What makes an Ehm an Ehm?

[DavidBoren]

From what I can tell, the Ehm was going to be Evil's version of the AKA Viking.

So, at its heart, the Evil Ehm is an AKA Viking... and the Viking is set up almost exactly like the Impulse... which Evil already has a version of, the Pimp.

I know us MCB'ers are fiercely loyal to all things AKA... but what is the difference?

See, I have convinced myself that the Evil Ehm is this unobtainable unicorn... something I will never be able to see in person or hold in my poor peasant hands... it's as if they don't even exist, and the pictures all might as well be fake.

But, I have a Pimp. Like, it's mine.

I put an NDZ ram housing and NDZ rip valve in my Pimp... but if I had stuck AKA Viking parts in there, would my Pimp become an Ehm?

If AKA made Impulse parts, I would have already installed an AKA ram housing and AKA valve... but AKA doesn't make Impulse parts. I did put an AKA timmy low pressure chamber and an AKA low pressure regulator and an AKA barrel on my Pimp, because AKA, duh.

Does the Evil Ehm absolutely have to use AKA parts to be an Evil Ehm?

Is the Evil Ehm nothing more than a body kit for a Viking, and must be an AKA Viking internally to qualify as an Evil Ehm?

What makes an Ehm an Ehm?

And could I feasibly turn my Pimp into an Ehm?

[SniperPedik]

I'm sure others will be able to chime in better than I, but as an owner and with limited knowledge of one, I am pretty sure that it is not of the EVIL brand, and strictly AKA.

[DavidBoren]

Pretty sure the Evil brand was working with AKA to develop the Ehm based on the 04 Viking... but then Smart Parts happened, and everyone that wanted to use a battery in a paintball marker got sued... everything went tits up, and AKA sold off the few parts they had actually completed for Evil.

The messed up thing is, the Gardner brothers or who TF ever those clowns were, ended up owning PMI after they tanked... so Smart Parts actually owns Evil, now... as far as I know. Kind of messed up they killed the brand, and end up owning its intellectual property.

[Grendel]

I am no expert, stayed clear of electronic marker with the exception of owning an Axe Pro 2.0 for a couple years and played with it twice. I have always been interested in some Electronic Markers from AKA and MacDev so followed discussions the best I could but....

I always assumed an "Ehm" was a Viking stuffed into a Merlin/VLM extrusion vs. and Excalibur/Viking extrusion.

[DavidBoren]

I, too, have avoided electric markers... on purpose. And I would build a mechanical Ehm, if it were up to me. I got a WAS board for my Pimp, because it seemed like the proper thing ti do at the time... but I will still probably convert my Pimp to mech at some point. When I get an Evil NXT or an Evil Minion, I will probably mech them, too. I'm converting my Omen to be pump action, if that says anything about my tastes.

I have no interest in the electronics involved, honestly... I am only interested in the Ehm because it is related to Evil.

But see, I don't know... I have seen blueprints for the Ehm body... it has quite a few features that a Merlin extrusion wouldn't have, namely some tiny through-bores that I can only imagine act as air passages of some sort. And even then, it seems that the body of the Ehm is the least important part... it's totally up to the customer from the different Ehm's I have seen pictures of... no two bodies have been the same.

So is the Evil Ehm nothing more than 04 Viking guts put into whatever slab of aluminum you can make them fit into?

Is an Evil Pimp body a slab of aluminum worthy of 04 Viking guts?

Would turning a Pimp into an Ehm be a real Evil Ehm if I used 04 Viking internals?

Or would it just be a lame, wannabe poseur?

[SniperPedik]

"So is the Evil Ehm nothing more than 04 Viking guts put into whatever slab of aluminum you can make them fit into"
Basically this
Since it wasn't fully developed, most of the parts are all custom made.
My buddy ended up using a PE frame, made his own trays for the solenoid, custom eye covers, custom Vasa, and the rest was AKA parts. Feedneck, asa, and barrel are the only things I can think of that were not AKA, more of preference at that point.

[Cyberpyr8]

You need to reach out to Heywood on PBN. He owns about every AKA and Evil gun ever produced, including an Evil EHM. https://www.pbnation.com/showthread....1#post98952081 You two are kindred spirits!

Finished product: https://www.pbnation.com/showthread....5#post99441225

Other one he bought. https://www.pbnation.com/showthread....3#post99441313

[Carp]

haywoodjublomi is a member here also....😉

https://www.mcarterbrown.com/forum/paintball-news-aa/collectors-corner/8207-haywood-s-guns

[DavidBoren]

He is a member here, too. And, honestly, I freaking hate PBN... the site only loads like half the time on my phone, anyways. I will be searching online for paintball stuff, and an answer from PBN will pop up in my search... I click on it to read the information, but the site never loads... blank page and infinite loading... the community likes everything I hate, anyways, might as well just be a Smart Parts message board... I might frequent PBN more often if the site would load on my phone, but it doesn't so I don't... nobody on PBN ever answers my PM's anyways, I have reached out to several people regarding Evil Pimp stuffs with no answers... screw PBN. Lol.

I do find Haywood's collection inspiring, to say the least... and I find myself going back to time and time again just for encouragement... the Evil Ehm does exist, and it is is possible to own one. I will get there, some day. Not a collection like his, overall, but I will own an Ehm before I die.

[Cyberpyr8]

I thought he had a collection on here but I had the link to his collection over there. I'm on a PC most of the day and can easily browse PBN, but on the phone it doesn't happen. To be fair, I don't do much here on the phone either though. Anyway, I knew he had some info on it and just provided you the direct links so you could see what's out there. I don't know that many of us will ever have a collection like his. I keep hoping my request for him to put my in his will doesn't go unanswered!

[Chappy]

I thought it was the milk chocolate center and the hard candy shell but I guess I’m crazy.

[Tracker]

AKA never worked with PMI. The gun.. was named after a someone who's nickname was Evil M. And I'm not sure it's ever been confirmed that THAT was the name they were gonna use when they brought it to market.

it has nothing to do with Evil the brand, that's a co-incidence

[Cyberpyr8]

I always thought the same thing (it was a private label Viking like the Impulse Pimp). But looking at Heywood's posts, they don't show a single Evil part on them. Knowing him (from back in the day as another Evil gun fan) I'm sure he would have used Evil parts on it somewhere. That makes sense I guess but it's disappointing.

[Tracker]

It was more about reusing what was on hand, the excal came first. so they developed a tri tube extrusion to handle the ram and hammer to cycle separately because thats closed bolt.. but that left them with a lot of extrusion so they made an open bolt version that only needed on tube, so they turned the other into a volume chamber and called it The Viking

the ehm was the logical design progression to remove the entirely unnecessary 3rd tube, using a 2 tube extrusion that they developed for the cocker body blank called merlin, merlin extrusion was also what the macdev cyborg 04-07 was built off of.. which is also why you see a lot of compatibility and design similarity with those and the ehm
the hammer cartridge was modular and not user serviceable by design (it originally took a special tool to remove any part of the tubes) I personally think that choice had layers..
1.to help encourage users to shoot it longer,
2.to sell replacement hammer carts or
3.send one in for service (and we'll mail you one back) which allows them to keep an eye on quality control.
as far as the hammer itself? why NOT reuse it? it had been proven to cycle in excess of 30 bps reliably, why re-invent the wheel when its just a matter of threading and air passages.

as far as it being related to the brand, I asked the current owner of AKA just to be sure before I weighed in here.. sorry buddy

[DavidBoren]

You reached out to the current owner of AKA, just to answer my question? I love you.

Well, I guess that settled that, doesn't it.

With a single tear rolling down my face, I sigh a sigh of relief... I open the cage, and let my dream of owning an Ehm fly away... it's free... and I am free of stressing over the Ehm.

Thank you.

[SniperPedik]

Ehm projects pop up every now and then, I think Roger Mathis? Made a few bodies and frames not too long ago, I picked up one of them and am just trying to find the time to put it together lol

[DavidBoren]

It's still a very cool project... rare AF... always custom... great piece of history for fans of AKA. I do hope you complete yours.

I'm still kind of trying to wrap my head around the Evil Ehm not being Evil... I wanted one SO bad, for SO long... and now, nothing... I can feel the hollow space where that dream once stayed... there is a part of me that is now empty, and confused... without direction, I wander.

[SniperPedik]

It is definitely a unique shooter, one of my favorites, if you get a chance to acquire one and build it out, I'd recommend it

[Chappy]

[DavidBoren]

Well, it looks like I posted this in the wrong section...

Let my embarassment be a learning tool for others not to judge a book by its cover... or a paintball marker by its name. Lol.

It appears that what makes an Ehm an Ehm is it being an AKA Viking... there is no Evil in Evil Ehm.

It was just a name... not the brand.

[Carp]

Featured this topic for added embarrassment and as a cautionary tale to others.........😋

[Grendel]

lol