stunthanger.com

Building Tips and technical articles. => 1/2 A building. => Topic started by: dennis lipsett on February 27, 2007, 12:48:30 PM

Title: The high cost of wanting Cox products
Post by: dennis lipsett on February 27, 2007, 12:48:30 PM

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=018&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=280085024671&rd=1&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=014&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=330090657332&rd=1&rd=1


The above links to cox items now proves that it is becomming much too expensive to own or operate these motors.
I have a NIP Cox 020 Pee Wee anyone want to give me that much for it I'll let it go. Same for the Cox 010 heads.
Dennis
Title: Re: The high cost of wanting Cox products
Post by: Clint Ormosen on February 27, 2007, 01:22:38 PM
The timing is poor for this jump in Cox values, at least for me. I'm going to start a model building class for some of the kids at our church using 1/2A Wizards. My plan was to buy about 8-10 used .049's off eBay. Now, that could cost a few hundred dollars  :(
Title: Re: The high cost of wanting Cox products
Post by: dennis lipsett on February 27, 2007, 01:48:40 PM
Clint,
There are still some values on the bay. However the collectors are going on a feeding frenzy to buy up the new stuff to either put on their shelf or drive up the price to profit. It's a shame but thats the way life goes. Keep scanning the bay and only make bids on stuff that you think will work for you. For beginners you only need production motors or old Baby Bees. Consider investing in Nelson heads and plugs as the cost of Cox plugs is really out of line for what they are.
Dennis















Title: Re: The high cost of wanting Cox products
Post by: Robert McHam on February 27, 2007, 03:34:23 PM
Dennis, you may have missed this one. It's just a Tee Dee .049 for goodness sake!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ih=019&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWA%3AIT&viewitem=&item=290084116486&rd=1&rd=1

Yes indeed there are still some values out there. Generally you are looking to buy used motors. those Babe Bees will stand uo to a horrendous amount of punishment before they are no longer repairable.

Myself, for such as project I would buy some OK Cubs and support them while they are still in buisness. My second choice would be to buy a bunch of Sure Starts from Cox. If and when the graduates move up they can  move up to Tee Dees or Brodaks or whatever else. 

Robert
Title: Re: The high cost of wanting Cox products
Post by: dennis lipsett on February 27, 2007, 03:59:03 PM
Bob,
You might be suprised that it was the origional package that probably drove up the price. Like I said collectors are not rational people.
Dennis
Title: Re: The high cost of wanting Cox products
Post by: Clint Ormosen on February 27, 2007, 04:46:17 PM
Clint,
There are still some values on the bay. However the collectors are going on a feeding frenzy to buy up the new stuff to either put on their shelf or drive up the price to profit. It's a shame but thats the way life goes. Keep scanning the bay and only make bids on stuff that you think will work for you. For beginners you only need production motors or old Baby Bees. Consider investing in Nelson heads and plugs as the cost of Cox plugs is really out of line for what they are.
Dennis


I'm pretty much doing as you suggest, Dennis. So far, no luck getting anything cheap. I've never been much of a 1/2A guy, so I don't have but a few 049 runners.
There is some guy over on the SSW forum classifieds fishing for Cox parts to put on eBay. He got called on it and admits that's what he's doing. Says he's helping the hobby by rebuilding Cox engines and selling them for big profit.

Whatever.
Title: Re: The high cost of wanting Cox products
Post by: Bob Disharoon on February 27, 2007, 05:20:36 PM
I follow all the control line Ebay stuff on a daily basis ....keep an eye on those selling "lots" of .049 stuff..you can often find a ton of engines, props, tools,etc. for next to nothing.....you have to be persistant!...truth is..yes..control line stuff is heating up..why?..supply and demand...such is life..c/l is in a rebirth.i.e. a lot of folks, like me..retired and want to relive my 20s.. its a good thing for a very old wonderful hobby that maybe you never experienced. But..enough of my meanderings..just watch ebay daily...you will be eventually rewarded!!!....hope my 2cents goes unread....BOB
Title: Re: The high cost of wanting Cox products
Post by: Robert McHam on February 27, 2007, 05:33:14 PM
Quote by dennis lipsett:
"You might be suprised that it was the origional package that probably drove up the price. Like I said collectors are not rational people.
Dennis"

Actually I did know that but others may not! I used to collect Hot Wheels and you talk about non rational! I could tell some stories about some of the things I observed in that bunch!
One thing I saw done was "rigging" a piece. This involved carefully removing a car from a blister pack card, changing the wheels or something else and replacing it in the package and returning it to a store where someone else would spot it thinking they had found a real oddball variation! A guy showed step by step with hi res pics how this was achieved and when done you would swear it had never been tampered with.

Variations like the blister pack the Tee Dee .049 was in and of course condition drive prices up and over reality fences.

Robert
Title: Re: The high cost of wanting Cox products
Post by: Dave Rolley on February 27, 2007, 06:59:10 PM
Clint,

Before you hit da'Bay, have a look here:

http://www.coxmodels.com/products.asp?dept=36

You'll have to come up with a tank, but this should provide some ideas (think of a 35mm film canister):

http://www.airfieldmodels.com/gallery_of_models/rc/jgrc_aggressor/index.htm

or here (schroll down and look for the pink colored thing.

http://www.jkaerotech.com/

Good luck,

Dave
Title: Re: The high cost of wanting Cox products
Post by: Gordon Tarbell on February 27, 2007, 08:18:32 PM
Hi Clint , I think that I can rangle up a few cox .049s' for the project. I know I got one or two laying around , I will call brian moore and see how many he still has in running order that he will donate to the cause. You still live north of Sac. I don't think I can come up with 10 but I will see. Maybe Bruce Malm might need to dust out some of his engine boxs. How bout it Bruce?
Title: Re: The high cost of wanting Cox products
Post by: Clint Ormosen on February 27, 2007, 09:34:41 PM
Yes Gordon, I still live north of Sac. I checked my stuff and came up with 3 complete Cox 049's and enough parts to maybe complete a 4th. Also 1 VA 049 and one OK Cub 049, but these are locked up tight. I checked the site Dave posted and am going to get a few of those tankless motors if they're still available. So, I just might pull this off. I know of another feller up here that will loan me a couple of motors if I really need them.
Thanks for the offer, I'll holler at you if I get in fix and need a couple more.
Title: Re: The high cost of wanting Cox products
Post by: Gordon Tarbell on February 28, 2007, 07:17:40 PM
Any Time Clint.   You call, I haul.
Title: Re: The high cost of wanting Cox products
Post by: minnesotamodeler on February 28, 2007, 08:10:40 PM
I highly recommend those Cox Sure-starts.  For $6.95 or whatever they are nice little engines, not bad runners at all.  Here's a simple tank from film cannister and party balloon, works like a charm.  You can pick up the cannisters for free from anyplace that develops film (camera store, drugstore, etc.)--they throw them away or send 'em back to the flim manufacturers to recycle.  They'd just as soon give them to you.

--Ray
Title: Re: The high cost of wanting Cox products
Post by: Clint Ormosen on March 01, 2007, 10:45:14 PM
Well, I ordered 5 sure starts from the Cox site, so if they show up we're good on 049's for the project. Which, by the way started last night with 3 kids. They were very excited about it! Details to follow in a separate post.
Title: Re: The high cost of wanting Cox products
Post by: Russell Shaffer on March 02, 2007, 04:37:32 PM
Clint, I think I owe you, so will send some 049 glow heads I got in a trade many years back. 
Title: Re: The high cost of wanting Cox products
Post by: Clint Ormosen on March 03, 2007, 12:12:39 AM
Russell, you don't owe me a thing. But I could use those glow heads, so thanks very much! #^

BTW, did you get the Vecos?
Title: Re: The high cost of wanting Cox products
Post by: Russell Shaffer on March 03, 2007, 08:09:57 AM
Yep, they came Thursday.  I think maybe the one that was frozen up needs a new front bearing.  The one with the carb removed would seem to be the better of the two.  I'll have fun with them if nothing else.  See the thread on SSW about big Flight Streaks.
Title: Re: The high cost of wanting Cox products
Post by: PaulGibeault on March 05, 2007, 02:45:33 PM
Dear Dennis,

The outrageous selling price of a few motors on ebay is absolutely NO INDICATION of the market. Do you really need a NIP RR-1 for $500???
Do you really need a NIB Venom for $250?? Granted, you will pay more for nib or nip vintage or nostalgia engines, but Babe Bee's average~ $25 Black Widows average ~ $40 & TD's up to ~$85.   There are so many hundred thousand motors out there that there will NEVER be a shortage of these (reasonable costing) engines or spares.  What you don't realize is that a number of these high priced auctions are fraudulent with target groups bidding up the price with no intention of actually buying it from their "friend". I've tracked Cox products on Ebay for the last 5 years & do not see any trend at all that puts reasonable Cox engines out of a reasonable price range. Even VGMC1 selling Cox clone plugs for $4.00 has lots left or you can go the Galbreath aftermarket head route....your choice.

Bottom line, affordable Cox engines will be around for as long as we are!

Cheers,
Paul