Just for fun, here’s a special version of an aviation legend. This Rolls-Royce Merlin was built in authentic 1:5 scale, and it runs like magic. Watch. 

MCG was pleasantly surprised by the huge response to the recent video feature, “The Packard Merlin story.” It seems we struck another nerve. Who knew Packard and Merlin had so many devoted fans.

Barrington (Barry) Hares of the Midlands in Great Britain is a Merlin enthusiast as well, but with staggering quantities of both passion and skill. In the ’80s he constructed, from scratch, this one-fifth scale replica of a Merlin engine (the Rolls-Royce version, naturally—after all, he is British). And the engine runs wonderfully, letting out a miniature version of the Merlin’s mighty supercharged V12 roar.

By the way, Hares’ other amazing achievements include a scale replica of the Rolls-Royce Eagle, an H-24 sleeve-valve marvel. But that’s another story. Watch the baby Merlin in action below.