From the Editor – March 2026

Greetings once more to one and all! Well, we’re two months into 2026, and the rapidly evolving world situation through which we all have to live continues to cast a long shadow over all of us. I’m still doing my best to continue living life to the fullest extent possible under the circumstances. Thankfully, my recovery from the removal of my stomach tumor followed by my gall bladder continues to go well, with no significant side effects so far and no evidence of a relapse.

Moreover, I’ve now had two discussions with the surgeon to whom my incisional hernia was referred. Following his examination, he told me that fixing it would involve a fairly major surgical intervention. He's done some more evaluation of the scan images and discuss the matter with my oncologist, and now feels that the risk of the surgery outweighs the potential benefit given that the hernia as it stands isn't really having much of an adverse effect upon my normal activities. It’s been decided that the best course is to leave it alone unless something changes and it begins to present a real lifestyle challenge. So I’ve bought a hernia tension belt to help keep it under control and will see how it goes with no intervention, at least for the time being.

The disastrous reign of US dictator Agent Orange (AO) over the people of the United States and its impact on the world at large continues to unfold. This convicted felon and associate of sex criminals was elected to the Presidency (an office which he has never fulfilled, going straight into dictator mode) on the basis of his prior undertaking to keep America out of foreign wars and focus on building a strong America at home. We’ve all seen how well he’s kept those promises ……………. his war on his own cities, his threats of unprovoked military action against America’s erstwhile allies and his illegal armed interventions in Venezuela and Iran all set the record straight. Urging the people of Iran to take over their government - where have we heard that before? Does the date January 6th, 2021 ring any bells?!?

His actions relating to his unbelievably ignorant and mind-bendingly irresponsible denial of the reality of climate change must resonate pretty much like a death knell to the tens of millions of his own citizens who are already feeling the effects of this “process that isn’t happening”, with far worse yet to come. The record low snowpack in the western mountain States (and in my home Canadian Province of BC) presages a long hot drought-stricken fire-filled summer to come – he’s assumed full responsibility for that. The measles epidemic caused by his mindless rescinding of vaccination protocols has already doomed thousands of American families to loss and anguish. How much more harm can a supposed “leader” inflict upon his own people and still be tolerated?!?     

Israel’s banning of Doctors without Borders from Gaza constitutes an unequivocal statement that their goal is the complete eradication of the Palestinian people. Genocide, pure and simple. The insincerity and ineffectiveness of AO’s so-called “Peace Plan” for Gaza is now laid bare for all to see, since his endorsement of this Israeli action confirms his complicity in an ongoing genocidal war. A legitimate candidate for a Peace Prize ……?!? His administration doesn’t even recognize genocide when it happens – their refusal to refer to the WW1 Armenian genocide as such proves that.

AO’s baseless and vitriolic anti-Canada rant over the Gordie Howe bridge between Windsor and Detroit couldn’t have displayed more clearly the degree to which he is losing his grip on reality and his unabashed willingness to lie to the people of the country which he is supposed to lead. How a supposed world leader could unleash a torrent of unfounded abuse and hatred so filled with lies and omissions against a long-time ally and still retain the support of far too many of his citizens is quite beyond rational understanding. We Canadians are deeply offended………… and we’re not alone.

His threats of retaliation against members of his own Congress for rejecting his anti-Canada tariffs are an almost unprecedented attack by the so-called leader of a supposedly free democracy against the very Government that he was elected to lead and the very political Party in whose name he was elected. His lawsuits against the same Government of which he is supposedly the leader defy any rational analysis – it’s US taxpayers’ money that he’s trying to divert into his own pocket. Finally, his adherence to the tariffs in the face of the Supreme Court declaring them to be unconstitutional shows exactly how much respect he has for the law of the land.  

As if this wasn’t enough, AO has dragged the office of President of the USA down to a new all-time low with his release of the inexcusably shameful Obama “ape” video. At last, he stands completely and openly exposed as the bigoted, disrespectful racist that he is – this disgraceful action was too much even for many members of his own party. His pathetic attempts to foist the blame onto an un-named White House staff member simply confirm his unwillingness to accept any responsibility for his own misdeeds. Doesn’t he know that the president is responsible for everything that emanates from the White House? If he’s not responsible, he’s not the President! His withdrawal of the video changes nothing – we all see him clearly revealed for what he really is.

At least he has given us all our laugh for the month, as he so often does in between the abuses. His admission that he was considering awarding himself the Congressional Medal of Honor (but was talked out of it) confirms the depths of fantasy and delusion which guide his actions - his SOTU address amply confirmed those depths. Doesn’t he know that to be awarded the CMH, you have to go to war? Draft dodgers like AO need not apply…………… the one award that he actually rates is a Gold Medal at the Winter Olympics for winning the downhill presidency event by a country mile! FIFA actually awarded that medal to him some time ago.....................

Turning now with relief to our favorite topic of model engines, I was extremely gratified by the reader response to last month’s article on Rogers & Geary. I heard in short order from two very good friends and fellow enthusiasts, namely Miles Patience of England and Gordon Beeby of Australia. Both of these valued colleagues were able to add significantly to my knowledge of this relatively obscure model engine range.

Miles was able to provide a considerable amount of clarification regarding both the 18 cc Comet engine with which Rogers & Geary got started and the mysterious Challenger offering as well as sharing some valuable insights into the relative rarity of the Rogers & Geary models. Gordon found some additional information regarding the Comet, ferreting out a number of extremely informative references which had previously escaped my attention. He also drew my attention to the enigma of the 3.5 cc Meteor engine which made a brief appearance in 1937-38. If any reader can supply authoritative information regarding the Meteor, I’m all ears!!

The input received from these two gentlemen has forced a significant re-write of the Rogers & Geary article, to the point that I strongly recommend that anyone having an interest in this range go back and re-read the entire article. Thanks mates!!

Gordon also unearthed some extremely useful information about the career of Arthur E. Jones, promoter of the 14.5 cc Improved Atom Minor engine of 1933, which was mentioned in the Rogers & Geary article. There’s enough material now to form the basis for a focused article on Jones, which will appear on this website in due course.

OK, on to the new articles for this month! Despite the continuing pressures resulting from the highly charged international situation in which we find ourselves, I’ve somehow managed once again to rise above my personal anxieties and assemble what I hope will be another interesting selection of articles for your reading pleasure.

The first all-new article for the month represents a continuation of my in-depth coverage of the Mamiya range from 1950’s Japan. I’ve previously dealt with the Mamiya range generally, followed by detailed articles on the Mamiya 09 and Mamiya 15 offerings. Time now for a close-up look at the very interesting Mamiya 29 models from the same source. This is a far more diverse series than many people realize – I hope you enjoy it! 

The second new article extends my series of studies of the pioneering British model engines from the very early years of power aeromodelling going back 120 years to the first decade of the 20th Century. I’ve summarized the story of the highly individualistic twin-cylinder four-stroke powerplant designed by W. G. Jopson in 1911 and manufactured in limited numbers by Cook & Co. of Altrincham, Cheshire prior to WW1. These early pioneers are fully deserving of our highest respect!

The MEN transfer article for the month stays with the opposed twin concepy, dealing with a product of one of Japan’s more innovative model engine manufacturers – the G-Mark .12 opposed twin glow-plug model of 1979. This little beauty was one of the best-performing twins ever offered to the modelling public.  I’m sure that you’ll enjoy making its acquaintance!

Finally, as is so often the case, there’s a bonus article which was initiated some time ago by my good mate Maris Dislers. As a follow-up to his excellent piece on the O&R 23, Maris undertook a comparative analysis of the companion O&R 19. Unfortunately, he sent this along during the period when I was very much engaged in the process of dealing with my stomach tumor and gall bladder issues. As a result, Maris’s effort fell through the cracks. I re-discovered it during a recent review of my records and have now posted it with a few tweaks – apologies for the inexcusable delay, but better late than never!

That’s about it for this month, fellow enthusiasts. All being well and assuming that my neighborhood remains free from the sound of tramping jackboots, roaring Abrams tank engines and M7 gunfire, and that WW3 doesn’t engulf us all, I hope to return in April to present 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! Stay safe ‘n sane!!  

Adrian Duncan 

British Columbia, Canada (the NATION, not a state!)

 

Greenland forever!

___________________________________

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:

  • No commercial use of any kind is to be made of any of the images or text posted on this site, in whole or in part, without my express written consent.
  • No use of any kind, commercial or otherwise, is to be made of any material published in any form on this site, in whole or in part, without full and open acknowledgement of the source.