Will's Weekend Thunderbirds Magazine Article

Hi Woodsy.

Just got this article from Weekend magazine, from January 1966. Some nice pictures.

Will O

BILL'S ROTOMATIC CHRISTMAS

Image: Bill Everatt

Hi Woodsy

Attached is a photo of me in my Thunderbirds IR uniform complete with Rotomatic Gun.

It was taken on Christmas Morning 1966.

As the gun habitually leaked so badly, it had to be emptied and dried otherwise I'd have a wet patch not just on the holster but around my unmentionables too!

It's difficult to see, but if you zoom in on the picture, you can possibly make out that it was not JR21.

I was impressed then, and am still impressed now, how accurate it was to the actual IR guns. Especially in comparison to the JR21 TB5, or the friction drives of TB1 to TB3.

But we were children then.

FAB.

Bill Ev.

UK

THUNDERBIRDS PLACES AND A CENTURY 21 TOYS TRACY CHRISTMAS

Here's the Fabulous Locations of Thunderbirds as appearing on the Never Was site. Enjoy whilst eating your mince pie!

https://neverwasmag.com/2019/11/the-fabulous-locations-of-thunderbirds/

and for that real Tracy Island JR21 Christmas Eve vibe then sit back for a few minutes with a sherry and be part of Give or Take a Million ang oggle at the vintage toys with Barry Gray's music remastered by DantheMan.

THOSE SPECIAL THINGS IN THE THUNDERBIRDS OPENING

 I was watching a modern Thunderbirds Are Go episode with my Grandson Junior and Granddaughter Miss the other day and they were both excited and laughing about something that would happen in the opening.

Turns out it was the flying back of the sunloungers round the pool as TB1 ascends! They were howling when it happened.

Here are those sliding sunloungers so you can see for yourselves! It is quite funny!

It reminded me completely of how I always waited with baited breath for something similar when I was a kid watching the original Thunderbirds opening and looking out for a particular .... flame!

Its the single final lick of flame at the end that more or less erupts from the letter A in Supermarionation. Once I'd seen it I could relax into the programme proper!

Did you have any special moments in Thunderbirds or indeed any other TV show readers?

WITHOUT A TRACY: ARTO'S MYSTERY ALAN TRACY GLOVE PUPPET

Arto recently sent in pics of his addition to Helsinki Base, a Thunderbirds glove puppet.

Arto says surprisingly its not listed in Dennis Nicholson's Andersonalia bible and so thought it might be of interest.

It reads Made in Gt Britain (c) 1966 at the base of the neck, but no maker. There may have been a label inside the uniform, but not anymore.

Anyone any ideas?

KEVIN'S DAY OF DISASTER THUNDERBIRDS ROCKET FROM SCRATCH

Not having the space to build a studio scale one, I've made this little, 20cm scratchbuild of the rocket transporter from the Thunderbirds episode Day of Disaster.

Small progress,

Kevin

UK

KEVIN'S SCRATCHBUILT THUNDERBIRD 1: F.A.B!

Courtesy of Kevin D

UK

Enjoy!

ITS CRACKERS!

RE: your McQuarrie windfall: Hi Woodsy, Bought a boxed Britains gun today. When I opened the box , I found these inside! What a nice surprise! I think they must be the ones from Tom Smith Christmas crackers. 

All the best. 

Will O.

UK

Airfix Kits in Thunderbirds on You Tube

Here is another video from Matteline 1967, looking at various kits, mainly by Airfix, and how the parts were used on various vehicles and buildings in Thunderbirds.

Most of the kits are from the Airfix Trackside range, such as the Footbridge, Travelling Crane, railway Signal Gantry, and others; along with the SR.N1 Hovercraft. There are also a few US kits by Revell and AMT.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN77RPBVUjY&t=19s

Paul Adams from New Zealand

Thunderbirds in the Garden by Orbital Wings

I've blogged it afore but I do like Orbital Wings' homage to Thunderbirds so much that here it is again. Its so well done!

Hope you like it too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-WpjA8F_RE

Mountain of Doom Short Thunderbird 2 Movie

 Having been a proper film bodger about 15 years ago using toys as props in the garden I love simple home made movies that flow well and capture the moment.

Here's a TB2 one from You Tube I've not seen until today, sodorsNWRsteam's Mountain of Doom. 

I love it. You?

https://youtu.be/j3gUDqyH6Uk

Arto's Favourite Thunderbirds Picture!

 By Valentine's, Dundee 1966!

WILL OSBORNE'S CRESCENT THUNDERBIRDS RIFLE AD

Hi, here's a slightly better picture of the thunderbirds rifle advert.

Will O

UK

Anyone got one?

THUNDERBIRDS ROBOT. REALLY?

Here's a Getty Images picture that intrigued me.

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/news-photo/puppet-from-thunderbirds-television-series-which-was-shown-news-photo/90756549

That's a Thunderbirds robot! Its a new one on me but I imagine you may know about it readers. I'm hoping so!

SIGNORA PENELOPE

Here's a 1967 copy of a Spanish magazine called Triunfo [Triumph]. The cover shows a panel with Lady Penelope and Thunderbird 1 entitled Television Space Puppets.

Thunderbirds was a global phenomenon!

Did you see it outside the UK?

JUST WHAT IS THIS FABULOUS THUNDERBIRD 1 TOY?

This Japanese toy is simply stunning, a working toy Thunderbird 1 launch bay! I mean damn! Anyone know what it is?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p9ui4DP-aTA

Is it the TB1 part of this magnificent working model?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dizatmUphcY

POD BAY PERFECTION

This is simply marvellous! From japan, its a moving model of the Thunderbirds pod bay and I'm in awe! How is it done?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dq1BGCN7ZhA

1967 DUTCH THUNDERBIRDS GAME BY JUMBO

This caught my eye on Vintage Man Stuff and something I'd not seen before.

A 1967 Thunderbirds board game with 6 grey plastic helmeted figures (6.5 cm high)

What are those figures?

The instructions are in French and Dutch. There is a Jumbo shaped quality card.

Have you got this game?

THUNDERBIRDS GUMMED PAPERCRAFT: THUNDERBIRD GLUE

 This is the sort of Thunderbirds set I would have had as a kid but I just don't recall, dammit.

Gummed Papercraft, which I saw on auction so saved the images a while back.

The thought of cutting out gummed pictures of Thunderbird 2 and sticking them down in a scrapbook is even now supremely appealing. You even got scissors and a sponge!

Did you have this set?

There can't be many around intact.

COULD THUNDERBIRDS RESCUE FROM EXTREME DEPTHS?

I often wonder if the combined efforts of Project SWORD and SpaceX could tackle stuff like Thunderbirds did.

I got to thinking about deep places, really deep places like these pictured, two of the deepest places on Earth: The Gates of Hell and the Great Blue Hole, according to Conde Nest Traveller.

By way of aquatic power there isn't that much in the SWORD SpaceX fleet to be honest. Maybe SWORD's Scout 1 could plumb the Great Blue Hole?

As for the fiery Gates of Hell what about the SpaceX MOLAB? Maybe even the SWORD Snow Train in its shielded mode?

Is there a better toy range that could tackle extreme depth? Multimac? Explorer 12?

How would Thunderbirds have dealt with the deep?

What do you think?