1/72 Trumpeter Shenzhou

Chinese Spacecraft

Model by Steve Sliger Photos by Robert 'Bud' Sliger

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Here is my Trumpeter Shenzhou Chinese Spacecraft.  I built this kit out of the box at the start but soon realized that with the ill fit and the results of cleaning up of the seams, that something more was needed.  To fix my problem, I decided to cover the exterior of the models three modules (Orbital, Recovery, and Service Modules) with thin aluminum foil, which also represents the thermal insulation blankets found on the real spacecraft.  I also drilled out the nozzles on all the smaller thrusters.  You have to be careful with these little guys as they are easy to loose but I managed to find the one I dropped on the floor.

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I used Model Master paints with color advice from the knowledgeable modelers on the Space Modelers Group (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/space-modelers/messages ).  I also got excellent advice from them on how to paint the solar panels too.  Thanks guys!

When I built the kit, I did not have any pictures of the actual Shenzhou 5 spacecraft, so that is why there a Shenzhou 5 mission patch on the base.  Later, after seeing pictures of the actual flight hardware, did I realize that my kit depicted an earlier unmanned mission. Oh well, that is how it goes in Real Space Modeling folks!

The final touches added were a Chinese flag that I copy reduced from the decal sheet from DML's 1/48 Shenzhou/Long March booster kit.  I drilled a hole in the bottom of the Service Module and glued a short length of brass tubing into it.  I then glued a slightly larger diameter piece of brass tubing (one that would allow the smaller one on the model to slip into) in a hole I drilled in the wooden base.  For the base, I used a small wood plaque.  I used a clear plastic CD case (cut to fit) to cover the mission patch, which is held in place with 4 small wood screws.

On another note, I am going to build an accurate model of the Shenzhou 5 spacecraft.  Lucky for me, Glenn Johnson of RealSpace Models (www.realspacemodels.com) has just released a 1/48 multimedia kit.  Hopefully when I find the time to build his excellent kit, I will post pictures here.

Anyway, I hope you like my work.

Steve

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Text © by Steve Sliger  Photos © by Robert Sliger