Second Blogday Special Report: JR21 THUNDERBIRD 2 By Correspondent Jim Lewis

"I guess for many followers of the Gerry and Sylvia Anderson shows there is one which stands above all other, THUNDERBIRDS. For collectors of the related paraphernalia the Rosenthal line of toys is a must have and as it is arguably one of Derek Meddings most stunning designs the plastic friction drive toy of Thunderbird 2 has to be owned by any self respecting enthusiast. As a child I had perhaps three or four of these over a period of almost a decade from near infancy to the age of about ten. Such was the popularity of THUNDERBIRDS and the volume in which these were produced many shops and market stalls local to me had these way into the mid 1970s.

This one above is a more recently purchased example that I added to my small but growing collection back in the early 1980s. What you see is what you get with this toy. As in the show a vehicle containing drop-down pod, in this instance a small jeep, fold down legs and of course the friction drive. This is an earlier version featuring white plastic parts, later replaced by red. Painted markings with water slide numbering as opposed to the later Letraset type text and lines and proper 'dotted' engine exhausts rather than latticed. Although some later toys offered more in terms of play value and sleek styling to me nothing says "A Gerry Anderson toy" more so than this."