RETROL & OKMO B03 Hired Man Hit and Miss Engine Model RTR Water-cooled

No. B03 · Hit & Miss Gasoline Engine · 1/4 Scale · Ready to Run The Hired Man A hopper-cooled farm engine of the 1910s and 1920s, made again in miniature, and it runs. POP… whoosh… whoosh… whoosh… POP First Batch · Pre-Order 1 Pre-Orders Open Reserve yours now 2 Pre-Orders Close Dec 1, 2026 3 Ships By Dec 10, 2026 (est.) Pre-order price: $399.99 $499.99 $100 off, applied automatically at checkout. No code needed. Reserve yours now and it will be among the first to leave the workshop. We will email you as soon as your engine ships. You know that sound. Maybe it came from the pump house on your grandfather's farm. Maybe you heard it for the first time walking the rows at an engine show, and stopped, and stayed longer than you meant to. The B03 brings that sound home. Flip the flywheel, hear it catch, and watch the governor take over: one hit, then the flywheels coast on their own weight while the exhaust is held open, then the latch drops and it fires again. Nothing about it is simulated. It is the same mechanism that kept water flowing on farms a hundred years ago. Not a toy. Not a static model. A running hit-and-miss engine you can set on your desk. Hear It Run Watch the B03 Start Up Turn the sound up. That rhythm is the governor at work. The First Time You Run It Moments You Will Want to Share I.The First Catch A flip of the flywheel, a cough, then a clean pop as it fires on its own. That moment never gets old. II.The Governor Takes Over The flyweights swing out, the latch catches, and the engine starts to coast between hits. Adjust it, and you set the rhythm yourself. III.Steam from the Hopper On a long run the water in the open hopper begins to warm and steam, cooling the cylinder exactly the way the originals did. IV.The Smell of a Working Engine Warm oil, a hint of gasoline, the drip oiler ticking away. A real engine, doing real work, right in front of you. A Tribute to a Classic Faithfully Recreated. Made to Be Collected. Look closely and you will find the Hired Man in every part of the B03: the proportions, the hopper, the flywheels, the brasswork. It is made for collectors who know these engines well, and who appreciate one that is done right. Open-Crank Horizontal Layout The exposed crank, connecting rod and side shaft, just as on the farm engines of the era. Open Water Hopper The tall hopper over the cylinder, the defining shape of a hopper-cooled engine, and it really cools by evaporation. Twin Spoked Flywheels Heavy spoked flywheels with polished rims, finished in classic scarlet. Working Hit-and-Miss Governor Flyweights, latch and exhaust pushrod all in view, doing exactly the job they did on the full-size engine. Brass Drip Oiler & Fittings A glass-and-brass drip oiler and brass fittings, the small details a collector notices first. Show-Ready on Wooden Skids Hardwood skids and a dovetailed battery box, set up the way engines are displayed at a show. A piece that earns its place in any collection: beautiful at rest, and even better running. ✦ ✦ ✦ Engine + Cart Buy Together. Make It Show-Ready. A farm engine was never meant to sit still. It rode on a cart and went wherever the work was, and that is how the best engines are still shown today. Add the ST-02 and your Hired Man becomes the complete outfit. Bolts right under the engine's own base, no modification All-metal wheels, working steering, wooden pull tongue Rolls and steers, ready for the shelf or the show table SAVE $100 B03 Hired Man (pre-order)$499.99 $399.99 ST-02 Steerable Engine Cart$99.99 Together$599.98 $499.98 Add the ST-02 Cart $100 off the engine, applied automatically at checkout. ✦ ✦ ✦ Made to Run Made to Be Started, Again and Again Ready to Run Arrives fully assembled on its wooden base. Add one AA battery, fuel mix, water and oil, then start it by hand or with a drill. Easy on the Hands No hard pull, no cranking. A light flip of the flywheel starts it, and if you would rather not, a household cordless drill spins it up just as well. CNC-Machined Metal Precision CNC aluminum alloy body, brass fittings and stainless steel flywheels, made for repeated running and years on display. Real People, Ready to Help Questions before or after you buy? Email our team at service@stirlingkit.com and we will walk you through it, step by step. What's in the Box & What You'll Need In the Box 1 × B03 engine, assembled on wooden base 1 × Igniter 1 × Spark plug, 3/16-40 (installed) You'll Need 1 × AA 1.5V battery Regular unleaded gasoline (US 87 / RON 92 or higher) Engine oil for the fuel mix (25:1 to 30:1) Clean water for the hopper A drill, if you prefer drill starting Before You Run It Run outdoors or in a well-ventilated space. Fill the hopper before every start, and top it up as the water evaporates. The cylinder, head and exhaust stay hot for a while after shutdown. Store fuel away from heat and out of reach of children. Recommended for ages 16+. Specifications (tap to view) Model RETROL & OKMO B03 (Red) Prototype "Hired Man" hopper-cooled farm engine Scale 1/4 Form Ready to Run (RTR) Engine Type Gasoline, horizontal single cylinder, four-stroke Displacement 3.6 cc Bore × Stroke 16.0 × 19.0 mm Speed Range 500–3000 rpm Governor Centrifugal flyweight, hit-and-miss (exhaust latch-out) Cooling Evaporative hopper water cooling Lubrication Fuel-oil mix with brass drip oiler Fuel Mix Ratio 25:1 to 30:1 (gasoline : oil) Recommended Fuel Regular unleaded gasoline, US 87 / RON 92 or higher Recommended Oil 2T/4T 10W-50 engine oil Ignition Spark plug with igniter, triggered mechanically (igniter included) Ignition Power 1 × AA 1.5V battery (not included) Spark Plug 3/16-40 imperial thread (included) Starting Hand start by flywheel, or drill start Materials Aluminum alloy, brass, stainless steel, wood Color Red Product Size 22.5 × 11.5 × 13 cm (8.9 × 4.5 × 5.1 in) Product Weight 1650 g (3.6 lb) Package Size 27 × 16 × 18 cm (10.6 × 6.3 × 7.1 in) Package Weight 1750 g (3.9 lb) Packaging Printed gift box Age 16+ Questions Frequently Asked Is the RETROL & OKMO B03 a true hit-and-miss engine?Yes. The B03's centrifugal governor physically latches the exhaust valve open above set speed, so the engine skips firing and coasts until it slows down. The rhythm you hear comes from the mechanism itself, not from electronics. Does the B03 need any assembly?No. The B03 is supplied ready to run. Add a AA battery, fuel mix, water in the hopper and oil, and it is ready to start. How is the B03 different from the B04?The B03 is hopper water-cooled and pays tribute to the Hired Man. The B04 is air-cooled, with cooling fins and a fan, and pays tribute to the Hired Hand, the air-cooled brother of the Hired Man. Side by side, they make a fine pair. Is there a cart for the B03?Yes. The ST-02 Steerable Engine Cart bolts beneath the B03's wooden base, with metal six-spoke wheels, a working steering front axle and a wooden pull tongue. It turns the B03 into a complete, show-style outfit. Sold separately. Can I run the B03 indoors?It runs on gasoline and produces exhaust, so we recommend running it outdoors or in a well-ventilated workshop. As a display piece, it is perfectly at home indoors. Hired Man & Hired Hand Bring Home the Brothers SAVE $200 B03 Hired Man (pre-order)$499.99 $399.99 B04 Hired Hand (pre-order)$519.99 $419.99 Together$1,019.98 $819.98 Add the B04 Hired Hand $100 off each engine, applied automatically at checkout. ✦ ✦ ✦ Some engines you restore. Some you inherit. This one you can simply start.