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From the Editor – August 2025
After that issue is sorted, I should be pretty much back to normal for the first time in almost 2 years! I’m immeasurably grateful to all those wonderful people who have combined their efforts to provide me with such excellent medical care. I‘m also very grateful for the support and encouragement that I’ve received from so many of you, my valued readers.
Apart from the drastic impact upon the perceived stature of the USA in the eyes of the world, the people most hurt are the citizens of his own country. Worse, although many Americans now recognize the reality of their country’s deteriorating situation, no-one with any power to oppose the Maggat is doing so in any meaningful way. Now that the US Supreme Court has begun issuing rulings based on political bias as opposed to purely legal consideration of issues, the citizens of America have lost one of their most significant The sad situation in which America finds itself along with the rest of the world is due almost entirely to the increasingly irrational, illegal and unconstitutional actions of one seemingly deranged, intellectually-challenged, childishly vindictive and bog-ignorant megalomaniac with the demonstrated communication skills of an under-performing fourth-grader and the intellect of an insect. The words “truth”, “integrity,” “morality”, “respect” and “law” clearly have no meaning for him. Given his pre-election track record, how so many people came to express their opinion that this convicted felon was qualified to be President of the United States by voting for him in 2024 is quite beyond rational understanding - those who did so bear a heavy burden of responsibility for the result. A write-in vote for the family dog would have made more sense. The dog would have done far less harm ………….. An even more puzzling question which many people around the world are asking is why a supposedly educated and enlightened country of some 340 million people couldn’t come up with a better candidate to front the GOP. The answer to that one, of course, is that they could – they just didn’t.
Dan spent most of his working life working for the Sprint Corporation telecommunications company, designing and planning central offices throughout Florida, particularly in the Central Florida region. He was with Sprint for about 25 years and retired in 2002 at the age of 63. Every man’s retirement is enriched by a hobby or two, and one of Dan’s passions was model engines. Like the late Jim Dunkin, Dan focused his research and collecting activities on engines in a specific displacement category regardless of their country of origin. In contrast to Jim’s focus on 2.5 cc (0.15 cuin.) engines, Dan’s area of interest was the 1.5 cc (.099 cuin.) displacement category. Over the years, Dan assembled an outstanding collection of engines in this category, along with a wealth of associated knowledge. Although I never met Dan face to face, we corresponded regularly. I always found him ready and willing to share his knowledge freely and to provide images upon request – a number of his images appear as illustrations to various articles on this website. His unfailing assistance was always greatly appreciated, and he will be sorely missed ……………
Conducting the test of early variant number 374 drew my attention to the close general similarity between that unit and the highly unusual unidentified 6.3 cc diesel Otherwise, the general construction arrangement of the engine is identical to that of the Majesco 22, with its twin exhaust ports and single external bypass passage and transfer port opposite the intake. The quality of the engine’s construction is superb, and it starts and runs very well. This has got me wondering if my unknown 6.3 cc diesel could be an experimental prototype by Majesco founder Jack Colyer, who is known to have constructed a number of one-off prototypes apart from his production models. We’ll probably never know the truth, but this tentative identification is the best suggestion that anyone’s come up with so far! Any better suggestions?!? In addition to the major change in the Majesco article, there have been very minor amendments to the earlier articles on the May motors, the Ueda range and the McCoy diesels. The first two are merely additions to the serial number sequences reported in those articles - there are no substantive changes in the information provided. The McCoy update provides sourcing information for the O-rings used in those engines. At the suggestion of my mate Maris Dislers, I've also reorganized my articles on the various Mills models somewhat, again without amending the information already summarized there. These updates have been made possible by readers who provided new information either direct or via the blog site - thanks, guys!! All of my articles remain works-in-progress all along, hence being subject to updates at any time - the accumulation of knowledge never stops (unless your initials are D.T.!!).
Having a deep personal respect for the quality of Don's work, I couldn't pass up this last chance to acquire another of his outstanding replicas to add to the numerous examples which I already own. I acquired his last replica of the mega-rare 1941 Black Panther tether car engine, as seen in the attached image. What a beautiful piece of work - craftsmanship at its absolute best!! The Black Panther is certainly an engine with a difference, and one with a tale to tell - it forms part of the Ira Hassad story which appears on this website. Other examples of Don's talents remain available at the time of writing - I encourage anyone with an interest in superbly-crafted replicas of classic model engines and/or cars to contact Don directly at donsengines@aol.com to see what he has left. OK, on to the new articles for this month! Given the continuing uncertainties which define the troubled times in which we live, I’m trying my best while I still can to make every edition count. Despite the many distractions which force themselves upon us, I’ve managed to assemble what I hope will be another interesting selection of articles for your reading pleasure.
That’s about it for this month, fellow enthusiasts. All being well and assuming that WW3 doesn’t engulf us and that my neighborhood remains free from the sound of tramping jackboots and gunfire, I hope to return in September with a few more reviews for your reading pleasure. In the meantime, I really appreciate all the expressions of support that I’ve continued to receive from so many of you! Adrian Duncan British Columbia, Canada (the NATION, not a state!) ________________________________ 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 except when expressly otherwise stated. For the record, this material is made freely available to all upon two firm conditions:
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Greetings once more to one and all! Firstly, I’m happy to report that I’m continuing to do well after my recent gall bladder surgery. Moreover, present indications are that the earlier removal of my stomach tumor appears to have been completely successful – my most recent quarterly check-up revealed no indications of any complications or carry-over other than the incisional hernia which unfortunately developed following that surgery. I’m now awaiting the return to work of my namesake surgeon Dr. Duncan from maternity leave. Hopefully she’ll get the incisional hernia sorted soon after she returns – it’s on her back-to-work to-do list.
Meanwhile, things are going from bad to worse down south in the USA, with many of the negative effects being felt around the world. The Mega-maggat is continuing to unleash a series of ill-considered decisions, hastily cobbled-up distractions and barely-literate pronouncements that seemingly have more to do with the mood in which he wakes up or the taste of his morning coffee than with any rational consideration of the issues or connection with reality. His various attempts to suppress and re-write US history would be laughable if they weren’t so damaging to his country’s intellectual integrity and standing. He’s too intellectually challenged himself to grasp the fact that true history writes itself – it just is what it is. The alternative is fantasy, which is what he’s promoting. His well-fed posturing while the children continue to starve and die in Gaza is beyond despicable. 
Now on to far happier topics! Last month I reported that some additional information had been added to the previously-published article on the 
Readers may recall that in my June Editorial I mentioned that the mega-talented model engineer Don Sohn was retiring from active involvement with model engines due to encroaching health issues - he has some excuse for this, having reached the grand old age of 91 years and counting! I mentioned that Don's remaining engines and cars are now being offered for sale.
The first new article for the month represents my attempt to rescue yet another of the largely forgotten model engine ranges from early post-WW2 Japan from the obscurity into which it has sunk. In previous articles, I’ve covered such obscure subjects as the 
The second article sees us return to the USSR during the Iron Curtain era to take a look at one of the more widely-distributed consumer-grade engines produced in Ukraine, which was then part of the Soviet Union. We’ll share a look at the 
Finally, we return to one of our main stomping grounds in England to review the surprisingly numerous variants of the iconic 1 cc 
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