1983 video of a working model Merlin Engine as fitted to the Hurricane This is a link to a better description of the engine by Barry Hares www.enginehist...
I was working Salt Lake tower and a Mustang did a low approach. That was almost 35 years ago and I still get goosebumps remembering hearing that Merlin engine scream past the tower a couple hundred feet away! The best engine sound... EVER!!!!
Michael Hall , I was Sooooo lucky , that about six years ago at a little airshow in Porterville Ca , I had the privilege of watching a P51 Mustang doing all kinds of maneuvers, but man oh man the sound of that Merlin engine when he did a simulated bombing dive and then came streaking by about 100 ft off the deck the length of the airstrip was something I will NEVER FORGET!!!!! OH MY GOODNESS , IT WAS SO FRIEKING AWESOME SOUNDING!!!!! It was a thing of beauty and a sight and sound to behold!!!!! The model Merlin that this guy has built is Awesome , and I'm so glad I came across this video 👍👍
And guaranteed not to be able to hold a conversation with one person in attendance , has never kissed a girl and surely awkward as hell. However, this thing is bad ass.
As anyone who has attempted small scale engineering knows, it doesn’t get any easier at all, does it?! Rolls Royce themselves must have known of this mini masterpiece, furnishing drawings etc, do we know what they had to say of this triumph of patience over skill? I’m suffering engineering envy!! Brilliant!
I saw this engine and spoke to the maker many years ago at a model engineering exhibition. I was seriously impressed then, even more so since I gained a little engineering experience.
It is a work of absolute genius . Everything is to scale nothing resized to be practical . Even the wire braid on the plug leads and fuel lines is to scale . Leonardo da Vinci eat your heart out .
When your source of reference was the library, your phone was on the wall in the kitchen,your favorite song was on a record you kept in a sleeve and TV had 3 channels to watch.
@@martyndemers1264 An era when people had a genuine interest in history, technology,craft skills gathering with a common interest. Today these people may well be home binge watching Game of Thrones on Netflix living on Hot Pockets. ( Covid aside)
I am fifteen years into building a nine cylinder radial, built about a dozen simpler engines while being stuck for a while with an oil pump issue, just was looking at it inside out. It'll be done, Lord willing, in a few years, or five, if there were 15,000 parts in the original Merlin, as I suspect is true, I expect there's that many parts in this scale miniature. I've thrown about six or seven cranks away, a couple cylinders, a couple heads, and it's not but half done, I'd say. That has to be the best sounding engine I've ever heard, (original) and this model sounds precisely like its original, for scale. The cylinder timing makes for the distinct exhaust sound, and a Merlin stands alone, in my opinion. Beautiful work, a true masterpiece.
A pipe in one’s mouth is one thing but by simply asking the audience to stay out of the prop line shows a full understanding of the possibility of a prop blade separation! Yes I said “blade”, with the kinetic energy going on here, one prop blade has the energy potential to go straight through you! So do not stand anywhere near the prop arc! In other words stay out of line of fire. Excellent miniature engineering!
Thanks for sharing, it's a treat to see this video, I've seen the engine at a show about 15 years ago but it was not run at that time. Barry Hares built this nearly 40 years ago, I've seen many pictures of the internals, it is at true scale model, there are no simplifications internally. Barry had modest small model engineerg machinery and certainly no cnc. Incredible achievement.
Thanks for the information, a lot of people ask about it’s construction especially if CNC was used. There are a lot of people including myself that would like to know where it is now, I get a lot ask if it’s in a museum.
@@martyndemers1264 there were a bunch of talented model engineers in midlands area UK and Barrry was one. When I last saw the engine it was displayed at the Midlands model engineering show - maybe around 2005 and Barry was a judge at the show. Model engine maker magazine did an article on Barry and his modest workshop in one of their editions. There is some information on this engine and the rolls Royce eagle which followed on the web pages of the late Ron Chernich it’s called model engine news
I saw this model a couple of times, at the Model Engineering Exhibition in London. Once with its original two blade wooden prop (as per early Hurricanes and Spitfires) and once with his second model, the Dowty-Rotol constant speed propeller. It was possibly the finest engineering - never mind model engineering - I've ever seen and I've seen some mind blowing engineering.
Mr. B. Hares was 45 years old in 1983! so would be 85 or 86 years old in 2021! Most all of his machinery when I visited in middle 80's was Swiss watch making machines, that he got on the cheap! His main lively hood was OH of magneto's for motor bikes & cars working out of his flat! needless to say he was not married! Before the Merlin engine he build Norton Manx motorcyle engine that also run, his last engine was of coarse was the R-R Eagle 22 a 24 cyl. sleeve valve engine that I never saw!
Thank you so much for the information, at least there is a possibility that if is still in his possession, 85 is not old by modern standards. Do you know if he still resides in West Bromwich?
I saw this 1/4 scale Merlin engine at one of the Rolls Royce Hucknall Model Aircraft Club flying events back in the early 80's- I was pretty stunned by what a beautiful piece of engineering it was.
What an astounding piece of model engineering. That is a thing of beauty and a work of art! Where ever do you start with making something like that? It must have taken him years to make patterns, cores, and all sorts of work just to get the raw castings, let alone all the machining involved. I am in total awe of this man's skill. ISM January 2021
Instant rpms. Not made to idle at lower rpms. No misses. Love to talk to that guy. It must have taken massive time to create the fixtures alone. This is 1983. Machinists get it in their blood. Check out Joe Pieczinskis site, He is making a miniture Lathe right now. Joe P. is also an excellent teacher, who shares his knowledge. Manual machinists will always be around.
The good old days before health and safety became a pain. Looking at it now I wasn't in a particularly good place as I filmed it but I needed to get the best shot I could
Got a kick out of the guy filling the gas tank with his lighted pipe hanging over it. Very cool....that’s perhaps not the correct word but you know what I mean😜
Come on, no high viz, marshalling, safe area, hard hats, signage, and I believe one of the spectators has a pint in his hand...and guess what? No injuries, crowd trouble or any other health and safety problems
@@vps6868 @ No, sorry, Barry Hares manufactured everything from scratch including all the castings, he was a magnificent model engineer. I had a friend, Laurie Fletcher, who worked at Royce’s during the war, he also made wonderful scale models, some of which never actually went into production but only existed as drawings, he also had a magnificent collection of engines which I think are in the Silk Mill in Derby
@@vps6868 @ not that I’m aware of, he was an ignition specialist and it had the smallest working magnetos, there were videos of the engine running on UA-cam but they appear to have disappeared, sorry not to be able to help!
This is great! Awesome piece of machinery by Mr. Barry Hares. As others have noted, he went on to build a scale RR eagle 22 that was to run at some point - anybody know if it ever did?
@@martyndemers1264 I can not imagine how many hours you spent but dare I ask how much this work of art cost you. As a retired Diesel Mechanic I have an exellent idea of all the parts you had to reproduce to scale and quality to ensure longevity.
I have no idea of the costs involved but it was a genuine work of art by a very talented engineer. I would expect that it would be in a museum now. This footage was taken nearly 40 years ago on my old VHS camera
@@martyndemers1264 I presumed that you are the builder and owner...none the less, I am glad that you posted this video for kindred spirits to witness. Thank you.
@@montwolfman unfortunately my engineering skills are light years away from constructing this model. I just saw it at a model aircraft show. There were also pulse turbo jet engines but I didn't film those
@@arnoldaltjr.2099 The fuel mixture is under high pressure, and the spark from a spark plugs is at a much higher temperature than a cigarette. If the fuel/air mixture is too rich, or the electrode on the spark plugs gets wet from too much gasoline, it will not fire. (I went to school for this.) Ever heard of an engine that will not start because it is flooded? Also, if the mixture is not compressed in the combustion chamber it will not fire.
It it had any CNC work it would have been in the early days of that technology. This was filmed in the early 80's so I expect the machining would have taken place in the late 70's
There’s just no pleasing some people . I’m shocked and outraged at the comment made by the bloke wearing the yellow baseball cap and sunglasses, .... ‘’bloody hell, I would have expected an electric starter.’’ Obviously a typical Mr Know-it-all and an unappreciative moron who has no concept of the skill and dedication needed to build such a model. Thank goodness his other noxious comments were drowned out by the hugely impressive Merin engine.
I was working Salt Lake tower and a Mustang did a low approach. That was almost 35 years ago and I still get goosebumps remembering hearing that Merlin engine scream past the tower a couple hundred feet away! The best engine sound... EVER!!!!
You bet....one never forgets that sound! Actually any WW2 engine sounds if you hear them in person. Lucky for us.
Michael Hall , I was Sooooo lucky , that about six years ago at a little airshow in Porterville Ca , I had the privilege of watching a P51 Mustang doing all kinds of maneuvers, but man oh man the sound of that Merlin engine when he did a simulated bombing dive and then came streaking by about 100 ft off the deck the length of the airstrip was something I will NEVER FORGET!!!!! OH MY GOODNESS , IT WAS SO FRIEKING AWESOME SOUNDING!!!!! It was a thing of beauty and a sight and sound to behold!!!!! The model Merlin that this guy has built is Awesome , and I'm so glad I came across this video 👍👍
Builds a masterpiece of model engineering , struggles to put a jacket on . That actually makes perfect sense to me .
Ya forgot bout the briar
I thought he was Cramer after he got it cranked up. 😄
Eye protection check, ear protection check, can you leave a gap should the prop come off health and safety check.
It makes sense to me, too.
And guaranteed not to be able to hold a conversation with one person in attendance , has never kissed a girl and surely awkward as hell. However, this thing is bad ass.
Only a man smoking a pipe could build such a thing of beauty.
Those were the days
And filling a fuel tank with high octane petrol all at the same time 😉
@@ralger Yes a genius.....🤓
As anyone who has attempted small scale engineering knows, it doesn’t get any easier at all, does it?! Rolls Royce themselves must have known of this mini masterpiece, furnishing drawings etc, do we know what they had to say of this triumph of patience over skill? I’m suffering engineering envy!! Brilliant!
I saw this engine and spoke to the maker many years ago at a model engineering exhibition. I was seriously impressed then, even more so since I gained a little engineering experience.
It is a work of absolute genius . Everything is to scale nothing resized to be practical . Even the wire braid on the plug leads and fuel lines is to scale . Leonardo da Vinci eat your heart out .
This guy , smoking a pipe , spending his evenings in a shed , love it ,
Those were the days when short shorts, long socks and sandals were the height of fashion. But a beautiful piece of engineering.....
When your source of reference was the library, your phone was on the wall in the kitchen,your favorite song was on a record you kept in a sleeve and TV had 3 channels to watch.
@@rickdaystar477 Actually, put that way they were better times. But then without internet we wouldn't be watching this. Difficult to choose
@@madgardener5820 Yes tradeoffs I guess you could say. Well, we've lived through both.
I'd say the plans were hand drawn and each piece machined with and tech.. those were the days when people had real talent
@@madgardener5820 I'd love to be living in the old days but with internet instead of television.
Nice to see Maurice Gibb in the shorts sporting a socks and sandals combo 😂👍🏻
The engine, his hair and his pipe somehow go together.
Yep dates the video in an age where smoking was accepted
@@martyndemers1264 An era when people had a genuine interest in history, technology,craft skills gathering with a common interest. Today these people may well be home binge watching Game of Thrones on Netflix living on Hot Pockets. ( Covid aside)
@@martyndemers1264
yet another sad SJW,
Englishman in France here I hereby name this masterpiece of engineering the 'Merlinette!' 🏆🇬🇧
Nice! It can fly in a "Spitlet" :)
It was incredibly accurate to every nut, bolt and original oil way problem
I am fifteen years into building a nine cylinder radial, built about a dozen simpler engines while being stuck for a while with an oil pump issue, just was looking at it inside out. It'll be done, Lord willing, in a few years, or five, if there were 15,000 parts in the original Merlin, as I suspect is true, I expect there's that many parts in this scale miniature. I've thrown about six or seven cranks away, a couple cylinders, a couple heads, and it's not but half done, I'd say. That has to be the best sounding engine I've ever heard, (original) and this model sounds precisely like its original, for scale. The cylinder timing makes for the distinct exhaust sound, and a Merlin stands alone, in my opinion. Beautiful work, a true masterpiece.
Nice restoration....I always thought they were bigger.
Fantastic - I love his concern for health and safety of his spectators standing behind the line, while he fuels the engine with a pipe in his mouth 😁
A pipe in one’s mouth is one thing but by simply asking the audience to stay out of the prop line shows a full understanding of the possibility of a prop blade separation!
Yes I said “blade”, with the kinetic energy going on here, one prop blade has the energy potential to go straight through you!
So do not stand anywhere near the prop arc!
In other words stay out of line of fire.
Excellent miniature engineering!
Just gave me chills....such a wonderful beautiful piece of engineering.. BRAVO!!!!!!
Thanks for sharing, it's a treat to see this video, I've seen the engine at a show about 15 years ago but it was not run at that time. Barry Hares built this nearly 40 years ago, I've seen many pictures of the internals, it is at true scale model, there are no simplifications internally. Barry had modest small model engineerg machinery and certainly no cnc. Incredible achievement.
Thanks for the information, a lot of people ask about it’s construction especially if CNC was used. There are a lot of people including myself that would like to know where it is now, I get a lot ask if it’s in a museum.
@@martyndemers1264 there were a bunch of talented model engineers in midlands area UK and Barrry was one. When I last saw the engine it was displayed at the Midlands model engineering show - maybe around 2005 and Barry was a judge at the show. Model engine maker magazine did an article on Barry and his modest workshop in one of their editions. There is some information on this engine and the rolls Royce eagle which followed on the web pages of the late Ron Chernich it’s called model engine news
This is exactly what fascinating me when I discovered pictures from the build.
The bloke in the blue shorts was definitely doing his bit for fashion with the long socks and sandals accompaniment
It was the 1980’s, height of fashion then 😂
And that hat!
Superior fit right there lol
Rhodesian dress uniform!!
I saw this model a couple of times, at the Model Engineering Exhibition in London. Once with its original two blade wooden prop (as per early Hurricanes and Spitfires) and once with his second model, the Dowty-Rotol constant speed propeller. It was possibly the finest engineering - never mind model engineering - I've ever seen and I've seen some mind blowing engineering.
I think from a few comments on here that it would be nice to know what became of it
@@martyndemers1264 Yes, that's true. Does anyone know?
I've had plenty of comments from people who have seen or know of the chap that built it but as yet no idea what became of it
He keeps this in his bathroom and uses it everyday to tease his hair.
Mr. B. Hares was 45 years old in 1983! so would be 85 or 86 years old in 2021! Most all of his machinery when I visited in middle 80's was Swiss watch making machines, that he got on the cheap! His main lively hood was OH of magneto's for motor bikes & cars working out of his flat! needless to say he was not married! Before the Merlin engine he build Norton Manx motorcyle engine that also run, his last engine was of coarse was the R-R Eagle 22 a 24 cyl. sleeve valve engine that I never saw!
Thank you so much for the information, at least there is a possibility that if is still in his possession, 85 is not old by modern standards. Do you know if he still resides in West Bromwich?
The smiles on the spectators says it all!
A beautiful piece of work! Very belated and impressive to look at and see running. Congratulations to the builder!
Beautiful! Sounds like a F1 car!
I saw this 1/4 scale Merlin engine at one of the Rolls Royce Hucknall Model Aircraft Club flying events back in the early 80's- I was pretty stunned by what a beautiful piece of engineering it was.
Good to see something shot on film, content is good too.
It was done on an early VHS portable recorder and camera, it weighed a ton
What an astounding piece of model engineering. That is a thing of beauty and a work of art! Where ever do you start with making something like that? It must have taken him years to make patterns, cores, and all sorts of work just to get the raw castings, let alone all the machining involved. I am in total awe of this man's skill. ISM January 2021
One of the best aircraft engines ever
Now all he needs is to build a Spitfire or P 51 for this engine and he will have some kind of Model RC. Cool little Merlin Engine.
Or he could make another 3 engines and build a Lancaster 😉 I think guys like this are truly amazing, I dread to think how long it took him !
@@kougerat5388 Towards the end of the video an onlooker asks the question and got the answer 6 000 hours !!!
Instant rpms. Not made to idle at lower rpms. No misses. Love to talk to that guy. It must have taken massive time to create the fixtures alone. This is 1983. Machinists get it in their blood. Check out Joe Pieczinskis site, He is making a miniture Lathe right now. Joe P. is also an excellent teacher, who shares his knowledge. Manual machinists will always be around.
Thanks I will have a look as I'm hopeless on the lathe
...he's still waiting for someone to build the tiniest scale Spitfire in the world. Then there's the pilot problem.
I was thinking it might just do a motorcycle.
Or P-51 Mustang
Now if we can build a scale model that will take fly with such a beautiful engine.....
Priceless work of art.
fantastic job on the build sounds like it has got a lot of power I can't imagine the size plane to put it in with that much power
Yes the man who made it was a great engineer, it’s sound was exactly like the real thing only scaled down
It doesn't have as much power as you think. An equal displacement modern 2 cylinder model engine has far more power.
1/4 scale maybe......?
Sorry just seen the plaque! That being said this is the best mini engineering i have seen!
What a BEAUTIFUL piece of engineering!!! Wow!!!
Really impressive! No 3D printers back then 👌🏻
Even the Mounts are correct
Great Video
Awesome......the crowd didn't listen when he told them to stay behind the prop,good this it held together
The good old days before health and safety became a pain. Looking at it now I wasn't in a particularly good place as I filmed it but I needed to get the best shot I could
Does anybody know where this beautiful merlin engine is now?
Oooh! That is one smooth running beauty!
Genius gone wild. Beautiful.
That.
Is.
Glorious!
Astonishing piece of work.....
Got a kick out of the guy filling the gas tank with his lighted pipe hanging over it. Very cool....that’s perhaps not the correct word but you know what I mean😜
Very little health and stupidity in those days
Haha...Did you know that you can extinguish a lighted cigarette in a puddle of petrol? It's the vapors that get ya.
Keyword; flame.
Dig that crazy Mad Scientist hairdo,Man!
You can always tell a British genius engineer, wild hairdo and a pipe!
@@johnjones4825 And WAY smarter than me,lol
@@Bowtie41 And me ha ha
Absolutely beautiful work of art... Also deadly 🤓
Brilliant.
He should build a static model spitfire around it,that would be cool
Come on, no high viz, marshalling, safe area, hard hats, signage, and I believe one of the spectators has a pint in his hand...and guess what? No injuries, crowd trouble or any other health and safety problems
Yes we used common sense in those days
Stand behind a running engine in the prop blast with no eye protection, perfect.
1/5 scale Merlin, correct in every detail, even the magnetos
Are these prints or castings available?
@@vps6868 @ No, sorry, Barry Hares manufactured everything from scratch including all the castings, he was a magnificent model engineer.
I had a friend, Laurie Fletcher, who worked at Royce’s during the war, he also made wonderful scale models, some of which never actually went into production but only existed as drawings, he also had a magnificent collection of engines which I think are in the Silk Mill in Derby
@@lesterbeedell9725 wow...simply amazing. Did he ever make his drawings available?
@@vps6868 @ not that I’m aware of, he was an ignition specialist and it had the smallest working magnetos, there were videos of the engine running on UA-cam but they appear to have disappeared, sorry not to be able to help!
@@vps6868 i purchased the drawings and sizes and fits manuals back in the mid 90s.
Stunning engineering
This is witchcraft, that's what this is. I would have loved to see this man's workshop. WOW.
Out standing shipmate. Press on.
Now he needs to build a spitfire for it.
Someone's did mention that to him andI think he just laughed
I would build a P-51 Mustang around it and have a 4 blade propeller.
Love the pipe and the safety talk lol
Should’ve put some wings on the table?
Now, just build the scale model plane that this engine was built for!!👍
Endlich einer ders richtig macht, sich nie in den Flugkreis des Propellers stellen.👍👍👍👍👍👍👍😀😀😀😀😀 Viele Grüße aus Germany
I have read that the full sized engine has over 15,000 parts. I wonder how many this one has? Cool!
From the look of the parts he had on display I expect there were as many in this model
This is great! Awesome piece of machinery by Mr. Barry Hares. As others have noted, he went on to build a scale RR eagle 22 that was to run at some point - anybody know if it ever did?
I think it was Barry Hines won two gold medals at model engineer exibition
Not Sure if it ran Mateo R but I saw the 22 a couple of times at Barrys house and it was 99% complete, this was around 15 years ago now though.
That would make a nice motorcycle engine.
Or for an ultralight.
Beautiful sound!
Incredible build, well done sir.
Not my build, I just took the video
@@martyndemers1264 OK nice video then. 👍
Absolutely magnificent...
A scale replica in every detail from the original drawings
@@martyndemers1264
I can not imagine how many hours you spent but dare I ask how much this work of art cost you. As a retired Diesel Mechanic I have an exellent idea of all the parts you had to reproduce to scale and quality to ensure longevity.
I have no idea of the costs involved but it was a genuine work of art by a very talented engineer. I would expect that it would be in a museum now. This footage was taken nearly 40 years ago on my old VHS camera
@@martyndemers1264 I presumed that you are the builder and owner...none the less, I am glad that you posted this video for kindred spirits to witness. Thank you.
@@montwolfman unfortunately my engineering skills are light years away from constructing this model. I just saw it at a model aircraft show. There were also pulse turbo jet engines but I didn't film those
Did kramer build this in his apt. With jerry's help.
Brilliant Sterling kids a genius
Is he smoking while fueling that engine?
It takes an open flame to ignite gasoline, a pipe or cigarette, is no problem.
@@gregpeterman1102 Can you explain how rubbing two sticks together can start a fire with material with a much lower flash point than gas?
@@arnoldaltjr.2099 not if it is saturated in gasoline, it would be almost impossible to start a fire that way.
@@gregpeterman1102 Than how does gasoline vapor ignite in an engine with only a spark, no open flame?
@@arnoldaltjr.2099 The fuel mixture is under high pressure, and the spark from a spark plugs is at a much higher temperature than a cigarette. If the fuel/air mixture is too rich, or the electrode on the spark plugs gets wet from too much gasoline, it will not fire. (I went to school for this.) Ever heard of an engine that will not start because it is flooded? Also, if the mixture is not compressed in the combustion chamber it will not fire.
Beautiful piece of engineering... wow.. and wow... the fashion... shorts, long socks and sandles... Dear Lord !! 🤦♂️
A master piece!
Fabulous work.
I have a 1/3 scale Spit that that beautiful engine would fit perfectly in ... I know this is from years back but I wonder if it’s still around ??
So far I haven't found anything about where it is now
Imagine putting this in a model Spitfire or Mustang or get four on a model Lancaster
Awesome. this engine would be awesome in a radio controlled P-51 mustang.
True that, but I would be scared to death to fly it! There are thousands of man hours to build such a masterpiece of model engineering!
Awesome!
Stunning.
Wow!! stunning.
Please tell those people standing in the arc of the prop to move! If that thing slings a blade they're done!
He did say !
I am in awe sir! Very Freakin cool!
This was Gary Glitter when he had a proper hobby
What a sound😍
Wow ! What a machinist...and i bet it was done with out cnc.
It it had any CNC work it would have been in the early days of that technology. This was filmed in the early 80's so I expect the machining would have taken place in the late 70's
He looks like Kramer from Sienfield
The founder of the Lasko fan dynasty. Lyle lovett
Masterpiece!
It's easy to forget how small British people were in WW2.
LOL..
Awesome
A Genius. met him once.
Well done!!
Perfect
Did it ever get dyno’d to see what kind or power it was generating?
Not as I know to
There’s just no pleasing some people . I’m shocked and outraged at the comment made by the bloke wearing the yellow baseball cap and sunglasses, .... ‘’bloody hell, I would have expected an electric starter.’’ Obviously a typical Mr Know-it-all and an unappreciative moron who has no concept of the skill and dedication needed to build such a model. Thank goodness his other noxious comments were drowned out by the hugely impressive Merin engine.
Jealousy that’s all .
Absolutely wonderful, is this engine still about ?
I really don't know what became of it. Rummer has it that it went to a museum but I don't know where
@@martyndemers1264 A quest it shall
Be then to Find out 👍🏻
It even sounds right
Yes it did
Genious!!! 👍👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
So that is a v12 right!! Why is it up as 4??
Remarkable!!!!😃
I thought he was just having a bad hair day!
I wonder which decade this was filmed ?
I filmed it in the early 1980's
@@martyndemers1264 oh I know it was kind of a joke very obvious 😆
So where is it now?
Well did he ever put it in a plane.