Smithsonian Motor-Works

I purchased this for my son's 6th Birthday thinking it was going to be perfect for him. At his age he has a fascination for how things work and currently his attention is set on engines and other vehicle components. Also I thought what a tremendous opportunity for him and I to work on this together? Father and son both turning wrench on a project. What more could a Dad ask for than quality moments such as that? Putting this model together was not the easiest thing to do. Didactic Instructions are vague and the drawings associated with the steps are poorly drawn. I managed to get it all put together and everything was turning as it should. Except when I attached the motor to the rear that drives the whole mechanism. The small cog wheel that spins the larger cog wheel that turns the internal components of the engine is misaligned and the teeth of the cogs tend to grind. This prevents the engine parts from moving and causes a tremendous plastic on plastic grinding noise. Also in a brief amount of time you can begin to smell that heated electrical ozone because the motor is working against the increased friction between the gear wheels. No matter how many adjusts I made I could not get it to align and the model does not work correctly. I had to break my son's heart when I informed him that I couldn't fix it for it to work and I would be sending it back. That was what bothered me the most was my son's young face of disappointment that his engine that we built together was a dud. Purchase at your own risk. I see some 5 star reviews and I am happy that you were successful with your build. Smithsonian should reconsider having its name affiliated with something so hit or miss.