Cox RTF Dyna-Soar B/G (link)
 

Hello All,

In the April 1970 issue of "Model Rocketry" magazine (see: http://www.ninfinger.org/rockets/Mo...02n07_04-70.pdf ), an article about the 1970 HIAA (Hobby Industry Association of America) trade show includes a photograph--on page 11--of a prototype of Cox's RTF Dyna-Soar (X-20) semi-scale boost-glider. It was also called the "Astra Glider" (this name was used in a COX RTF model rockets ad--which showed their Saturn IB--that appeared in model airplane magazine issues of that period; the back of their altitude tracker's box [Estes now sells it as the AltiTrak: https://estesrockets.com/product/002232-altitrak/ ] also showed the boost-glider, with the "Astra Glider" name). Now:

What became of their Dyna-Soar/Astra Glider? I never saw it for sale anywhere. I'm guessing that their Space Shuttle America (with the white core booster, having the two--one red, one blue--swept-wing orbiters with wing-tip vertical stabilizers on the core booster's sides) replaced the Dyna-Soar/Astra Glider (giving Cox a boost-glider in their RTF model rockets lineup), but I don't know why; maybe the Dyna-Soar/Astra Glider was much better at "boost" than at "glide?" (The Space Shuttle America gliders aren't sailplane-like by a l*o*n*g shot, but for what they are [with their wing planform and aspect ratio, wing loading, and glider masses], they're fairly good--they're good "foul-weather" boost-gliders, having good wind penetration; using a higher-impulse motor gets them to a higher release altitude, which lengthens the glide duration.)

Many thanks to anyone who can help!

The Cox Dyna-Soar and the Cox Astra Glider were two different models, even though they both were given the same catalog #5085. See images below and attached cover letter/order form provided by Earl in the following thread for reference: https://forums.rocketshoppe.com/showthread.php?t=19414

The April 1970 issue of Model Rocketry Magazine: http://www.ninfinger.org/rockets/Mo...02n07_04-70.pdf , page 11 (frame 13), shows the Cox Dyna-Soar prototype model and the Saturn V that were to be introduced in late Spring 1970, but, to my knowledge, the Dyna-Soar did not ever get released. I don't believe that the Cox Saturn V launch tower was ever released either.

Later, in the released Cox Launch Control Instruction Manual, the last page (shown below) provides some additional clues on the dated release of some of the Cox model rockets. Both the Uprated Saturn 1B and the Saturn V models show availability as of June 1970. The #5085 Dyna-Soar shows an availability as of June 1970, but it never materialized.

The Cox Astra Glider was a swing wing design as seen in the Vintage Cox Model Rocketry Poster tri-fold brochure, but it also did not ever get released.

According to Earl's post https://forums.rocketshoppe.com/sho...84&postcount=16 from the https://forums.rocketshoppe.com/showthread.php?t=19414 thread, the poster and cover letter/order form were in an envelope postmarked May 1970.

Kind regards,
Jeff Jenkins
aka: Faithwalker
NAR #46879 SR

Here is an image of the Dyna-Soar, labeled as Astra Glider, on the side of the Cox Model Rocket Altitude Finder box.

Kind regards,
Jeff Jenkins
aka: Faithwalker
NAR #46879 SR

Yep--that's what the box of my Cox altitude tracker showed.

Too bad Cox didn't produce those great 18mm D8-3 and D8-0 motors longer than they did.