From the Editor – May 2025

Greetings once more to one and all!  First, I’m happy to report that I’m continuing to make good progress following my recent medical issues. Still awaiting the necessary removal of my gall bladder, but that will come – current plan is to have it out on May 14^th. Better times ahead, hopefully!!  

We continue to watch in amazement as Agent Orange and the Muskrat continue to fleece the American public through their manipulation of the stock market by way of the “on again – off again” tariffs. So far, they’ve transferred over 300 billion dollars from regular American investors to their billionaire friends. Unbrindled greed ……..For amusement, Trump continues to undermine the US Constitution which he swore to uphold while flagrantly flouting the law (ignoring court orders, arresting judges for exercising their legal authority, etc.). The victimization of vulnerable members of US society and the abuse of legitimate would-be visitors to the USA also continues. When will enough be enough…….?

Here in Canada, we’ve just gone through the trauma of a General Election. Trump made no secret of the fact that he was pulling for a win by the right-wing faction in Canadian politics, even characterizing a vote for the Conservatives as a “vote for him” given that party’s stated willingness to work with him! He laid off the anti-Canada rhetoric for a while there when it became apparent that his comments were turning Canadian voters away from the right. Didn’t help – his intervention was largely responsible for turning a 20-point lead for the Conservatives only a few months ago into a 2-point loss on Election Day. Trump’s Canadian representative, the Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, even lost his seat. The people of Canada have spoken very clearly………

Once again, I’d like to make it very clear that my issues and those of my fellow Canadians are not directed at the American people at large, among whom I count some of my most valued friends, an increasing number of whom share my concerns. We’re still friends!! My criticisms are directed strictly at the present so-called “leadership” of the USA and its supporters (the Maggats), who have strayed so far from the core values previously espoused by their past and future great country as to make it unrecognizable – certainly anything but great. MAGA – Make America a Gross Aberration.

OK, on to happier things!  I’ve been neglecting the blog site somewhat lately, due mainly to the distractions arising from my recent health issues. However, I’m now back to paying attention to it once again. Among other neglected communications, I found a note from a new reader, Dave Gurtcheff, who had just discovered my site and had particularly enjoyed my article on the infamous Deezil.  As a teenager, Dave had been one of thevictims of the Deezil scam run by Gotham Hobby, and he was kind enough to share his personal recollections. I’ve added his memories to my Readers’ Recollections article, with my sincere thanks. Let’s have some more contributions, guys!

My good mate Maris Dislers sent along some details of an interesting home-built 2.25 cc diesel engine obtained from a Polish source. The question this time is not Wotizit (it’s clearly a home-build) but Whodunnit! I’ve added Maris’s comments to my Wotizit pages in the hope that someone may be able to point towards its builder.

Staying with the Whodunnit theme, April saw me take delivery of an intriguing engine from an Australian source. It’s pretty clear what this is – someone’s rendition of a Mills sideport model built around an aluminium main casting as opposed to the magnesium original. All components appear to have been made by whoever came up with this engine – no Mills components are used anywhere. The bore and stroke dimensions have been altered to give a displacement of 0.85 cc. Despite its somewhat rough exterior, the engine is very well made, although it has seen a far bit of use and really needs a rebore.  Whoever made it really knew what he was doing!

The big question is - who made it? Could it be a prototype of a proposed look-alike series that never got off the ground? The fact that the main casting was produced by gravity casting in a permanent mold certainly suggests an intention to produce a number of these engines – few home-builders would go to the trouble of creating a permanent mold for a one-off. I’d guess an Australian or New Zealand origin, but there’s no certainty. Can anyone out there shed any light on this engine’s origin? Further details may be viewed here on the Wotizit pages.  

It's been quite a month for Wotizits! My valued Swedish friend and colleague Sten Persson sent along some before-and-after images of an intriguing diesel now owned by a friend of his. Although no measurements have been taken, the displacement of this engine is estimated to be in the 3 – 4 cc range. Despite its somewhat abused state, the engine is complete and in good running order. All threads are British standard, implying an origin in that region.

When offered on Tradera (the Swedish eBay), the price went remarkably high, being driven mainly by a prominent and very determined English collector who evidently recognized the engine and was extremely anxious to acquire it. This seeming recognition by a British collector also implies a British origin. Once again, can any reader identify this unit? Someone evidently does! I’ve placed it in my Wotizit pages along with this month’s other unidentified motors.

Speaking of the Wotizit pages, I’d like to respectfully remind my readers that those pages are there for a reason – to put a name to previously unidentified engines (or to their maker). This being the case, I’d urge you very strongly to have another glance through those pages from time to time.  Knowledge is never static – it tends to increase over time, and insights acquired since you last looked may have made you familiar with one or more of the featured engines. Worth a shot, anyway!

Maris Dislers had also been filling the hours of boredom by undertaking a detailed examination of several examples of the relatively rare 2.5 cc “K” Falcon Mk. II which had crossed his path. The results of Maris’s deliberations were sufficiently eye-opening to force a comprehensive re-draft of my earlier article on the “K” 2 cc models. Owners of examples of the “K” Falcon in particular should read the revised article attentively – it may be to their advantage!   

My valued English correspondent Martin Dilly wrote in to draw my attention to yet another commercial British diesel fuel which was missing from my article on that subject. This was the optimistically-named Revmor fuel marketed by A. E. Peters of West Wickham near Croydon, 12 miles SE of central London. I’ve added this brew to the growing list of such fuels. Keep ‘em coming, folks!

OK, on to the new articles for this month! Given the uncertainty regarding how much longer this site and this writer will remain active given Trump’s aggression, I’m still trying my best to make every edition count. Once again, I’ve managed to assemble what I hope will be an interesting selection of articles for your reading pleasure.

My first all-new article for the month takes us to the USA to look at the series of fine model engines produced between 1940 and 1949 under the Atwood Champion trade-name by the legendary Bill Atwood as a follow-up to his Crown Champion series which has been covered earlier on this website. These extremely well-made and powerful engines displayed some quite innovativedesign features, not the least of which was their use of dual rotary valves. This makes them highly rewarding subjects for study.

The second new piece this month deals with the relatively rare Rawlings diesels from Kenilworth in Warwickshire, England. These very well-made side-port engines appeared in two displacements – 1.81 cc and 3.14 cc - making their market debuts in mid-1948. Unfortunately, they were somewhat behind the times in design terms by that date, consequently failing to generate much in the way of sales attention. They appear to have been withdrawn by mid-1949 after the production of a relatively small number of examples, hence their present-day rarity. It’s an interesting story which deserves to be preserved!   

The bonus article for this month focuses upon the work of one of the less familiar model engine designers who worked in Czechoslovakia (as the Czech Republic was then) from WW2 through to the mid 1960’s. This is Václav Stejskal, who was a protégé of the far better-known Czech designer Gustav Bušek. Stejskal is perhaps best remembered for his Mikro series of diesels of the 1960’s, but his most original design was almost certainly his KLD 3.5 cc R/C diesel of 1957. The article includes a full evaluation and test of that highly individualistic design.

The MEN transfer article deals with the overall history of the Hope range from early post-WW2 Japan. I’ve already covered the finely-crafted Hope Super 60 racing model – time now to take a look at the range as a whole. This is another of the more obscure Japanese model engine ranges which richly deserves to be far better known. I’m doing what I can to make that happen. This article is an overview - more detailed articles on the various engine series manufactured by Hope will follow in due course.

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 June 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!)

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