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Overview:
The entire small-scale offroad RC phenomenon had the potential to become the fad of the year when Horizon Hobby released the Team Losi-branded Mini-T, but the idea managed to really stick in the marketplace. Vendors have kept prices low and competition high, and the "mini" form factor has struck a chord with many a hobbyist. Duratrax entered the fray with the Mini-Quake RTR, an 1/18th scale 4WD monster truck based on an all-new chassis. In this article, I team up with my good friend and long-time URC supporter Tim "Rimmy" Martin to present a two-for-the-price-of-one review of this entry-level truck.
First Impressions:
Tim: I like the size and stance. The tires are nicely shaped and have a proper-looking tread pattern. I'm also diggin' the annodized blue parts, including this interesting chassis brace rod. Overall I like the chassis layout, but I'll have to look at it closer.
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Jang: I have to agree about the size & stance. It sits nicely -- it has nice poise & looks stable. Design-wise it seems to be a 4WD stadium truck, but it still *looks* like a racing monster. Low-profile tires on an RTR MT? What a concept. High-profilers may look tough, but in small-scale vehicles they really don't perform well. It's about time somebody caught on to this. Tim: I actually wish the tires were more high-profile, myself, for less of a truggy-like stance.
Suspension:
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Tim: Dual shocks per corner looks nice and very MT-like. However, I feel like they aren't necessary -- you don't need duals with such a small, light truck. I really like the fact that they give you real oil-filled shocks with aluminum bodies, though. They're very smooth and have good spring rates and appropriate oil weight; A+ there. What's with the mounting, though? Attachment at the bottom is with a single pin per arm, with tiny e-clips at the ends. Jang: E-clips are bad. Tim: Yeah, especially this small. They're a hassle to take off, they're a hassle to put on, and they get lost all too easily.
The double a-arm setup is proven and durable, but the plastic they used makes them feel like Gumby! I can twist them 45 degrees forward or back with hardly any effort. Now, in all fairness, this *is* good for durability because they will give a lot in crashes instead of easily snapping.
Jang: One thing missing here is camber adjustability. Of course, you can get the upgrade aluminum a-arm sets from Duratrax which give you upper turnbuckles, but as someone who likes to tweak things a lot, I wish they had just included inexpensive adjustable plastic links on the stock RTR. At the corners, they use plastic-in-plastic ball & socket connections that are effective, but not the best choice of materials. I can see these getting dirty and clogged with regular running, especially in either dusty or damp conditions. Once dirt gets in there, it'll start chaffing the plastic, permanently reducing the smoothness of the suspension action.
Steering:
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Tim: There is really a lot of play in the steering column, a problem we've seen on most minis. But! There's a standard servo -- a standard, regular-sized servo. The MQ uses a rebranded Futaba S3003 which, while too wimpy for, say, a 1/10th scale monster truck, provides all the torque the little Mini will ever need. Plus, you can easily get new internal gears for it if you do manage to strip it somehow, or you can swap in something faster. Jang: Those of you who have been familiar with the Losi Mini-T craze since it started may remember the outrage of owners having to change *all* of their electronics out just to upgrade from the underpowered stock servo, thanks to an unusual 4-wire setup. Segueue into the Mini-Quake's...
Electronics:
Standard receiver! The radio system is a Futaba basic AM unit, nothing fancy, but full hobby-class and easily upgraded if you wish. The antenna wire is ridiculously long, though, especially compared to the very short antenna tube they give you. I've put on an extra long 1/10th or 1/8th scale tube and it's still not long enough to cover the whole wire -- I had to coil up the end & cover it with some electrical tape.
The ESC is a relatively recent one from Duratrax, first used on their Micro Street Force. It's light, tiny, and easy to calibrate with a familiar single-button setup with LED indicators. And it has reverse, which is very important on a bashing truck.
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Tim: But, alas, no brakes. It has proportional forward and reverse with neutral in between, but there's nothing to slow the vehicle down before switching directions. This is going to make driving a challenge, as any time you want to slow for a turn or obstacle, you need either just coast down or be very, very careful, just gently touching reverse, or you could really strain the drivetrain.
Jang: Oh, and it comes with a battery, but it's a generic 600mah NiCd. Low on punch, low on runtime. They do include a charger too, but it's a 4-hour wall charger with no automatic cutoff. I sort of made the mistake of leaving it to charge overnight (bad Jang, bad), yeah, and the battery didn't like that. So, I got a hot X23 pack from United RC. This is built with high-quality GP1200 cells that can be charged at up to 2 amps. Worth every penny.
Drivetrain:
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This is a full-time 4WD, shaft driven setup with a big 370-sized motor on one side. It's a touring car-inspired design, proven, balanced, with a low CG.
The diffs are a 4-spider bevel gear setup. They're not sealed, so you can't use silicone oil, but you can lubricate them with some extra-heavy grease for just a touch of Posi-Trac action.
The last thing I'll point out here are the plastic universal slider axles. This is a familiar and proven setup on larger scale vehicles, but I must admit that with that relatively large motor and big tires, I was a bit worried early on about the durability of these guys. We'll see how well they stand up under a driving test.
Tim: I also want to point out that with the diffs, the lower diff housings are actually part of the main chassis. Less parts, less flex, easier assembly, and makes for a sturdy vehicle.
Driving Impressions:
Jang: The first thing I notice is that the Mini Quake is very, very stable. The tires are made of a soft enough rubber that you get good traction on asphalt, and the tread pattern is aggressive enough to hit a lawn or rocky dirt patch and keep going.
The "4WD stadium truck" setup works very well here. The low CG and good balance make the truck a lot more stable than the likes of the Hot Bodies Minizilla and Venom Mini Giant.
The suspension is right for jumping, but a little stiff over rough terrain. Weight transfer and handling feel predictable, though.
The thing's pretty peppy, especially given the all-stock equipment. It gets up & goes quickly and hits a pretty decent top speed of 19.2mph (with the United RC pack -- expect about 2mph less with the stock battery). It jumps very level as well. All in all it's very fun to drive. Having no brakes is an issue, but with care you can avoid actually reversing if you just tap the throttle forward.
Tim: For a stock vehicle, especially of this size, it's fast as heck. Steering was a bit sluggish, which is bad for agility but good to help reduce traction rolls.
Suspension is fine on a flat surface, but at speed it tends to get of shape over bumps and it will roll if you hit a bump wrong in a turn. Really fun, though, for sure.
Durability:
Our test rig was from the first production run of Mini-Quakes and in what unfortunately has been somewhat of a pattern with Duratrax vehicles, this early batch had durability issues. The stock differential outdrives snapped on us a total of four times before we ran out of extra parts (fortunately we had heard of the problem in advance and bought some spares). However, this is where we got to try out Duratrax's one-year Stress-Tech parts warranty. We called their service department and the rep on the phone prevented us from fully explaining the circumstances of the breakage, instead cutting in to get a shipping address to send a free set of replacement parts. The replacements were of an updated design with more beef and a different color (to easily distinguish them), and it's our understanding that these parts have shipped on all Mini-Quakes made after the first run. I'm pleased to report that we didn't have any breakges after the upgrade. And no, they didn't send us the parts free because we're URC -- they offer the same service to everyone.
Summary:
The sloppy steering, lack of camber adjustment, and flexible parts make the Mini Quake a less-than-ideal racer, but a more survivable basher. The stock motor has good power, though the stock battery leaves a lot to be desired. The amazing thing is, though, that a rechargable battery pack is included, along with a charger (albeit a 4-hour one) and even the 8 AA's you need for the transmitter. With a retail price now down to $160 US, you're looking at a good value. All in all, we like this little truck. Especially given the completeness of the package, we'd feel confident recommending the Mini-Quake as a gift to be someone's first hobby-level RC, as a hassle-free just-for-fun addition to a serious hobbyist's stable, or as a versatile choice for a budget-conscious or space-constrained basher.
