Vostok-1 Space Rocket, Mach2 LO-013

Vostok 1 is the rocket that ushered in the era of manned spaceflight on April 12, 1961, with the flight of Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin. It was based on R-7 Semyorka family of space rockets and later modifications of R-7 are still in use with Roskosmos launching Soyuz and Prosgress spacecrafts. Sputnik-1 was also a rocket from R-7 family. The model of Vostok-1 is the longest (or tallest) model in my collection, being 54 cm high (21,2 inshces). It was produced by French Mach2 company which is known for the poor quality of its kits. This was my first (and only as of 2025) kit from Mach2 and I would say that this is true. Unfortunately, quality of molds is worse than of many short run kits manufacturers. Anyway, the kit is quite easy itself and there are no transparent parts, so I'm happy with the result. There is controversy regarding the Vostok coloring and I brush painted my one dark green, while some sources claim the rocket was grey. I haven't painted white the parts of the rocket that were covered in frost from the liquid oxygen after refueling, but you could do so if you want to show Vostok-1 ready for launch.