Featured Company:

Smithsonian Motor Works

Today's shopping tips: "Be wise in purchasing ..... find best value one"

---

Manufacturer: NSI
Brand: NSI
List Price: $29.99
Our Price: $24.95
You Save: $ 5.04 ( 17% )
(prices subject to change)
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours

Average Ratings:

Motor Works


DESCRIPTION:

Amazon Maximum Age: 14
Manufacturer Maximum Age: 14
Amazon Minimum Age: 96
Batteries Included: 0
Batteries: 2
Battery Description: 2 AA
Binding: Toy
Brand: NSI
EAN: 0042409908051
Feature: Learn how a real engine works
Label: NSI
Manufacturer: NSI
Manufacturer Minimum Age: 96
Model: 90805
Publisher: NSI
Studio: NSI


FEATURES:

• Learn how a real engine works
• A real working battery powered 4-cylinder model engine with real lights and sounds
• Watch the spark plugs fire and the valves open and close
• Includes lights and sounds.



ACCESSORIES:

• Sony Cycle Energy AA Ni-MH Rechargeable Batteries (4-Pack)
• SANYO eneloop 4 Pack AA NiMH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries
• Energizer Max Alkaline, Size AA, 16 pack
• Sony 2500 mAh AA Rechargeable Nimh Batteries, 4-pack
• Lenmar Ready-2-Go R2GAA4 1.2V 2150mAh Rechargeable NiMH AA Battery (4 -Pack)


SIMILAR ITEMS:

• Jet Works
• Snap Circuits Jr. SC-100
• Snap Circuits SC-300
• Revell Big Scale Visible V-8 Engine
• How Cars Work


CUSTOMER REVIEWS:

Customer Rating:
Summary: A pretty good product that works wonderfully, *if* you do your homework first!
Comment: I bought this kit on a whim, as it was a "scratch and dent" item at my local hobby store and greatly marked down in price. I consider myself fairly mechanically inclined as I've built model kits as a kid and have since "graduated" to building and flying radio-controlled aircraft as my primary hobby.

Before building this kit, I did a bit of preliminary research on the web to determine if there were certain steps in the construction process that warranted special attention; reading the other reviews here was *extremely* helpful in that regard. In particular, the suggestion to pre-drill all the screwholes with a 5/64" drill bit and then "countersink" them with a 3/32" bit was perhaps the single most valuable tip. I carried it one step further and pre-tapped all the screwholes before assembly. The drilling and tapping took quite a bit of time (as there were *lots* of screwholes and one had to proceed carefully so as to not crack the plastic) but this greatly simplified things once assembly was underway.

There were some hiccups along the way, though, most relatively minor and easily fixable:

1. The drive module was mounted a little too far off the rear of the engine block, resulting in only half the gear on the module's output shaft engaging the teeth on the flywheel clutch. Filing about 1/16" off the three mounting posts brought the entire drive module closer to the engine block and allowed more of the gear to engage the clutch.

2. The hole in the clutch cone is a bit too small to allow the motor of the drive module to protrude through. I had to enlarge the hole slightly with a Dremel tool.

3. If the batteries are inserted into the battery box with the indicated polarity, the engine runs the wrong way (i.e., the fan rotates in the wrong direction and the four cycles of the engine are reversed). This was easily fixed by turning the batteries around in the battery box.

4. The spark plugs "fire" in the wrong order when installed according to the instructions. The firing order of the engine should be 1-3-4-2, with the spark plug lighting when its respective piston is at top dead center of the compression stroke. Ignore the instructions and just insert the plugs to achieve that firing order; this is easily done by noting which plug "fires" when a piston reaches TDC of its compression (not exhaust!) stroke, and inserting that plug into that cylinder.

I finished the kit in a little under a week of working on it in the evenings, and am extremely satisfied with the finished product! It's a pretty mesmerizing sight, listening to it grind away while watching all the lights flashing and parts moving!

Customer Rating:
Summary: Good model, but missing part
Comment: My 13-year old son is building this for a school project. He definitely needs help from his father, but they are managing quite well in getting through most of it although the instructions sometimes are confusing. Luckily, my husband is quite handy and can help my son. It looks good so far, but there is a part missing so the model cannot be completed until the part arrives. I contacted the company and they are sending the missing part. Overall, it is a very educational project.

Customer Rating:
Summary: engine
Comment: it is a nice item, there are a few parts that need to drilled out to fit, but, the educational value is awesome.. my son started to use the "lingo" right away.

Customer Rating:
Summary: Would buy againBought
Comment: Bought this for my nephew and he loves it. Great way to teach motorworks with hands on and how things work from a engineer's perspective.......

Customer Rating:
Summary: Colossal disappointment
Comment: Mom and grandad built this because he lost interest after ten minutes when we were still figuring out which way round everything went. A bunch of tiny screws that mom had to screw into very fragile plastic. No explanation to kids about what the parts of the engine actually did in reality. A much smaller toy than we imagined and once it is built you'd be absolutely crazy to take it apart to construct again. There is no way an 8 yr old would have the mental endurance or interest to stay with this project from start to finish. But hey, it lights up!

---

NOTE: All online transactions are processed at Amazon.com's secure server, using the latest technology on internet's secure transactions.
| Arts & Crafts | Learning & Education | Early Development | Electronic Learning |
| Reading & Writing | Science Toys |