THUNDERBIRD 7 AKA BEETLE AKA SNOW TRAIN

Snow Train ( aka Beetle and Thunderbird 7) in Century 21 Books 1967– top picture - like the Sand Flea, this is a paper model in a card/ paper Make a Model Book of 2 vehicles, the other being the Hover Tank. Looks like a Snowcat with a train carriage attached to it, running on caterpillar tracks with a snowplough at the front of the craft. The front cover picture is of an orange – coloured Snow train, although the card model is light brown. The accompanying storyline is called Blood Ties, featuring both the Snow Train and the Hover Tank. The Model book is coded SW1.This is proper Sword – its origin lies in the Annual where its called the Beetle, taking centre stage on a double page spread across pages 4 and 5. The Beetle is the focus of a colour strip up to page 13. On page 11 we see for the first time how the Beetle is transformed into what later became known as Thunderbird 7 through a rolled Heatshield. This gives the craft a worm like appearance, best seen on page 12 of the Annual.

Thunderbird 7 by Imai - kit box art, instructions and leaflet all pictured above – is a plastic model kit of the Heatshielded Beetle. A smallish yellow plastic kit that is remote controlled, although the motor is not supplied. The top of the craft flips open to reveal a rocket launcher. Caterpillar tracks finish off the kit. The box art is of two T7’s , one firing rockets, one driving off, along with Thunderbird 2 pulling away from its open pod on the ground. All this happens on a beach with a wild sea in the background. Thunderbird 7 is clearly a T2 Pod vehicle in this incarnation.True Sword – but it has no Sword emblems at all. It is the only cross- over craft into the main Anderson brand- name of Thunderbirds ( although Zero X obviously spans both Sword and TB’s). See 'Beetle' in the Checklist for the Annual story origin. Dated 1972

Keen-eyed superfan WOTAN has spotted that the missile being fired by TB7 is no less than a Project Sword Booster Rocket!