I have a couple Mills replicas too, the Indian versions and they do run very nicely. One of them however didn't run when I received it and I found pin holes in the rear cover. I sent it back and it was replaced and that one had the same problem. I carefully identified the holes, removed the cover and lightly center punched them (there were 2). Reassembled and it's run sweet ever since.

The Little Dragon is probably my first exposure to engine building. I stood for hours watching my Dad labor over one of them on a miserable little Craftsman lathe (I could just get me nose over the edge of the bench). This was not the Atlas, but the cheap one with plain bearings and zinc gears. What a thrill when it took off and ran. I should build one just for memory sake. I vaguely remember the article on the MAN .09, I'll have to look it up.

They are really fun engines and like Andrew said, running something the others don't know about is pretty neat too. Its the same with my old Indian motorcycle with a kick starter, foot clutch, left hand throttle and right hand (what??) spark advance. Not to mention the right hand shifter, I get all kinds on questions about that. I get a kick out of them all though, engines still hold such a fascination for me. I used to collect junk Clintons and Briggs engines and build runners out of them. I had an old REO that I'd drag outside and run just for the enjoyment of hearing it run. I remember seeing my Dad's dual needle Torp .19 and did the same thing whith a 2HP Clinton and bicycle horn. Never got the silly thing to do more then run out a prime, but I learned allot. The neighborhood kids thought I was weird between the machines and the model airplanes, but when they needed something fixed I wasn't too weird! I remember going to the ball diamond and they'd ask me if I wanted to play ball. "No, just waiting until you're done so I can fly my model".

Whoa! I'm getting carried away. Neat stuff these gooey machines!