Very interesting V8 engine kit that is fun to assemble. Instructions are clear and easy to understand. This is a fun project for adults and kids. The working engine function is a plus and allows people to understand how an engine works. Read more

PIECES are standard/Lego size. The friction on pegs and pens was all consistent. I had two instance of poor mating; one was in in 1x1 floral cap and the other was in the cone at the end of the transmission. Both were quite minor annoyances on adornment pieces that didn't hinder the mechanical function, and in both I was able to use a tiny dab of superglue to correct. There are about a dozen of these 2x1 red sloped curve piece that you'll need to install the header yourself. If you're never done this before I wouldn't be surprised its not a common piece, but basically look on the underside of the header and the flattest end goes on the highest side of the slope. INSTRUCTIONS are your basic glue bound flip book that's about medium-small in size I'd say. I did get the magnifying glass out a few times to confirm I was inserting pins and whatnot into the correct holes because by the end of the build there's a lot going on and even with cross-section and alternate views you still need to look closely to get it right. There is one illustration error at step 147; the parts list for that step is correct but the diagram shows the wrong part although the part pictured is actually used in the very next step. I BAGS are numbered. CARTON is retail style, fully illustrated. DECALS there are two symbol decals that go on the side of the base, I didn't feel like putting them on. DESIGN is pretty impressive. If you've never done high density mechanical technic models you're in for a treat -- provided you have the patience to deal with the complexity which is moderately high. There are multiple functional gears in the forward and reverse faces, along with a cooling fan, and what is meant to be a transmission gear, these are your visible moving parts. The 8 cylinder pistons and crank shaft also move but sadly they're covered up which makes technical sense given they're covered up on real engines too. ASSEMBLY wise this was a lot of fun, if however moderately high on the difficulty scale; I'd say about a 6.5 out of 10. I actually pretty much built it twice, lol, because when I got just past the point where all the gears were interconnected I noticed the fan wasn't spinning and I had to tear everything down to figure out why. Upon closer inspection I realized I did not correctly align the crank shaft and thus one of the pieces at the end was rotating in a way that made linking it to the rest of the gearing impossible. Of course that early on in the build I didn't realize this was the case because it did move and appeared to be correct. I've included a photo of what the correct alignment looks like from the point of view you'll most likely be seeing it at as you build it. Do yourself favor and run an axel through both sides to confirm, in actuality at this point in the build only one axel will be connected, but if you temporarily insert another and test spin it you'll know for sure its correct or not. Other than that the only thing I can say is you'll need to deal with a few real tight spots pushing axels through existing framework whilst adding small parts like bushings and whatnot into tight spaces. Take your time because in these spots excessive counter-force is likely to cause breakage. BATTERIES are not included. The battery box is contained with the lower mount and is accessible be removing the motor from the mount via four pins. I could get a pretty good hold on the motor to do this and didn't cause any damage while removing it to get to the batteries. Read more

This is the second engine kit I’ve build from Mould King. It does run once you finish building it and it’s satisfying to watch. The first engine I built was the V12 engine with a transmission and I have to say I was a lot more satisfied with that one. This V8 engine has what looks like a gear shifter but it doesn’t do anything. In my experience these off-brand Lego technic sets are difficult both in their design complexity and the physical force required to assemble certain pieces. The first type of difficulty is fine if you like a challenge. The second one is just frustrating. Many of the axle-type pieces in this set required an unreasonable amount of force to insert. At one point my finger was bleeding after some pieces slipped while I was trying to force them into place. At the other end of the spectrum there are pieces that just don’t attach firmly at all. The “nose cone” type piece at the front isn’t present in my photos. My nephew played with the engine once and I couldn’t get that nose cone piece to stay on again. Overall this set is neat but frustrating. If you’re considering this I’d suggest going for a slightly more expensive engine set with a real transmission. It’s going to be difficult to build either way, but at least the bigger set will be more satisfying when you’re done. Read more

I ordered this V8 engine kit from Mould King for my 13-year-old. It was missing a critical piece, and I couldn't find a way to contact the seller. Fortunately, Amazon sent a full replacement, so we could grab the missing piece from there. The parts seem to be compatible with the name brand, and he was able to assemble most of it without trouble. There were a handful of pieces that were a tough fit, and several that did not stay together securely because of poor design. The motor aspect is pretty cool, but it does not accurately reflect the movements of a real engine (no pistons, crank shaft, drive shaft, belts/pulleys, etc). Overall, it was a fun project for him and is a nice piece to set in his bedroom. Read more

Mould King has proven to be a solid off-brand building set company with any of their recent products. We have tried a their cars and loved them, so we gave their motors a shot too, and they are just as wonderful of an experience. Clear instructions, pieces that fit together and stay together, and parts properly organized into sequential bags just all come together to make for an excellent building experience. These may not have the "collectability" of name brand Legos, but honestly, I feel like down the line, maybe they should, so take advantage of the lower cost at half the price of genuine Lego products for an equally solid experience while you still can! Not all of these off-brands are created equal, and some others are such frustratingly poor experiences that we don't even finish the builds and toss them in the closet to be forgotten about until the end of time, but Mould King truly sets a new bar for non-Lego building sets. Thank you for a quality product at a reasonable price. Read more