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From the Editor – June 2023
Apart from the fires, our biggest concern remains snowpack – we simply don’t have enough of it! The elevated temperatures have created considerably less snowpack than usual, also causing what there is to melt and run off relatively quickly instead of being spread out over the summer months to minimize our reservoir draw-down. We are definitely looking at water shortages down the road. Sadly, the global situation remains of great concern. I reckon that all we can do as individuals is carry on as best we can while exercising due caution and responsibility in areas which remain within our control, which is what I’m doing. It really does help to know that there’s still an ongoing interest in model engines among my valued readers - that’s what keeps me going! My statistics reporting system has continued to report very encouraging visitation figures, while the feedback that I receive is overwhelmingly positive.
To kick things off this month, I’m going to include a plug for one of my favorite model engine enthusiasts’ organizations – the Model Engine Collectors Association (MECA). I have a sneaking suspicion that far too few of my fellow enthusiasts understand what this organization is all about! I’m here to set y’all straight!
Finally, MECA provides opportunities to buy and sell engines in a collaborative environment free from the fees, hassles and heavy-handed “big brother” feel of eBay and the like. Because transactions are posted as straightforward take-it-or-leave-it offers to sell or wishes to buy, there’s none of the bidding war mindset which tends to drive prices up on eBay - most members just want to see their engines go to a good home! Consequently, better bargains are routinely available through MECA. As a bonus, the Collectos that MECA organizes provide unique opportunities for direct interactions with one’s fellow enthusiasts. An internet membership (no hard copies) costs only US$20 per year – a bargain by any standard! While we’re speaking of MECA, I should mention that in a response to an inquiry, my good friend Peter Rathke of Germany pointed me towards an outstanding on-line resource – the alphabetical engine listing I was very please to hear once again from Olli-Matti Karhunen of Finland regarding his latest home construction effort. This time, Olli-Matti has tackled the beautiful and very rare Antares 2 cc diesel from early post-WW2 Italy, using a casting obtained for him by my mate Peter Valicek. As you can see, the result is a superb recreation of this seductive design. I want one!! Olli-Matti has provided a video of the later stages of construction as well as the ever-popular running video. He has joined the select ranks of the mega-talented home Speaking of home constructors, a welcome contact came from Libor Janouch of the Czech Republic. Libor is a reader of this website and enjoys it very much. He tells me that he would like to build examples of Tom Crompton’s 0.5 cc EZE 1, 2 and 3 engines which were described by the late Ron Chernich on his “Model Engine News” (MEN) website. Problem is, Libor has been unable to track down the plans for these engines. Can any kind reader help out by providing clear scans of the relevant plans? If so, please get in touch!
David Burke of Adelaide Astromotive Pty. Ltd. In Australia sent word that he has a number of the well-known Ukrainian-made piston/liner sets for various popular engines in stock. For obvious reasons, supplies from Ukraine have dried up (we trust temporarily), but David has some sets available which have somehow escaped the current chaos in the country. The current list is as follows (all prices in US$): 01.KMD 2.5 ABC - $64.00
I think that about does it for this edition. All being well, I'll be back to you with another edition on or about July 1st, 2023. Meanwhile, please accept my best wishes for continuing the process of getting past the current waves of misinformation and rhetoric to the reality of the unmistakeable challenges facing all of us. Keep yourself well informed from credible sources and trust your own informed opinions rather than the fantasies of others whose focus is entirely on themselves and their own agendas. Ignore them and the misinformation that they spread, make up your own mind based on authoritative current information and act accordingly! It’s your future and that of your kids and grand-kids .………. don’t let others having conflicting self-centred agendas or political delusions decide it for you and for them! Cheers, Adrian Duncan British Columbia, Canada ___________________________________ Note regarding material to be found on this site - unless specifically otherwise noted, all images and text which appear on this site are my own work, and I hereby assert my right to be recognized as the originator of this material. For the record, this material is made freely available to all upon two firm conditions:
Adrian C. Duncan British Columbia, Canada |
Greetings from Western Canada once more! Well, June is upon us, which means that summer isn’t far off! Unfortunately, it already arrived in advance of schedule, bringing with it higher-than-usual temperatures, lower-than-usual rainfall figures and a consequent early start to our forest fire season out here in British Columbia. Our neighbors in Alberta are equally hard hit – climate change bites the oil producers as hard as it does the rest of us.
Confirmation that a significant number of folks are seeking an escape from all that ails us by remaining very much engaged with our hobby comes from the fact that the mail box has remained quite active. Despite the many distractions now preying upon us, I still heard from quite a few of you during May, including (in no particular order) Peter Valicek, Gordon Beeby, Dave Zwolak, Andrew Boddington, Rick Kacmarsky, Luis Petersen, David Burke, Maris Dislers, Pat Hardy, John French, Tahn Stowe, Dean Clarke, Tim Dannels, Dave Zwolak, Ron Hiltz, Ken Croft, Peter Rathke, Paul Maeder, Bob Christ, David Hill, Charles Statman, Alan Jenkins, Mike Conner, Miles Patience, Peter Scott, Olli-Matti Karhunen, Ladislav Kulhavy, Libor Janouch and Neill McRae. Apologies to anyone whom I may have inadvertently missed in the crowd, and apologies also to anyone whose message(s) went unanswered - things do slip through the cracks, especially when I’m distracted! The 
Most uninformed people seem to see MECA as nothing more than a group of old engine enthusiasts passing collectible model engines around among themselves. There’s a kernel of truth in that, but MECA is far more! Through the publication of its Bulletins, it provides regular opportunities to learn more about these wonderful little fun-makers, along with an open opportunity to discuss them with other like-minded enthusiasts. To take just the last Bulletin as an example, there’s an excellent illustrated article on the Aero 35 
horizontal piston engine, a piece on the development of Smith Dual Ignition Coils and a report on the 2023 Toledo R/C swap-meet (complete with full-sized fully operational WALL-E!). The Bulletin complements my own website very well indeed – anyone who likes one will enjoy the other!
freely available at the 
I was delighted to hear from my good mate Miles Patience of England. Miles recently acquired the Rivers Silver Streak Mk. III prototype which was illustrated in the late Jim Dunkin’s indispensable book on the world’s 2.5 cc (.15 cuin.) model engines. His inspection of this engine revealed how a real ball race was used on a shaft sized to accommodate the needle roller bearing which was still employed at the front. I had been puzzling about this ever since I acquired the similarly-equipped 
Turning now to this month’s lead articles, I have yet another triple-header for you - two all-original articles and one “
The bonus article for the month comes to you once more courtesy of my good mate Maris Dislers, who has undertaken some comparative testing of the various 0.6 cc diesels designed, and in many cases constructed, by the late Josef Pfeffer of Brno, Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic). These extremely well-made little engines are quite well-known among model engine aficionados, and Maris has done his usual fine job of providing some very useful comparative data on the handling and performance of some representative examples. As mentioned earlier, he also put me in touch with a group of Czech enthusiasts, most notably Jaromír Pipek, who provided a highly informative summary of the entire 
The MEN transfer article for June is the follow-up to my earlier piece on the subject of the 
Next month will be yet another threesome – a mixed bag of topics! I’ll begin with an in-depth review of one of the more highly-regarded 5 cc units from the classic spark ignition era – the Phantom P-30 from Los Angeles, California. This highly-serviceable design appeared in four distinct versions extending from 1941 through the WW2 years to 1948. I tested a couple of examples in support of this article, finding them to be well-made and fine-handling powerplants with a more than acceptable performance by the standards of their day. Well worth remembering! 
The second all-new article will direct our attention towards a very unusual model diesel originating in early post-WW2 Germany. This is the Rauch 3.2 cc diesel, which originated as a stationary “table-top” unit at a time when the flying of power models in Germany was prohibited by the occupying powers. The Rauch was produced in relatively small numbers, a few of which were converted to aero configuration. My article will focus on just such a unit.
The third article for the month will be one which I find a little difficult to categorize! The subject will be the VEGA four-stroke engines from Birmingham, England. Because these unusual engines were the subject of an article by the late Ron Chernich which appeared on the MEN website in January 2008, I’ve chosen to designate this as an MEN transfer article. However, my good mate Don Imrie of Scotland provided a wealth of additional information which wasn’t available to Ron. The result is an all-new article which includes all of Ron’s information but goes considerably further thanks to Don’s input. I think you’ll enjoy it!| |