Brings back so many memories of when I was a kid and flying a Cox line controlled plane. The closeups of the oil flowing over the engine and the smoke reminded me of the work needed to clean it all up. Learned a lot about engine basics with that.

Just that sound brings back so many memories of my childhood. I can remember my father trying to get that thing started, and when he finally did the sound was defining!

Ran a lot of Cox engines over the years. Two things I found out that make a big improvement and are easy to do. We ran no less than 25% nitro in all the Cox engines. Tiny engines don't retain heat very well so need the higher nitro for easier starts and more consistent running. Also, if you can find one, get the fine thread needle valve. This gives you a wider"sweet spot," for more precise tuning. Lastly, put that sucker in an airplane. They're great!

My favorite growing up,a Cox .020 on balsa free flight. It would do large circles if the breeze didn't come up, if so it headed downwind ,chasing with bicycles was usually successful.

1974, I had a Cox .049 Sopwith Camel and my cousin had the Red Baron - control line - down the park - Dog fights.

😲 hand starting a Cox 0.49 - I never would have thought it possible - Mark - you are a hero. As a 60 year old British modeller - brought up on these engines - this video is a blast from the past. 👍

Had a Golden Bee on a Goldberg L’il Wizard then graduated to a Black Widow on a Goldberg L’il Satan. The Black Widow had a red anodized spinner then. All circa 1973. Used Missile Mist fuel. Flew with a couple of friends and engaged in combat with both ships. On a calm day, we’d create a localized lower quality air index with all of the smoke those tiny engines produced. Good times! Unfortunately, the cops today would look dimly on a group of kids trying to do the same. Fortunately, at the time, I lived in a town largely comprising NASA engineers who worked at the MSC.

The BW you have is actually an earlier one from the plant in California when Leisure Dynamics owned Cox. I bought one like that on my 10th birthday, long before the 1990's. . The price was $13. It had the brass prop hub, anodized spinner, and brass back plate as well as the two slits for exhaust, just like yours. The "two slits" exhaust came about because some one sued Cox when their kid burned his finger on the one of the wide exhaust models. Cox eventually went back to producing the wide exhaust, sometime in the 90's.

A Cox engine sure brings back memories, the only game in town years ago.

I run/fly a Cox .049 almost every weekend. So much fun!

I am 12 yo and have a 049 baby bee and love running it

The Cox black widow .049 has dual ports and is a screamer. The Babe Bee .049 was single port but still a fine engine.

That brings back memories to of my childhood. I had some 049’s bumblebee the golden be the black widow, the T D, and the medallion. We use those on you controls. Also, the Cox oh 020 on our free flights. Thanks for allowing us to hear that sound again.

I always thought people who could actually start them as heroes.

Wow that brought back memories. I just found my one that I had in the 60's. It is seized up,but I have just given it a dose of WD40, so I'll know in a few days if I can free it up and hear that lovely sound again. ❤

Great video, I have a 1969 Cox .049 Golden Bee, I bought new this when I was a kid. Used to use it on a balsa tissue flying wing I built with a 6:4 two blade prop. I have keep it all theses years , I ran it for my two boys back in the late 90’s , it’s going to run again as soon as it get some fuel , 👍👍👍👍

YES!!! Childhood memories of the 60's. Had the P-51 Mustang, PT-19 Flight Trainer and all the rest built from balsa wood and paper kits. Had the Voodoo wing with the Fox 35 which I ran a 10-6 prop, that one would really cut your finger when it backfired...DAMN! I need to dig those old models out, repair the holes in the wings with paper and dope...what a great idea! I'll work on them over the winter and have some good ol' fun in the spring. Great video, thank you! Always liked the smell of the castor oil exhaust burning and wearing band-aids around the starter fingers all summer long!

I started my dads old black window and used 15 year old fuel still started no problem.They where great engines.

Ran these engines in all sorts of creations that Cox made or plans you could buy at the model shop. Folks have to realize that most the engines for control line the fuel pic-up tube was at half way up inside the built in tank ...model turning left. Like this the run on the level was a couple of minutes. So being a kid of the 60's my free flight models had the fuel pickup turned 90 Degrees so you could suck every ounce out of the tank...those models are still out thier...prolly still circling their way to the moon. The sound of one of these models at the local baseball diamond drew lots of kids from the neighjbour hood...now my grand child was confronted by the police... In lots of ways I am ready to go...beam me aboard Scotty!!! ;-)

Absolutely love it! Music to my ears! This really takes me back 50 years. Thank you for posting.

That brings memories. The black widow. Had several of them

I can smell it from here!😊

They run best on a Cox 5 x 3 prop - I use Model Technics Big Bang 25% Nitro fuel with castor oil added to give a minimum of 20% total oil (50% Castor/50% synthetic) - Cox Engines MUST have this minimum amount of castor to preserve their little ends - mine is in a Sharkface

I have a box full of these little engines, they are fun to play with! When I get them unpacked one day perhaps I will send you a few of them! Cheers my friend 👍

Cool video. I still have my Golden bee and Black widow from 1975. Thank you

Your Black Widow is an early version, the later versions all came with a nylon backing plate/mount and the early ones have the diecast Zinc ones like the Golden Bee used. I have two late ones and I hope to get hold of a couple of those diecast ones as I have a hard time getting and keeping the nylon ones tight enough to keep from leaking between the front of the tank and rear of the crankcase. If you really want to get it to run good order one of the sub induction cylinder pistons and get some 25-35% nitro fuel. I have run as high as 60% BUT with no synthetic oil and around 20-22% pure Castor oil to make the bushing engine last a lot longer.

My ears are still ringing 😂

This looks like a 2nd gen Cox made Black Widow 1st gen had a TD cylinder full open exhaust ports. Taking the piston and cylinder from a TD .051 will improve rpm the weight of a .051 cylinder balances well with the crank. Of course a TD .049 cylinder/piston set will do very well too. I would check cylinders bypass port count / type / if with flutes. Possible the cylinder was swapped out. A mylar reed will improve rpm and seal well.

Some needle valves on the babe bee / black widow have a habit of dancing around a bit (unrotating). I prefer them with a slightly stickier/stiffer needle valve, to stop this. The needle valve spring also helped a bit.

Have some cox engines to. They like nitro. I run my on 5×3 for maximum revs. Have a black widow in a 2 channel Shark face, flies like a rocket 🚀 Nice video👍

Ok finally an honest start vid

COX 0.49, MY LOVE !!!!

I know they start and run easiest on high nitromethane, but I run mine on racing methanol with 20% first press castor. It starts easily enough, runs well, and they last a long time treated like this. If you do run nitro in the mix, it'll form nitric acid in your engine, and eat it from the inside out, so always use an after run oil to protect it when it's not being used. Enjoy your little .049!

named after the sound of a fly in a spider's web but should have been named "black finger"

Hi Mark. My black widow has a black plastic backplate. I may be wrong but to me it looks like someone has fitted a baby bee backplate. The problem with the plastic ones are the mounting lugs break very easily. This could also be the the touchy needle valve setting problem. Check the reed valve early ones were brass later clear plastic. Hope this helps. Great little motors. Thanks again. Terry

High compression head would help on the rpm, they needle well with 20% castor and nitro between 20% - 40% Go to Kamtechnik and buy the prop plate adapter for precision centering APC props for no wobble / no heat build up / low wear on the aluminum crank case reduced vibrations makes more rpm and the needle stays put! They also carry turbo plug adapters for more power. APC 4.1x4.1E will make better use of the engines power than the flexible kid friendly stock cox props. For a mix of thrust and speed the 4.7x4.2E If you want to lug a larger trainer type plane the APC 6x3.1SF makes massive thrust. The APC 5x3E gives a solid needle setting with the best power mix of even thrust to speed loading ratio on the engine.

😂Ha a! That was a bit mischievous of it @ 2:55! It stopped after a brief burst of running, and as your finger approached it treacherously restarted. I was relieved to see you whip your finger out of harm's way. I remember having little success starting my red-tank 0.49 with the fiddly chrome spring that Cox supplied, and would occasionally get clobbered by the prop : )

Brings back memories for me, too. Did you check the spring on the needle? Variations may come from backlash of the needle moving in the valve when the spring is worn.

I believe the Black widow on either side of the cylinder is just one large opening slit,( larger openings on either side not the double slit on each side)

I have 3 cox engines..today I have no Idea what project to use it for as there are electric motors available..

Sorry my bad, you did mention that in your video

Gets a huge amount of use out of black cox

thumbs up!

Regarding fuel they start and run best on the Model Technics GN25 blend 😊

I think the problem with the top end mixture control is due to too much oil in the fuel, try 15% oil.

Have you checked or replaced the reed valve in the tank; and the o-ring there?

Good evening. What is the weight of your model aircraft without the cox engine, I also have a 0.49cc cox engine, but I don't know what model aircraft weight to choose for this engine, I also have a captive model aircraft, but it weighs 350gr, with a triangle tank order mansa rods thank you in advance.

Hi. Did you have a hole in the mounting bracket? I notice the external tank has a mesh filter in the centre on the back? or was the frame you mounted the engine to solid with no gap?

What about the spring loaded crank start?

Hello, what kind of fuel does this engine need?

Leaks fuel? 🤔

I love these little engines but my neighbors don't seem to agree😂

The testor's pink fuel 1970s

Mark did you put it in a plane?

These engines should use 16% nitro minimum. Preferably 25%. If memory serves me correctly. & be careful they can & do start backwards,

Just prime it with a squirt of fuel in the exhaust and stop messing with the needle valve until you get it started.

Do you like black Cox ?

Sounds like a new motor needs to be run a little richer and they run best on 35% nitro

noisy unstable low power .... I remember this shit

Where can i get one?..

I used to fly these engines. My mom tossed mine in the trash years ago.

25-35% nitro fuel and it will run so much better. The needle will be a lot less touchy.

I almost smelled the castor oil...

Can`t get anything over 17% nitro anymore because of the EU :( Anti-fun organization smh, I might barely get my Cox`s started now, but FLYING on 17% isn`t really viable unless you have a very light model.. I ran my Venom on 25-40%!