This review is from: Trends UK Haynes Build Your Own V8 Engine (Toy)
Gave this to my 25 year old son-in-law for Christmas. I had read reviews of other engine block kits that didn’t sound good. We immediately started assembling it on Christmas and both were amazed at how good the instructions were (written up just like a haynes repair manual with very clear illustrations and logical steps) and how well the parts fit together. The level of detail in this is amazing too, with not only pistons and rockers operating in correct sequence, but even spark plugs lighting in correct order. The plugs and wire harnesses are already assembled for you, which to us was a plus. We started at 4 pm and finished at 8 pm, with dinner and a few things interrupting. At 250+ parts, never dreamed we would finish in one day. My son-in-law is a real mechanical wizard who can often assemble without directions, so that really helped to speed up the process. I highly recommend this kit, looks great too, they are displaying it in the focal point of their living room!
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This review is from: Trends UK Haynes Build Your Own V8 Engine (Toy)
It wasn’t that easy to assembly, but it wasn’t that hard. I will say that it has a medium difficulty (14+ years old). In my opinion, it has more pros than cons.
Pros: -It is FUN to assembly. -You will learn about engines terminology. -The manual is perfect (Pretty straight forward to follow). -In 35 steps and 2-3 hours you are done. (I did it in 5 hours, but I was reading more about each part. I enjoyed a lot the experience) -It comes with more screws than the ones you need, which is cool if you loses one screw. IT also comes with a magnetic screwdriver which is EXTREMELY helpful. -It looks cool due to the plastic chrome parts that it has and due to the red LEDs light that simulates the ignition inside the piston chambers.
Cons: -Most of the parts are stuck to more plastic (carriers frames), so when you cut away SOME parts, they come with excess plastic. Therefore, you have to carefully trim away any excess plastic with sharp scissors or knife. -Does not come with batteries. (It needs 3 (AA) batteries). -and the worst thing in my opinion… It runs SOOO slow, which disappoints me at the end.
BUT I JUST LOVE IT!! I had a lot of fun with it, and it looks just awesome 😀
Recommendations in order to get a better experience: -Read the first pages of the manual (Introduction) before you go to the assembling engine process. -Before you go to the assembling engine process, skip the assembling steps and read from page 28 of the manual to the end of the manual where they explain in detail the basic principles of an engine. – If you want, you can buy “How cars work” by Tom Newton, which explains every piece in detail you are going to use in this assembling engine process.
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This review is from: Trends UK Haynes Build Your Own V8 Engine (Toy)
Overview:
This is an excellent model kit for the intermediate to advanced modeler that is interested in how an internal combustion engine works. The major mechanical components assembled into the engine block by the builder include the crankshaft, crank pulley, connecting rods, pistons, wrist pins, cam shafts, timing sprockets, timing belt, cooling fan, fan belt, rocker arms, valves, and valve springs. These are the solid parts of an engine that move around a lot and are the most interesting to watch. Ancillary components that are assembled by the builder but not as detailed are the water pump and throttle body. Not included in the model design are the radiator, oil pump, fuel rail, fuel injectors, alternator, and oil filter. These components are not necessary to understanding the combustion cycle of a gasoline engine, and there isn’t anything interesting to be seen inside of them. The kit includes an ignition system composed of a battery (3 AA cells installed in the motor stand), two distributors, and eight LED spark plugs that glow red during the power stroke. Modern passenger car engines don’t have distributors mechanically connected to the cam shafts, but it is easy to just think of them as coil packs fired by the timing sensors of the engine control module (ECM). The flywheel and torque converter (or clutch) are replaced with an electric gear motor that turns the crank shaft and thus all the mechanical components of the engine. The model is started by pressing a button on the motor stand which also contains a speaker that produces engine start/run sounds while the model is operating. When assembled the Haynes V8 engine model does an excellent job illustrating the concepts and core components still in use by virtually every gasoline engine in production today. The component colors chosen by Haynes are excellent and the finished model is very impressive and professional in appearance. Although it is possible for younger children to assemble the model with adult assistance, it is best to stick with the 14+ recommendation to ensure the best results due to the number of parts in the kit and the complexity of the assembly process.
Recent Changes to the kit:
1. A number of kit builders have reported problems with the timing belt slipping off the camshaft or crankshaft sprockets. The engine block mold was changed to include two posts on each side of the crankshaft sprocket. These posts cause the timing belt to wrap more fully around the crankshaft sprocket and increases belt tension sufficiently to prevent slipping.
2. A number of kit builders have reported problems with the electric motor gear not mating correctly with the flywheel resulting in slipping once per rotation. This has been corrected in current kits with a motor gear set further out from the motor body.
Recent Issues with the kit:
When the kit is completed according to the directions, the mechanical timing of the pistons and valves is correct for the 1-5-3-7-4-8-2-6 firing order indicated in the assembly manual. However, the ignition timing of the LED spark plugs is NOT CORRECT and cannot be adjusted within the range of movement allowed by the distributors. To correct this problem, remove and re-install the distributors so that the distributor marked “1-4” is attached to the camshaft for cylinders 5-8 (rear left side), and the distributor marked “5-8” is attached to the camshaft for cylinders 1-4 (rear right side). Then adjust timing as instructed in assembly Step 27. This issue may also affect older versions of the kit.
General Assembly Notes:
Assembly does not require glue, lubricants, or paint. All plastic parts are molded in grey, blue-grey, black, chrome, or clear. Some parts are snap-fit while others are screwed together using metal self-taping screws. The screws are all the same size and the kit includes more than enough to complete the model in case some get lost during assembly (I had 17 left over). Starting the screws is easy thanks to the magnetic screwdriver included in the kit. However, driving the screws requires the strength of a mature hand. Young children will not be able to assemble the kit without adult assistance. Most parts are large, sturdy, and easy to handle. The smallest plastic parts in the kit are approximately 1/4″ in diameter and there are only 8 of those. The smallest metal parts are the screws which appear to be #1-1/4 which is quite small and 105 of them are required to complete the kit (my kit included 122). The valves and valve spring parts are the most sensitive to stress and the manual recommends using care when installing them. I was able to assemble the entire kit without breaking anything by using only reasonable force, testing for a good fit before tightening, and working on a flat and well lit table surface. All parts are contained in plastic bags divided roughly in harmony with the…
Best kit this 50+ year old adult has ever built!!!!,
We started at 4 pm and finished at 8 pm, with dinner and a few things interrupting. At 250+ parts, never dreamed we would finish in one day. My son-in-law is a real mechanical wizard who can often assemble without directions, so that really helped to speed up the process. I highly recommend this kit, looks great too, they are displaying it in the focal point of their living room!
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|Looks awesome,
In my opinion, it has more pros than cons.
Pros:
-It is FUN to assembly.
-You will learn about engines terminology.
-The manual is perfect (Pretty straight forward to follow).
-In 35 steps and 2-3 hours you are done. (I did it in 5 hours, but I was reading more about each part. I enjoyed a lot the experience)
-It comes with more screws than the ones you need, which is cool if you loses one screw. IT also comes with a magnetic screwdriver which is EXTREMELY helpful.
-It looks cool due to the plastic chrome parts that it has and due to the red LEDs light that simulates the ignition inside the piston chambers.
Cons:
-Most of the parts are stuck to more plastic (carriers frames), so when you cut away SOME parts, they come with excess plastic. Therefore, you have to carefully trim away any excess plastic with sharp scissors or knife.
-Does not come with batteries. (It needs 3 (AA) batteries).
-and the worst thing in my opinion… It runs SOOO slow, which disappoints me at the end.
BUT I JUST LOVE IT!! I had a lot of fun with it, and it looks just awesome 😀
Recommendations in order to get a better experience:
-Read the first pages of the manual (Introduction) before you go to the assembling engine process.
-Before you go to the assembling engine process, skip the assembling steps and read from page 28 of the manual to the end of the manual where they explain in detail the basic principles of an engine.
– If you want, you can buy “How cars work” by Tom Newton, which explains every piece in detail you are going to use in this assembling engine process.
0
Was this review helpful to you?
|The best V8 engine kit available today,
Overview:
This is an excellent model kit for the intermediate to advanced modeler that is interested in how an internal combustion engine works. The major mechanical components assembled into the engine block by the builder include the crankshaft, crank pulley, connecting rods, pistons, wrist pins, cam shafts, timing sprockets, timing belt, cooling fan, fan belt, rocker arms, valves, and valve springs. These are the solid parts of an engine that move around a lot and are the most interesting to watch. Ancillary components that are assembled by the builder but not as detailed are the water pump and throttle body. Not included in the model design are the radiator, oil pump, fuel rail, fuel injectors, alternator, and oil filter. These components are not necessary to understanding the combustion cycle of a gasoline engine, and there isn’t anything interesting to be seen inside of them. The kit includes an ignition system composed of a battery (3 AA cells installed in the motor stand), two distributors, and eight LED spark plugs that glow red during the power stroke. Modern passenger car engines don’t have distributors mechanically connected to the cam shafts, but it is easy to just think of them as coil packs fired by the timing sensors of the engine control module (ECM). The flywheel and torque converter (or clutch) are replaced with an electric gear motor that turns the crank shaft and thus all the mechanical components of the engine. The model is started by pressing a button on the motor stand which also contains a speaker that produces engine start/run sounds while the model is operating. When assembled the Haynes V8 engine model does an excellent job illustrating the concepts and core components still in use by virtually every gasoline engine in production today. The component colors chosen by Haynes are excellent and the finished model is very impressive and professional in appearance. Although it is possible for younger children to assemble the model with adult assistance, it is best to stick with the 14+ recommendation to ensure the best results due to the number of parts in the kit and the complexity of the assembly process.
Recent Changes to the kit:
1. A number of kit builders have reported problems with the timing belt slipping off the camshaft or crankshaft sprockets. The engine block mold was changed to include two posts on each side of the crankshaft sprocket. These posts cause the timing belt to wrap more fully around the crankshaft sprocket and increases belt tension sufficiently to prevent slipping.
2. A number of kit builders have reported problems with the electric motor gear not mating correctly with the flywheel resulting in slipping once per rotation. This has been corrected in current kits with a motor gear set further out from the motor body.
Recent Issues with the kit:
When the kit is completed according to the directions, the mechanical timing of the pistons and valves is correct for the 1-5-3-7-4-8-2-6 firing order indicated in the assembly manual. However, the ignition timing of the LED spark plugs is NOT CORRECT and cannot be adjusted within the range of movement allowed by the distributors. To correct this problem, remove and re-install the distributors so that the distributor marked “1-4” is attached to the camshaft for cylinders 5-8 (rear left side), and the distributor marked “5-8” is attached to the camshaft for cylinders 1-4 (rear right side). Then adjust timing as instructed in assembly Step 27. This issue may also affect older versions of the kit.
General Assembly Notes:
Assembly does not require glue, lubricants, or paint. All plastic parts are molded in grey, blue-grey, black, chrome, or clear. Some parts are snap-fit while others are screwed together using metal self-taping screws. The screws are all the same size and the kit includes more than enough to complete the model in case some get lost during assembly (I had 17 left over). Starting the screws is easy thanks to the magnetic screwdriver included in the kit. However, driving the screws requires the strength of a mature hand. Young children will not be able to assemble the kit without adult assistance. Most parts are large, sturdy, and easy to handle. The smallest plastic parts in the kit are approximately 1/4″ in diameter and there are only 8 of those. The smallest metal parts are the screws which appear to be #1-1/4 which is quite small and 105 of them are required to complete the kit (my kit included 122). The valves and valve spring parts are the most sensitive to stress and the manual recommends using care when installing them. I was able to assemble the entire kit without breaking anything by using only reasonable force, testing for a good fit before tightening, and working on a flat and well lit table surface. All parts are contained in plastic bags divided roughly in harmony with the…
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