Cox Nike Zeus Starter Outfit On Ebay

Here's a rare, mint item on Ebay -

Complete Cox rocket starter set in their boxes. The plastic wrap is gone -
Nike Zeus rocket (early gap staging), Cox launcher and controller and five three packs of engines!
This launcher has never been used, the blast deflector is clean. Four legs still in the plastic. You rarely find all four legs, one always seems to be broken.
The Nike Zeus packaging says 2000' altitudes. I doubt that, but still it's pretty cool!
Cox also made an Honest John starter set.


Five sealed  three packs of engines with the interesting Cox plug-in igniters. No micro clips!
I've never seen these in the packages before.


To see the listing: CLICK HERE
Am I bidding? NO!
What would I do with it? Take it out and look at it every other year? To some it is too "valuable" to use. I've got plenty of older stuff sitting in storage boxes.
I'll check back tomorrow and see where the winning bid ends up.

Cox Saturn 1B - Ebay Listing

On Ebay, a Cox Saturn 1B was up for auction.

Here's how the Cox Saturn V and 1B looked in the 1972 catalog.
To see the catalog at Ninfinger's, CLICK HERE

I don't know why, but the Saturn V roll pattern in the middle was flipped!

These "almost ready to fly" models were molded of high impact plastic.
At first, Cox made their own engines. When the rockets were brought back in the early 1990s, Cox recommended using Estes engines.





Some pictures from the Ebay listing:

Two engine retainers. On the left is a two engine cluster retainer, on the right is a single engine retainer.
On the left is the lower molded launch lug.

A side view of the command module shows the thick attitude control system and nozzles.

Of course, every scale model should have the manufacturer name somewhere on the model.





The escape tower was also molded thick to prevent breakage.
Below the capsule is something that looks like a molded upper launch lug.

I don't see how this lug could be used. A lower lug (on a larger diameter section) couldn't line up with it.




I had never seen the print pattern on the Cox parachutes.

To learn more about their product line check out the Cox Model Rocket handbook: CLICK HERE
Of special interest is on page 20 where the Cox igniters are explained.

Cox X-15 Flight Manual

On YORF, Tim Morley was looking for the Cox Nike Zeus instructions.
While searching online, I came across the Cox X-15 instructions. CLICK HERE 

While it was interesting to look over the flight prepping directions I found the detailed decal placement pictures. I wish I had these when I was trying to figure out the decals on the Quest X-15 kit!

Cox was probably the first to include altitude predictions in the instructions. Cox engines were designated as A = Alpha, B = Bravo, C = Charlie and D = Delta.

There is additional X-15 historic information prepared by Doug Malewicki. It was all included in the Cox kit package.

I once thought the Estes X-15 ready to fly plastic model might be a re-branded Cox X-15.
The Estes X-15 used 13mm engines, the larger Cox X-15 used 18mm.