Review: Action Racing 1:4 Scale Dale Earnhardt Sr. , Richard Childress Racing V8 Engine.
Manufacturer Action Racing Collectibles (ARC LLC.)
Scale 1:4 1" Model = 4" Real Item
Genre` NASCAR Winston Cup Stock Car/ Engines
M.S.R.P $550.00
I know I promised this a long time ago.. So here it goes!
So real you could almost install it in your Corvette!
What you are looking at is one of the largest "mainstream" die cast replicas
that I have seen to date, and one of the best efforts from any company
bar none.
Anyone that knows me and my passion for die cast collecting would know
right off the bat, that I don't usually have much good to say about Action
Racing the company or the product.
This particular item up for review would be the exception and not the rule.
Let me start by saying that of all the items that Action Racing has produced
thus far this has to be the crowning jewel of thier achievments.
This engine is an impressive 1:4 Scale meaning that 1" on the model represents
4" on the real deal. What does this mean? Well to put it mildly this thing is HUGE! In fact without seeing a picture of my massive hands in the
images it's hard to imagine just how large this thing really is. Lets put it
like this, it takes 2 hands to hold this fine piece.
Most of the engine is made of diecast metal and weighs a tremendous
amount. Items like the Heads, Block, Intake, Transmission, Engine Stand,
Carburator, Waterpump etc. are all made of die casted metal. The Engine
and Intake Manifold have clear sections allowing you to peer inside this
marvel and see it's functional features (more on that later). Action went
as far as using ream GM Casting Numbers and even real stainless steel
braided fuel and oil lines.
The engine has real rubber belts and spark plug wires. A removeable air
cleaner assembly with a paper filter inside. A cutaway of the bell housing
allows you to view the RAM 3 disk racing clutch assembly and the gear
shifter on the jerico transmission is even moveable.
Once you get past the fact that almost every detail has been duplicated to
the T you realize that this is also a working replica. The included handle
installs into the Harmonic Ballancer and allows the owner to crank the engine
over by hand which causes the piston and valves for the #1 cylinder to function
as they would in the real machine. As you rotate the crank you can also
watch the clutch spin as do the belts and all the accesories (even the 6
port scavenge oil pump).
I would recommend this piece to any diehard die cast collector, any engine
guru or any NASCAR Nut!
There are 2 variants of this engine. I opted for the $550.00 version which
bears a laser engraving of Dale E Sr's signature on the base as well as
Richard Childress and a hand signed plaque from the owner of Action.
There is also another version with 3 metal plaques each of which were hand
signed (even by Dale Sr before his demise R.I.P Dale!) this version retails
for nearly two thousand U.S Dollars and IMHO is horrendously overpriced.
Pro's:
Impressive Size and Weight
Highly accurate
Use of remarkable colors and materials to replicate the engine in a spot on
fashion
Con's:
Price of course
The entire valvetrain and rocipricating assembly is not present nor viewable.
Corvette Store
Review: Action Racing 1:4 Scale Dale Earnhardt Sr. , Richard Childress Racing V8 Engine.
