Thank you all for your great posts! It appears there is less of a performance/run time difference between the two than I thought. As I said, I have been into RC planes for a few years and have both electric and nitro birds. Strangely, the same situation applies there: Electric planes are easier to maintain (less vibration no fuel), but generally offer less performance until you go with a brushless/Lipo setup.

I am trying to decide between the HPI Pro4 or 18SS. My LHS supports them and I like to support the locals. My goal is to get into 1/8 scale racing so I am leaning towards the nitro kit for the experience factor. Is the 18SS a decent choice for racing and growth?