And the above statement completely sums up the whole experience.To a very large extent that's true, tempered with the realization that due to the low cost of the HTs in particular there is much in the way of failure that can be contributed directly to operator error and inexperience. Many of the components included with the kit are of a low quality and shouldn't be used - anyone that's played a bit with engines before would realize this and "upgrade" what's necessary, not an expensive proposition if you recognize it in the first place.
It's the reason why some can build a reliable MB and others, try as they may, couldn't do it with $3,000 worth of parts.
Jim