David Janson's
Model Engine Designer
and Manufacturer Profiles
Created: July 2006Last Update: December 2012
Model engine builders and collectors are great ones for self-published and "small press" books. This makes sense as the market for such publications is as small as it is passionate. A prime example is Model Engine Designer And Manufacturer Profiles It was compiled by the late David R Janson from a series published in the newsletter of the Denver chapter of SAM, the Society of Antique Modellers. This series, researched and written by David, spanned ten years and covered 113 subjects. David deserves special praise as his book carries an encouragement to copy and reproduce as you will to further the hobby of model airplane building and engine collecting.
The section that follows gives David's introduction, followed by an Alphabetical Index of the reviews. This index lists all of the 113 subjects in alphabetical order. The number reflects the sequence of publication. Where I have good color photos of the subjects, I've OCR'd the text to create a web page. These are hyperlinked from the index entries. Note a correction: Reviews 107 and 108 are transposed in the published index. They are shown correct in the table.
In the early 1990s our Society of Antique Modelers Club, SAM #1, here in the greater Denver, Colorado area, had a monthly newsletter called "Exhibits", which continues to this day in the winter of 2006. We had an excellent editor, one Gaylord Kirkham whom I, in casual conversation with one day, inquired if he would like to have a page each month, dedicated to an old or new model engine. Kirk said he sure would.
For some months after retirement, I had been contemplating a contribution to our newsletter to add additional interest of a slightly different nature and at the same time satisfy my historical writing interests concerning model engines. As a long time member of SAM and the Model Engine Collectors Association (MECA) I am an active collector and flyer of the old and new model engines.
Stop for a minute and think about what it takes to design, manufacture and sell a model airplane engine. One must realize that the old "sparkers" and the new glow engines are the result of much planning, loss of income most of the time and time wasted in getting them to market. And what a hard to please market we modelers are. Only a very few of the manufacturers have made any "real" money over the years and the same is true today. The big bugaboo, cost to the modeler, back then as well as today in many instances is the deciding factor as to whether the engines will sell. Those handfull of designers and manufacturers who somehow managed to get "it" all together design, quality, and powerwise with the right price enabling them to stay the course and make a decent profit, are the exception. And interestingly enough, many of the "failures" are the most sought after collecting engines which command the highest current prices...the rarities, because so few were manufactured and sold.
Producing a model airplane engine has to be a labor of love...that's what it surely was in the early days and still to a certain extent is today. And for those of us who were "bitten" by the old and new engines it is also a labor of great interest (love?) to seek them out, buy, sell and restore, "and display our wares so that others can enjoy them, too. Sadly the years are passing for us and our old engine interests and the "youngsters" coming up in the hobby world are oriented entirely differently than what our interests are. And, of course, that is one of the reasons I have made the effort to record the information in this booklet...so that "model engine thoughts" can be sustained for those in the future who will become interested.
To date I have found and appraised 41 "estates" of accumulations of old engines and paraphernalia and hundreds of single engines located throughout the Rocky Mountain area, buying engines from old time modelers who have them stashed in basements, work shops, barns, garages and sometims in the trunks of their old cars and from their widows. From singles and small groups of 5 or 10 to the largest I have appraised just short of 1,500 engines in a divorce situation, I've learned a lot about people and their hobbies.
In addition I have 40 years of correspondence from buying, selling, and trading old engines and a whole filing cabinet full of interesting articles (yes I am a clipper and saver) from which I draw much of the information in my articles.
I have tried to do three things with each article. First I strive to make it interesting with historical comments to bring the engine(s) into perspective. Second I include engine stats and details that are not boring, and third I make some observations on collectability and the interest in doing so. Each article takes a couple of weeks off and on to compile with finding a suitable picture most difficult. All articles are chosen randomly of interest at the time of writing...all composed and typed by myself.
So enjoy these "thumb nail sketches" about a very small part of our hobby history, compiled "along the way" these past 10 years.
SAM #276
Winter, 2006
3 | Aero 35, horizontal piston engine, glow, 1963, USA |
47 | Ace 64, twin spark ign., 1948, USA |
106 | Atom 09, spark ign., 1939, USA |
7 | Avion Mercury R/C, 1.604, spark ign., 1946, USA |
58 | Bantam 60, twin, glow, 1980, USA |
87 | Barker 60, man-ul-matic, spark ign., 1947, USA |
112 | B & C 60, vertical twin, glow, 1981, Italy |
24 | Bernhardt (HB) 61 R/C, & 21 R/C Grand Prix, glows, 1972, Germany |
38 | Browns, Lykens 12 spark, 1940, C02s, Campus 29 glow, 1950, USA |
39 | Cameron 23, spark ign., 1946, USA |
74 | Cameron 15 R/C, glow, 1950, USA |
61 | Cannon 300, 299, spark, 1945, USA |
9 | Channel Islands "special" 10cc, spark, 1949, England |
108 | C.I.E. 14, diesel, 1948, USA |
22 | Cirrus 1.5 R/C, inline four, 1979 USA (also called D&B and Z&H, glow & ign.) |
63 | CMB 60 R/C, R/CA, 1984, Italy |
55 | Comet 35, spark ign., 1938, USA |
53 | Condor 60, Copper King, spark ign., 1939, USA |
8 | Conley l.2 R/C, glow, 4 cycle, 1988, USA |
50 | Cox .049, thimbledrome, 1st mdl, 1952, USA |
15 | Damo FS 218 R/C, 1.1, twin four-cycle glow, 1978, Sweden |
34 | Davies-Charlton (DC) .29, Tornado twin glow, 1960 England |
73 | Deezil 12, diesel, 1948, USA |
25 | Dunham-Orwick 64, repro, spark ign, 1985, England |
78 | Dylla 60, four-cycle, glow, 1980s, Austria |
69 | English two & four cycles, Merco 60, Magnum 90, Condor 90, Hi-Max 90, 81-84 |
54 | Enya VT 240, "V" twin, four-cycle, glow, 1986, Japan |
62 | Enya 4l-4C, four-cycle, glow, 1995, Japan |
107 | Enya 90-4C, four cycle, glow, 1984, Japan |
77 | Figge, 90, four cycle, glow, early 1980s, Germany |
17 | Fisher 60 R/C, Redshift, glow, 1977, England |
18 | Fitzpatrick 60 R/C, glow, 1978, USA |
81 | Fox 60 R/C, Hawk, glow, 1985, USA |
92 | Fox 1.2 R/C, twin, glow, 1979, USA |
93 | Fox 60 R/C, Eagle III, glow, 1981, USA |
100 | Fox 40 R/C, 500 Quickee, glow, 1984, USA |
102 | Fox 19BB R/C, glow, 1983, USA |
103 | Fox 78 R/C, glow, 1981, USA |
4 | G-Mark .30 R/C, five cylinder radial, glow, 1980, Japan |
71 | G-Mark 30 R/C, twin glow, 1981, Japan |
28 | G.H.Q. .56, sparkign, 1940, USA |
44 | Heatherington 23, spark ign., 1948, USA |
104 | Herkimer 60, DeLuxe, spark ign., 1940, USA |
48 | Herkimer 1.208, twin, spark ign, 1946, USA |
80 | Hi-Max 91 R/C, glow, 1987, England |
6 | Hirtenberger (HP), 61 R/C, glow, rear intake, 1967, Austria |
79 | Hi-Speed, Phantoms, Torpedos 27s, pre and post war, USA |
65 | Holland Hornet 049, glow, 1960, USA |
49 | HP V21, R/C, four-cycle, glow, 1984, Austria |
110 | Hur1eman 38, aristocrat, spark ign., 1939, USA |
84 | Hurricane 24, glow, 1946, Canada |
72 | Kalt FC-1, 45, four-cycle, glow, 1978, Japan |
70 | Kavan PK-50, MKll, four-cycle, spark ign., 1986, Germany |
16 | Kende1 1.2, glow, twin, 1978, USA |
25 | K & M Orwick 64, spark ign., 1984, England |
30 | Hiness 60 R/C, Arrow, in1ine single 1975, Japan |
19 | Kraft 60 R/C, glow, 1974, USA |
29 | Krasnorutskij 60 R/C, inline single, glow 1974, Russia |
60 | Laser 75, four-cycle, glow, 1984, England |
96 | Leja 90, four-cycle, spark ign., 1947, USA |
56 | Maloney 1.00, spark ign., 1986, Korea |
51 | Mamiya 60, spark ign., 1949, Japan |
113 | MDS 61, R/C, glow, 1997, Russia |
36 | Merco 61 R/C, glow, 1958, England |
83 | Merlin 24, glow, 1946, Canada/USA |
76 | Mike GR6, 1.00, 5 cylinder radial, glow, 1989, USA |
27 | Micron M4-24, 58, R/C glow, four cylinder, 1973, France |
52 | Mite 098, diesel, 1947, USA |
31 | Moki M6, 1.5 R/C glow, 1976, Hungary |
82 | Morton M5, four-cycle, 5 cylinder spark ign., 1947, USA |
32 | MVVS 10 R/C, glow, 1969, Czech Republic |
41 | Nordec 60, glow, 1950, England |
2 | Northfield-Rosspower 1.206, R/C glow, 1972, USA |
99 | OPS 60 R/C, super, glow, 1982, Italy |
64 | OPS 1.20 R/C, four-cycle, glow, 1984, Italy |
5 | O.S. Wankel (Graupner), 30 Glow, rotary piston engine, 1982, Japan |
12 | O.S. 29, glow, 1951, Japan |
42 | O.S. 56, type 6 (K6), spark ign., 1940/1988 |
87 | O.S. 1.60 Gemini Twin, glow, 1985, Japan |
109 | O.S. 108 FSR (BX-l) glow, 1984, Japan |
14 | OTC 19, spark ign., 1993, USA |
37 | PAL 55, spark ign., 1950, USA |
111 | PAW 29, diesel, 1992, USA [sic] |
20 | Profi 6lF, glow, 1975, Germany |
85 | R.V.E. 60, four-cycle glow, 1982, England |
23 | Saito G-60 R/C, spark ign., 1978, Japan |
105 | Saito 100 R/C twin, glow, 1996, Japan |
89 | Saito FA 90T, MkII, R/C glow, twin, 1994, Japan |
84 | Sesqui 09 diesel, 1982, Australia |
11 | Simplex 19A, Hornet, and 25 MkII, spark ign., 1978-83, USA |
35 | Skylark 60, spark ign, magneto, 1981, England |
40 | Strato Super 60, spark ign., 1942, Canada |
43 | Strong 45, glow vertical twin R/C, 1964-65, Japan |
33 | Suevia 1.5, type 22 R/C, glow, 1978, Germany |
68 | Super Cyclone 60, spark ign, 1939, USA |
75 | Super Tigre XII, R/C, glow, 1985, Italy |
90 | Super Tigre G. 60 bluehead, glow, 1977, Italy |
97 | Super Tigre X6l R/C, glow, 1988, Italy |
45 | Syncro 56, ace, spark ign., 1939, USA |
46 | Syncro B30, spark ign., 1940, USA |
10 | Taipan 40 R/C, glow, 1975, Australia |
1 | Taplin 49, MkIII Twin, R/C, diesel, 1967, England |
13 | Technopower II, R/C, spark ign, 5 cylinder radial, four-cycle, 1981, USA |
101 | Technopower II, R/C, glow, 5 cylinder "big bore" four-cycle 1983, USA |
26 | Tlush 61, ace, spark ign., 1936-1972 |
66 | Thor 49, spark ign., 1946, USA |
95 | Thunder Tiger F9lS, R/C glow four-cycle, 1997, Taiwan |
67 | Wahl, replicas, glow ign., 1958-2001, USA |
21 | Webra 61 R C glow, 1980, Germany & OS Max 61 FSR GS 2A, 1983, Japan,geared |
57 | Webra T4, .87, four-stroke, glow, 1980, Germany |
91 | Webra 61 R/C, blackhead, glow, 1972, Germany |
98 | Webra 61 R/C, racing, glow, 1979, Germany |
For a full review of this publication,
see Model Engine News, August 2006.
Please submit all questions and comments to enquiries@modelenginenews.org