When I was a kid my cousin had a plastic model of a wankel with a
little motor to turn it. Until just before junior high I thought all
engines had rotors.

-Jeff (Jeff Martin)

You just reminded me that I have a 25+ year old plastic model of the
Wankel sitting right here on the shelves at the rear of my desk! I
believe my Dad gave me the kit when I first became interested in
rotaries when my neighbor bought an RX-4 over 25 years ago.

Taking a quick look at this old model, however (it has a see through
case), I notice that the rotors are GLUED to the e-shaft, and the
interior is just wide open...no chambers...so the rotors have to room to
turn eccentrically around the now fixed center gears.

So, I thought I'd have a look-see online this morning to see if there
are any more accurate versions of the engine in model form, and sure
enough there is one made now by MiniCraft available in several places
for between $25 and $30. Since one of the online retailers where I found
it is a local hobby shop, Dan's Crafts and Things, I went over to take a
look at it.  The salesman opened the package for me, and when I saw the
detail, I bought it!

First, it's one fifth scale and about 10 inches long and it has a see
through case, is motorized, but more importantly, the chambers are
accurately depicted, and the rotors operate the way they are supposed to
within the chambers.  The shift lever on the transmission is the switch
that turns it on (figures! <G>) and the motor has a 2 gear planetary
that you assemble and mount between it and the transmission side
endplate (the motor and batteries are inside the transmission housing)
that reduces the speed enough to view the "action".

But the really neat feature (IMHO) is that the 4 spark plugs are tiny,
red bulbs, and are WIRED to a "distributor" in the transmission (the
wires run from the spark plugs, through the model Mazda distributors,
then inside, out of sight, down along the front end plate, through the
oil pan and back toward the transmission) that is driven off the 2 gear
planetary gear set so that they fire at the proper time!

The parts are all pre molded in the right colors, so paint is not
needed, with soft parts, such as the shift boot, and vinyl tubing for
the spark plug wires to run in.  Obviously, I haven't put the thing
together yet, but it will be a great project for one of the snow days we
are bound to get this year up here in the lee of Lake Ontario when I
can't leave the house for a few days!

Here's a link to the model at Dan's...found it in several other places
on the web, and usually a few dollars cheaper.  I think there may be one
left at Dan's, but it took us awhile to find this one, so you may have
better luck getting one quicker from another supplier.

At least you can have a look at it here:
www.danscraftsandthings.com/istar.asp?a=6&id=350189&csurl=%2Fistar%2Easp%3Fa%3D29%26

Harley Dixon



The Rotary Engine NewsLetter. Powered by Linux.
ACRE NL web site. http://www.rotaryeng.net
Copyright 1998-2006 All world wide rights reserved.