Stirlingkit has done it yet again, with their R18 Vintage 1886 Benz Motorwagen engine
I ordered my R18 immediately after it went on sale. I had seen videos Stirlingkit had posted showing the upcoming R18, and was really excited about owning one.
From the time I ordered my engine to the time I got my ship notification, I was really impressed at how fast Stirlingkit got these engine produced and shipped out; I had thought it would have taken quite a bit longer for the engines to start shipping, but it was extremely quick.
When my engine arrived, it was packed safe and secure. What a beautifully made & detailed scale working model… The quality is unreal! My R18 came with an easy to follow instruction sheet, spare piston & slide valve O rings, and a starting wheel to use in a cordless drill for starting.
I chose to use Coleman camping fuel mixed w’ a bit of marvel mystery oil, and as well used marvel oil for the oiling cups. Three AA batteries are used for the ignition power.
Right out of the box, my R18 started easily without touching the carburetor - The carb is an air bleed type, and not a throttle, so once the needle is fine tuned, ‘set it and forget it’ Using the starting wheel is easy; the drill rotates counterclockwise which turns the R18 flywheel clockwise. Once I did a little a little fine tuning, I no longer used the drill to start the R18; rotate to right before the compression stroke, and a quick spin of the flywheel and the R18 comes to life. I’ve ran my engine for quite a few hours already, and it’s proved to be very reliable and starts immediately. It’s fun to watch all of it moving parts working in unison to make a beautiful exhaust sound.
Really happy that Stirlingkit decided to produce and offer this little precision engine to modelers all over the world… it will definitely be one of their best sellers and impress anyone who owns one.