Franzis 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 Porsche concoction, 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!

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.

Great seller. Exactly as advertised and just what I wanted.. It was a gift and h loved it.

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.

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

Der Motorbausatz ist sehr schön und macht beim Zusammenbau wirklich Spaß. Alle Teile kommen gut verpackt mit einer schönen Bauanleitung mit vielen Infos und Originalfotos zu dem Motor und der Geschichte dessen. Der Zusammenbau hat sich bei mir über mehrere Stunden erstreckt. Da ich modellbauerfahren bin, ist mir der Bau gut gelungen. Alles funktioniert am Ende wie es soll. Wer also hier behauptet, der Bausatz wäre Schrott hat entweder zwei linke Hände oder hat nicht sorgfältig nach Anleitung gebaut. Man kann nämlich auch manches falsch machen, wenn man nicht hochkonzentriert arbeitet. Um den Bausatz erfolgreich bauen zu können sind nicht zwangsläufig Modellbaukenntnisse nötig. Aber sicherlich hilfreich. Wichtig ist wirklich sich genau an die Anleitung zu halten, die Bauteile ordentlich zu entgraten und sie auch sorgfältig zusammenzusetzen. Schon anhand der Komplexität der Nockenwellen-Steuerung ist der Bausatz aber NICHT idiotensicher! Die Bauanleitung ist aber gut gemacht und es ist alles logisch und textlich wie auch bebildert erklärt. Man sollte sich jedoch beim Bau Zeit nehmen und Geduld haben und peinlichst genau nach den Fotos arbeiten. Sonst können sich Baufehler einschleichen, die dazu führen können, das der Motor nicht rund läuft und/ oder die Zündfolge dann nicht stimmt. Die Kunststoffteile sind hochwertig und passgenau. Man kann durch die Transparenz des Materials später sehr schön den Funktionsablauf nachverfolgen. Besonders gut finde ich auch, das die Teilenummern auch auf jedem Bauteil stehen und nicht nur auf dem Rahmen des Spritzlings. So kann man ähnlich aussehende Bauteile gut auseinander halten, vor allem wenn mehrere Teile vor einem liegen. Beim Bau ist kein Kleber nötig. Alle Teile werden nur zusammengesteckt und/ oder verschraubt. Es ist auch kein Öl oder Fett nötig. Ich habe aber trotzdem sparsam Silikonfett für diverse Stellen verwendet. Wer ein anderes Schmiermittel nehmen möchte, sollte aber darauf achten, das das Öl nicht den Kunststoff angreifen kann. Ein winziger Nachteil ist der kleine Elektromotor, der beim Betrieb den originalen Motorsound etwas übertönt. Man kann aber den Motorstecker ziehen und sich dann den originalen Motorsound ohne Modellfunktion anhören. Insgesamt sehr schönes, dekoratives Funktionsmodell.

Divertente la costruzione, bisogna però eliminare molto bene le zone dove sono attaccati i pezzi

J'ai de la chance, que je suis bilingue français et allemand, car la notice est en allemand ou anglais. Dommage qu'elle ne soit pas en français. Autrement très bon produit et fonctionne très bien.

Looks good after doing an inventory of the parts. Will not be assembling it for awhile as other projects (real cars & motorcycles) to finish.

Very well detailed kit, build manual second to none, no glue. Allow your self a few hours