I was disappointed with the final product. It is not so much that there is anything wrong with it or that the quality is poor. It is just that there is not much to see when you get model all put together and operating. Just something going around and around. Additionally the opaque fan shroud prevents observation of much of the compressor. A transparent shroud would be a big improvement. Even though the model is a true "two-spool" design and the fan and its turbine turn at a slower speed than the compressor and its turbine, that difference is not evident to the observer.
Perhaps I had unrealistic expectations. This model was a gift to my 13 year old grandson. We had previously put together the Haynes V-8 engine model and it is pretty impressive with all of the moving parts: pistons, crank shaft, valves, camshafts and even spark plugs igniting (and a lot more difficult to assemble). You can really see a lot about how an engine works with it, especially the valve train. Unfortunately, there just is not anything interesting to see in the operation of the turbine engine model.
In general, the quality of the model is pretty good. My grandson and I put it together in an hour or so. All of the parts were there and all fit okay with no rework. One caution, be very careful not to bend any of the blades on the turbine wheels. The are fragile and easily bent (same for the compressor blades). If you bend one or more just a little bit they are very obvious when the model is operated and detract from the realism of the visual effect. It is also a real pain to disassemble the model and straighten them. Better to be very careful in the first place. Also make sure you get the wheels mounted squarely on the shaft so they do not wobble when rotated. Any wobble will also distract from the visual effect.
Assembling the model is educational as it does a pretty good job of depicting a two-spool turbine with two independently operating, concentric shafts. Unfortunately, the model has a gear drive between the two spools so they operate at a fixed speed ratio with respect to each other. Presumably this configuration was used so that both spools can be operated from a single drive motor. Unfortunately, the instructions do not explain that this gearing between the spools is not representative of an actual engine. In a real engine, the two spools will turn completely independent of each other. It would be better if each spool was independently driven.
The jet engine sound effect is a bit of a joke as it is almost totally drowned out by the sound of the drive mechanism. Plus, it is the sound of an engine spooling up (increasing speed) which seems silly since the model speed is constant.
While I was disappointed with the end result, I am not unhappy that I bought the model. It was worth the money and my grandson and I had a good time assembling it. He was less disappointed with the end result.
- Amazon Business : For business-only pricing, quantity discounts and FREE Shipping. Register a free business account
