RCU Review: DuraTrax Micro Street Force RTR

 RCU Review: DuraTrax Micro Street Force RTR More On This Product
Research Airplanes Research Boats Research Cars Research Helicopters Research Engines & Motors Research Radio Equipment Contributed by: Larry Eddy | Published: May 2004 | Views: 24761 |
Specifications
Assembly
Posing Time
Hop-Ups
On the Road
Summary Manufacturer & Distributor
Info
Distributed Exclusively in the
U.S.A. and Canada by:
Great Planes Model Distr.
P.O. Box 9021
Champaign, IL 61826-9021
Email this Article | PDF
The Duratrax Micro Street Force (MSF) is a great example of the
old cache, "Good things can come in small packages." This
1/18th scale RTR micro car is living proof. I know, a RC car isn't
alive, but by engaging the throttle trigger a little, you might
begin to wonder.
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Med
High
936 KB 1.66 MB 5.44 MB
Watch the video of the
Micro Street Force
Manufacturer: Duratrax
Product: Micro Street Force
Stock Number: DTXD10**
Length: 9.375 in (240mm)
Width: 4.0 in (100mm)
Front Track: 3.8-4.0 in (96-101mm)
Rear Track: 3.8-4.2 in (97-107mm)
Wheelbase: 5.5-6.0 in (140-150mm)
RTR Weight: 13.25 oz (375g)
Includes: 2-channel Futaba® radio w/SX100 servo & "AA"
batteries, ESC1000 electronic speed control, 600mAh NiCd
battery & charger
Stress-Tech Guarantee
Nice ESC1000 electronic speed controller
Friendly Price
Great hop-up potential
Die-cut decals
Great 'FUN' Factor
RTR with nothing else needed except for a little concrete and a nice sunny day
3 hour trickle charge time for 600mAh Ni-Cd Battery pack
Lack of realistic detail in body
suit-case/brief-case box
Spare Servo arms
Spare body pins
On arrival : The Micro Street Force comes ready to run (RTR). When they say ready to run, they
mean it. It takes about 10 minutes to get the car ready to go, excluding charging the battery. It
comes in a small suit-case/brief-case styled box with lots of extra/spare parts.
The MSF also arrives with a very comprehensive instruction manual- 20 pages in length. The
manual includes complete instructions on how to re-build your MSF from the ground up. This will
come in handy for when you want to ad some hop-ups or maybe a Castle Creation's Mamba
Brushless motor/controller setup.
600mAh Ni-Cd battery pack.
Gives about 20-25 minutes of
'fun' runtime. Comes with a wall charger.
Takes about 3 hours to charge
the battery pack fully. Optional "AA" battery holder.
You can also power your MSF
with 4 "AA" batteries. Battery Pack and Wall Charger: Duratrax includes a 7.2V 600mAh Ni-Cd battery pack for your
driving pleasure. The 7.2V ouput supplies plenty of punch for the included 180 sized canned motor.
The instructions state that "the battery is fully charged when it becomes warm to the touch" and not
to leave it on the charger more than 3 hours. To be honest, I've left the battery on the charger for
3+ hours and never found it to be "warm to the touch". I don't recommend doing this and always
remember to use caution.
The included battery gives the MSF an almost exhausting 20-30 minute runtime. I've run at least
10 battery packs though the car, and I always end up handing the transmitter to a buddy so I can
give my eyes a break. You can also purchase a DuraTrax 7.2V NiMH 1100mAh batterypack for even
longer runtimes. Also included is a 110V wall trickle charger unit with matching connectors. This will allow you to
charge up the battery pack before you head out. The only draw back is that it takes around three
hours to fully charge the battery pack. So you'll need to plan ahead to make sure your battery pack
is charged. If it was me, I think I'd just purchase a couple extra battery packs and charger them
the night before. The 7.2V 600mAh packs retail for around $12.99. Another good option, connect
the pack to your quick charger at 1.5amps and it should peak in about 20-30 minutes.
Duratrax 2-channel pistol grip
radio
Duratrax 27 MHz SX-100
receiver. Duratrax ESC1000 controller.
Handles 4-6 cells and has brake
and reverse. Installed Radio System and ESC: The included radio system is a Duratrax-labeled Futaba
2-channel AM Pistol grip unit. It transmits on the 27 MHz band. They even supply the 8 "AA"
batteries needed to power the transmitter. (They included everything, even the batteries-nice) The
SX-100 receiver comes pre-installed on the chassis (double-sided tape) with the Duratrax ESC1000
electronic speed controller plugged in and almost read to go. You just need to program it. This will
take you about two minutes. Simply, follow step 9 in your instruction manual.
The pre-installed ESC will handle battery packs with 4 to 6 cells and is rated to handle up to a 10
amp peak. I found the ESC1000 to have a nice smooth and consistant acceleration pattern. Colorful die-cut Decal sheets Pre-painted lexan body The MSF comes in 6 differnet
colors Decals and Pre-painted body: The Micro Street Force comes in 6 different pre-painted colors. I
chose 'Night Rider' black, my favorite color. The body is pre-cut and ready for the decals to be
applied. Now I don't know about you, but I HATE having to carefully cut and trim around decals so
my ride looks good when I'm done. I just don't have patience for that. Well not to worry, the
included decal sheet was die-cut for your pleasure- Thank You Duratrax.
Chassis: The Duratrax Micro Street Force's chassis is built out of two, black flexible fiber glass
plates. The upper plate has a hatch for easy battery access- you just pull out the body clip. It is
also built with an adjustable rear pod so you can set/adjust the wheelbase.
Drive Train: The MSF is designed around a belt driven, direct drive setup and is powered by a 180
sized motor. The 180 sized motor is mounted directly to the rear plate and provides power to the to
the 150mm belt drive through the use of a pinion/spur setup. The MSF comes with a installed
9-tooth pinion, but they also include an 11 and 13-tooth so you can play arouind with the gearing.
Tires and Wheels: The Micros Street Force comes with 2-piece wheels that allow you to adjust the
width so you can fit other custom bodies on your ride. They also adjust so you can tweak the front
and rear track. This is done by locating the rims on one of the three mounting positions on the
hubs. You just pop off the wheel cover, un-screw three screws and reposition the rim. My MSF sporting both RCU and
RC Driver decals
Manual
2.2MB
Exploded View
388K
Click here for a complete list of Hop-Ups Duratrax offers! DuraTrax is so confident in the quality and durability of Stress-Tech
parts that we'll replace any Stress-Tech part that breaks during
the first 12 months you own the Micro Street Force.
Just send the broken part to DuraTrax and we will send you a
FREE replacement. See the instruction manual for mailing address
and details.
Now to the important stuff...... How does the Micro Street Force handle?
Carpet: Anyone that knows me very well will tell you I'm not a patient man. When I want to do
something, I want to do it now! So, when the battery was charged, I slapped it in the car and headed
up out of my work shop to put my shoes on to head out side. When I got to the door, it was raining.
Bummer! Ok, no biggie, lets see what it can do indoors.
My basement is finished with a hard berber carpet, perfect for this little guy. I dropped it on the floor
and gave it some throttle- off it went. My basement is only 30 feet long, so I couldn't get the car up
to full speed. I ran a few laps, hit 1 couch, 2 walls and a lamp. Not bad, I guess I should be a little
more gentle on the throttle. Now that I've thrashed my basement I'll wait for the weather to clear
and see what it will do on the pavement.
Pavement: I recruited my Cousin Dale for my wheel man so I could grab the video camera. Dale has
a huge paved driveway and this is a great place to see how the MSF would handle. Dale's comments on the Micro Street Force: "Handling was solid, above average. Car was stable,
difficult to roll or spin out. Throttle control was excellent, car could be run at many different speeds
consistently. Battery life was exceptional. Durability seems to be very good, can take tough hits. Of
course you have to remember I haven't driven many cars that were not built in the 80's! LOL"
After I got done with the video, I took the wheel and had a little fun myself. I pretty much agree with
Dale's assesments. The one thing I did notice was, that the car seemed a little top heavy. If I went
into a turn too fast and cut it too hard- a-tumbling we would go! Since this is my first micro car, I
can't compare it to others, but I'm sure this is normal. My 1/10th scale stuff does the same thing. I like it! Great 'Fun' Factor! The Micro Street Force delivers exactly what is promises. It is small
enought to run on the carpet in my basement or slam it off the kitchen cubboards on the linoleum or
take it out side a race with friends in the driveway. It is a tough little car, but if you break something,
the Stree-Tech will have your back.
All in all, I think the Micro Street Force is a great value. It might not be the fastest or even the least
expensive one on the market, but I love mine. A group of us are actually going to buy a couple more
and do some weekend racing. C-ya at the track!
Distributed Exclusively in the U.S.A. and Canada by:
Great Planes Model Distributors
P.O. Box 9021
Champaign, IL 61826-9021
www.duratrax.com Great Planes Model Distributors
P.O. Box 9021
Champaign, IL 61826-9021
Telephone: 800-637-7660 or 217-398-6300
Tower Hobbies
PO Box 9078
Champaign, IL 61826-9078
www.towerhobbies.com Comments on RCU Review: DuraTrax Micro Street Force RTR
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The comments, observations and conclusions made in this review are solely with respect to the particular item the editor reviewed and may not apply
generally to similar products by the manufacturer. We cannot be responsible for any manufacturer defects in workmanship or other deficiencies in
products like the one featured in the review. EMAIL THIS ARTICLE OR CHECK OUT THESE OTHER GREAT REVIEWS!
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