From the Editor – June 2025

Greetings once more to one and all! As of this date, I’ve completed my latest medical adventure – the removal of my gall bladder on May 14^th. I’m happy to report that the procedure appears to have been completely successful, allowing me to get back pretty much to normal with minimal impact on my former lifestyle.   

Unfortunately, this is a case of two down, one to go! The incision in my abdominal wall resulting from the earlier successful removal of my stomach tumor has ruptured, creating what’s known as an incisional hernia. This will have to be fixed after my namesake surgeon Dr. Duncan returns from maternity leave.

We outsiders are still watching in amazement as Agent Orange continues to victimize the American public through his seemingly mindless assaults on their general and economic well-being, in addition to his escalating attacks on the legal and constitutional underpinnings of US society. The seemingly-inexorable slide from democracy to dictatorship continues……….. His endorsement of the genocide currently being openly perpetrated against the Palestinian people shames America, as does his unprecedented acceptance of a flagrant bribe from a foreign power (the gold-plated aircraft). His recent confrontation with the South African President, complete with totally fabricated “evidence” to support his false allegations, was an embarrassing disgrace. His legalization of fully automatic weapons in private hands amounts to a declaration of war on his own people – guess who’s wing-nut supporters will be using those weapons against those who don’t agree with them? He seems to be paving the way for the creation of his own personal right-wing militia! Americans of all political stamps who value their democratic freedom, and indeed their lives, should be really worried …………..

Canadian voters rejected the Trump agenda decisively in our recent Federal Election by turning their backs on his formerly front-running Canadian Conservative allies, even denying the Conservative leader his seat in the House. The subsequent Australian election on May 3^rd produced an identical result, and for the same reason.

Now he’s reached a new and truly bizarre level of arrogance – ordering the governments of other sovereign nations to abandon any and all DEI programs. Who does he think he is, trying to impose his own warped “morality” (or lack thereof) on other nations? Once again, his actions shame the USA in the eyes of the world. Increasingly, the impression is of a mindless under-developed pre-adolescent pushing buttons because he can – no other reason. Like a drooling kid in a playpen………….and no-one with any power to do so appears to be willing to stand up to him. The abject spinelessness of the GOP beggars belief ...........

Taken together with the ongoing US hostility towards international travelers, and coupled with his assault on the US education system (“I love the poorly educated” – DT, February 23^rd, 2016), it’s beginning to look as if Dictator Trump is intentionally trying to dumb down the American people and isolate them from the rest of the world on the theory that an isolated, insecure, inward-looking and un-educated population is far easier to manipulate than an open and well-informed one – look at North Korea. If that’s his strategy, it won’t work – too many Americans and their cross-border friends are already onto him. Most outsiders view Trump and his cronies plus their remaining Maggat supporters as the enemy, not the American people at large. Some of my most valued friends are Americans, and that remains true despite Trump’s toxic presence on the world scene. You guys are welcome up here any time – our border guards won’t lock you up! Wish the same could be said in reverse …………..

OK, on to far happier things! After reading last month’s article on the subject, Maris Dislers sent along some documentary references to the work of Václav Stejskal which implied the need for some amendments to that article. I’ve revised the text somewhat to reflect Maris’s input. This is the greatest reward for my efforts in publishing new articles – the provision of further information from others.

In the same vein, I heard from both Ken Croft and Kevin Richards, who were able to add significantly to the story of the Rawlings engines. In particular, these two good friends shed a flood of light on the involvement of the ever-controversial Mike Clanford in the later phases of the engines’ existence. This resulted in the appearance of a significant number of “original” Rawlings engines which never saw the inside of the Rawlings workshop in Kenilworth! I’ve added a whole new section to the Rawlings article dealing with this matter.

Reader Pat Hardy drew my attention to an ambiguity in my description of the 2.5 cc Drabant-II diesel in my article on the David-Andersen engines from Norway. I had described the transfer system of that model in a somewhat unclear manner. Pat also provided information on a couple of seemingly experimental examples of the Drabant in his possession. I’ve gone back and corrected my initial lack of clarity, also adding Pat’s observations regarding his experimental engines. My very sincere thanks to Pat – this is the most valuable kind of reader feedback!

Next, I’d like to remind readers that my valued friend René Biber of Switzerland is still looking for serial numbers and associated images of examples of the highly influential Dyno diesel. In addition, I’d still like to hear from anyone who would be interested in purchasing the second edition of René’s wonderful illustrated book on those engines. A few of you have already put up your hands, but I’m sure that there are more of you out there! For additional details, please refer to my April Editorial.

I must now share some rather sad news with you all. My long-time friend and colleague Don Sohn of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA has finally reached the end of his long and amazingly productive involvement with model engine production and model car restoration/re-creation. At age 91, a number of health issues have made it impossible for him to continue.

Regular readers will recall my frequent references to Don’s outstanding replication efforts in a number of my published articles, most notably those concerning the engines of Bill Batzloff, Bill Atwood and Ira Hassad. His efforts to continue production of the Bruce Underwood Yellow Jacket engines are also recorded here. My article on the Hassad engines includes a summary account of Don’s remarkable career. It’s been both a pleasure and a privilege to associate with Don during the past ten years and more.

Don has made it known that his entire model engine and tether car holdings are now up for sale. Those interested in acquiring the last remaining samples of his outstanding work are advised to contact Don directly at donsengines@aol.com .

Speaking of items available for sale, I also heard from my valued Kiwi mate Dean Clarke of Cre8tionworx Engineering. Dean has decided that it has become necessary for him to begin the disposal of his very impressive collection of model engines to make room for new productions and also to generate some cash flow for business development. He has begun this process by offering a number of his one-off prototype Cre8tionworx/WOHM engines at what I consider to be very fair prices for such rarities, none of which will ever be duplicated.

I have personally already taken advantage of this opportunity to acquire three of Dean’s superb prototypes. I strongly urge anyone else who may be interested to contact Dean directly at the777eng@hotmail.com to obtain details of what’s available. You won’t be disappointed – this is quality material!

A very welcome contact came from Mike Noakes of England.  Having read my article on the 6.38 cc Keil K6 sparkie, Mike has been following up on a few lines of research on that fine engine which appear to be leading towards some interesting results! Mike will be sharing his findings in due course so that my article can be updated. In the meantime, more confirmed serial numbers would be of the greatest assistance. This being the case, I’d be extremely grateful to receive confirmed K6 serial numbers from any reader(s) lucky enough to own examples, regardless of condition. Any information received will be passed along to Mike in complete confidence. 

In my various articles on the E.D. and J.B. ranges as well as the AMCO 3.5 series, I’ve mentioned the name of Jack Ballard, for whom the J.B. range was named. Many people (including myself!) have wondered what became of Jack Ballard after the failure of the J.B. enterprise. Virtually nothing was known of his subsequent activities until last month, when I was delighted to hear from his grandson, John Foster, who had just read my articles on his grandfather's various companies.

I was pleased to hear that all that I'd written about Jack Ballard appeared to fit the man that John remembered! It appears that after the failure of the J.B. enterprise, Ballard left the model business, going on to own a sweet shop. However, that too eventually failed. He then worked for Decca radar for some years, ending up living in a council flat in Surbiton. His financial situation worsened to the point that John Foster's's mother (Jack Ballard's daughter) often had to provide food to keep him going in his later years.

Despite these various vicissitudes, Ballard retained his personal interest in model airplanes, continuing to fly them for some years on Epsom Downs. We may legitimately conclude that he was a genuine enthusiast whose career in the model trade was blighted to a significant degree by certain personality traits to which I've alluded in the articles. He lived into his '80's. I’ve added this information to the J.B. and AMCO 3.5 articles, with my grateful thanks to John.

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, despite my visit to the operating theatre, 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 centres upon the relatively rare Mills 2.4 diesel.  This was the only Mills design not to feature sideport induction. It was not a commercial success, hence being one of the less commonly-encountered Mills models today. Many years later, the Aurora company of Calcutta, India produced a series of near-replicas of this engine. My article presents a direct comparison between the original and replica Mills 2.4 models, including full bench tests.

This month’s second new article deals with an engine which had its origins in my adopted country of Canada but ended up being manufactured in the USA as far as the record is concerned. I’ve prepared a detailed history and analysis of the Merlin Super “B” 0.23 cuin. (3.8 cc) sideport sparkie, which began life in Toronto, Canada in 1944 but later migrated south to Brooklyn, New York. The Merlin was widely viewed at the time with some justification as a gutless wonder, reportedlydisappointing many modellers who tried it. However, it was a well-made and easy-handling engine which ran very consistently, hence being a very useful sports powerplant despite its relative lack of power. A full bench test of the engine is included in the article. 

The third article is a follow-on from last month’s piece on the Hope range. Having recorded the overall history of the Hope marque in general, it’s time to continue taking a more detailed look at the various engines which made up the range. I began some time ago with the Hope Super 60 racing engine and have now prepared a focused article on the Hope .19 cuin. models. The .29 cuin. units will be covered 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 July 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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