Well Kevin , I hope that you are able to fit the engine , But Woman's intuition tells me , and yes it was a good conversation
Engine will not fit even with the cowl thinned down , a fair bit of the cylinders will acquire removal . 
Alexis
Implying that the Kit supplied engine is under scale?
Cheers,
Hugh
I guess in this case .." size does matter " !

Yes the kit supply engine is under scale , better suited for 1/43 - 1/45 scale aircraft . Only the out side dim of the model are to 48 scale , engines and cockpits aren't do to plastic thickness . More so on older kits , new kits are better now with the latest mold tech .
The Vector engine is true 48 scale so once the engine is assembled the outer dim will be the same with the outer dim of the fuselage ...cowl will not fit even with thinning , lower part of each cylinder will need to be removed 2.5 mm - 3 mm depending on how much the cowl was thinned .
Alexis