VW Beetle Flat-Four Engine Model Kit

This model is pricey, so I sat on it for at least 6 months before buying ... I am so glad I did! The build and instructions were excellent! Everything fit together perfectly! I love that the entire thing either snaps together or uses tiny screws to build (no glue needed!!). The finished product is much cooler than pictures can convey. I did see one bad review from an "engineer that reads instructions" claiming the engine does not move. During the build, you use "locking tools" to immobilize the engine while you build it - this is necessary to get the timing right on gears and shafts. If he actually read the instructions and finished the model, he would have discovered that those tools are later removed (pages 89 and 92), and THEN the engine moves. This is so worth the money - what an excellent model that fit together perfectly! Minor nits: engine motion does not match recorded engine noise, the engine motion is very slow, and the recorded idle is fast (so it comes off wrong and a bit cheesy). The sound quality is embarrassingly bad. Aside from those two things that don't really matter, it is awesome. I love that the included screwdriver was magnetic - perfect for those tiny screws!

I really enjoyed assembling this model. Everything went together very well.

This kit is very high quality and relatively easy to assemble. No glue, just screws. The detail of the parts and the fit was excellent, and assembling this was a lot of fun. Really impressesd with the overall quality of the kit and the book that comes with it. Only negative is that the recorded sound of a VW engine is not very good quality. I have other kits by Franzis I am going to assemble because I liked this one so much. I am currently assembling the BMW R90 motorcycle engine.

Excellent. Every aspect. Ez build. Runs great. Pretty cool sound effects. Loud. Everything spins that’s supposed to…and lights up. People love it/get a great chuckle. Gonna do another

Precise Engineering.A pleasure to build!Will buy other items.

Real cute little motor. I was an air-cooled VW mechanic for several years, so this brought back memories.ISSUE (1): Most of the assembly went good at first, but the shroud pans and the exhaust system aregiving a fight on my still-unfinished model. Also, one of the screw holes was not drilled. Had to takeit to the shop to use my drill press. Carburetor stack is wimpy and seems vulnerable.ISSUE (2): I found the sound box to be very disappointing. I was expecting a sound at least as goodas the video has, but the drive motor and gears are louder then the sound effect. Perhaps a volumeadjustment somewhere?ISSUE (3): Only 3 of the 8 valve rockers actually move. Probably need to do a tear-down to lengthenthe lifters. Fit was a little snug for those.ISSUE (4): Spark plug wires are way too long. Had to ball them up and tuck them behind the generatorpedestal and distributor.All in all it's a good design.Thanks for including that magnetized screwdriver. It saved a ton of headaches.

This thing had awesome reviews. I did not have the same experiences. It’s a straight forward model with excellent instructions. But i couldn’t get movement so I took it apart and started again. Who knows. I could have missed something. I looked up YouTube videos even. But it comes down to the cam shaft on my model is flattened on one side not allowing the shaft to spin. The distributor bevel gear is fixed into place also not allowing any movement. So I checked out the reviews again and there it is! Someone else got the same mold of a kit that I did. Wasted my money. If 2 of us got this engine and wrote reviews, there must be 100s more who just threw it in the corner and didn’t bother with a review.

This was a great model. The parts fit very well, with one exception, and the instructions were clear. The exception to the parts fitting well was where the engine shroud met the aft section of the crankcase, i had to nip off a corner of the shroud in order for it to fit, then it was ok. The nipped corner was not visible to casual observation so it looks fine. I like the fact that glue was not required. The book that came with the model was excellent. The two main deficiencies with this model kit were that the model omitted the engine oil pump, and also the oil dip stick was omitted. Considering the price point of this model and the general quality of the kit, these omissions are significant in they result in a model that doesn't show 100 percent of the original engine. But, excepting that, to a casual observer, this kit produces a beautiful rendition of an iconic engine.