posted 06-25-2007 03:36 PM            

But that didn't mean I was to receive a less detailed product. What I unpacked from my double boxed and well protected mailing was a highly detailed and faithful reproduction of the Sigma 7 capsule. The Wally Schirra Astronaut figure was done up rather nicely with the connections to his suit shown accurately and the markings and colorization on his suit accounted for as expected from a very good modeler. The control panel is shown in the multi color fashion that was adopted at the time. The back of the panel that you can see is highly detailed. There's bundles of wire and associated hardware that compares favorably with any photo you can find of the original spacecraft. There is interior cabin lighting and on the control panel the camera lens where it was expected to be and rather good panel detailing for the readouts.

On the outside of the capsule there are plenty of legends that can be read very easily. In addition, the markings on the retro pack are more accurate then anything I've seen elsewhere. The retro pack can be removed so that you may replace the battery when required. The launch escape tower can be praised for all the same reasons. The tower itself can be removed to expose the drogue chute and horizon scanner compartment. Then this container can be removed from the front end to expose the parachute compartment with a removable chute. There is a video collection on the Mercury program produced by Mark Gray of Spacecraft Films that this spacecraft will compare very favorably with.

posted 06-26-2007 02:19 PM               

I had purchased my Sigma 7 model prior to the Sims & Hankow Show in San Antonio. While wandering through the vendors section, I met Jeff, who showed me the Sigma 7 model. I was glad that I purchased one. They are wonderful.

I would later purchase a Liberty Bell 7 model for a display of Liberty Bell 7 memorabilia. The spacecraft and the stand were excellent.

posted 07-01-2007 11:54 AM            

My personal opinion is that Atomic City should do a little more research and correct that error and not leave it up to the modeler to correct it for them. However even if they don't I think Jeff Teel is a good enough modeler to make any modifications that you or I might wish to have in the future.

What I would really like to have is a highly detailed manufacturer's model showing the interior and exterior of the Mercury capsule in about the same scale as Atomic City's spacecraft. Unfortunately none of there models were ever exactly correct either, at least not the ones I've seen.

posted 08-02-2007 11:03 AM               

Having said all that, only a true space nerd would ever notice the difference between the panels. There were a limited number of photos like this one taken at the time and all the panels were very similar. I started documenting the differences in the panels on my site if anyone is interested.