On October 15, 2003, the world was shocked with the Chinese launched the Shenzou-5 spacecraft into Earth orbit. Although the mission only lasted 21 hours, 22 minutes and 45 seconds, China has widely publicized the event, and the reentry capsule is shown regularly at festivals.

Trumpeter’s kit is molded in light gray styrene and features finely-engraved panel lines. The solar panels are beautiful, and the kit has a fair amount of detail given its simplicity. No decals are included with the kit, and apparently there are no markings to be replicated using them anyway.

The length of the completed vehicle is about 6 inches, but the model spans about 10.5 inches across the solar panels. The base is just under 8 inches in diameter.

This is a neat spacecraft , and one that will make a nice addition to any display involving spacecraft. And for the price, it’s well worth the money.

Review by: Rich “Lonewolf” Dula

Entry created: November 30, 2012