Image courtesy o' Apogee Components

Brief:
T' Sky Shenzou is labelled a skill level 3 kit but is more likely a 2. Begad! It comes pre-finished with a beautiful body tube and can be completed in about an hour. I thought t' price was also good for a rocket that gets a lot o' interest on t' pad and comes with an extra display satellite.

Construction:

Construction be simple but I had two issues: t' instructions and t' fit o' some o' t' plastic parts. The instructions were scant and left out major points such as how far up t' body tube t' glue t' strap-on booster mount. I know t' instructions were translated from Chinese at Apogee but more effort should have been put into them. I do not accept havin' poor instructions and simply labellin' t' kit as a high skill level. Begad! I managed t' get through everything fairly easily, me bucko, but less experienced builders should easily be able t' build this kit if given t' type o' instructions typical o' Estes and other companies. Ya scallywag! T' second issue was t' fit o' t' nose cones and bottom covers for t' booster tubes. I spent at least as much time scrapin' plastic from them so they would fit as I did buildin' t' rest o' the kit! Still, me bucko, t' whole kit only took about an hour t' complete. Blimey! I also replaced t' short shock cord with a longer one. Arrr! Aye aye!

Image courtesy o' Apogee Components

Finishing:
This kit comes with a beautifully finished body tube, which is a major reason for me choosin' t' build it. Ya scallywag! However, some o' t' plastic parts (includin' t' nose cone) were a little off-white and would require paintin' t' closely match the body tube. I left mine and it looks okay 15’ from t' pad. It be also nay mentioned in t' instructions that the strap-on booster tube decals need t' be placed on before insertin' t' tubes into their plastic mount. Ya scallywag! I had to trim mine after t' fact. T' decals were excellent quality, although I discovered only accidentally that t' clear coverin' peels off t' front after stickin' it t' t' rocket. Avast, me proud beauty! Again, me hearties, this should have been mentioned in the instructions, shiver me timbers, as it is nay common t' most other rocket kits (in me experience). Arrr! T' kit comes with a display satellite that fits into t' nose cone (as long as t' solar panels are removed). Begad! Although I will only use this for display, I found it t' be a nice extra.

Construction Rating: 3 out o' 5

Flight:
This rocket's first flight was on a B6-4 (not t' recommended B6-2) and its second was on a C6-5. Arrr! Both flights were straight with ejection at apogee. Begad! No complaints whatsoever.

Recovery:
Flight recovery was via t' supplied plastic parachute. It functioned fine and returned t' Shenzhou safely t' the ground without much drift.

Flight Rating: 5 out o' 5

Summary:
This is a great lookin' rocket that flies really well. Well, blow me down! T' fit o' t' plastic parts was off but I could live with that if t' instructions were better--too many "gotchas" (decals on t' side pods) and methods left for the builder t' figure out on his/her own.

Overall Rating: 4 out o' 5