James H

The boiler is securely seated above the firebox and metal straps are used to bolt this attractive assemble securely in place. Lastly, the drive belt and silicone steam tubing are fitted. Here you see the completed engine! Very attractive, don't you think? My next post will show the engine running. Come back very soon!

The crank is now connected to the handle as shown here. And the rest is then located via the drive shaft, through the bearings, and trapping the flywheel in situ. Everything is tightened so that there I a little clearance between all the elements and nothing with rub against anything else. Here you can see the opposite side of this assembly before the belt pulley is added. The base for the street lamp is now bolted into place. This is a nicely turned, solid brass part. And now the electrical generator is now bolted to the base. .....followed by the electrical switch. The lamp head now has its wired threaded down its pole and this is then inserted into the base of the lamp. It's time to wire everything up. To do this, a neat little electrical connection block is included. All you need to do is lift each side of this and push into it the pre-stripped wire ends. Here you see the firebox being installed. Time for the main event....

Steam Engine Model with Generator and Street Lamp - RETROL via EngineDIY Catalogue SE-02 Available from EngineDIY for $329.99 A steam engine A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be transformed by a connecting rod and crank into rotational force for work. The term "steam engine" is most commonly applied to reciprocating engines as just described, although some authorities have also referred to the steam turbine and devices such as Hero's aeolipile as "steam engines". The essential feature of steam engines is that they are external combustion engines, where the working fluid is separated from the combustion products. The kit featured here is a very simplistic version of how steam power is converted into electrical energy that goes to power either industrial, commercial, or urban applications by the flywheel output being tethered to an electrical dynamo. The flywheel drives the dynamo drive shaft and the motion is converted into electricity by using a rotating coil of wire and a magnetic field to convert mechanical rotation into electric current. The kit This is actually the second Retrol steam engine kit I've reviewed here, and I think this one is perhaps more suited to the beginner, s the setup procedure is so simple that it's pretty much foolproof. The info on the EngineDIY site says this: "Following the impressive Beam Steam Engine Model Kit, this Horizontal Steam Engine Model Kit is another remarkable creation, giving you the opportunity to construct a fully functional miniature steam power scene and simulate an early industrial marvel. The steam engine features a classic horizontal single-cylinder design with forward and reverse switching capabilities. It comes paired with a highly polished brass boiler, complete with a steam whistle, steam handwheel cut-off valve, and spring-loaded safety valve. The iron baseplate is painted gray and supports a miniature generator that powers an industrial street lamp located at the rear of the boiler. A switch button on the base controls the lamp, illuminating the entire model when the steam engine is running. This is a perfect entry-level kit for hobbyists, providing the joy of assembly and the chance to experience the allure of steam power from the industrial age!" The kit itself comes in a sturdy and very festive box with just the company name on the box lid. Inside the box, there are two foam trays of parts. Many of these parts are already pre-built assemblies, such as the boiler unit, street lamp head, piston box etc. There are also a good number of plastic bag containing the rest of the kit, as well as a small box containing bolts etc. Also included are the various drive belts/tubing and some tools required to build the kit. That's right, there's nothing else needed for this kit, except for some alcohol for fuel. Three printed sheets are also included for instructions and parts map. First task is to bolt the cylinder and crank unit to the installation board. Just four bolts is all that's needed here and there's no real 'play' in anything that would need adjustment later. This is now installed to the main base unit via pillars that give the mechanics some clearance that's seen to be needed for the flywheel etc. Also note that I've added the two bearing seats to the outboard lets of the installation board. Bearings are now fitted to the two seats I just mentioned. At this point, this complicated-looking unit is needed. This is the valve shaft & crank. This unit has the drive shaft inserted into the cylinder box. Before further work installing that unit, the adjusting handle is now inserted and the thumbscrew locked into position.

I do agree there.

If it's commercial aviation, then take a look at this one:

I removed the comments as it just came over as disingenuous. This was never going to be an actual turbofan engine. It's a hobby kit. An engine that has as much thrust as one of the wooden ships we build, has actual sail power. It's an electrically operated kit that is a whole hobby genre in itself, and one that many enjoy participating in. Many of these are used for display or will sit on an executive's desk. You will surely never find an actual model turbine engine (with thrust) for £700.

Conclusion In all, this is a seriously nice kit. The very nature of construction means that you need to thoroughly read the instructions and ensure everything is assembled exactly as it should. I wouldn't say this was a beginner kit, unless you are a stickler in the way you work. There are over 600 parts to this model, including nuts and bolts, and the finished project is a real eye-opener in every sense. Also remember that this model is incredibly heavy too, so I wouldn't recommend a glass shelf for display! My sincere thanks to EngineDIY for sending this kit out for the purpose of review here on Model Ship World. To buy directly, click the link at the top of the article.

And finally, here's the video!

This kit is currently 20% off on their Black Friday deal.

The gearbox is now bolted into position.... ....followed by the external ancillary details, such as electrical boxes and plumbing. With that done, the engine can now be mounted to the stand and be ready for running in. All I need to do now is to make a video of the engine running. I'll do that very shortly.

This is called the enhanced nozzle, for some reason. However, this is very simple to assemble. Just two parts. At this point, all of the assemblies you've seen being built, will now be put together. Orientation is VITAL as you progress. The drive shaft is now slotted into the engine. Note its taper. That taper will mean that any error you make will mean a full strip down due to the nature of design. Keep your eye on the ball as you progress, and you will have no problems. A 3D printed fan is now fitted into the forward engine housing, followed by the intake/spinner assembly. More of our assemblies are now slotted and bolted into place. Ok, this is one thing you've not yet seen. That drum on the right, is actually a water/atomiser tank which you will fill, and clouds of vapour will emit from it. It also has a ring of blue LEDs to simulate the heat from the engine. A lot of the work so far built will now be covered up with the exterior engine casings. These have clear panels and align with the cutouts in the interior engine. The nozzle assembly,mbly can now be fitted. Careful with this one as it's quite heavy.

High pressure turbine. A typically easy assembly to build. The orientation of the text 'C-1' is vital when building, as it is throughout the model, where text is present. The low pressure turbine is now built. One area of the build that took the longest was tailpipe/nozzle. The petals on this are fully articulating and you can pose them from fully closed to fully open.

Work continues on the previous assembly, by the addition of the first stage high pressure stator. As this model is actually electrically operated, the gearbox assembly is now to be built. Light oil is used on the various gears within this. Please ignore that I missed the main meshing gear off on these photos! I did go back and fit it later. The gearbox is then tested for mechanical integrity by plugging it into the base and running it for a few moments. Now it's the turn of the high pressure compressor to be built. This is sat within a similar housing as the one I built previously. All of the stators in this are different and have identifying text on them. Again, you can see I didn't add the front-most fan. This was done at a later stage, when it occurred to me! One thing I will say is that the design of this model is so that if you do forget to add something, then you will likely need to backtrack through construction and deconstruct large parts in order to fit that part. It's always best to thoroughly read the instructions. In fairness to me, I was coming down with flu and my concentration levels were low! Combustion chamber. Adding a nice splash of oxide red into the model, there was nothing at all complicated here. More soon!

The first things that are built up are the intake gearbox and the first stage low pressure compressor. There are bearings and gearings on these which enable them to lock into place as you progress. I also use a very small spot of thread-lock too; the sort that can easily be cracked if necessary. The low pressure stator housing is now assembled. No fixings here. All of these parts sit neatly in their respective slots, and care is needed to make sure they remain in situ during final assembly. The intermediate receiver assembly is the next section to be built up. All of these parts are built 'dry' at this stage, but will later be packed out with grease for lubrication. More soon!

1:10 Military Turbofan engine - TECHING Available from EngineDIY for $799.99 This new kit from Teching, is based on the Pratt & Whitney F135 turbofan engine, that powers the Lockheed Martin F-135 Lightning II. A turbofan or fanjet is a type of air-breathing jet engine that is widely used in aircraft propulsion. The word "turbofan" is a combination of the preceding generation engine technology of the turbojet, and a reference to the additional fan stage added. It consists of a gas turbine engine which achieves mechanical energy from combustion, and a ducted fan that uses the mechanical energy from the gas turbine to force air rearwards. Thus, whereas all the air taken in by a turbojet passes through the combustion chamber and turbines, in a turbofan some of that air bypasses these components. A turbofan thus can be thought of as a turbojet being used to drive a ducted fan, with both of these contributing to the thrust. Animation of a 2-spool, high-bypass turbofan A. Low-pressure spool B. High-pressure spool C. Stationary components 1. Nacelle 2. Fan 3. Low-pressure compressor 4. High-pressure compressor 5. Combustion chamber 6. High-pressure turbine 7. Low-pressure turbine 8. Core nozzle 9. Fan nozzle The turbofan was invented to improve the fuel consumption of the turbojet. It achieves this by pushing more air, thus increasing the mass and lowering the speed of the propelling jet compared to that of the turbojet. This is done mechanically by adding a ducted fan rather than using forces by adding an ejector, as first envisaged by Whittle. (Information abridged from Wikipedia) The kit As with the previous turbofan engine I reviewed here, this comes in a very sturdy box that contains FOUR trays of precision machined parts, including two trays of bolts, bearings, nuts, washers, and a small number or specific parts that are machined for this release. The instruction manual is superb, being printed in a glossy 90-page format. As well as the step by step instructions of the assembly of each engine stage, you are also presented with an illustrated parts list, operating instructions, and a list of safety precautions. This kit does come with a small selection of tools, such as wrenches and hex drivers. However, I opted to use my Wera tools for the main part. I'll start to post my assembly of this engine tomorrow.

What a beautiful job you've made of this. Makes me feel nostalgic for the one I built.

Way beyond superb!!

I reckon a few barrels and some sacks and it'd really bring it to life.

As there's nothing really interesting in showing shroud lines etc. added, I'll now wrap up this log by showing you some photos of the completed model. Watch out for this on pre-order very soon. In all, this is a highly detailed and very friendly model to build. Definitely in terms of hull shape and rig accessibility whilst on the bench. We're absolutely confident that you'll enjoy building this gorgeous ship and you putting your own stamp on her.

For the time, I'm locking this topic. Nothing is imminent with resurrecting this project.

There are a small number of things which stalled this build, regarding contents. Those are between Amati and myself at this stage of the project.

No. Only if they are rip off copies of legitimate designs. Please don't spread that misinformation here. There are legitimate Chinese kits, and as you have that wrong belief, I assume you have gained that information on different shores to MSW.

That was a hell of a save! Congrats on the sale too. Well deserved.

I have one of the lighting sets here, and they are very nice. Here's a photo.

That is stunning, beyond words. If I'd built that, I'd retire my tools. Simply gorgeous.