Wilesco00415

its an awesome product but its $20 cheaper at ministeam

The media could not be loaded.  It works well but the instructions are in german and I had a small steam leak in the one pipe

This review is for the D405 which is the factory assembled version of the D415. My son loves everything to do with water (swimming and any water related toys) fire (especially camp fires) and trains. This toy has combines all three of those things and has the extra bonus of being both educational and fun for adults too. It was a hit and he enjoys playing with it both when the steam engine is fired up and as a toy train/tractor when cold. It's not delicate, but it is expensive and so I would always suggest adult supervision even when the firebox is cold. There is a pully on the flywheel you can attach a belt to and use to power some of the Wilesco steam shop toys. We might try one or two of those in the future but the workshop toys are pretty pricey.I give it 4.5 stars. Half a star is taken away because there are a few bits of plastic that shouldn't be there at this price, though it is mostly metal and this thing is probably durable enough to last decades if properly cared for. Also, the steam whistle isn't easy to use. They really should have mounted the chain pull whistle instead of the cheaper valve actuated whistle.

Super

This is a Fantastic Kit by Wilesco and purchased from Germany via Amazon for a very Good Price relative to UK based Prices. It was delivered to my UK address from Germany in 5 Days which I thought was pretty impressive. It was slightly more challenging to construct than expected. The Downloaded English Construction Instructions were satisfactory but could have been better. You do need to take your time constructing this working model. The only disappointment was the main Gear / Cog (Driven via Flywheel teeth) was not manufactured correctly compared with the replacement part. It caused excessive heat and failure of this part. I purchased a new replacement part in UK which worked perfectly. It was my Choice and an easier, more expedient way to get my Traction Engine working, than Contacting the German Company via Amazon. The extra cost incurred still represented an overall & substantial saving on UK Price Trends. The finished Traction Engine looks Great, works Great and is a Great addition to my small Live Steam Traction Engine Collection. Please Note, due to the Machine Plate Design / Final position, the Steam Whistle must have its Black Plastic lever removed and subsequently replaced, to allow it to be screwed in. Making this Traction Engine gives a real sense of Pride and Achievement. A Really Great Model to construct especially at the price I paid. Hopefully, I was a rare unlucky buyer, re the faulty manufactured Gear / Cog.

I've hugely enjoyed assembling this kit version of the D405 traction engine. Construction isn't completely straightforward and it's worth taking some time to get things right as you go. For example, I had to add an extra washer or two to the crankshaft to stop the flywheel rubbing against the intermediate drive gear.Because I bought it from a German supplier (trading on Amazon as "colludo") the assembly instructions supplied are in German. I was able to find an English version on the internet and printed them out before I started.I recommend buying some rubber tyres for the wheels. These are available at various price/quality levels from several suppliers. They greatly increase the grip on most surfaces. I'm surprised at how much pull this little machine has.I made a short video of the very first time I fired up my new toy which I've uploaded to Flickr. Amazon won't let me link to it here but you should be able to find it by searching for "wilesco toy kit".

Lieferung und Zahlung prompt und reibungslosLeider ist die Ausführung des Bausatzes mangelhaft. Schon die ersten Teile passten nicht:ohne mechanischem Anpassen drehen sich die Vorderräder nichtbei der Kesselmontage fehlten einige DichtungenSchwungrad streift, musste zusätzlich gesichert werdendie Ritzen greifen nicht gleichmäßig in das große Zahnradbeim Brenner verbrannte schon beim 1. Betrieb der Plastikgriffdie Lenkkette war zu langedie Hutmuttern für die Dachstützen aus Plastik sind filigranPreis-Leistungsverhältnis stimmt in keinster Weise,ohne zusätzlicher handwerklicher Unterstützung nicht fahrbar

Sehr detailtreues, voll funktionsfähiges Modell, leider nicht sehr präzise gearbeitet: Die großen Räder "eiern" und die kleinen Räder streifen bei Volleinschlag an der Lenk-Kette, bei entsprechender Stellung der Pendelachse auch am Kessel. Hier sollte der Hersteller nachbessern, das Modell hätte es verdient.