Thunderbirds

FAB Book Of Free Gifts… with a free gift!

Posted on by Parker

Lucky for some – our 13th FAB Book Of… comes with its own free gift – a reproduction Captain Scarlet file from TV21!

The FAB Book Of… series has been incredibly popular since the book of Dinky toys started it way back in 2010.

Now, we’re delighted that the 13th book is being added to the series – the FAB Book Of… Free Gifts And Promotions. This new 60-page book takes a look at all the wonderful gifts that were given away in comics such as TV21, Lady Penelope and Countdown. For many of us, this will be our only chance to see some of these items – as giveaways, many weren’t designed to last for long, or were simply thrown away after a short while. This book features not just the gifts themselves but also the comics they were offered in, as well as advertising in other publications.

Our new book comes with a free gift of its own – a reproduction of the Captain Scarlet file originally given away with TV21 issue 155.

Click here to order your copy now!

Don’t forget, although Sweet Cigarette Cards Volume 2 has sold out, we still have 11 other titles in the series available. Buy any three or more in the same transaction (excluding Free Gift And Promotions) and you’ll get 20% off! And we still have stock of FAB Books binders to keep your books safely in.

Free weekend celebrating The Art Of Thunderbirds

Posted on by Parker

Free weekend celebrating the art and design of Thunderbirds

As a follow-up to last year’s very successful Thunderbirds Memories Weekend, Slough Museum is staging another free weekend for fans of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s landmark series, filmed just up the road on the Slough Trading Estate. The Art Of Thunderbirds will feature artwork, models and puppets showcasing the groundbreaking visual design created for the series.

The Art Of Thunderbirds will be open 10:00-16:00 at Slough Museum, 72 Buckingham Avenue, Slough, SL1 4PN on 7th and 8th June 2025. For more information please contact info@sloughmuseum.co.uk

[UPDATED] Growing up with Thunderbirds

Posted on by Parker

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:

London, 12th May Phoenix Arts Club
Pudsey, Yorkshire, 29th June The Old Woollen
Great Yarmouth, 25th July St George’s Theatre
New Milton, Hampshire, 30th August Forest Arts Centre
London, 30th November The Cinema Museum
Aldershot, TBA West End Centre

Bonus Captain Scarlet 7″ vinyl with Electronic Sound magazine

Posted on by Parker

Accompanying issue 124 Of Electronic Sound magazine is a 7″ vinyl disc of Barry Gray Music

Captain Scarlet’s on the cover and inside the magazine there’s a deep dive into the music of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s sci-fi TV shows, much of it the work of cult British composer Barry Gray. Gerry and Sylvia produced some of the most exciting children’s television of the 1960s and 1970s, and Barry Gray’s music, which was initially orchestral but later increasingly electronic, was crucial to the success of them all. The former RAF pilot was responsible for the sonic magic of both the Andersons’ puppet shows and their live action dramas like UFO and Space:1999.

Accompanying the magazine is a cool white vinyl EP featuring six musical excerpts from three of the Andersons’ shows:

  • side A ‘Spectrum Of Sound’ is dedicated to Captain Scarlet and The Mysterons, starting with the footsteps and gunfire of the opening credits, before sliding into the eerie The Power Of The Mysterons and ending with the memorable main theme.
  • side B has the theme tunes of both Thunderbirds and UFO, plus a dramatic incidental segment from Thunderbirds called Heading For The Sun.

See more and order your magazine and/or disc here.

 

 

Thunderbirds are go, go, go, go, go, go!

Posted on by Parker

Get your fill of Thunderbirds by the beach this summer!

For the fourth year running, Fanderson is the proud sponsor of the Anderson On Film presentations as part of the Southend Film Festival, enabling fans to enjoy Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s work together this summer!

In this digital world it’s easy to watch programmes on your phone, to stream, or even to watch from DVD or Blu-ray Disc. But this summer Anderson fans can share that collective experience of watching programmes (in their original aspect ratio, with original soundtrack) with fellow fans, thanks to the Southend Film Festival!

  • Wednesday 28th May from 19:00:
    • 1967 feature film Thunderbird 6
    • Thunderbirds Sunprobe as a supporting feature
  • Sunday 8th June from 17:00 – four TV versions of Thunderbirds:
    • the 1965 original Thunderbirds The Perils Of Penelope
    • ITC’s much under-rated 1982 adaptation of Scientific Rescue Team Technoboyger – Thunderbirds 2086 UFO
    • ITV and Pukeko Pictures’ 2015 remake Thunderbirds Are Go Falling Skies
    • the Kickstarter-financed Thunderbirds The Abominable Snowman

All programmes are being screened in their original aspect ratios and with the original soundtracks. Event organiser and Fanderson member Mark Joseph is bound to pop a few unexpected surprises into the programmes too!

The popular Southend Film Festival has been running for sixteen years in venues around Southend, Essex. The festival’s patrons are actors Ray Winstone, Vicki Michelle, Phil Davis and Tony Denham, and you can see all about it at www.southendfilmfestival.com.

Fanderson is delighted to be able to support fan-organised events such as this. If you need help or support with your Anderson event, please drop us a line at fanderson.org.uk@outlook.com.

Take part in a Thunderbirds virtual race

Posted on by Parker

Join the virtual Thunderbirds race!

Ace Races is offering a range of licensed virtual races in which you’ll get an exclusive Thunderbirds medal on completion, plus the opportunity to buy other official merchandise.

Take part in this special race by choosing either 5km, 10km, half marathon (21km) or marathon (42km) to earn your collectors medal and pin badge in the post. You can complete the distance any way you choose such as walking, running, cycling, rowing, swimming and so much more meaning the whole family can take part! After submitting your results, Ace Races will send your exclusive medal and pin badge to you.

Click here to sign up for a race and see the associated merchandise.

Get ready Canada – your FAB Annuals will soon be on their way!

Posted on by Parker

We’re getting FAB Annual 2025 ready to mail to club members in Canada

Fanderson members in Canada will be aware that we chose not to mail their FAB Annuals in December along with everyone else, due to the effects of the postal strike there. Although the strike was resolved a while ago, we were advised to wait until the huge backlog of post had been cleared and services were back to normal. Canada Post suggested that we should steer clear of January, so we’ll start mailing again to Canada in the next few days, and catch up with FAB Annuals to those who are owed them as part of their club membership.

New Thunderbirds toys from Corgi

Posted on by Parker

Thunderbirds are go for Corgi this spring.

Die-cast manufacturer Corgi has announced a new and updated range of Thunderbirds toys to supplement their Stingray, SPV and Angel Interceptor. The new range includes FAB 1, Thunderbirds 1, 2 (with 4) and 3, and Corgi are at pains to stress the work done to ensure these new toys better represent the vehicles as seen on-screen. Corgi’s blog includes comparison shots, showing the reprofiling done on TBs 1 and 3, plus the better paint job on TB2.

Sadly, though much of this work has been appreciated by fans, over-riding comments on social media have been less than complimentary, particularly citing the rather bulbous FAB 1 (resembling more the life-size car made to publicise Thunderbird 6 in 1967) rather than Lady Penelope’s sleek limousine. Attention has also been drawn to Scalextric’s (another Hornby Hobbies brand) FAB 1 last year that largely managed to get the car right!

The new models are available to pre-order now at Corgi’s website.

FAB Annual 2025 on its way in time for Christmas, for most club members

Posted on by Parker

Finally! We can confirm that FAB Annual 2025 has been mailed to Fanderson members today!

Hopefully, this will give enough time for the majority of members to find their annual under the tree this Christmas – certainly those in the UK should and maybe those in parts of Europe too. Unfortunately, due to ongoing industrial action in Canada we’ve been advised not to mail to members there, but we’ll keep your FAB Annuals safe and post them as soon as the action is over and the backlog of mail has cleared.

Together with FAB Express 108, mailed recently, our winter mailing is complete and we can get on with welcoming all the new club members who have been waiting patiently for their membership packages!