Who Makes Cison Engines & How Much Do They Cost? | SlashGear & EngineDIY
BY PATRICK PHILLIPS/MAY 27, 2024 5:15 PM EST
Whether you're a full-fledged gearhead with a penchant for working with miniatures or a specialty RC car fan who prefers a gas-powered engine over a battery, there's a good chance you've done a little tinkering with one of the many custom-built tiny engines available on the consumer market. But even if you're more of a casual engine enthusiast who doesn't fit into either of those categories, you may be interested to know that there are currently several companies throughout the world that specialize in crafting pint-sized versions of real, fuel-burning internal combustion engines (ICE) that not only work, but have been used to power everything from RC vehicles to some small power tools.
Among the most notable of the companies that specialize in making miniature internal combustion engines is Cison Engine, whose line of miniature engine packages includes everything from a powerful inline water-cooled model to a 4-stroke small-block V8 44 cubic inch that pushes 4.8 horsepower and up to 10,000 rpm. Those models are essentially exact ⅙-scaled versions of actual ICEs, with the power, precision, and engineering of Cison engines continuing to dazzle mini-engine enthusiasts the world over.
As each of those miniatures bares some version of the Cison insignia, it should come as no surprise that the China-based engineering outfit makes its engines themselves. Yes, Cison has been manufacturing its celebrated miniatures in a Chinese facility since its 2000 founding, attributing the quality and precision of its engines, in part, to a state-of-the-art Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining setup.
Are Cison engines expensive?
If the idea of building a functional miniature internal combustion engine, or merely outfitting your RC hot rod with one is intriguing to you, we have some good news and some bad news. First for the good news, which is that Cison engines are currently available for purchase to any human being who wants one, and they are being shipped from China to all parts of the globe thanks to the company's partnerships with online retailers like EngineDIY. In more good news, Cison guarantees that its engines will work as advertised, ensuring you can invest in its miniatures with a certain degree of confidence.
Now for the bad news, which is that Cison's miniature engines are not exactly cheap. In fact, one of the company's precision-tooled model V8 engines can set you back as much as $2,000 or more, and that isn't far from what you might pay for a full-size second-hand V8 for your car or truck. Cison's V8 miniatures are, of course, the priciest of its engine lineup, with the company offering various other models with differing power outputs at prices in the $600 to $1,000 range.
Most of those engines are built to power RC cars, boats, planes, and motorcycles, and can be ordered fully assembled or in build-it-yourself packages. If you'd prefer to pick up a working miniature engine to jazz up your desktop or display in your home office, you can even pick up a model for as little as $449 that's fit with a wooden base and an on-off toggle switch.