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From the Editor – April 2025
The strategy being pursued by President-unelect Musk and President-abrogate Trump is becoming disturbingly clarified. The plan seems to be to deliberately wreck the US economy so that Trump can declare a national state of emergency and assume dictatorial powers, while at the same time seeking to provoke Canada into some kind of action which Trump can declare to be hostile to the USA, freeing him (in his mind) to unilaterally authorize the military annexation of Canada which is one of his stated objectives along with a similar approach to Greenland. After so many decades of friendship and cooperation between our countries, who would have dreamed that it would come to this?!? And in only a few weeks?!? In just those few weeks, Trump has squandered 150 years of mutual trust, cooperation and respect, also dragging his country to the very brink of sliding off the list of the world's democracies according to the well-established and highly credible global watchdog program run by the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. If I were an American who valued his democratic freedom, I’d be very worried, regardless of my political affiliation, as America sinks rapidly from being a free democracy to becoming a despotism while embarking upon the erasure of its own history along with the abandonment of its time-honoured legal system and constitutional heritage. I fear that America may have seen its last free election .............. I want to make it absolutely clear that my issues and those of the vast majority of my fellow Canadians are not directed at the American people at large, among whom I count some of my most valued friends, many of whom doubtless share my concerns even if they no longer feel free to say so in the toxic atmosphere which afflicts their country. My criticisms are directed strictly at the present so-called “leadership” of the USA and its supporters, who have strayed so far from the core values for which so many Americans have fought and died in the past as to make the country unrecognizable – certainly anything but great. MAGA – Make America a Glaring Abberation..........
I’m posting this information here once more for two reasons. Firstly, this is a very limited-edition publication which will quickly acquire an elevated collector status. This being the case, René needs to get a handle on the level of interest among my readers worldwide in supporting the expansion of the project through purchase so that he can decide whether or not to authorize an additional run which will include English text. If you foresee yourself being interested in acquiring a copy when available, please let me know sooner rather than later.
Accordingly, if you have an unambigously original Dyno (copies and replicas are very common), it would be very much appreciated if you could provide me with its serial number. The original units display their serial numbers stamped neatly onto the lower front face of the crankcase, as seen at the right. If you are able to assist in this effort, it would be extremely helpful if you could also provide L-R side and front views of your engine(s), since there are a number of variations which should if possible be tied in to the serial number sequence. For instance, some examples have a "bridge" above the top of the exhaust opening in the central block, giving the opening an oval shape (see attached image), while others have the top of the central block milled lower, thus eliminating the bridge and opening the top of the exhaust aperture in the central block. If your engine has a known history, that too would Some readers may recall my article on the subject of commercial British model engine fuels. During a recent search on eBay I stumbled across an offering of a fuel can labelled for the Yeoman brand which was used by the A. A. Hales organization in the marketing of their then well-known line of kits. As of 1963 they also assumed primary responsibility for the FROG model engine range which had then been abandoned by its originators, International Time now for this month's skill-testing question! A mate of mine recently sent me the ¼-32 spark plug shown in the attached image. The plug is clearly unrun. It has a very unusual insulator profile with two rings incorporated in the insulator just below the central terminal. The only marking is a prominent letter "T" which appears on the insulator in red. I like to match plugs to engines to the extent possible, for which reason I'd really like to know where and when this plug was made, and by whom. Can any kind reader help me out here?!? If I knew what it was, I'm sure that I could find an engine to match!
The headline article for the month is a follow-up to last month’s piece on the Dooling 61. In response to numerous reader requests, I’ve been chipping away for some time at preparing an article covering the Dooling 61’s smaller brother, the Dooling 29, finally managing to get it finished in time for this Edition. This wonderful powerplant proved to be every bit as dominant as its big brother had been, remaining at or near the top of the .29 cuin. (5 cc) high-performance category for a full decade or more. It’s an engine which richly deserves the recognition that I’ve attempted to give it!
To meet this desire, I’ve chosen to cover the relatively little-known Eureka range from the late 1980’s. This series bore the distinction of being the very Finally, the MEN transfer article this month is an updated version of my earlier article on the ultra-obscure Boxer range from Japan. This very rarely-encountered marque is in serious danger of being completely forgotten, which is why I’m doing what I can to keep its memory alive - no model engine range deserves to be consigned to oblivion! The passage of time has allowed me to add a test of the Boxer 29 to my article, something which was missing from the original text. That’s about it for this month, fellow enthusiasts. All being well and assuming that the sound of tramping jackboots and gunfire isn’t heard in my neighborhood, I hope to return in May 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 sovereign 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! First, I’m happy to report that I’m continuing to make slow but steady progress following my recent medical issues. Still awaiting the inconvenient but necessary removal of my gall bladder, but that will come, hopefully sooner rather than later - I have a consultation with the surgeon on April 4
The previously-published information about my recent bad experience with eBay’s Global Shipping Program (GSP) continues to resonate with my readers. During March I heard from three more individuals who have had similar experiences, bringing the total to eleven. Two of the new contributors have stopped using eBay altogether. Reader Paul Smigelski clarified his earlier comment to the effect that Buyee, the Japanese version of eBay, is even worse. They evidently confiscate engines as does GSP, but the hapless buyer receives neither a refund nor the engine for which he's paid - the money just vanishes along with the engine. Paul actually doesn’t know if the seller is compensated. Regardless, this still counts as theft in my book. Don't be tempted...........
As mentioned in my February Editorial, René Biber of Switzerland has assembled an amazing amount of information on the pioneering Dyno diesels into a very limited-edition German-language book. I now have a signed copy myself, hence being able to confirm that the quality of René’s work is absolutely outstanding. With the remarkable illustrations which the book includes, this will be an essential reference for anyone interested in the early development of the model diesel engine. Much of this information has never been chronicled previously.
Secondly, René and his colleagues are very keen to improve their current estimate of the total number of engines produced in the Dyno series. They have some serial numbers, but could really use more to add authority to present estimates. Current indications are that total production may have reached 3,000 units, but more serial numbers are needed to confirm or refute this. I’ve agreed to help with this initiative.
Thanks to some splendid detective work by my valued Aussie mate Gordon Beeby, I've been able to add a little more information to my earlier article on the 
OK, on to the new articles! Given the uncertainty regarding how much longer this site and this writer will remain active given Trump’s aggression (I will not survive a US invasion), I’m trying my best to make every edition count. For this month, I was a bit short-changed for time thanks to my latest medical issue. However, I've still managed to assemble what I hope will be an interesting selection of articles, mainly by drawing on work which has been underway for some time and was close to being ready for publication in any case. I'm always working on multiple topics at any given time, and sometimes that pays off ........
My second all-new article for April deals with a somewhat unusual story – a notable failure on the part of a deservedly highly-regarded model engine designer of otherwise unblemished reputation, namely Duke Fox. I’ve summarized the sad story of the 
There’s also a third bonus article this month. This relatively short piece reflects my solidarity with the people of Ukraine in the face of their disgraceful abandonment by Trump as he shames his country by aligning it with totalitarian Russia against his former European allies. I wanted to remind my readers of the debt which we enthusiasts owe to the craftsmen of Ukraine for providing us with so many fine engines over the years. 
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