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LRP Shark 18 Monster Review, Part 2

The RTR-factor

As we have discovered in the first part of our review, the RTR package is quite a complete thing – hence the name "Full RTR" (in lack of a comparison to "ready to run" which some of the other kits aren’t really!) So let’s take a closer look at what the Shark 18 truggy can show apart from its fancy box.

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Transmitter and receiver

The transmitter seems to be manufacturers’ darling at the moment when it comes to equipping RTR sets. I got this model from various manufacturers (Robitronic, Hotbodies, Jamara, Flyingpoint) for countless reviews. The internal layout varies a bit from "two channels and no charging jack" (the tight-arse model, pardon my French) up to a sizeable three-channel transmitter plus four-channel receiver.

Luckily, there is nothing scroogy about the version that LRP offers with the Shark 18 – it even has, trivial as it may sound, a charging jack. Furthermore you will find important standard features like battery-monitor, servo reverse for both channels, continuous trim for both channels and continuous servo end point adjustment for the steering. Long story short: An adequate transmitter for a car like the Shark mini-truggy and a useful spare transmitter for transmitter-wise well-sorted hobbyists.

Power is provided by the dry-cell batteries that came with the set – of course you must not charge those in the transmitter!
For regular use rechargeable NiMH AA cells with about 2000-2500 mAh from Sanyo, or a bit cheaper, from X-Cell would be recommended.

The receiving is done by the off-the-shelf LRP Phaser Sport.

About "artificial intelligence" and other electr(on)ics

The ESC is, like the receiver of the Shark 18 Monster, a genuine LRP product. The "A.I. Micro Reverse Digital" has no turn limit (for the 380 size) and is even waterproof. The speed control would be "great" if it weren’t for the "A.I." on its tag. Because if "A.I." really stood for "artificial intelligence" then this brainiac would give a good example of how much uncharted territory there is still left in the vast plains of this branch of research.
Perhaps there were good intentions behind the "intelligent, self-learning controller setup" but in practice it sometimes provides for unexpected outbreaks: The mini-truggy may power up right after connecting the battery (with the throttle in neutral, though), or not at all. Following the instruction and starting "forward" in drive direction the Shark 18 Monster will not move an inch even when pumping the throttle vigorously. Only a reset can help here: Pull the plug and try again. Perhaps it would have been better not to incapacitate the hobbyist and give the ESC a good old "one-touch setup button" Because: Better watch and count an ESC diode blinking than having to live with (admittedly few and far between) launch failures.
	Channel one on the receiver is used by a standard-size servo which is therefore held responsible for the steering. Coming in at 3kgcm at 4.8 volts it is definitely strong enough for the small Shark 18 truggy. Should you want a quicker servo you should take a mini/micro one because these can be securely and more elegantly fitted into the chassis by using the optionally available servo plate (Nr. 112386). Concerning power supply: You will find both a wall socket charger and a 7.2 volts stick pack rated at 600 milliamps, but no information in the manual on how to recharge it. And because the charger lacks both a control-LED and an automatic shutoff I’d like to mention that an empty battery has to be charged for about four hours (battery capacity / charging current 1.3 ~ 1.4)

Checkpoint!

All in all LRP offers you some quite presentable RTR equipment – or at least at a low additional charge.
The R/C system (transmitter and receiver) represents the minimum that a newcomer would or could buy – meaning: the system does not restrain the RTR package in its additional charge, which is good.
In servo terms there remains nothing to criticise: It may be only a standard servo with plastic gears, but somewhere else these are let loose at the steering of 3 to 4 kilogramms gas powered vehicles. The servo gears will handle the forces that might happen to the Shark 18 truggy easily and also in long terms.
The stick pack and the dry-cell batteries will do for a start.

Only the ESC can be criticised – but massively so: the waterproof box itself would be a strong argument for the RTR-set but where’s the point of good features when the whole thing is not reliable?

Text and pictures by Aaron Banovics
Translation by Markus Simon
This review has been published on www.offroad-cult.org on 02-10-2007.