"Silver Bullet" Black Widow???

Mark Boesen wrote:Yep, it's another one of Leo's creations...

lousyflyer wrote:Didn't all the Black Widow engines at least have a black crankcase?

PV Pilot wrote:A silver widow,,,got one next door, and she cant hear worth beans.

microflitedude wrote:

PV Pilot wrote:A silver widow,,,got one next door, and she cant hear worth beans.

We got one of those at our new house.

nitroairplane wrote:

microflitedude wrote:

PV Pilot wrote:A silver widow,,,got one next door, and she cant hear worth beans.

We got one of those at our new house.

The perfect neighbour for a fan of loud engines.

Mark Boesen wrote:

Travis,
 
This one strains my memory a little.  I sold it on eBay quite a while back, when I was re-discovering my interest in engines after forty years away from them.  I almost hate to even open discussion on this, because the readers are SO quick to get nasty, but here's the story on this engine...
 
I bought it at the MAL Hobby Shop in Irving, TX about 20 years ago.  MAL is one of the oldest American hobby shops in America, founded by the late legendary Edgar Seah.  Sadly, Edgar passed on at 100 a couple years ago.  I was going through the dusty archives of his shop (uncovering NOS Cox gold "Lil' Stinkers", NOS red-tank .010's, NOS parts of all descriptions...).  Among the items in the shop was this engine.  Edgar said it was an early Black Widow, probably obtained from a Cox sales rep.  He had it mounted on a display FireBaby for some years in the store.  He thought it came with some samples from Cox showing new products, but could not be absolutely sure of the date at that time.  I'm not going to argue with any fellow who was setting free-flight records probably before LeRoy Cox was born, and was surely the world's foremost expert on WWI, WWII and Korean War aircraft... LOL!
 
Every part on that engine is as-purchased... Head, cylinder, tank, backplate, needle, spinner, red-anodized prop-driver and spring-starter... the whole enchalada.  I never disassembled it, and only cleaned it up.  With its factory-polished finish, red prop-driver and gold backplate, it was a thing of beauty, and surely some kind of specially selected engine given to a top-selling dealer and it belonged in someone's collection.  So I sold it on eBay.
 
I know the famous Larry Renger has told the story of his original Black Widow many times... The always black block and tank, the red RUBBER spinner, cylinder spec's, and other correct parts, etc.  And that is certainly the way it is "supposed to be".  But a good number of Cox engines left the old Poinsettia St. factory in different-from-standard form.
 
I've personally restored two RR-1's for the original owner which were sold in PLASTIC BAGS with Cox info stapled to the bags.  These RR-1's had from the factory, no-fins silver BABE BEE blocks, fitted with RR-1 cranks.  They had Tee Dee spinners, and silver, NOT blue, un-anodized RR-1 finned tanks with the up/down fill tubes, AND metal backplates with dual fill tubes, as used on Widows, Golden Bees, etc.  They were factory modded to fit the RR-1 intakes.  That pair of engines was purchased in 1968, obviously using up left-over parts.  I used the last two of Burnis Rae's NOS yellow RR-1 blocks on them, and anodized the silver tanks blue.  Just more examples of the never-ending selection of Cox oddities out there.
 
I am NOT a Cox expert.  Just an enthusiast.  This engine is in its original configuration, and I cannot explain why the combination of parts.  This engine is what it is, as-purchased, in NOS condition, with the original story from the shop owner who obtained it many decades ago.  I have most certainly seen other "colorless" Black Widows, with an assortment of different needles, spinners, with and without factory spring starters, with and without Tee Dee heads, etc.  As a kid in the sixties I bought several Black Widows with the red-anodized Tee Dee style spinners, even though the Widow should have used a red RUBBER spinner.  As a kid, I also saw a few new Golden Bees with BLACK blocks at the local shop.
 
Now, the above story tells where and how I obtained this engine, and the story of its history as told to me by the then-eighty year old shop owner who truly was an expert in all glow and ignition engines.  I coined the term "Silver Bullet" for the auction listing, simply because that's what it reminded me of at the time, not to imply that was a Cox model name.  It was simply a Black Widow, albeit an unusual one.  PLEASE don't start a big deal over what parts it "should" be made from.  It WAS made as you see it.  I bought it in THAT configuration, verified by the shop owner with an impeccable reputation.  That's the whole history of the engine.  Period.  I did NOT build if from parts.  I bought is as you see it, some time in the 1990's, from the original dealer/owner, for $35.00 cash.  End of story.
 
Hope this info will clear the air as to how I obtained the engine, and its complete history.
 
Most sincerely,
 
Leo

SuperDave wrote:Thank you for relating the story Leo.

I usually associate "Silver Bullet" with "The Lone Ranger". "Hi Ho. Silver!"