Measuring 122 metres (400ft) long, 90 metres (300ft) wide, and 83 metres (272ft) tall, Thunderbird 5 is equipped with almost completely automated onboard systems, allowing the entire station to be run by a single crew member. Thunderbird 5 is primarily commanded by John Tracy, although he is periodically relieved by Alan (according to the storyline, John and Alan swap roles once a month, one piloting Thunderbird 3 and the other monitoring Thunderbird 5, but such was writer Gerry Anderson's dislike for the character of John, that he was usually exiled to the space station). Derek Meddings designed Thunderbird 5 after the other machines and supposedly based the design on the Tracy Island Roundhouse model (through which Thunderbird 3 launches). [25] Toy company Bandai produced toys to coincide with the release of the 2004 live action movie in the UK. As of 2007, Japanese companies such as Aoshima, Konami and Takara were still producing new Thunderbirds toys based on the original series vehicles, including Takara's very expensive Thunderbird 2 model with lights and working motorised legs which lift the fuselage, exposing the cargo pod. Thunderbird 2 is 250 feet (76m) long with a wingspan of 180 feet (55m) and a height of 60 feet (18m). A long-range craft, it is capable of reaching anywhere in the world without refuelling, often shown flying just above sea level and has a maximum speed of 6,000 miles per hour (9,700km/h), which is roughly Mach 7.82 (but cruises at 2,000 miles per hour (3,200km/h), roughly Mach 2.6). It therefore arrives at the danger zone later than Thunderbird 1. [9] Hot Wheels (Bandai): Released a small plastic model as part of its "Classic Thunderbirds" range in 2003.

Dinky Toys included a small metal TB4, with its Thunderbird 2 model released in several versions between 1967 and 1975. Firefly: a fire-proof vehicle used for demolition and fire-fighting work. Used in " City of Fire" and " Terror in New York City". [29] [33] All well and good, but what, you may be wondering, has this to do with us here? The answer is simple. No matter what individuals think of Thunderbirds, Meccano Limited, as a company, have no doubt that Thunderbirds are go. Already they have produced a Dinky Toy model of Fab 1—the futuristic vehicle owned by Lady Penelope and driven by Parker—of the T.V. series. Now they have come up with another two International Rescue specials — Thunderbirds 2 and 4. Thunderbird Shadow (or Thunderbird S) is the newest addition to International Rescue's fleet of vehicles in the 2015 reboot series Thunderbirds Are Go. What might be a 'silly children's programme' to some people is, to me, one of the best-produced and most skilful shows on television. Not only are the puppets themselves excellent models and animated by experts, but the equipment and the 'sets' in which they appear are amazingly detailed and real.Yujin (of Japan) released vending machine toys in 1999, as part of its "mini collection" and produced a excellent likeness of a TB4. Re-released in 2000 as part of a "mini box" collection. Another vending machine toy was released in 2000, a Thunderbird 4 "motorised base". A small pod could be opened by a spring release, that contained a thunderbird 4 inside.

Piloted by aquanaut Gordon Tracy, Thunderbird 4 is 9 metres (30ft) long and 3.4 metres (11ft) wide. This makes it the smallest of the Thunderbirds vehicles, but not the smallest of the Pod Vehicles. [21]The President is the largest and fastest cruise liner ever built, whose maiden voyage between New York and Australia in The Revolution was caught up in a revolutionary plot by a group of rebels in Nicaragua. In the remake series Thunderbirds Are Go, Thunderbird 1 retains the same role it has in the original series. However, like all of the Thunderbirds, it can be piloted remotely via Scott's wrist console. Thunderbird 1 also possesses an electromagnetic cable that can be fired from the open cargo bay, allowing it to lift or tow objects. The electromagnet at the end of the cable can be swapped for a clip. It also carries a Skypod, a short-range flying capsule that allows Scott to get in close to a target where Thunderbird 1 's size would be a disadvantage, and several remote-operated drones that can be deployed to search multiple areas or places that cannot be reached by conventional means.

In the context of the series, most of the advanced machines that appeared in the show belonged to the International Rescue organisation and were used during rescues. These were known as "Thunderbirds", of which there were five core machines and a variety of other rescue craft. It was after these that the series was named. In the show, all of the International Rescue vehicles were designed by the organisation's resident technical genius known as Brains. [1]During a rescue mission on Jupiter's moon Europa in the episode "Deep Search", it was shown that Thunderbird 4 can also be transported in Thunderbird 3, although it was also provided with various new features to cope with the icy conditions on Europa. When not in use, Thunderbird 4 is housed both in one of Thunderbird 2 's Modules and a water tank seen in the main Tracy Island hangar so it can launch from the island when necessary.

Could Thunderbirds really fly?". manchestereveningnews.co.uk. M.E.N Media. 19 April 2010. Archived from the original on 29 June 2018 . Retrieved 13 November 2020. The worlds of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson: The story behind International Rescue, by Ian Fryer, ISBN 978-1-78155-504-0. Hearn, Marcus (2015). Thunderbirds: The Vault. London, UK: Virgin Books. p.48. ISBN 978-0-753-55635-1. Thunderbird 3 is unique among the Thunderbird craft in having its dimensions quoted in an episode of the series: in " Give or Take a Million" Jeff Tracy states that the spacecraft stands 287 feet (87m) high. However, Brains, the designer of Thunderbird 3, said in a videotaped interview, [17] that Thunderbird 3 was "200 feet [61m] in height."With a maximum speed of 15,000 miles per hour (24,000km/h) ( Mach 19.7), it can reach anywhere on Earth within an hour's flight if a great circle route can be flown. Thunderbird 1 is hangared beneath the main house on Tracy Island and launches vertically from a pad camouflaged by a swimming pool that slides aside. The prototype vehicle fell into an unmapped landfill pit during testing. Due to spontaneous combustion of the rubbish, the inside of the pit was extremely hot. [47] Later versions of it were equipped with emergency anti-gravity generators for use in similar situations or if one of its legs has been damaged. This, then, completes the model, but, as this is probably the last issue of Meccano Magazine to be published, I should like to say goodbye to all my readers and should like to thank all of you who have written to me over the past few years. Don't forget, however, that Meccano Limited is still very much in existence, and that new Dinky Toys will continue to appear every month. Watch television and the Press for details.