Trigan Interceptor

[Rhodri]

As a boy I got to read Look & Learn, wherein I was introduced to the Trigan Empire.  I ate it up, as the saying goes.  I've always wanted to build models of some of the aircraft pictured, and finally the day arrived - I had an excuse to build a Trigan Interceptor - seen here:


THE CHRONICLES OF THE TRIGAN EMPIRE
   "In the swamps of Florida a UFO crashed, sometime in the late thirties. The spaceship survived the impact. Would-be rescuers found all the crew dead and a collection of books containing the historyof an alien civilization - the chronicles of the Trigan Empire.
   "Scientists from all over the world tried to decrypt the books and after many years one of them found the way to translate the books. Thanks to this man the whole world gets to know the history of the rise and fall of the Trigan Empire."    
   
"With this introduction in the magazine Ranger "The Rise and Fall of the Trigan Empire" was introduced to the readers of 'the magazine for boys'. It was a prestigious project, for which the editor had hired two top talents.
   Michael Butterworth wrote the scenarios for this space-opera and Don Lawrence drew the artwork. It was a great combination, because thanks to their talents, the Trigan Empire became one of British most popular comic strips. "

   This kitbash is an attempt to replicate a Trigan Inteceptor.  I read this story as a boy, and so cannot remember the full details. As I recall, Darak, a pilot in the Trigan Air Force, considered himself a superior person and deserving of promotion to head of the air force.  His superiors, and especially the emperor, Trigo, disagreed.  Darak tried to kill Trigo, but failed and was captured.  Darak managed to escape, and made common cause with the barbarian tribes nearby, fanning their resentments against the Trigans.     
         He led their successful attack against the city.  With the city in the hands of his allies and himself as the power behind the new ruler, Darak sought to find and kill those who had slighted him, especially the emperor.  Trigo escaped the city by stealing an aircraft - this interceptor - but was seen by his enemies, and the alarm was raised.  Darak pursued Trigo in his own interceptor.  Darak was an ace pilot; Trigo, though a competent flier, was no expert.  However, he possessed much stonger nerves than Darak ... Was the outcome ever really in doubt?  
   
   I used a KP Suchoi Su-7BKL as the donor model.  I chopped the main wings and vertical stabilizer; added the trianguler end-plates to the wings; moved the cockpit aft to just in front of the vertical stabilizer; added a "spine".  A donor pilot was found in the spares bin and roughly painted in aTrigan (non-pilot) outfit.

This was my concept drawing - what I wanted the end product to resemble:

This is the end result ...






As you can see, I never got around to adding the cannon nozzles and blast-tubes.  Perhaps, then, this was a prototype rather than the Emperor Trigo's personal ride ... or perhaps it's both?  Anyway, I had fun making it, and I hope you enjoy the results.

Oh - and for those who want to see how the story turned out ...

[zenrat]

...thus perish all traitors.

Very good job.
My parents bought me Look and Learn because it was "educational" and not just full of cartoons.  I used to read Trigan empire, flick through the rest looking for anything about military stuff and bin it.  I'd then make Lego Trigan planes and spaceships.

Have you got any of the reprinted strips?

[The Chaos]

interesting

[Cobra]

Superb Job i once Read the Trigan Empire @ my Local Library,Great Stuff with a Superb bit of Story Telling.Any more Cool Stuff from Trigan Planned? Stay Cool Dan

[Weaver]

That's certainly a blast from the past, and it looks great! 

Y'know looking at the artwork, I wonder if that might be a suitable fate for the horrible old Hasegawa/Academy early MiG-21? Hmmm...........

I don't remember the original strips, but I do remember a hardback "collected works" volume came out years after they ended. I wanted it VERY badly but I couldn't afford it and my parents wouldn't stump up for "comic strip rubbish"...

[Rhodri]

...thus perish all traitors.

Very good job.
My parents bought me Look and Learn because it was "educational" and not just full of cartoons.  I used to read Trigan empire, flick through the rest looking for anything about military stuff and bin it.  I'd then make Lego Trigan planes and spaceships.

Have you got any of the reprinted strips?

No, unfortunately.  I did manage to read some of it on-line, some years ago.  I was working my way through sequentially, and then one day it was just gone ...  :-(

[Weaver]

There's a hardback collection of the strips available (try Amazon) but it's fairly pricey.

[Captain Canada]

Nice one ! Never heard of the story...but I can see how a kid would be all over it !

[PR19_Kit]

Never mind all the comment on the stories, you made a great job of the model! 

[The Rat]

FANTASTIC! I can remember reading that serial when Look & Learn started running it.