Thunderbirds

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

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.

[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.

Thunderbirds coins from The Westminster Collection

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Thunderbirds 50p coins launched

The Westminster Collection, a leading UK distributor of collectable stamps and coins, has launched a series of Thunderbirds 50p coins. Illustrated by acclaimed comic book artist Lee Sullivan, these brand-new coins have been officially approved by Buckingham Palace to mark the 60th anniversary of Thunderbirds — making them the world’s first 50p coins to feature the legendary vehicles of International Rescue.

The range starts with uncirculated 5-coin set for £37.50, to a painted set of the coins for £75, or a painted Thunderbird 2 in presentation box for £75 too. Or, if you have £375 to spare, you can choose to have your painted set of coins in a presentation box!

FAB Book Of Free Gifts… with a free gift!

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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 FAB Book Of 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

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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

Bonus Captain Scarlet 7″ vinyl with Electronic Sound magazine

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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.