Porsche Carrera Racing Engine Model Kit with Collector's Book

Great model of the engine that built Porsche's Giant-Killer reputation over the first 15+ years--Carrera back when Carrera meant something--nice book includes color history plus comprehensive detailed pictorial assembly instructions--understand how/why this engine dominated despite small displacement--Porsche Museum!Coda:I have now built 6 kits to match my IRL pic from Heinz Bade of him with 6 of Bruce Jennings' engines in his home garage.I am not a modeler but did dis-assemble one IRL after a fire.Most likely result is static/non-rotating model as the electric motor is weak & unable to overcome even the slightest binding/resistance--this was confirmed by one I gave to 12 yo boy & his grandfather.Nothing wrong with static model with all parts installed--you still have the authentic engine sound & can hear it better.To have a rotating model/most likely crankshaft-pistons only remove(1) fan belt--even free-spinning fan can be too much load (1 kit)(2) both small bevel drive gears at top of long shafts to heads (6 kits)(3) 8 valves & related small parts (1 kit)Experienced modelers willing to take kit as starting point can do much better--see other reviews.Weak motor & lack of precision parts unlike IRL confirmed by wide variation in rotation speed among the 6 kits.Still a worthwhile kit--your choice static model/parts removal/experience-great effort to overcome design flaws.Tech Note: dual ignition IRL requires each distributor to serve all 4 cylinders--2 cut-out switches on dash to test ignition systems separtely.Watch for lower prices/Amazon fulfillment if possible.

So why the 5-Star rating and the 'horrible kit' combination? From an experienced modeler's standpoint, everything you need to know about this model is clearly shown on the box, and, the flaws are as bad, or worse, as they look.Case in point, if you are the sort of builder who is put off by assembled parts that need filler putty to look even halfway acceptable, avoid this kit.Or, if you are the kind of modeler who expects parts to fit perfectly, run, don't walk away from this model.But, if you are at all interested in the interior workings of this complex four-cylinder Porscheconcoction, this model will be as close as you can get to understanding the design of the rarest of the rare.There is a very informative, full-color, soft-bound booklet of 62 pages, produced by the Porsche Museum, that details the development of this motor. This section of the booklet precedes the 44 pages of assembly instructions, which are excellent. For me, though, the design and history of this giant-killer were especially interesting.I had a great time building this model and I chose to add paint here and there to highlight the bevel drive and other unique details (as shown in the photos). Of course, this meant spending an unreasonable amount of time working on this kit but, in the end, I am very satisfied with the result.It should be noted that separate exhaust parts to build a 356 street version of this kit are provided - as shown on the box - or there are a completely different set of parts to build the racing version (the version shown in my photos).And, just as an aside, in comparison to the earlier Porsche Museum 1/4 scale Flat-6 motor (which I have also built), this 1/3 scale rendition of the Flat-4 motor is so much more detailed it is well worth the price of admission.Have fun, people, this kit is awesome!

The media could not be loaded. I am well-enough pleased by the quality of this kit. All of the parts fit well and there was no warpage. The clear plastic is nice quality and the tree sprue can be removed without any sign of that it was there. The black plastic parts sometimes have some light sink marks. The grey metallic plastic was not making me happy. It shows tree-sprue "wounds" that can't be gotten rid of (see the air intakes in the video). One day, I might putty and paint the visible gray parts (carbs, manifold, exhaust). It would look much better.The instructions are good and the kit reasonably easy to assemble, although you'll wish you had a third hand and a control to switch off gravity, on a few steps. They give you extra screws and springs, thank goodness.The only real negative about the kit is the ignition assembly. The two distributors with spark plugs come pre-assembled, and in my case, horribly tangled. It took me a good long while to untangle the mess. I think most people wouldn't have put in the time that I did. The spark plugs ("rods") are press-fit and can easily fall out of the motor. I wound up using a small (breakable) dab of superglue on each to keep them in place. The kit includes wire harness clips to dress the cables. Unfortunately, it only includes three of these. Why? You need an even number, whatever that might be. I decided to forego them and used black twist-ties instead, which looks better.Another negative is that when you run it, the whirring sound of the electric motor is quite loud, distracting from the recorded engine sounds. I think the only way to improve that would be to vibration-isolate the motor. That would be actual work.One last, unavoidable, negative is that you really cannot see some of the moving parts. They're just too buried under too many surfaces. The valves open and close, but I cannot them do so—only the valve stems being pushed down by the cams. Which is too bad, because that area of detail is pretty neat.

As a Porsche lover I enjoyed this. Not really too technical but detailed enough to look pretty impressive when finished.

Incredible molded components and design. The book that comes along with the kit is very well done

Unfortunately mine came with parts missing. Can’t complete my build. What’s worse is that the seller takes no responsibility and all they offered was a 10% discount on a repurchase— how stupid.