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  #1  
Old 01-22-2005, 12:46 PM
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Thunder Tiger ZK2

I saw this little item in a Hobby Shop today and left with it in a plastic bag. (Paid for, of course)

It's Thuder Tiger's addition to the vertical 18th scale Micro market. They named it the ZK2

IMO it looks like a Mini-T clone, as I don't own a Mini-T (yet) I'm not sure, but here's the photo

1/18th scale 2WD monster truck RTR
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File Type: jpg zk2.jpg (599.7 KB, 323 views)
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  #2  
Old 01-22-2005, 12:56 PM
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Exclamation Electrics etc..

It has the following electrics:

Sparks

7.2V 1100mAh NiMh battery pack
4 x AA battery holder with Micro connector
Slow charger
27MHz RX/ESC Combo which doesnt look too shabby, it does support a standard servo
280 Motor
Micro Servo - the same as what's fitted to the RC18T (co-incidence?)
Servo saver
Horrible looking, but functional TX

Drivetrain / Chassis

I quote: "1/10th class differential" I dunno if the gears are plastic or steel, I'll have to strip the rear end down to see
Steel dogbones
Bushings (What? No bearings?) all round

Oil shocks all round A bonus
It has adjustable body posts. The body posts are screwed into position.
The front and rear bumpers look sturdy enough to take the knocks.
The battery box is secured on one side with a bodyclip and it swivels open.
Orion 6.0/7.2V Micro RS4 packs fit as do BLiND brick packs

I haven't run it yet, as I've been working on my Mini-Quake all day - hence the trip to the LHS
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File Type: jpg zk2 (4).jpg (601.1 KB, 214 views)
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Old 01-22-2005, 12:59 PM
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Close up

As I said, IMO it looks like a Mini-T clone.
I wonder if Mini-T hop ups will work on it? Time will tell..
Here's a close up on the electronics.
The RX/ESC combo was mounted skew and the bodyshell is also mounted skew.
I guess you have to live with these imperfections when buying a budget RTR.
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File Type: jpg zk2 (9).jpg (604.6 KB, 156 views)
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Old 01-23-2005, 11:16 AM
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So I took the ZK2 for its maiden run today.
I made a few suprising discoveries:

It has a 27MHz FM TX/RX not AM as I assumed
Perhaps I should have read the manual

Also, the ESC/RX combo is FWD/REV as in no brakes!
That kind of sucks big time, but I planned on junking the standard electronics anyway.

Performance wise it's not bad, the oil shocks handle the drop offs nicely and it's stable in a straight line.
Speed is fairly good, what's to be expected from a 280 sized motor.
Does great wheelies too!
Amazingly the micro servo is pretty quick, so it turns nicely too.

Time to invest in some upgrade electronics
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Old 01-24-2005, 12:13 AM
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looks like a better starting point than a Mini-T

the servo tray area is larger, look like HS-81's and 85's will fit without modding. Also the 3 wire servo is nice.

Is thunder tiger also owned by horizon?
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Old 01-30-2005, 04:23 PM
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Beaten!

Today I was uberbored and the weather was crap. I decided to see if I could beat the Thunder Tiger ZK2 into submission in my street.
It still has the standard ESC, as in no brake, fwd/rev only, although with precise finger control you can feather reverse to act as a pseudo brake.

Man, that poor ZK2 went through hell for 15 minutes today. The result? Scratched chassis, scratched rear bumper and the tires well scrubbed!

It's a tough little critter, it did so many high speed rollovers, flips and had quite a few good impacts with the kerb.
Once again, I'll stress the fact I am impressed with the standard steering servo (identical to the RC18T's) the steering is so quick on this little truck.
The only noticable incident was one of the steering rods popping off the ball joint.

I also tried to shoehorn a 370/400 motor into it, but the motor mount doesn't allow for it. I now have a Dremel project on my hands

I've decided that this will be my basher, it's a great little truck, cheap, cheerful and tough. I will fit bearings, replace the standard electronics and squeeze a larger motor into the little beast

Stay tuned..
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Old 01-31-2005, 05:55 PM
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How much is it and where can I get one?
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  #8  
Old 02-01-2005, 02:39 AM
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ZK-2

Quote:
Originally posted by HPIsuperfan
How much is it and where can I get one?
I paid just under £100 with tax etc.. for mine
No idea where to buy them in the U.S. though, they aren't even listed on Thunder Tiger's website!
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Old 02-09-2005, 05:11 PM
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Update - new electronics

I fitted new electronics into the ZK2 as the 27MHz FM RX/ESC combo unit doesn't support brakes!
The new electronics consist of a standard sized Futaba 40MHz FM RX I had laying around and an Mtroniks/Msonik RV ECO 27 ESC with FWD/Brake/Rev.
I've fitted the electronics and will solder some WS Deans connectors on to the motor wires and ESC tomorrow night.

Next mission: Shoehorn a Speed 400 race Motor in to this critter.
I also found a couple of HS81MG Servos in my pit box.. I wonder...

I'll run it with the new electronics over the weekend then get to work on the motor plate in my quest to squeeze the Speed 400 Race into this critter.
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Old 02-10-2005, 12:44 AM
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A 480bb race wil rock !

Uge ESC but it seems to fit, one small mean machine.....
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Old 02-11-2005, 02:40 AM
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ZK2

Thanks Roelof,

As it was so cheap, I've decided to use it for bashing in all weather conditions.
The ESC was cheap too and it's waterproof. It's rated for 27T stock (540) motors so it will handle a 400 with ease.
It will not take a 480BB, but a 400BB is possible with a lot of Dremel work on the motor mount
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Old 02-12-2005, 11:51 PM
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like the set up on the ZK2 and that esc is bad a--. Keep us posted on the motor (400) and if the motor squeezed in there or not.
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  #13  
Old 02-13-2005, 08:41 AM
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New additions

Hehe, I trashed the stock servo while doing some bashing yesterday. Took a few teeth of one of the inner gears.
I had a dig in my pit box and came across a brand new HS81MG with the side mounts (ears) cut off. I had obviously kept this as a spare Vertical Mount servo for Micro RS4 #1 that has a VM upper deck.
I stuck it into the ZK2's chassis with decent double sided tape and got it up and running.
It's a tight fit, but no modifications were required.
I'm not using a servo saver as I didnt have a small one, so I'm using a servo horn right now until I can source a nice small Kimboro servo saver.

As for the 400 Motor - I'll get around to that in the week ahead.
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  #14  
Old 02-19-2005, 05:38 PM
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Nice truck! It looks like a very similiar design to the Mini-t. Except with the mini-t to mount the HS-81 servo it took about half an hour of dremeling. I like the tires and the layout on the ZK2. Nice work Mondo!
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  #15  
Old 02-20-2005, 09:51 AM
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400 Motor - getting there

Mini-zMan,

Thanks

When I saw the ZK2 I knew it had the potential to make a great big-block basher.
I've been working on the motor mount, all I need now is a pinion to fit on the 380/400 motor I intend on fitting.
It's taken quite a bit of Dremel work and I had a harsh reminder of just how hot aluminum gets when working it with friction tools.
It now accepts a 400 motor and has enough room for meshing adjustment.
I'll also have to do some dremel work on the rear motor guard as this is preventing the 400 motor from moving to provide sufficient gear mesh adjustment - nothing too serious

Now to find some darned pinions....
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