Soyuz Spacecraft (1967)
About the Design
Originally designed to take Soviet cosmonauts to the moon, the three-man Soyuz had all the maneuverability, docking and endurance capabilities of America's Apollo spacecraft. However, when their giant N-1 booster turned out to be a bust, the Russians altered the Soyuz's primary mission, turning it into a orbital transportation workhorse that, more than 30 years after its first launch in 1966, is still in use. Unlike the earlier Vostok, which required its cosmonauts to eject prior to landing, the Soyuz was designed to allow its crew to remain in the habitation capsule even as it "hard"-landed via parachute.
About the Kit
This is the only large-scale kit of the venerable Soyuz ever produced in injection-molded plastic. Produced in the Soviet Union in the 1980s, it shows up frequently in the U.S. through various collector networks.
This model was built from an original issue.