About This Site
Edited by Stefan Florin · Last updated September 2026
ModelEngineFans.com covers working model engines: Stirling engines, live steam, hit-and-miss stationary engines, turbofan and jet kits, running miniature internal combustion engines, and the metal assembly kits that sit between a model and a machine. It exists because this is a corner of the hobby world where the products are genuinely interesting, the specifications are often badly documented, and the retailers are frequently unfamiliar.
Who Writes It
The site is written and edited by Stefan Florin. There is no editorial team behind the word “we” — it is one person, and the research, the writing and the mistakes are all mine.
You can reach me through the contact page. I read everything that comes in, including corrections, and I would rather hear that a page is wrong than leave it wrong.
What I Do and Do Not Claim
I do not buy and run every engine on this site. A single mid-range kit costs several hundred dollars and the flagship models run past $1,000, so a site that claimed hands-on testing of everything it covers would be lying. Plenty of affiliate sites make exactly that claim. I would rather say what is actually true.
What the research is built from: manufacturer specifications and assembly manuals, the mechanical principles the engines are based on, video of the engines actually running, owner reports and build threads, and direct comparison of competing models on the details that matter — displacement, materials, cooling, ignition, whether a mechanism is functional or decorative.
Where a page is a specification breakdown rather than a test, it says so at the top. Where a claim comes from the manufacturer rather than from observation, it is attributed to the manufacturer. Where something is not documented and I cannot verify it, the page says that too rather than filling the gap with a guess.
How the Site Is Funded
Through affiliate commissions. If you buy something after following a link here, the retailer pays a percentage of the sale. The price you pay is identical either way — affiliate links cost the buyer nothing.
No manufacturer or retailer pays for coverage, for placement, or for a rating on this site, and none has ever been offered the opportunity. Commission rates differ between retailers, which is a real conflict of interest and the reason the editorial policy sets out in detail how products are chosen and what the ratings mean.
Corrections
Specifications change, products are discontinued, and prices move. If you find something out of date or simply wrong, tell me and I will fix it. Substantive corrections are noted on the page rather than quietly edited away.