you might have something broken or loose.

However, I agree the knuckles are flexible. Its a stress-tech part. Thankfully, there are aluminum ones coming out in November I think. Might be later than that, but I haven't needed them yet.

Here's the lower shock mount fix:

http://specialed.no-ip.com/minitrucks/mods/dtxmq-mod-1.jpg
http://specialed.no-ip.com/minitrucks/mods/dtxmq-mod-2.jpg
http://specialed.no-ip.com/minitrucks/mods/dtxmq-mod-3.jpg

Give those a try. I'm sure you'll like them. Works well on mine.

[bullaculla]

guys, dont get me wrong. I love my truck! I just havent had another r/c to compare it to for a long time. except my nitro RS4 which I havent driven in years. My e clip probably came off cause I was bashing it around my office and slamming into things like 2x4s :D
cool joes fix looks good tho. thanks.
:)

[MaxxThrasher]

I have what may be the first casualty. I twisted the rear differential outdrive joint in half today at lunch. I'm not sure if it's due to a weak part or my heavy trigger finger and kamikaze style driving habbits. Either way my truck is now down for a while. I'm going to try to make an aluminum replacement in the shop later tonight. If that doesn't go well I guess my only other options are to wait until parts become availible or send the broken part off to Duratrax and maybe they can replace it faster. :confused:

Having some time to wrench on the truck I have to say the screws sure are small. Although I didn't strip any, being Phillips head and so small it wouldn't be hard to do so. I would like to see some hex head screws for replacements.

I would post a pic, but have no idea on how to do so anymore.

[MaxxThrasher]

Good news for me. I was able to make a new drive out of a plastic body post from my T-Maxx. I haven't run it through a full charge yet, but so far it's holding up nicely. If it breaks again, or I break another I'll attempt some aluminum parts. I'm hoping it will at least hold up until there are parts or hop ups available online.

[bullaculla]

on my living room carpet, with all the shocks mounted to the inner most hole and two clips in each shock...
it'll wheelie.
:)

[CooLJoE8]

twisted an outdrive? dang. wonder what caused that.

[MaxxThrasher]

twisted an outdrive? dang. wonder what caused that.
Not exactly sure what caused it, but it happened just after I put a fresh battery in. It could have been just pure torque, a weak spot in the design or something else. I gave the throttle 2 or 3 pulls then I noticed something wrong. After inspecting closer I noteced it had front wheel drive only. The rear wheels spun freely. More so on the left side as that was the side that broke.
The outdrive(DTXC7412-18) has two flats on the end that slide into a slot in the Large Bevel Gear (DTXC7410-12) that is inside the diff. That's where the outdrive twisted off.

[CooLJoE8]

Not exactly sure what caused it, but it happened just after I put a fresh battery in. It could have been just pure torque, a weak spot in the design or something else. I gave the throttle 2 or 3 pulls then I noticed something wrong. After inspecting closer I noteced it had front wheel drive only. The rear wheels spun freely. More so on the left side as that was the side that broke.
The outdrive(DTXC7412-18) has two flats on the end that slide into a slot in the Large Bevel Gear (DTXC7410-12) that is inside the diff. That's where the outdrive twisted off.

Hmm, I didn't twist mine yet, but that has me worried for when I go brushless.

Hopefully some aluminum ones come out.

[MaxxThrasher]

Are you still running the stock battery? Does your truck have actual brakes? Mine just seems to go directly into reverse. I know it's suppose to have forward/reverse and brakes, but mine seems to only be forward and reverse. This could be what caused the part to break.

I ran the battery down this morning and bashed the truck pretty hard with my Mini-T. Had a couple of head on collisions and the MQ held up great. Bent a couple of turnbuckles on the Mini-T though. I'm still running the stock turnbuckles for some reason. :rolleyes: :p
Nothing else has shown any signs of problems with the MQ. It's a great truck. The outdrive I made is holding up fine and I hope that is the last problem I have.
I think a brushless system in this truck would really shine. Not sure how the driveline would hold up though.

[patin22]

I have what may be the first casualty. I twisted the rear differential outdrive joint in half today at lunch. I'm not sure if it's due to a weak part or my heavy trigger finger and kamikaze style driving habbits. Either way my truck is now down for a while. I'm going to try to make an aluminum replacement in the shop later tonight. If that doesn't go well I guess my only other options are to wait until parts become availible or send the broken part off to Duratrax and maybe they can replace it faster. :confused:

Having some time to wrench on the truck I have to say the screws sure are small. Although I didn't strip any, being Phillips head and so small it wouldn't be hard to do so. I would like to see some hex head screws for replacements.

I would post a pic, but have no idea on how to do so anymore.

Same thing happened to me on my front and rear outdrive joints (2). I put in a lithium battery though so of course the added torque has something to do with it. I wasn't even pushing it that hard though. Yours happened with the stock battery so I suspect that the joints are just a real weak point. My plan is to send them back to Duratrax for new ones, but I'm positive that it will happen again. Guess I have to just wait for suitable aftermarket replacement parts or machine my own.

[MaxxThrasher]

Same thing happened to me on my front and rear outdrive joints (2). I put in a lithium battery though so of course the added torque has something to do with it. I wasn't even pushing it that hard though. Yours happened with the stock battery so I suspect that the joints are just a real weak point. My plan is to send them back to Duratrax for new ones, but I'm positive that it will happen again. Guess I have to just wait for suitable aftermarket replacement parts or machine my own.
No, I'm NOT running the stock pack anymore and wasn't when this happened. I'm was running and still am running the UnitedRC X23 pack. It's a noticable difference with speed, torque and run time, but not so drastic that you would think it would tear up the driveline. However, I would think the lithium batteries your running would possibly cause some wear. You twisted all the drives in half? Looking at the drives I would say it's not exactly the best design, but the truck is small and not much room to make beefy parts. I think the only way to go in this area is with aluminum or steel CVDs or dogbones. My only worry about that is that the area of the outdrive with the flats on it would wallow out the bevel gear. Therefore a pinion gear drive may also need to be made.
If your going to continue running the Li-Po batts, I think your only option is to make some drives yourself. That is unless some aftermarket mfg. jumps on this truck and whips out some parts quickly. :rolleyes:

Good luck.

[patin22]

No, I'm NOT running the stock pack anymore and wasn't when this happened. I'm was running and still am running the UnitedRC X23 pack. It's a noticable difference with speed, torque and run time, but not so drastic that you would think it would tear up the driveline. However, I would think the lithium batteries your running would possibly cause some wear. You twisted all the drives in half? Looking at the drives I would say it's not exactly the best design, but the truck is small and not much room to make beefy parts. I think the only way to go in this area is with aluminum or steel CVDs or dogbones. My only worry about that is that the area of the outdrive with the flats on it would wallow out the bevel gear. Therefore a pinion gear drive may also need to be made.
If your going to continue running the Li-Po batts, I think your only option is to make some drives yourself. That is unless some aftermarket mfg. jumps on this truck and whips out some parts quickly. :rolleyes:

Good luck.

I broke the front right and left rear. The front was on gravel and the rear was done on a smooth street - both occasions not pushing the truck that hard at all. I've seen the same Li batteries run in a mini-t and mini-giant just fine - I realize that they are different trucks, but I expected a little more durability out of this truck. They had to expect that people might put more power into these things.

So my choices are to either put the old battery back in (sux), wait for replacement aftermarket parts (sux more) or make my own. I think I'm going to try my hand at making drives myself out of aluminium. I'll post my progress....

[CooLJoE8]

I'm running the stock battery pack, and yes it tends to only have forward and reverse. Although I fixed that by switching to my JR XR2 radio. I just turned down the reverse limits and now it brakes before reversing. Funny thing, I was going full speed and hit the brakes and it ended up doing an endo (lifted back end into the air and dropped back down).

I'll have to tear into my MQ tonight to see if any damage took place. It seemed to run fine though.


BTW, just a tip....the Duratrax guys are watching some of the various forums and I imagine this is one of them. So if you have any issues, don't be afraid to voice them and possibly even send in a suggestion. I've already sent in a suggestion about the wheel compaibility and they sent a reply back saying they do watch the forums and welcome any suggestions, comments, etc. Of course they couldn't say anything about parts in development and therefore wouldn't say anything about whether they were making adapters or not ;)


Also, Duratrax (if you look at the parts list sheet) already has hop-ups for the truck in the works. One of them is CVDs. I'm just hoping they are aluminum CVDs.

[MaxxThrasher]

CooLJoE8, thanks for the info.

I now have another problem. Someone suggested that since the brake wasn't working that I try to reset the ESC. During my attempt at doing so the truck burst into drive and I twisted the rear outdrive in half on the other side. On top of that my ESC no longer works correctly. Either I have forward only, when I put the brake on or I only have reverse.

Now I have to build another outdrive for the other side. Might as well built 3 more. :rolleyes:

Hope I can get my ESC programed right again.

Duratrax if your readin', hurry up with those CVDs, and I too hope they are aluminum. I see no need for steel.

[CooLJoE8]

CooLJoE8, thanks for the info.

I now have another problem. Someone suggested that since the brake wasn't working that I try to reset the ESC. During my attempt at doing so the truck burst into drive and I twisted the rear outdrive in half on the other side. On top of that my ESC no longer works correctly. Either I have forward only, when I put the brake on or I only have reverse.

Now I have to build another outdrive for the other side. Might as well built 3 more. :rolleyes:

Hope I can get my ESC programed right again.

Duratrax if your readin', hurry up with those CVDs, and I too hope they are aluminum. I see no need for steel.

What do you mean by reset. I know that I was curious about that slow-acceleration issue and reprogrammed mine using the instructions they gave, but I'm not sure about a reset (unless that is what you mean). Have you tried reprogramming it? It might be that its programming thinks that full forward is idle on the controller and idle is full reverse on the controller.

Far as I can tell, it works likes this:

1) leave the controller alone so that the trigger and wheel are centered and then turn on the ESC
2) press set button and hold til the lights blink
3) push set again and green led should be flashing alone. pull trigger to full throttle and, while holding full throttle, press set button.
4) red led should be flashing alone. push trigger to full reverse and hold it there while pressing set button.

After that both LEDs should be on solid (no flashing). And with that you are done programming. If this is what you did and knew thats how it worked, then forgive me as I just wanted to be sure the instructions were clear.

That sucks about the outdrives breaking again. I'll have to order a new pack online and try it out to see what happens. If all 3 of us break outdrives like this, then its definetely a problem to look into. As it is, I passed on the info about outdrives breaking to the Duratrax R&D and pointed them to this page of the thread to get full information from the posts.

[2.0dohc]

how did you make the replacment part?

[CooLJoE8]

BTW, Good news everyone!!!

Since sending in the suggestion about the Mini-T wheel compatibility, they have responded back to me a 2nd time. They gave me permission to tell you this:

DURATRAX IS MAKING WHEEL ADAPTERS!

I passed your original suggestion onto our development team. We had a
good discussion and I am able to expand on my earlier message;

We are aware of the wheel compatibility issue that has arisen due to
the Losi attachment method having become the overnight standard.
Obviously, during the development of the Mini Quake, we had no idea
that would become an issue.

As a result, we are working on a Losi wheel adapter that will be
available as an option part very soon. Additionally, there will be a
number of Duratrax hop-up parts announced and released over the next
couple months. Please feel free to share this information on the
message boards.


So for anyone that was turned off by the wheel issue, you can now be rest assured that it will no longer be an issue.

[MaxxThrasher]

What do you mean by reset. I know that I was curious about that slow-acceleration issue and reprogrammed mine using the instructions they gave, but I'm not sure about a reset (unless that is what you mean). Have you tried reprogramming it? It might be that its programming thinks that full forward is idle on the controller and idle is full reverse on the controller.Sorry for the misunderstanding, but that is exactly what I meant. To me the instructions were a little vague, but this is the 1st ESC I've programmed so... :rolleyes: I have since did what you said and have it back to working correctly. Thank you very much for the clarification. :cool:


That's great news. It seems that Duratrax has no intention of dropping the ball on this one. I too have been contacted by someone there and he even offered to send me new drives. I'm confident they will fix any issues with this truck and satisfy other issues as well.

Again I have to say I think the truck is great and has potential to become even more even with the problems I've suffered. As soon as the aluminum drives become available I'm snaggin' me some! :D

how did you make the replacment part?
I made mine out of a T-Maxx body post. I just chucked it up and turned it down to the diameter I got off the broken one. Then I cut a groove in the end to accept the universal joint and cut a flat on the end so that it will slide into the bevel gear, drilled a 1/16 hole through the part that accepts the universal joint pins and installed it in the truck. Works great so far! :D
Now I just have to make another. :(

[bullaculla]

Not exactly sure what caused it, but it happened just after I put a fresh battery in. It could have been just pure torque, a weak spot in the design or something else. I gave the throttle 2 or 3 pulls then I noticed something wrong. After inspecting closer I noteced it had front wheel drive only. The rear wheels spun freely. More so on the left side as that was the side that broke.
The outdrive(DTXC7412-18) has two flats on the end that slide into a slot in the Large Bevel Gear (DTXC7410-12) that is inside the diff. That's where the outdrive twisted off.

Is this right?
http://photos.imageevent.com/bullaculla1/sumstuf/outdrive.jpg

[MaxxThrasher]

bullaculla, that's exactly right. That seems to be the weak point. I posted a pic on 1-18th. I would have posted here, but dunno how anymore. The drive twists off right at the flats.

[patin22]

I made mine out of a T-Maxx body post. I just chucked it up and turned it down to the diameter I got off the broken one. Then I cut a groove in the end to accept the universal joint and cut a flat on the end so that it will slide into the bevel gear, drilled a 1/16 hole through the part that accepts the universal joint pins and installed it in the truck. Works great so far! :D
Now I just have to make another. :(

I was actually thinking the same thing - I have an extra set of aluminium t-maxx body posts that I was planning on working on this weekend.

I am a little concerned about the bevel and pinion gear like you mentioned in your previous post - I'm just going to try to get the fit as snug as possible to try to avoid problems.

[MaxxThrasher]

My first thought was to make them out of aluminum, but there are a few reasons I chose instead to make them out of plastic.
The most obvious being that plastic is easier to work with them aluminum.
2nd. My concern of the bevel gear holding up to the force of the aluminum drive. I'm guessing that won't be a problem though.
3rd. Duratrax will soon have CVDs available.
Last. To make the aluminum drives fit on the plastic universal joint, you'll have to cut the pins off, drill a hole and insert/thread lock a new pin that will hold the drive on. The plastic drives bend to fit over the pins, aluminum won't.

[htimsda]

I love this thing. It's fast, and handles and jumps great.

My biggest beef with it right now is the battery compartment. The battery is just about sealed in with plastic. After about 15 minutes of chasing my kids around in the parking lot, that battery is just about hot enough to solder with. At the same time, the motor and ESC haven't even broken a sweat. I've already replaced the plastic battery strap with a custom aluminum one to try and dissipate some heat, but it isn't enough. I think I'm gonna try drilling some holes in the chassis to get more air to the battery. I'm also in the process of swapping locations of the receiver and ESC.

[CooLJoE8]

Thats odd to hear about the battery pack. Is it the stock one?

I ran mine on the race track nonstop for the full amount and it didn't get warm at all.

[bullaculla]

What? mine gets hot as f**k just running around my air conditioned office!

[RespirologyRC]

Well after reading all the crap that is going wrong with the MQ i guess I'm not letting go of my mini-t. For 170-200$ that is some what exspensive for a truck that breaks and heats up the moment you push it!!!!

[jocktheglide165]

where the cheapest place to get these trucks these look cool.

[Akura2]

I saw this truck at my LHS... but I think I'll wait for the PTI truck or the Hotbodies truck... both of those have better ground clearance... and the PTI truck seems a lot beefier with it's alumninum and metal parts (turnbuckles, side plates, four-link etc.).. unless the Xray really comes out hot... they make such cool stuff

[MaxxThrasher]

I never had problems with my stock battery heating up. It never got hotter then normal running temps.
I got my MQ from Tower for $159.
What's better then the Mini-T to me is that the MQ will go places the M-T will never be able to go with much more power.
The MQ is more then twice as fast as the M-T straight out of the box.
Handles, turns and jumps much better.
Comes with Futaba electronics, not integrated ESC/Receiver.
Steering servo is more then the truck needs, no need to do a swap.
After purchasing the M-T for $149 and putting another $150 into it, the MQ although not quite as fast, is still a much better truck right out of the box with not a hop up one.
The MQ is definately the best 1/18 RTR out there and the best RTR I've owned next to my Savage.

And just wait, not that it needs it, but there are some great hop ups coming soon.

[htimsda]

CooLJoE8,
Yep, stock battery. Pretty much running full throttle until the battery was dead.

RespirologyRC,
I wouldn't count the MQ out just yet. This thing is awesome. I haven't broken anything yet, and I've been pushing it pertty hard. I've run full speed into the curb a few times and nothing has broken or bent. My emaxx would be getting new parts if I did the same thing to it.

The Hotbodies truck looks like it would be tougher to keep the battery cool. Also looks like it would roll over a lot more.

[htimsda]

OK, now my shaft broke too. :mad:
http://www.******.net/img/41170

Here's my aluminum battery strap. I'll probably drill holes in the bottom of the chassis to allow some air to get to the bottom of the battery.
http://www.******.net/img/41168

[studysession]

No pics?

[htimsda]

Sorry, I guess r-c-p-i-c-s.com isn't working. Anyone know where to get free image hosting, so I can post pics?

[CooLJoE8]

Yeah, thats the tapered part of the outdrive that broke off. Others have been dealing with that as well. I haven't yet, but most people do after getting better battery packs.

Hopefully Duratrax has the CVDs coming very soon or atleast replacement parts (altho I'd prefer aluminum CVDs).

I'll let you guys know if I hear anything new.

[CooLJoE8]

BTW, the MiniQuake's are getting around the world now.

Earlier I mentioned that they could be found in Germany (supposedly under Losi's name) as a model called MTX-4 or something like that.

Now you can find it in the Asian market as an Anderson MRX-4. Here's a link to it on RCMart.com in ARR form for $90 (not a bad price if you don't want the stock servo, esc, receiver):

http://www.rcmart.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=144_610&products_id=10364



My point?

Well, this gives alot more hope for other aftermarket companies making parts for the MQ. I'm hoping GPM and 3Racing make stuff for it (I like 3Racing stuff on the Mini-T...would be nice to see MQ stuff from them).

[bullaculla]

BTW, the MiniQuake's are getting around the world now.

Earlier I mentioned that they could be found in Germany (supposedly under Losi's name) as a model called MTX-4 or something like that.

Now you can find it in the Asian market as an Anderson MRX-4. Here's a link to it on RCMart.com in ARR form for $90 (not a bad price if you don't want the stock servo, esc, receiver):

http://www.rcmart.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=144_610&products_id=10364



My point?

Well, this gives alot more hope for other aftermarket companies making parts for the MQ. I'm hoping GPM and 3Racing make stuff for it (I like 3Racing stuff on the Mini-T...would be nice to see MQ stuff from them).

wow! thats a good price for a kit version! :eek:

[RespirologyRC]

WOW, that is awsome!!! I just tried purchasing one, BUT--- shipping is 40.00!!! Holy smokes, I can't believe shipping is soo exspensive! I bet you'll see companies trying to sell them here shortly but with shipping being 10.00

[CooLJoE8]

Yeah, shipping on big items from overseas can get expensive.

BTW, take note that its not a kit, its an ARR (almost ready to run). Basically it comes pre-built but requires electronics to be finished.

[RespirologyRC]

doesn't bother me, I have plenty of electronics

[Mr. Furious]

Check this out:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=44029&item=5930062185&rd=1

Who the heck makes these things? Did Duratrax make it and sell it overseas to other vendors or did Duratrax just find it and import it to slap their name on it?

[studysession]

That's funny - Are you same guy who posted that on RCU? I was looking at that link already. :)

[CooLJoE8]

Check this out:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=44029&item=5930062185&rd=1

Who the heck makes these things? Did Duratrax make it and sell it overseas to other vendors or did Duratrax just find it and import it to slap their name on it?

Thats the same one that I pointed out is available on RCMart. Anderson Racing (whoever that is) MRX-4.

Duratrax makes it, but likely sells it to other smaller companies so they can sell it in other countries under their own name. The Venom Mini Giant is available on RCMart under a different name as well. Duratrax is a US company, so it makes business sense for them to let companies in other countries sell it....gives em a bigger market in a sense.

[Ferrari_Spyder]

my friend wants a mini quake but he doesnt have a charger or anything like that.

either

A. he finds a truck that take AA so he can use alkalines.
B. he buys a real ($50) charger and a few good rechargeable packs ($40)
C. only runs 15 minutes and once a day due to crappy duratrax charger and battery.
and....
D. asks his friend to ask the best and most informative forum board for advice!

[htimsda]

my friend wants a mini quake but he doesnt have a charger or anything like that.

either

A. he finds a truck that take AA so he can use alkalines.
B. he buys a real ($50) charger and a few good rechargeable packs ($40)
C. only runs 15 minutes and once a day due to crappy duratrax charger and battery.
and....
D. asks his friend to ask the best and most informative forum board for advice!

Ferrari, all he has to do is buy a decent charger, then he can run about once every hour with the supplied battery.

[Mr. Furious]

studysession: Yeah man, that was me. I cruise a lot of forums and try to spread things around so folks who don't hit them all can see what's up. I read your post about rcmart and thought I would post that because it had some pretty good pictures. rcmart's site is always slow as molasses in january :)

[CooLJoE8]

I finally found a way to get the Mamba installed and working in the MQ. I used the stock MQ pinion. The pinion's mount hole is slightly larger than the mamba motor's shaft. To make it fit properly I just put a layer of clear packing tape around the motor shaft, and now the pinion fits nicely. Its not the best solution, but it works. Mind you, I previously ground a flat spot in the motor shaft for better grip of the pinion set screw, so this will help in keeping still in the motor.

Either way I mounted it onto the motor mount and installed the motor, plugged in an 8-cell GP1100 pack and gave a couple runs while it was propped on the packing tape roll (battery can't stay on truck so I can't do test runs. I'll try those when my new battery packs arrive).

*quick note; the setup I have is a Mamba 8000kv motor, Mamba25 ESC, 8-cell GP1100 2/3A pack.*

:eek: :eek: :cool:


Lets just say I never got to full throttle. I didn't break anything, but I didn't want to see the result of 76,800 RPMs (possible RPMs - 8000kv * 9.6v = 76,800). Once the tires have traction, the backward force against the driveline will not be pretty. I did manage 1/2 throttle though, and that scared me enough on the stock driveline (and it through the dirt on the tires all over the room.....atleast now they are clean).

Well here's a couple pics:

http://specialed.no-ip.com/minitrucks/dtxminiquake/dtxmq-mamba-mounted.jpg
http://specialed.no-ip.com/minitrucks/dtxminiquake/dtxmq-mamba-installed.jpg
http://specialed.no-ip.com/minitrucks/dtxminiquake/dtxmq-mamba-setup.jpg

[RespirologyRC]

Does it look like we can stick a 540 motor in there?

[bullaculla]

people are breaking stock parts with the stock motor and you want to go brushless now? you didn't break anything with the truck in the air, but I think as soon as you put it down and give the tires some resistance, you'll break the drives. at least wait till you can get replacement parts!:D
but, keep us posted!:)

[CooLJoE8]

people are breaking stock parts with the stock motor and you want to go brushless now? you didn't break anything with the truck in the air, but I think as soon as you put it down and give the tires some resistance, you'll break the drives. at least wait till you can get replacement parts!:D
but, keep us posted!:)

Once the tires have traction, the backward force against the driveline will not be pretty.

;)

I know



RespirologyRC - Nope, 540s will not fit. Why would you want to anyways. 540 will be heavy.

[Redman65]

I'll wait for the RC18 T. MQ looks nice though.

[studysession]

If I can fit a 540 on my MiniT and my Micro RS4 - I am sure I could fit a 540 on a MQ.

[bullaculla]

Unbelievable. I just broke my rear out drive with the stock battery. The battery just came off the charger and I was doing wheelies in my kitchen. All of a sudden, it would just spin the front tires. No traction.
:(

[MaxxThrasher]

Here's (http://http://www.one18th.com/forums/showthread.php?p=103052#post103052) a way to solve the broken outdrive problem.

[Racer Rob]

If I can fit a 540 on my MiniT and my Micro RS4 - I am sure I could fit a 540 on a MQ.
...yeah anything is possible, but why? I see not a single advantage and a whole list of disadvantages

[studysession]

A lot of people just love trying to see how much power they can put into their 1/18 scales.

I have done a 540 conversion on my MiniT - Will be redoing the motor plate on my CNC Mill so it will looks less like a hack job. It will be apearing in MaxBashing magazine when it is finished. :)

I also have a 540 converted Micro RS4. I just love making them go as fast as I possibly can.

[bullaculla]

Here is mine. Look familiar?
http://photo