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Should I buy an EK4? That's a question only you can answer. I'll post some random thoughts here that may and may not be helpful to you in making that decision.
The first question that usually pops to mind when considering a purchase like
this is - How does it stack up to the competition? Technically, their is no
competition in the category the EK4 falls into. The closest RCMT you can
consider along side the EK4 has an engine that is less than 1/3 the size of the
Pro .70. So, if your a big Tim Allen fan like myself and can relate to the
burning desire for more power, aaargh,aaargh,aaargh, your decision should be just about made.
I'll take a minute now to just scratch the surface of a few other aspects you may want to compare to the competition. Suspension - The suspension on the EK4 is pretty good. I've read numerous times that the T-Maxx has a better suspension for jumping or getting major air. If that's your most important criteria in a RCMT, you may want to give the T-Maxx a closer look. I personally can only compare it to the OFNA Monster Pirate and the Kyosho Nitro Crusher. In that comparison in their stock form I would rate the EK4 as clearly the best of those three. Theirs not a world of difference between the EK4 and the MP, but a quite noticeable difference. The Nitro Crusher falls considerably behind both the EK and the MP. They all have plenty of room for improvement and if you aren't happy with the stock setup and don't mind throwing some money at them, you can make a considerable improvement to all of them. I can't offer any comparison to the MegaForce, Thunder Quake or Terra Crusher at this time. If you wanted me to take a stab at it, based on what little mention I have seen of those trucks suspensions on the forums, I would again say their probably isn't a world of difference. The T-Maxx seems to be the king of air and if air is what you like and your wallet can afford it, you might want to keep the T-Maxx on the top of your list. If your new to RCMT's, I would just like to point out that jumping can be very expensive. One wrong landing can possibly cost a hundred dollars or more in repairs. We don't really jump any of our trucks. Handling - The EK4 handles fairly well for a Radio Control Monster Truck. A little suspension tuning and I think anyone that is being realistic would be happy with it. If you are into racing, the biggest improvement you can make is to change out the big balloon monster truck tires for something a little lower profile and with stiffer sidewalls. The high center of gravity provided by the large tires is great for ground clearance, but not so good for going around corners or over whoop dee doo's. You might want to check out my EK4 Dominator Tire and Wheel page when your done with this one. If you are thinking about racing, first you should check with your local hobby shop and or any clubs in your area to see if they have a class they will allow the .70 powered EK4 to run in. Durability - All RCMT's require considerable repair and maintenance. If their was such a thing as a bulletproof RCMT, that would be the one to buy. How does the EK4 stack up to the rest? In my opinion, it's right up there with the rest of them. Considering it has an engine that is over 3 times the displacement of the competition and the rest of the truck is comparable in size and weight, I think that is quite an achievement. If you go on any of the many forums and research the different kits, you will find lists for all of them containing things you need to do to them or parts you should change right from the start to make them more durable and or more enjoyable in one way or another. For the EK4, the list goes something like this -
A. The one thing that myself and many others feel is a must do right from the start is to replace the stock starter unit on the back of the engine. Their is a replacement starter unit made by a company named MSJ and available though that company as well as an excellent resource for all EK4 parts and upgrades named Autohaus RC. The unit is $42.00 and is very simple to install. Their have been a couple of people that run the stock starter and have had success in doing so, but the odds are against it and the whole engine could be destroyed if and when the stock unit fails. I assume that Thunder Tiger will address the starter issue sooner or later, but sooner has already come and gone.
NOTE: If you just said - whoa, wait a minute here. I am going to buy this kit and then immediately have to spend $42.00 to replace the starter unit, you may want to scratch the EK4 from your list right now. I can only recommend that you may be better off purchasing a tried and tested kit that has been on the market longer and doesn't have a monster of an engine. A 1/8th scale truck with a .70 size Heli engine is something totally new and a large step above the competition. There will most likely be a few issues and Thunder Tiger is in no rush to admit faults or offer replacements. Also, if the purchase of the EK4 and it's must have accessories is going to break your bank, please consider buying a less expensive kit and having some money left over for things you will need to keep it running, spare parts, etc. As much as I love the sound of that .70 ringed engine, I would prefer to see someone running around with a T-Maxx or a Monster Pirate than sitting on the sideline watching because he/she lost a $50.00 set of gears and can't afford to replace them. With any of these kits you will have failures and require parts. If you extend yourself on the initial purchase, you will most likely end up frustrated with your decision before long.
B. The same company mentioned above (MSJ) also makes a beautiful and very effective large cooling head for the engine. While some folks might say it's a must have, I would prefer to call it a should have. If you can fit it in your budget and don't mind doing so, get one. It's not a show stopper though IMHO as far as your decision whether or not to purchase the EK4. It cost $70.00 C. The clutch design could use some improvement. We have personally gone through about eight sets of them. They may go a long time without fail and then they just start slipping. The Clutch Bell bearings tend to heat up as a result and tend to not last as long as they would in a .21 powered vehicle. Their is supposed to be some aftermarket Teflon shoes available any day now and the Clutch Bell bearings are certainly cheap enough to stock a couple of extra sets. D. In the very beginning their were some engine failures. It appeared that the ring was catching in the cylinder ports and causing it to break the piston. That was a problem that some but not all of the first batch EK4 owners experienced. We personally lost both engines in our first two EK4's. To be completely honest, I think their were other possible causes that may have at least contributed to the situation. The recommended settings in the manual were just way too lean. The Glow Plug that ships in the engine is way too cold to allow the engine to run at a rich enough setting for proper break in fooling people into believing that the manual settings may be correct and something else was causing the frustration trying to tune the engine. Also, their was nobody out there with experience to steer us in the right direction. A couple of the Heli guys tried to help out, and may have been responsible for the turn around that helped us start to get a feel for how to tune the engine properly. As a little time went by and people started to gain some knowledge on the engine in the truck configuration, things started looking up. Ace/TTR did change the pistons before the second batch went out in January or February of this year and since the first batch cleared out, their have been only a couple of engine failures posted on the forum. If your one of those people, I'm sure that doesn't make you feel any better, but a lot of people have a lot of fuel through theirs without fail. On the warranty end, I have to say, as soon as Ace got the parts from overseas, they got everyone's engine repaired or replaced in a very timely manner. It was originally believed that the EK4's Pro .70 engine shared the same 3 year warranty as the Pro .70 Helicopter version. As it turns out, the Engine when used in the EK4 only has a 90 day warranty.
E. A few folks are having problems with the ring and pinion gears stripping.
We have three EK4's and haven't experienced any of those problems, at least not yet. If you
don't mind spending money on aftermarket parts, you could probably consider that
a non issue as at least two companies have promised aluminum gear housings that
are supposed to solve the problem within the next week or so. One of those
companies has stated that they have run nine gallons of fuel through their
prototype unit without fail. If you are patient, I
believe a less expensive alternative will present itself if need be. Thunder
Tiger is checking into the issue as well and may offer other alternatives.
Sooner or later. Parts Availability - Parts for the EK4 were pretty scarce at first but seem to be available now for the most part. I'm not sure if you can get every part that comes on the truck, but I think the ones you are most likely to need are out there. The EK4 does share a lot of parts with the EB4 buggy, which does make most of the parts a little more available than if the EK4 was a whole new design. The aftermarket is really aggressively approaching the EK4. I think they realize how outrageous the thought of putting a .70 in a 1/8th scale MT is and predict that it will be very popular. I have to agree. If Thunder Tiger plays their cards right, addresses any issues or weak points in a timely manner and pays close attention to customer satisfaction, I think they will have started a whole new wave of killer RC vehicles. Fuel Consumption - Oh
yeah. She's a thirsty beast. A tank will last on average about 5 minutes. If the
expense or bother of re-fueling greatly affects your buying decision, you might
as well take a point or two away from the EK4 for that. I think it's certainly
to be expected with a .70 size engine though, so you shouldn't be surprised to
hear that. After reading this you may get the feeling that the EK4 is not for you and you may be right. Or you may feel that this information is aimed at turning you away from purchasing one. That is definitely not the case. I simply tried my best to bring out the bad points to help eliminate any possible surprises and disappointed purchasers. If you got through the above info and are still considering an EK4, get one. I don't think you'll be disappointed at all. I know we love ours. I'm going to end this here for now. I know it needs more work and I may have missed one or two important considerations. If I think of anything or if anyone notices something missing and gives me a shout, I'll be sure to update this page ASAP. My next project as soon as I can get to it will be a list of common accessories needed also including as many recommendations as I can concerning what particular items are most popular.
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I won't even go into comparing power output
with the other RCMT's. This truck has MONSTER POWER.