Manufacturer: Matchbox
Scale: 1/72
Additional parts: Jet engines form a A-10 Model, Comuter cooling fas, addtitional parts from the spare part box
Model build: Jun-Aug 2016
GCC D28 Skyguard
Matchbox
1/72
1/72
The Last Defender
The humid Ferrol air hung heavy as Lieutenant Tamara Ramirez strapped herself into the worn leather seat of the D28 Skyguard. The decommissioned craft, a relic of Earth's early spacefaring days, was all the embattled Ferrol colonists had against the surprise attack by the Thorians.
"Six minutes of firepower, Tamara," Captain Vargas' voice crackled over the comm. "Make them count."
Tamara gritted her teeth. Six minutes against a squadron of sleek, Thorian laser fighters. The D28 felt like a rust bucket compared to their advanced technology. Yet, it was the only line of defense between the fragile Ferrol colony and complete obliteration.
Taking a deep breath, Tamara fired up the twin turbofans. The D28 shuddered, protesting the unaccustomed strain. She pushed the control stick forward, the familiar whine of the jet engines kicking in. The craft lifted sluggishly, skimming the tops of the towering Venusian ferns.
On the radar screen, the Thorians were closing in fast, crimson blips against the green. With a flick of a switch, Tamara activated the D28's last remaining edge – a salvaged Arkon energy shield. It flickered to life, a shimmering blue dome around the aircraft.
The first Thorian fighter swooped in, firing lasers. The bolts slammed into the shield, leaving streaks of burnt energy. Tamara felt the craft shudder with each hit. Time seemed to stretch as she maneuvered the D28, the outdated controls fighting her every move.
"Come on, you old bird," she muttered, desperately trying to line up a shot. The desintegrator guns felt alien in her hands, a far cry from the more modern Arkon weaponry. But they were all she had.
The opportunity arrived. A Thorian fighter momentarily broke formation. Tamara lined up the shot, her heart hammering in her chest. A surge of power, and the desintegrator spat a beam of green energy. It struck the Thorian fighter dead-on, causing the ship to erupt in a ball of fire.
The remaining Thorians screeched with fury. One of them managed to bypass the shield, its laser cutting a clean line across the D28's wing. The craft tilted sharply, smoke pouring out of the engine.
Tamara fought to regain control, sweat stinging her eyes. The remaining energy cell sputtered on, the desintegrator lights flickering. Seeing her desperation, one of the Thorians charged in for the kill.
With a desperate yell, Tamara fired the desintegrator. The beam, weak and erratic, struck the Thorian fighter just as it fired its lasers. Both ships were engulfed in a blinding flash.
Silence descended. The crippled D28 limped back towards the colony, a trail of smoke marking its path. Tamara looked out the cracked cockpit window. Below, the colonists were pouring out of their shelters, cheering her return. The lone D28, a relic from a bygone era, had become their unlikely savior.
As the D28 settled onto the colony landing pad, the survivors rushed towards it. Tamara emerged, weak and battered, but with a defiant smile. Today, the outdated D28 had shown its worth, proving that even in the face of overwhelming odds, courage and ingenuity could still win the day. The legend of the D28 Skyguard, the last defender of Ferrol, had just begun.
Background:
In June 1971, the STARDUST commanded by Major Perry Rhodan did the first landing on the Mun. There, an alien spaceship, the AETRON was discovered, manned by human like Arkoniden.
Together with the Arkoniden, Perry Rhodan returned to Earth, united humainty an lead the humans into space....
The story is history now and is described in the SF-series "Perry Rhodan" which is published weekly since 1961, approcheing volume 2900 now. (www.perry-rhodan.net)
Shortly after his return to Earth, the Genral Cosmic Company was founded by Homer G. Adams to sell Arkon-Technology on earth to create the financial background for Perry Rhodans operations.
However, even if the GCC could access Arkon technology, it was looking for technological parters to combine human and alien technology to cut down investment costs. (This was never mentioned in the series, but it was always an open secret).
The Plane:
The GCC D28 Skyguard is the result of such an cooperation. When planning a light air police vehicle that was not depending on Arkon anti-gravitation technology, a fan powered solution was selected.
The fans were capable for vertial take off and landing while forward propulsion was done by two jet engines. So for GCC standards, this was a very "low-tech" vehicle. The GCC D28 was fitted with two light desintegrator guns whose energy cells were capable of providing 6 minutes of fire power.
The cell of the D28 was based on the Dornier Do 28, whose production run out in the early 1970s, the former passenger cabin had enough space to store fuel tanks and energy cells for the D28.
It is not clear how many of those vehicles were build, but surviving documents indicates that it was between 400-500.
By the year 2000, Arkon technology got so common on Earth that almost all aircraft were using anti-gravety technology instead of aerodynamics.
The D28 was mainly used on Earth until the 1990s. A few of them were stationed on Venus but the huge jungles there were not the ideal operation area for those crafts.
A small number was even on the GCC subsidiary on Ferrol on the Vega System then it was established there in the mid 70s.
The model is mainly based on the 1/72 scale Matchbox Dornier 28 (which is not really surprising). The backward jet engines ware taken from a A10 model. The desintegrator guns are taken from a Stuka kit and the landing gear is form a 1:144 scale B29 bomber.
Other smaller parts are from the spare part box. The "fans" are some simple computer fans.
Everything is airbrushed with Revell Aqua Color and the decals are taken form the spare part box - a wild mixture of Japanese, Russian, Luftwaffe and US Navy ones.
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