Building the TECHING V12 (DM108): Time, Tools and What Goes Wrong

What You Are Building

The DM108 is a 1:4 scale model of a supercar V12: two banks of six cylinders, a crankshaft, camshafts and a valve train, all in aluminium and zinc alloy, on a wooden base. It finishes at 25.5 × 19 × 21 cm and weighs 4.95 kg, so it needs a solid shelf or desk rather than a narrow ledge.

It is not a combustion engine. A 3.7 V lithium battery drives an electric motor, the motor turns the crankshaft, and the pistons and valves follow. A throttle knob sets the speed, and a sound module plays an engine note that rises and falls with it. If you want a V12 that actually burns fuel, that is a different class of engine; our V12 engine model comparison covers both.

At Stirlingkit it costs $1,099.99 and was in stock, in red, when we checked on October 29, 2026.

How Long the Build Takes

Every seller we checked gives the same figure: more than six hours. That is Stirlingkit, Enginediy and Motion RC alike. The kit has more than 800 parts, so six hours is a pace of a little over two parts a minute, which leaves no room for a step done twice.

Treat six hours as a floor, not an estimate, and plan the build over several sessions. The work is mostly small screws into metal, and the mistakes the sellers warn about below are the kind that come from tired hands.

What Is in the Box, and What Is Not

Included, according to Stirlingkit, Enginediy and Motion RC:

• the engine parts
• the wooden display base
• a tool set
• a step-by-step instruction manual
• a DC 5 V USB charging cable

Not included: the charger at the other end of that cable. Motion RC specifies a 5 V supply of at least 1,000 mA, which an ordinary phone charger meets.

None of the sellers lists what the tool set contains. Stirlingkit's product FAQ says all the tools needed are in the kit, so you should be able to finish the DM108 with what is in the box.

The Battery Figures Do Not Agree

This is the one place where the sellers contradict each other, and it matters for how you will use the model.

| Source | Charging time | Running time per charge | |---|---|---| | Stirlingkit | 6 hours | 20 minutes | | Enginediy | about 6 hours | about 20 minutes | | Motion RC | 1.5 hours | 4 hours |

Both cannot be right for the same 800 mAh battery. Stirlingkit and Enginediy agree with each other, and four hours of motor and sound from 800 mAh would be unusual, so we plan around 20 minutes per charge. That makes the DM108 a model you switch on to show someone, not one you leave running on a desk all afternoon.

Difficulty, and Whether It Should Be Your First Kit

Stirlingkit rates the build four stars out of five and the age 16+. Motion RC calls it "Advanced". Enginediy's own advice is direct: more cylinders mean more parts and more synchronisation, and if this is your first mechanical model, a V8 is the easier step. Our V8 engine model kit comparison includes TECHING's metal V8: 500+ parts instead of 800+, and about five hours by the retailer's estimate.

If you have built a metal kit before and want the most involved one TECHING makes, the V12 is the one.

Where Builds Go Wrong

Enginediy's FAQ for the DM108 names the mistakes it sees most often. In their words and ours:

• Over-tightened screws. The parts are aluminium and zinc alloy, and screws driven hard into them strip threads or pull parts out of line. Snug is enough.
• Parts fitted the wrong way round. Many parts look symmetrical and are not. Check the orientation against the manual before you tighten anything.
• Forcing a part that does not want to move. If the mechanism turns roughly after a step, stop and recheck that step's fit. Forcing it does not seat it; it binds it.
• The wrong lubricant. A small amount of light mechanical grease during assembly is all it needs. Thick oils and automotive lubricants add friction and, Enginediy says, shorten the motor's life.
• Long runs at high speed. Once built, run it in short spells rather than at full throttle for long periods.

The practical habit behind all five is the same: after each stage that adds moving parts, turn the crankshaft by hand and confirm it moves smoothly before you build on top of it. A bind found early is one step to undo. Found at the end, it is many.

A Tool Worth Considering

The bundled tools will do. The one upgrade that answers a specific problem on this kit is a screwdriver with a torque limit, because over-tightening is the first mistake on the list and the DM108 has hundreds of small screws.

Stirlingkit sells an electric set that stops turning at the torque you set, with 100 bits, for $59.99. It is listed below. We have not used it, so we cannot vouch for how low its lightest setting goes; start at the minimum and test it on a screw you can easily replace.

Sources

This guide is built from the sellers' own published information, checked on October 29, 2026:

• Stirlingkit's DM108 product page and its FAQ: specifications, price, stock, box contents, tools, difficulty and battery figures.
• Enginediy's article "Inside TECHING DM108: How This Working V12 Engine Model Works" (November 2025), including its FAQ on lubrication and common mistakes, and its specification table.
• Motion RC's DM108 product page: box contents, charger requirement and its battery figures.

We have not built the DM108. Where a figure comes from a single seller, the text says so. For how this site chooses and checks products, see our editorial policy.

For the rest of TECHING's range, see TECHING engine model kits: every model compared, and for every kind of kit, our 10 best engine model kits.