Here's a world-first look at one of the pre-production HobbyKing turbine engines.
At first glance it is about what I would expect from a prototype that has had a few hours running on it and which may have seen a few changes since it was first put together.
There's no anodizing, the fit/finish is acceptable but not outstanding and the design seems quite conservative. This particular unit certainly not a beauty-queen but the bottom lines are how does it perform and how long will it last?
Next step is to set it up on the test-bench and see how well the FADEC/ECU system has been designed - then give it a run.
If it passes those tests with flying colors - we'll put it in a model and fly it.
And yes, it is kero-start.
Stay tuned to see more of this engine.