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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images below to see larger images
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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.
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images below to see larger images
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