To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Thunderbirds, Zavvi.com is launching a Thunderbirds mystery box in conjunction with The ZBOX.
The Box contains 8 fully licensed Thunderbirds collector’s items, including 4 exclusive items. Piced at £29.99 and limited to 1,000 copies, the Box is now available to pre-order online.
Fans should hurry, as there are only 100 boxes remaining! The box begins shipping on Tuesday 15th December, just in time for Christmas.
Century 21 FX Update, Alan Shubrook’s new book charting his emotional return to Stirling Road on the Slough Trading, premieres at The Future is Fantastic! this weekend. Should fans buy it? In one word – yes! Here’s why…
The book opens with Alan taking the reader on a personal tour of Century 21’s Studios on the Slough Trading Estate. It’s a great vehicle for Alan’s wonderful memories and photos.
In fact, it’s fair to say that at times it’s a poignant, slightly uncanny reading experience. Alan explains that, even after 45 years, many tiny details that betray the building’s illustrious past have survived, and are still recognisable. There’s the original toilet and broom cupboard that was turned into a shower for the special effect unit to use – much needed after a hard day’s work blowing things up! There are markings of camera pits on the floor – now filled in with concrete – which were dug so that effects could be filmed at ground level. There’s even a trip to Gerry Anderson’s old office.
The book is also full of fascinating and slightly sad ‘then and now’ pictures that demonstrate how the building has been transformed from one of Britain’s most sophisticated film studios in the 1960s to today’s more mundane function.
Special effects director Bill Camp is a major contributor to the book. Being a long-term friend of Alan’s, he gives an exclusive interview where he talks for the first time in nearly 50 years about his memories of working at Century 21, including his work on The Secret Service and the eventual closure of the studios.
The book also works well as a visual and accessible guide to behind the scenes trivia. The ‘Who’s Who of Puppets’ explains who was responsible for creating the expressions of some our favourite characters. Top 5 biggest Bangs showcases the preparation work for some of Alan’s most dramatic explosions, including the fiery climaxes of both Thunderbirds feature films….but which one is number 1?
We defy any fan not to be excited or taken aback by some of the never-before-seen-photos on show here. It’s 80 pages of pure joy, and is a worthy ‘update’ to Alan’s hugely successful Century 21 FX book. Grab yourself a copy while you can!
Alan will be presenting his amazing photographs at The Future is Fantastic! this weekend, and will be selling copies of his book.
Alternatively, you can buy your copy of the book online at www.century21fxupdate.com
Anthea Turner joined Vivid Toy Group to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Thunderbirds this week by unveiling the original Blue Peter Tracy Island model alongside the new Interactive Tracy Island.
The beloved 1993 home-made creation led to Blue Peter being inundated with requests for an instruction leaflet, which is still available online.
The most popular “how-to” guide in Blue Peter history, Anthea Turner’s demonstration of building a replica Thunderbirds base using papier-mache and toilet paper tubes resulted in over 100,000 factsheet requests. Rumoured to having been offered £100,000 for the model, she claims she would never part with it and now keeps it in her loft!
This year represents the 3rd time Vivid Toy Group have launched Tracy Island as part of their Thundebirds toy range.
Anthea said: “It’s amazing that 50 years on Thunderbirds still has the power to engage with children and adults alike, it’s rich history remastered to a 21st century audience has only strengthened its appeal and place as an iconic British brand.”
Today marks the 50th Anniversary of Thunderbirds and here at Fanderson we have an exclusive for you!
Die-cast model makers Corgi are producing a brand new set of fantastic Thunderbirds toys to mark this special occasion (see below!), and to make things even better we’re offering you the chance to win £50 to spend at Corgi.co.uk. Simply tell us….
Which Thunderbirds character is closest to the age of 50 in the series?
Is it:
A) Lady Penelope?
B) Brains?
C) Parker?
Please email your answer along with your full name to query@fanderson.org.uk, using ‘Corgi Thunderbirds competition’ in the subject line. The closing date is noon on Wednesday 7th October.
New Thunderbirds toys from Corgi
Corgi is proud to present a new range of Thunderbirds models based on the original classic series, for both long-standing enthusiasts and a new generation of fans.
You can check out the toys below and find out more on Corgi’s website
Thunderbird 1 – standing just over 9.5cm, the model also features operational swing wings for added authenticity and play value. Along with Thunderbird 3, TB 1 features all new tooling for 2015.
Thunderbird 2 – measures over 15 cm in length with a wing span of over 10.8cm. Thunderbird 4 fits neatly inside a pod concealed within the spring loaded undercarriage.
Thunderbird 3
FAB 1 – comes complete with Lady Penelope and Parker figures, front-firing missile and rear facing rockets.
Fanderson’s eagerly awaited triple soundtrack CD of music from Captain Scarlet and The Mysterons is now available to pre-order online today!
The most comprehensive set of recordings from the series ever produced comes complete with a full-colour booklet and is presented in a special souvenir slip case. The release is limited to just 1,000 copies and is exclusive to Fanderson club members.
The CD box set will be officially premiered at The Future is Fantastic! next weekend and no copies will be available before then. However, we couldn’t prolong the wait for club members attending who wish to pre-order their copy in advance. We expect to start sending out the first orders from Thursday 8th October.
But remember, the fastest way to get your copy and to avoid the dreaded postage charge is to come along to next weekend’s convention and buy your’s in person!
PLEASE NOTE: Fanderson Sales items are only available to club members
Panini Magazines are set to publish a lavish 116-page ‘bookazine’ celebrating the 50th anniversary of Thunderbirds. Writers include former Fanderson chairman Chris Bentley, Andersonic editor Richard Farrell and Thunderbirds author Sam Denham.
Highlights include:
…and much more.
Thunderbirds: A Complete Guide to the Classic Series is edited by Marcus Hearn and designed by Mike Jones, the team behind the 50th anniversary book Thunderbirds: The Vault. “In terms of its content and scope the bookazine is very different from The Vault,” says Marcus. “The articles offer fresh perspectives on the series and we’ve uncovered some rare and previously unseen material. Fifty years is an important milestone, and it’s our aim to celebrate it in style.”
Thunderbirds: A Complete Guide to the Classic Series is available from WH Smiths and all good newsagents from 10 September, price £9.99.
Marcus and Mike will be attending Fanderson’s The Future is Fantastic convention on 3 and 4 October, where copies of the 50th anniversary publications will be available.
ITV Studios Global Entertainment has announced the release of a new classic Thunderbirds DVD set to celebrate the series’s 50th Anniversary.
The limited edition DVD set is available from 28th September and has an RRP of £39.99. Also available from the date will be the Stingray Complete Collection and Captain Scarlet Complete Collection. Details of these to follow soon! In the meantime, feast your eyes on the beautiful cover artwork for this release!
As well as all 32 episodes of the series, there’s a host of special features available, including a set of collector’s edition postcards and No Strings Attached Documentary, a documentary about the making of Thunderbirds Are Go that was presented by Reggie Yates broadcast earlier this year.
The 2015 edition of SFX maestro Steve Cage’s best-selling crime thriller, Now The Killing Starts, includes a 25-page interview with the author about how he started his career in SFX on Terrahawks. “Part 1: Working for Gerry Anderson” includes digitally-restored, never-before-seen SFX photos from Terrahawks. Part 2 of the interview carries on in Cage’s To Kill The Queen, with more photos from his work on Terrahawks and Aliens. Book 3, due out in October, also has restored Terrahawks photos of the AS4 and the World President 1, plus many other general SFX shots.
These behind-the-scenes DVD-style extras are in direct response to readers’ desire to learn more about the author.
Please note: only the paperback editions contain the extras, NOT the Kindle versions.
The titles are available from Amazon now for all fans of Terrahawks and fast-paced action-adventure!
…And just to prove that Steve hasn’t left SFX behind altogether, the exploding lorry on the front of Book 3 is a 1/16th scale miniature which he shot! Likewise the cars on the back of Now the Killing Starts. This was the only way to get just the right look for his cover!
Gerry Anderson’s official biographer Marcus Hearn has released a sumptuous new Thunderbirds book to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the series.
Thunderbirds: The Vault is a beautifully packaged hardback bursting with design sketches, production memos and specially commissioned photographs of original costumes, studio artefacts and vintage merchandise.
Compiled with the help of Fanderson’s own FAB Co-Editor Mike Jones, the book required unprecedented access to the ITV archive. It also draws upon numerous exclusive interviews with the people who made the show, including John Blundall, David Lane, Alan Perry, Shane Rimmer and Keith Shackleton!
Published by Ebury Publishing and released on 10th September, this book looks like it’s going to be a collector’s dream and is available to pre-order on Amazon now.
About the author
Marcus Hearn is the official biographer of Thunderbirds creator Gerry Anderson and author of the New York Times bestseller Doctor Who: The Vault. His other books include the award-winning The Art of Hammer, Saucy Postcards, The Avengers: A Celebration and Eight Days a Week, the story of The Beatles’ final world tour.
Marcus has written for The Times, The Guardian and The Independent, and has contributed booklet notes, audio commentaries and documentaries to nearly a hundred DVDs and Blu-rays.
He is an associate research fellow at Leicester De Montfort’s Cinema and Television History Research Centre and is the official historian of Hammer Film Productions.
A long-time supporter of Fanderson’s conventions, Marcus will be attending The Future in Fantastic! in October to sign copies of the book. Will you be there too?
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Thunderbirds, Octopus Publishing has published three special gift books in which Parker, Brains and Lady Penelope speak about their favourite topics!
In Parker’s Cars, Parker gathers together a collection of facts and figures of the greatest motors from the past 50 years, with one car for every year since the creation of the greatest car of all time – FAB1.
In Brains Explains Quantum Physics, Brains guides us through a series of seemingly complicated scientific theories and shows how quantum physics plays a central part in all our lives.
And perhaps best of all, in Lady Penelope’s Cocktails, Lady Penelope shares her top 50 Thunderbirds-inspired cocktails, as well as personal anecdotes on other characters’ favourite tipples, and which drinks were used to celebrate successful missions.
By the way, we plan to test some of these splendid cocktails at The Future is Fantastic! in October. Anyone for a Tracy Island Iced Tea…?
In the meantime…it’s Competition Time!
The lovely people at Octopus Books have given us copies of all the books to give away as prizes to Fanderson club members. To be in with a chance of winning a set of the three books, simply answer these three questions:
1) What is the formula Brains gets Braman to calculate to save the Sun Probe?
2) Which tyres are “best for speed” at Parola Sands?
3) When In Paris, what is Lady Penelope’s favourite tipple?
Send your answers to query@fanderson.org.uk and be prepared to quote your club membership number.
Good luck, and see you for that drink in October!
