In
Biggles and the Phantom Menace, James Bigglesworth, Algernon Lacey and the rest of 266 Squadron have been challenged by new and improved German fighters over the Front when a mysterious man claiming to be from the year 1986 arrives at their airfield. The man, Jim Ferguson, claims to have travelled back in time to help Biggles and Algy defeat ace pilot Manfred von Stalhein - cousin of Biggles' arch nemesis Erich - and the cunning flyers of Jasta 213 and avoid the death of our heroes in a major dogfight in three days' time.
Ferguson leads the pair to a nearby farm where, inside an old barn, is a fantastic aircraft he'd brought from the future to help them...a "jet plane" called Phantom. After fitting out the plane with spare machineguns and bomb racks from the 266 Sqn stores, and repainting it to resemble their Camels, Biggles flies the Phantom to menace the Jasta 213 airfield and force Manfred von Stalhein into a fight he cannot win...
This is the Hasegawa 1/72 F-4K of probably 1960s vintage which I bought dirt cheap online, only to find it had no exhausts. A member of another forum was kind enough to send me some - along with some other spares to upgrade it - which I decided to clone in resin and keep for another project. It's my entry for that forum's One Week GB...which finishes tomorrow!
Making it wheels-up meant a very quick build! I put in a suitably-attired pilot and painted it based on a Sopwith Camel: PC-10 uppers, Clear-doped Linen (on a Phantom?) unders, a wooden radome, silver intakes (like a Camel's metal cowling), "wood coaming" under the cockpit and rusty exhaust areas inspired by SE.5a exhausts. Bomb racks made to look like varnished wood were attached, and some bombs from a Novo Vickers Vimy and some machineguns were the sum total of construction. Then decals scavenged from the box (mostly Revel 1/72 Camel and SE.5a) rounded off the build.
Quick and not particularly pretty - and the story could do with some work - but it's completed!!! Started 11.20am yesterday, finished by 1pm today. Another kit out of the stash.
