UFO

FAB 96 has been posted

Posted on by 1266 Nick Williams

We’re delighted to report that FAB 96 was mailed to all members around the world on 25th November. It started to land in UK members’ homes on the 30th, and we hope will be with all members in time for Christmas. Please check our post update before contacting us.

Included in this issue:

  • Andrew Pixley’s in-depth look at The Secret Service, and why the series was doomed even without Lew Grade’s critical reaction
  • members give their views on Thunderbirds 30 Minutes After Noon in our regular Timelash column, with exclusive Glen Carrick Castle cutaway by Graham Bleathman
  • Ian Wheeler’s critical assessment of whether Gerry Anderson should be considered a puppet master or master dramatist
  • the third part of Jeff Smart’s recollections of recording the A&E DVD commentaries, including The Secret Service, The Protectors and Terrahawks, and how these then led on to featurettes for Shout! Factory’s releases in 2015
  • the third part of our look at UFO in Countdown and TV Action comics, by Ian Fryer
  • the second part of our exclusive Thunderbirds Are Go photo-strip by Jonathan Baxter
  • FAB news, FAB noticeboard, FAB Review, FAB Mail and more

Also, being mailed so close to what will, for many of us, be a quite unusual Christmas, we’ve included a couple of little seasonal goodies that we hope will make you smile.

Hundreds more members (those who have renewed their membership since FAB 95) will also receive the fantastic Century 21 Complete Puppet Catalogue – our current membership gift. Don’t worry if your membership expires with FAB 96 – as long as we receive your renewal by 1st February 2021 we’ll mail your copy with FAB 97 in the spring.

OOPS! The eagle-eyed among you will notice a small mistake in the ‘rest of the world’ price for The Secret Service soundtrack CD. Rest assured, our shop has the correct price.

How to get FAB magazine? Join Fanderson!

FAB magazine is available exclusively to Fanderson club members – we publish three times a year, and we do our very best to make each issue a joy to read for every fan – regardless of your favourite series!

Once again, we’re mailing FAB magazine in a 100% compostable bag, made from potato and maize starch. 

Don’t throw it in your bin, but check with your local recycling and either:

  • put it in your home composter
  • put it in with your garden waste, or
  • use it to line your food waste caddy

New UFO and Space:1999 models on pre-order

Posted on by 1266 Nick Williams

Sixteen 12, which has long specialised in high quality reproductions of models from Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s Thunderbirds, UFO and Space:1999 is now taking pre-orders for new models, including:

UFO Alien saucer

Space:1999 War Games

Space:1999 action figure collection

Space:1999 electronic stun gun and commlock

You can see all the pre-order items here. Check out their retro range too, to bring back memories of those odd-coloured Dinky toys of the 70s!

Celebrate 50 years of UFO!

Posted on by 1266 Nick Williams

What better way to celebrate 50 years of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s groundbreaking series UFO than with a great read – the long-awaited UFO Annual 1972!

Like most Anderson series there was a UFO Annual produced to accompany the broadcasts, but just the one volume for 1971. Exclusive to Fanderson is this follow-up book, full of features about the series and SHADO, two brand new stories starring your favourite UFO characters and three new exclusive cutaways.

Whilst reading the Annual, why not relax with Barry Gray’s cool soundtrack, courtesy of our 4-CD boxset. And we’ve got lots of other UFO items in the Shop too!

We’re expecting stock of the UFO Annual 1972 in time for the series’ 50th anniversary on 16th September 2020, and you can sure to be among the first to get your copy by pre-ordering from 1st September.

Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, UFO and Space:1999 on Britbox from 20th August

Posted on by 1266 Nick Williams

After dipping their toe in the water with a selection of episodes this spring, Britbox (the digital video subscription service created by the BBC and ITV) will launch a raft of cult favourites on 20th August 2020 (coincidentally, Fanderson’s 39th anniversary).

The Out Of This World Collection will be available exclusively on BritBox (in the UK), and includes:

Thunderbirds (1965)

The initial ten episode collection is being expanded and will now feature all 32 episodes of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s cult Supermarionation series.

Also included are the three mini-episodes, based on 1960s mini albums and crowd-funded by fans for Thunderbirds’ 50th anniversary in 2015.

Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons (1967)

All 32 episodes of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s cult Supermarionation series chronicling Captain Scarlet’s battle to save Earth from a Mysteron invasion.

UFO (1970)

All 26 episodes of the British sci-fi series set in 1980 as Earth is being invaded by aliens fleeing their dying planet and seeking human organs to extend their lifespan. Specialist task force SHADO (Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organisation), headed by Commander Ed Straker (Ed Bishop), must defend Earth against these mysterious hostile creatures while containing knowledge of them to avoid widespread panic.

Space:1999 (1975)

Every episode of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s popular science fiction series. Commander Koenig (Martin Landau) and the crew of Moonbase Alpha face various alien threats as they drift, powerless, throughout space.

The Prisoner (1967)

All 17 episodes of the television drama created by and starring Patrick McGoohan. A former British secret agent is abducted and held captive in a strange coastal village while those who captured him try to discover the truth of why he suddenly resigned from his position.

Sapphire And Steel (1979)

The complete collection featuring all six seasons and 34 episodes from the 1980s sci-fi series starring Joanna Lumley and David McCallum as Sapphire and Steel, the mysterious agents charged with protecting the universe from the malevolent forces of time with their uncanny powers. Created by P.J. Hammond.

Randall And Hopkirk (Deceased) (1969)

The complete episodes of Randall And Hopkirk (Deceased) starring Mike Pratt as Jeff Randall, Kenneth Cope as his ghostly partner Marty Hopkirk and Annette Andre as Marty’s widow Jean.

The UFOs are landing!

Posted on by 1266 Nick Williams

Fanderson members are reporting sightings of UFOs. That is, the club’s new 4-CD UFO soundtrack album, which is now being delivered to members!

We started taking pre-orders for the set from 1st March and, in under a month, 25% of our stock has already been bought. Like all club merchandise, the UFO soundtrack is a limited edition so when it’s gone, it’s gone!

We regularly get emails from members saying “I wish I’d bought your Space:1999 Year One or Thunderbirds soundtrack“ or “I wish I’d met Gerry or Sylvia Anderson at one of your conventions”, but now it’s too late. Don’t be one of those ‘I wish…’ people and chance missing out on the UFO soundtrack – buy yours today!

Please note that in the current situation we’re dispatching orders as postal services are still operating, though it may take longer than usual for your package to arrive.

UFO soundtrack – pre-order now open (with March offer)

Posted on by 1266 Nick Williams

Fanderson is delighted to announce that its latest soundtrack is now available to pre-order.

The new 4-disc set of music from UFO is the most extensive from this series that the club has produced.

To celebrate, our March offer of the month is 25% off the Ed Bishop: Identified audio archive disc, if you buy in the same transaction as the UFO soundtrack and use coupon code UFO50 at checkout. You can only use the coupon once, the offer is only valid whilst stocks last (we therefore reserve the right to end the offer before 31st March) and no substitutions/alternatives are available.

We’re expecting deliveries of UFO by 1st April, and your Ed Bishop disc with be mailed together with the soundtrack.

As with all Fanderson merchandise, the UFO soundtrack has been produced by fans, for fans. It’s a strictly limited edition.

If you’re not already a club member, join up now to buy and enjoy some of Barry Gray’s finest.