Late Original - rounded castings
At the end of WW2, Vibroplex modernized the frame and damper castings of the Original, and the Original has remained essentially unchanged since then. The standard base color was changed to gray in the early Fifties, and the gray Original version is the most common Vibroplex. The standard base color was recently changed back to black. For some reason, the black crackle base Original made from the early Forties to the early Fifties is not very common.
Shortly after Vibroplex moved to Maine in 1979, they made the existing models (the Original, Lightning Bug and Champion) in two other colors. One was a dusty reddish brown called Sienna brown, and the other was the same color of beige that was then used for the Vibrokeyer paddles.
Pictured: Gray Original Standard #238355.
Blue Racer
At the end of WW2, when Vibroplex modernized the frame and damper castings used on the Original, they did the same with the Blue Racer. This newer version is known as the “late Blue Racer.” Many people consider the late model Blue Racers, especially the Deluxe version, to be the best-looking Vibroplexes ever made.
The Blue Racer model was discontinued around 1967. Although Blue Racers are not really scarce, they seem to be very popular among collectors and bug users.
Pictured: Blue Racer Deluxe #208337
#6 (Lightning Bug)
The standard finish of the Lightning Bug was changed to black crackle about 1940 and then to gray crackle in the mid-Fifties. The Deluxe version of the Lightning Bug was popular, and the WW2 Deluxe version can also be found.
During WW2, Vibroplex licensed the Lionel Corporation (the model train folks) to build copies of the Lightning Bug for the Army Signal Corps. These had the designation “J-36”, which was the designation given to all bugs made for the Signal Corps. Vibroplex also made J-36 bugs for the Signal Corps. See (link) for more information and images.
Vibroplex discontinued the Lightning Bug shortly after the company was moved to Maine in 1979. Just before the Lightning Bug was discontinued, some were made with Sienna Brown and beige crackle bases.
Pictured: Lightning Bug Deluxe #231929
Champion
The Champion was the “Chevrolet” of Vibroplex bugs. It used the assembled frame and flat pendulum of the Lightning Bug, but had a simplified damper assembly and lacked a circuit closer (shorting switch). It was the lowest-priced Vibroplex, handled well, and could send good code a bit slower than the round-pendulum models. Consequently, Champions are probably the second most common Vibroplex.
When the Champion was introduced in 1940, it came in only one base finish, black crackle. In the mid-Fifties the standard Vibroplex base color was changed to gray, and the Champion came only in gray. Like the Lightning Bug and Original, some Champions were made with Sienna brown and beige bases around 1980. Vibroplex quit making the Champion about that time, but you could buy a gray-base Champion from Vibroplex for more than ten years after that. The simple damper assembly on the Champion is called an "I" damper.
Pictured: Sienna Brown Champion #4946
Zephyr
The Zephyr was the only modern Vibroplex made on a three-inch base. Basically a Zephyr is a Champion on a three-inch base with a circuit closer. Marketing-wise, the Zephyr is a bit of a puzzle. The added circuit closer pushed up the cost, so a Zephyr cost about as much as an Original. Most people decided to just go ahead and buy the Original, so Zephyrs are fairly scarce these days.
Zephyrs originally came with the standard black crackle finish, and later came with the standard gray crackle finish. That’s it. The Zephyr was discontinued in the mid-Fifties, making it the shortest-lived modern Vibroplex.
Pictured: Black Zephyr #190200
Presentation
The last new model of the Vibroplex bug was introduced in 1948, and was called the “Super DeLuxe” or Presentation model. The Presentation was the same as a Deluxe Original, except for one cosmetic difference and one mechanical difference. The cosmetic difference was the addition of a gold-plated brass top plate, which made the Presentation distinctive and easy to identify.
The mechanical difference was significant. The Presentation had a new type of lever with an adjustable mainspring. The mainspring was fastened in a slot in the lever arm, and after loosening two small screws, the user could move the mainspring in or out, effectively shortening or lengthening the mainspring and changing its rate of vibration.
A few years ago, while Vibroplex was located in Maine, the adjustable mainspring was dropped, and today’s Presentation is just an Original with a gold-plated brass top. Today Vibroplex makes a Gold Original, with the entire base gold-plated.
Pictured: Presentation #206394