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Poll: What day works for a bash.
 October 10
October 11
October 17
October 18
October 24
October 25
None of the above.
Any of the above, I just want to run.
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DuraTrax Mini Quake - Quick Look (stock)
by Pat (CooLJoE) on Friday 03 December 2004
This is a quick look at the DuraTrax Mini Quake. It shows several shots of the box, truck, and comparisons to the Mini-T. It also talks about some of the pros and cons of the truck.
We'll start off with the retail box and what comes inside:
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):
And 2 shots comparing the stock MiniQuake battery pack against a 6-cell pack for the M18:
Now some comparison shots of the MiniQuake & Mini-T:
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The drive shafts may need to be upgraded. If you plan on upgrading to a powerful brushless setup, I suggest getting the Duratrax CVDs that will be coming out or waiting for another manufacturer to create something better. Powerful motors like the brushless, will likely twist the drive shafts. (part # DTXC7407......... CV Drive Shafts x 2)
The front hub carriers can twist at the steering arm a bit too easy if enough pressure is applied to the wheel. Enough good hits against the tires/wheels that force against those turnbuckles, will liekly break that part of the hub carrier. Thankfully Duratrax has some aluminum knuckles on the way (part # DTXC8209......... Aluminum Knuckle Set Blue x 2)
The steering turnbuckles and the rear steering-lock turnbuckles will eventaully need replacement. The plastic used will bend (which is good since it has some give before breaking), but will eventually break if it happens too often. Thankfully its only 4 turnbuckles total and they are long enough that you will likely find titanium replacements without having to be specifically for the Mini Quake. Also Duratrax has some adjustable turnbuckles coming (part # DTXC9472......... Adjustable Turnbuckle Set x 2)
The only thing that needs fixing now is the lower shock mounts. Small screws, liek the ones used on the Mini-T, will fit through the lower shock mount, but they are too small to thread into the lower a-arms. The next size up of screw that I have will thread into the lower a-arms, but is too big to go through the lower shock mount. So far the only thing that I know will work is the "quick-release shocks" mod that was used on the T-Maxx in the early days. Basically you get metal rod and linkage collars, put the metal rod through the lower a-arm and each lower shock mount, and then place a linkage collar over each end and tighten the set screw on the collars. Works well, replaces the hingepin/e-clip method Duratrax used, and lets you remove both shocks (at the bottom) with only unscrewing one part (remove one linkage collar and pull rod out). Here are some pics to better explain what it involves:
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I charged the stock 600mah Nicad pack and gave it a couple runs on the carpet inside (was raining outside at the time). Forward and reverse are about the same speed, and definetely faster than the Mini-T (which makes sense since its a 380 size motor).
My only complaint about the stock electronics was that the reverse seemed to react faster than forward. Lemme clear that up: when you hit the throttle/reverse, they both acted right away, but the acceleration of reverse is a bit better than forward. I'm not completely sure why, but it may just be the ESC that I got. In the end it just means that it has slight bit slower acceleration when moving forward. You can hardly notice when driving the truck. It can nearly pull wheelies stock on carpet. I got it to lift the wheels a couple times while driving it around.
Turning radius is really good. Its a bit tighter than the Mini-T. And since the servo is a standard size one, the steering response is immediate and holds strong.
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So as you can see, Duratrax has made a cool little truck that mostly fullfills the need for a micro monster truck. It has fullsize, 1/10th scale electronics, a powerful 380 motor, large tires, 4wd shaft drive, and double the ground clearance of the Mini-T. The main drawbacks are that the wheels aren't compatible with the Mini-T's, and the Mini-T bodies are slightly smaller.
Rating:
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