Author: Parker

Join the team as FAB Express editor

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The Fanderson Committee is looking for a club member to join them and manage the production of our club magazine – FAB Express. Could it be you?

We originally advertised this position in early-summer and interviewed the shortlisted candidates. Unfortunately, a change in personal circumstances means that the successful candidate cannot now take up the position. Therefore, for fairness to all involved (including new members) we are re-advertising now in the hope of finding that great new addition to the Fanderson team.

We currently mail a magazine three times a year, containing the latest news, correspondence and other features for club members. The magazine format changed to FAB Express in 2023 as part of our overhaul of the membership package. Two years on, with the magazine settled in but also with a wealth of suggestions from our recent membership survey, we need someone new to take the magazine on and bring their own ideas in order to make their mark.

You don’t need to be a graphic designer, as the successful applicant will work with our designer to produce the final magazine. What you do need is the ability to gather information and/or encourage input from club members in order to provide the designer with text files and (where possible) suitable accompanying photos/illustrations. You do need a good command of the written English language as composition, spelling and grammar are obviously important.

What do you get in return? Like all committee positions this role is voluntary, so unpaid but you will become part of the successful team and bring your experience and advice to everything the club does (including beyond this role’s responsibilities). You’ll gain experience of working in a team, and share our pride in running one of the longest established TV/film fan clubs in the world.

If you think you might fit the bill please write to us by Monday 20thOctober 2025 at fanderson.org.uk@outlook.com with details of your experience and aspirations. Be confident in explaining why you’re the right person for the job, and all the great things you’ll bring to the role. We aim to shortlist candidates for online interview in early November, with a view to starting work on FAB Express 112 in early 2026.

Vote for our 2025/6 charity of the year

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It’s time to vote for the charity you’d like us to support for 2025/6.

Thanks to all Fanderson members who nominated a charity for us to support in 2025/6. Many of the charities have been suggested due to a personal connection to members.

Now, we need you to vote (from the shortlist of nominations) for the charity you’d like the club to support for the coming year. You can find out more about each nominated charity by clicking on the links below:

  • Medicinema, which provides cinema experiences inside hospitals to support the emotional, physical and mental health of patients
  • Mind, which supports people with mental health problems, raises awareness and campaigns for change
  • MNDa, which supports those with motor neurone disease (MND) and Kennedy’s disease
  • Prostate Cancer UK, which informs men of their risk of prostate cancer, and what they can do about it, investing in testing, treatment and support
  • RNLI, which saves lives at sea
  • Roald Dahl’s Marvellous Children’s Charity, which provides nurses and support for seriously ill children

Then click here to cast your vote, by 20th October 2025.

Fanderson members can be rightly proud of the donations we’ve made to charities. Over the club’s 44 years you’ve dug deep and over £60,000 has been donated to a variety of good causes, including Actors’ Benevolent Fund, Alzheimers Society, Baby Lifeline, Children In Need, Demelza, Diabetes UK, The Film And TV Charity, Guide Dogs For The Blind, Hearing Dogs For Deaf People, Macmillan Cancer Support, Orchid, Silverline, Terrence Higgins Trust, Wallace and Gromit’s Grand Appeal and many more.

The Future Was Then exhibition at The Cartoon Museum

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An exhibition of over 80 pages of original comic art that tell stories about the future of the human race from 1990 to 4000 AD.

This new exhibition at The Carton Museum, The Future Was Then, includes original work from iconic futuristic worlds such as Tank Girl, Judge Dredd, Black Mirror, Buck Rogers and Thunderbirds, and original artwork by legendary artists such as Jamie Hewlett, Frank Bellamy and Sydney Jordan. Science fiction and dystopian comics give us possible visions of Earth’s future, imagining what may be in store for humanity. Will hope triumph, with space rangers taking to the cosmos to explore new worlds? Or will fear set in, with futuristic authoritarian regimes taking hold?

What did comic creators in the past think the future would look like?

Science fiction is a cornerstone genre of comics. The limitless budget offered by a blank page allows artists to create incredible, detailed worlds before our eyes.

Over the past hundred years artists have conjured visions of future police states, intergalactic travel, everyday cybernetic technology, humans leaving Earth and even – gasp – humans using computers on a daily basis. Many creators are influenced by the world around them as they create, leaving imprints of their modern-day in their future worlds. We will explore this in the exhibition through never-before-displayed items from Phoo Action by Jamie Hewlett & Mat Wakeham – a vision of 2004 rooted in the mid-nineties, and a precursor to Hewlett’s later work on Gorillaz.

Have any predictions of the future been right?

Creators have explored ideas and visions of the future for over a hundred years in art and comics and have often been influenced by the events that they are living through at the time. Sometimes you can see how this changes an artist’s ideas in real time – for instance, as probes sent out across the solar system discovered our closest neighbours were uninhabited, artists moved away from fantastical space beasts living on Mars towards uninhabited planets being colonised, or fantastical travel in other universes.

Occasionally visions of the future come true. More often they don’t! Either way, comics give us a way to consider threats and opportunities for the human race, and engage with ideas about our own future.

The Future Was Then opens this Saturday, 4th

Monochrome marvels in October’s FAB Monthly offer!

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Monochrome marvels in October’s FAB Monthly offer!

Thanks to our monthly offers, more members are discovering the club’s FAB magazine and telling us “It’s an amazing magazine” or “I never knew how much there is in each issue”. Although a large number of members have been with Fanderson for years, and so may have received FAB as part of their membership package, there’s a significant number who have joined since.

To encourage that latter group to take a punt on ordering some copies, our monthly series of discounts are focussed on a specific series. For October, it’s the turn of magazines featuring monochrome favourites Supercar and/or Fireball XL5. Since we started these monthly offers in January, quite a few issues have sold out. Get your order in now as stock on many issues is quite low – don’t miss out!

Buy any five or more issues of FAB magazine that contain Supercar and/or Fireball XL5 content (conveniently, you can see them all by clicking on Supercar or Fireball XL5) in one transaction, apply the coupon code FAB-OCT-MARVELS at checkout, and you’ll get a whopping 50% off those issues.

Thunderbirds 60 Years at Slough Museum

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Third great FREE Thunderbirds event opens 4th October

Following hot on the heels of their successful Thunderbirds Memories Weekend in 2024 and The Art Of Thunderbirds earlier this year, Slough Museum is staging its third free event for Thunderbirds fans.

Masterminded by Fanderson member Sam Denham, who has again worked with the staff and volunteers at the museum in the heart of the Slough Trading Estate, where Thunderbirds was produced. The Thunderbirds 60 Years exhibition will celebrate the series by looking at the production and design, models and puppets, and will take a peek behind the scenes. It opens on 4th/5th October (10:00-16:00 both days), then every Friday 11:00-1600 and Saturday 10:00-14:00 until 20th December 2025.

Full details are on the event flyer, here.

Slough Museum Trust was founded in 1982 by a group of local people who wanted to create a museum to share knowledge about local and general history, topography and archaeology of Slough and surrounding districts. Their mission today is to build a sense of pride in Slough. They develop imaginative and inclusive projects and displays and encourage people to share their stories and knowledge of Slough as a place of pioneers and innovators. It is the only organisation in Slough that has a remit to collect, conserve and communicate the town’s heritage. They explore and celebrate Slough’s past, present and future.

New pink chrome FAB 1 from Scalextric!

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To celebrate 60 years of Thunderbirds, Scalextric has given Lady Penelope’s iconic FAB 1 a dazzling new look. This special edition model comes in a striking chrome pink finish, making it a true collector’s piece.

Complete with all the classic details, from the six wheel design to Parker at the wheel, this FAB 1 is ready to take pride of place in any collection. Whether you’re a lifelong Thunderbirds fan or a Scalextric collector, this anniversary edition is a must have.

Great offers with new merchandise!

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We’ve got great offers with our two new merchandise items, available to pre-order today (stock expected 13th October)!

Buy the new Captain Scarlet Vs The Mysterons double-CD in the same transaction as Super Space Theater book and art prints, apply coupon code ScarletSST at checkout before paying, and get 30% off the book.

Buy Doppelgänger picture cards in the same transaction as both of our Space:1999 Year Two and The Future Is Fantastic! picture cards sets, apply coupon code DoppCARDS at checkout before paying, and get 30% off the the latter two sets.

Buy Doppelgänger picture cards in the same transaction as our Doppelgänger soundtrack album, apply coupon code DoppCD at checkout before paying, and get 10% off the soundtrack.

All offers close on 31st October 2025.

OFFER TERMS AND CONDITIONS (in addition to our standing Ts&Cs)

  • This offer is for Fanderson members only.
  • Members must buy both all items detailed in the same transaction.
  • Apply the coupon code(s) before you pay to get the discount. You can use more than one code in the same transaction
  • Members must apply the coupon code themselves to get the discount. It cannot be applied after you have paid, and we cannot apply it retroactively.
  • This is an online-only offer. It cannot be redeemed via the post.
  • Offer ends 31st October 2025

[UPDATED] Merchandise mailings to USA (World zone 3) restarted

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UPDATED 21/10/25

We are now able to resume the mailing of merchandise orders to the USA (postage zone World 3). Prices have been adjusted to reflect the additional Postal Delivery Duties Paid (PDDP) service now in place.

The Post Office recommends that orders are sent using the International Tracked/Signed option, so please add this to your basket before checkout.

We will not be able to claim compensation for any orders mailed not using this option that are not delivered, and so will not be able to replace any lost items.

UPDATED 10/9/25

We have had to suspend orders of our merchandise to the USA (postage option W3). As Royal Mail get to grips with the realities of posting items to the USA, they are having to frequently change the processes and prices they are charging. Therefore, until the matter settles down, we are suspended all postage option W3 orders.

Membership renewals are NOT AFFECTED, as we believe the situation will have stabilised by the time of our winter mailing.

World 3 price option now live for members in the USA

On 30th July 2025, the United States government announced an Executive Order which outlined significant changes to the customs requirements and processes for goods being imported into the USA from 29th August 2025. You can read more here.

A key element is the removal of duty-free for low value items. Previously, items valued at less than $800 could enter the USA without having to pay customs duties. Now, these import tariffs (duties) must be paid on top of the postage you already pay.

We had already planned to introduce a ‘World 3’ price structure for members in the USA from our winter mailing, but have no option than to bring this forward, to take into account this unforeseen new duty. With over 400 items in our online catalogue, it will take a little time for us to introduce World 3 to all products, so please bear with us.

With immediate effect, members in the USA must choose the W3 (World 3) option (where available) when ordering from us.

[UPDATED] Growing up with Thunderbirds

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Dee Anderson is embarking on a tour of the UK, sharing her memories of ‘growing up with Thunderbirds‘

As the daughter of Sylvia and Gerry Anderson, Dee Anderson, lived and breathed the magic of Thunderbirds and all the other Supermarionation programmes as a child. In this show, Dee presents a heartfelt tribute to the boundless imagination and thrilling adventures that defined a generation.

Gerry and Sylvia’s extraordinary legacy comes to life on stage like never before, inviting you into the world of a child who grew up with Thunderbirds. In her words “It was simply FAB!”

Dates/venues being added as confirmed and tickets become available:

A Celebration of Sci-fi Toys and Collectibles at Museum Of Brands

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Childhood memories return in major exhibition of Thunderbirds and Space:1999 collectables

The Museum of Brands is proud to announce the opening of “Thunderbirds & Space:1999 – a Celebration of Sci-fi Toys and Collectibles“. This special exhibition marking the anniversaries of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s seminal shows Thunderbirds and Space:1999. The displays celebrate the enduring legacy of the Andersons’ iconic television shows through the toys, games, comics and memorabilia that captured the imagination of generations. The exhibition is co-curated by acclaimed designer, Thunderbirds superfan and Fanderson member Malcolm Garrett MBE, and the Museum of Brands.

“These weren’t just toys,” explains exhibition co-curator Alice Kain “For children of the 60s and 70s, these objects were the connectors to the Andersons’ futuristic worlds. Each figure, board game and annual represents hours of imaginative play where ordinary bedrooms could be transformed into International Rescue headquarters or Moonbase Alpha.”

The exhibition features over 400 carefully preserved items, many on public display for the first time. Objects have been loaned from the Robert Opie collection and several private collectors who have treasured these pieces for decades. The exhibition showcases an unprecedented display of Anderson collectables from major TV shows including Thunderbirds, Stingray, Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons, Supercar, Fireball XL5, UFO and Space:1999.

Highlights include die-cast Dinky Toys vehicles (still with their packaging), rare promotional items from confectionery tie-ins, original sets of cherished annuals and comics, vintage jigsaws and board games that brought the shows into family homes.

Malcolm Garrett, curator of The Malcolm Garrett Collection, said: “My earliest memory of Gerry Anderson’s remarkable TV shows is watching Supercar when I was just five or six years old. My first toy was a red plastic Supercar with clear roof and yellow pullout wings, which I played with endlessly. I was an avid follower of all things Anderson from then on, subscribing to TV21 comic when it was launched in 1965, just ahead of Thunderbirds first broadcast, and demanding my parents bought all the Dinky toys for me. It was perhaps inevitable that much later I began to collect all those toys, annuals and books that I had either owned as a child, or wished I had. To be able to loan them now to this very special exhibition is something I couldn’t have dreamed of.”

The Museum Of Brands is at 111 – 117 Lancaster Road, Notting Hill, London W11 1QT.