Thunderbirds are GO!!!!

[JonClarke]

It just goes to prove what I have thought for a long time that in Hollywood it is easier to get hudred million dollar special effects than a good script writer - even when the basic material has already been handed to them in the form of a remake or a classic work of literature.<br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[a_lost_packet_]

Yup... building something is definitely harder than just blowing it up. Hollywood has proven that time and time again it seems.<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="1">I put on my robe and wizard hat...</font> </div>

 

[jmilsom]

This thread's been quiet for a while. Here are a few cool facts I discovered about Thunderbirds:<br /><br />All five Tracy sons were named after famous pioneering astronauts of the 1960's: Scott after Scott Carpenter; Virgil after Virgil Grissom; Alan after Alan Shepard; Gordon after Gordon Cooper; and John after John Glenn.<br /><br />Each Thunderbirds puppet only had four teeth.<br /><br />The only time Rolls Royce have officially sanctioned the use of their famous vertical grille and spirit of ecstasy was on Lady Penelope's pink 6-wheel Royce.<br /><br />Lady Penelope was once described as "an advertisement for British fashion", by The Sunday Mirror newspaper.<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[crowing]

I know,and to think as a twelve year old I had a crush on a puppet,hmmmm,it sounds like I had a troubled childhood,but I don't think I did!

 

[jmilsom]

Each time I watch a Thunderbirds episode I am amazed at the quality of the story and the special effects. I found this very interesting article on how the effects were produced and how they infuenced other films - <br /><br /><br /><b>Special Effects</b><br />The programme was notable for its (for the time) superlative special effects using miniatures, many of which still stand up remarkably well forty years after the series premiered. The effects supervisor, as on all of Anderson's shows from Supercar to UFO, was Derek Meddings, who went on to produce special effects for the James Bond and Superman movies. Many of the effects developed for Thunderbirds became standard practice in the film industry. <br /><br />One of Meddings' most famous inventions was the so-called "rolling road" and "rolling sky" systems. The series often called for scenes that showed the Thunderbirds and other craft flying through the air, aircraft landing or taking off along runways, and motor vehicles travelling along roads. The effects team quickly discovered that the old method of moving the models across a static base or against a static background produced very unconvincing results. Meddings came up with a novel solution to the problem, first used in the premiere episode, "Trapped In The Sky", which called for the Thunderbirds' elevator cars to be manoeuvered into position on the runway beneath the stricken Fireflash aircraft as it comes in to land. <br /><br />He created an endless belt of canvas, stretched over rollers and driven by an electric motor. The outer surface of the canvas was sealed and painted with a continous runway pattern, and the miniatures were then fixed to fine wires on and above this "rolling road". A similar roller system, painted with a sky background, was built at right angles to the runway and the motors were linked to provide a consistent speed for both elements. <br /><br />When the lights and cameras were set up in the right position and the rollers were activated, it c <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[crowing]

Thanks for that link,that was a good read!!<br /><br />I didn't know a lot of that stuff in the article,but it was certainly one of my favourites as a kid,and I still have a few paperbacks of them too,I liked reading about them as well!

 

[davp99]

I had a few Friends over last night, and we started watching the 1966 flick, Thunderbirds are GO...and what a Hoot ... we all had a nice Buzz on ... and started a MST3K Tribute Style while watching ... and we Started Laughing & Laughing ,,, If you have a chance to watch this Jewel .,. Tape it ,,, Save It ... I haven't Laughed that Much in Yrs , , My Sides Still Hurt ~! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font size="4">Dave..</font> </div>

 

[jmilsom]

Some of those old films are great to watch at parties. Drinking a little allows more effective Thunderbirds impersonarions. Next time try turning the sound off the TV and turn up the music. Occasionally the characters seem to mouth the music you're listening to!<br /><br />"Quick Virgil! Into the mole!" <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[jmilsom]

The Sci Fi board has been really quiet lately. Perhaps I could re-ignite the thunderbirds fans with a poll on which is your favourite thunderbirds vehicle? <br />The Thunderbird machines are:<br /><ul type="square"> <li><b>Thunderbird 1:</b> a sleek, variable geometry hypersonic rocket plane used for fast response, rescue zone reconnaissance and as a mobile control base.<li><b>Thunderbird 2:</b> a heavy supersonic carrier lifting body aircraft used for the transport of major rescue equipment and vehicles.<li><b>Thunderbird 3:</b> a reuseable spaceship used for space rescue and maintenance of TB5 <li><b>Thunderbird 4:</b> a submarine for underwater rescue, carried aboard Thunderbird 2 <li><b>Thunderbird 5:</b> an Earth-orbiting space station which monitors world broadcasts for calls for help and manages communications with the organization.</li></li></li></li></li></ul><br />Thunderbird 2 , of course, carries the six pods (no.4 carries the submarine). Pod vehicles include:<br /><ul type="square"><li><b>The Mole:</b> a high-speed manned tunnelling mahcine. <li><b>Firefly:</b> a fire-proofed vehicle fitted with a large blade and armed with a nitroglycerine cannon to extinguish fires. <li><b>Recovery Vehicles:</b> One manned and one remote vehicle equipped with magnetic grappling lines. <li><b>High-Speed Elevator Cars:</b> one manned and three remote vehicles used to assist aircraft in landings, these can be manoeuvered into place beneath an aircraft to act as replacement landing gear. <li><b>Domo:</b> a restraint vehicle with three lifting arms to restrain or lift unstable structures. <li><b>Booster Mortar:</b> a small cannon used to fire rescue packages into high structures. <li><b>Transmitter Truck:</b> a converted commercial truck used for long-range communications with spacecraft. </li></li></li></li></li></li></li></ul> <br />There are 12 vehicles there, and I have to say that my undisputed favourite from my childhood is <b>The Mole!</b> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[vogon13]

Thunderbird 4 and the mole. #4 has to resist crushing pressures, and mole has to navigate a very resistive media. Flying thru air or space is wimpy, now grinding your way thru solid rock, that's a MANLY endeavor. Grunt, grunt. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[jmilsom]

Well being back in Australia I can begin to buy some old DVDs. I do not have the complete Captain Scarlet yet, but just bought the complete set of Thunderbirds episodes on 8 DVDs for my kids! They love them. It really is a timeless series. I just watched episode 4 "Sun Probe."<br /><br />International rescue must save a spaceship that was studying the sun. They manage to do this but in the process, Thunderbird 3 loses control and is going to hit the sun itself. They can only be saved on Earth from Thunderbirds 2 powerful transmitter. To increase the strength of the ray, Brains must solve the following question:<br /><br /><b><i>What is the square root to the power of 29 of the trigonometric amplitude of 87 divided by the quantitative hydraxis of 956 to the power of 77?</i></b><br /><br />What a cool question! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[SpaceKiwi]

Hehehe, and I'll bet he solved it to 15 decimal places too! That which would stump us mere mortals, Brains eats for breakfast ... what a guy! <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em><font size="2" color="#ff0000">Who is this superhero?  Henry, the mild-mannered janitor ... could be!</font></em></p><p><em><font size="2">-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</font></em></p><p><font size="5">Bring Back The Black!</font></p> </div>

 

[vogon13]

The sound effect for the transmitter was recycled on Space:1999. <br /><br />I like how over the years, from Fireball XL-5 to Space:1999, the production team refined their craft.<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[jmilsom]

The answer was actually <b><i>45,969.</i></b><br /><br />A far better answer if I may say so than 42 in the Hitchhikers Guide - and they have already figured out the question! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[jmilsom]

I never saw the Space 1999 series. Though, the series that seem to remain popular are Thunderbirds, Stingray and Captain Scarlet. Here is a link to a Gerry Anderson production list:<br /><br />http://www.fanderson.org.uk/prodguides/prodind.html<br /><br />I just watched the next four episodes on disk 2 of thunderbirds, and I had to laugh at an episode called "The Mighty Atom." <br /><br />Australia is building large nuclear irrigation facilities, which can be run by just two people. The bad guy walks in shoots his gun, which causes a fire, which in turn leads to a nuclear explosion (if only they could have cut off the sea water intake!). A giant cloud of radioactive gas heads towards Melbourne! (my current location). Luckily the wind blows it away.<br /><br />They build another plant in the Sahara (also run by two people). The same bad guy goes in and blows it up again. This time Thunderbird four is under the ocean ready to blast the sea water intake pipe and thus prevent a nuclear explosion. Pity they didn't think to put in a cut off switch.<br /><br />The models and effects are truly marvellous in this old series! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[vogon13]

Wasn't there an episode were a (woman) driver causes a car wreck in the parking ramp under the world's tallest building and winds up destroying the whole thing?<br /><br />Weird in the post 9/11, WTC bombing plot world . . . . <br /><br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000"><strong>TPTB went to Dallas and all I got was Plucked !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#339966"><strong>So many people, so few recipes !!</strong></font></p><p><font color="#0000ff"><strong>Let's clean up this stinkhole !!</strong></font> </p> </div>

 

[jmilsom]

Yes that was episode three <i>The City of Fire</i>. The 350 storey Thompson Tower Maxi-Mall (which sells every commercial product produced in the entire world!) catches on fire after a car crash in the basement. The entire tower collapses and they have to rescue a family trapped in the corridors underneath. It was made in 1965. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[mattblack]

There was also a T-Birds episode called "Terror In New York City" about the Empire State building falling on two reporters during their coverage of it's being moved!! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p>One Percent of Federal Funding For Space: America <strong><em><u>CAN</u></em></strong> Afford it!!  LEO is a <strong><em>Prison</em></strong> -- It's time for a <em><strong>JAILBREAK</strong></em>!!</p> </div>

 

[lsbd]

I got all excited for a minute...thought the title said ThunderCATS are a GO!. dammit, I loved Cheetarah!<br /><br />Snarf!

 

[jmilsom]

<font color="yellow">There was also a T-Birds episode called "Terror In New York City" about the Empire State building falling on two reporters during their coverage of it's being moved!!</font><br /><br />I just watched this yesterday. It is episode 11 and on disc 3 of the collected series. (I bought this set for my kids, but I think I am getting more pleasure out of it!).<br /><br />Terror in New York City is a great (and at times prescient?) episode. It starts with the Thunderbirds team testing a machine called <i>Firefly</i> to put out oil well fires! Then when travelling back to their island, Thunderbird 2 gets shot and crippled by a US warship, which shoots first and asks questionslater. Then it moves to the grand scheme of moving the Empire State Building. Why are they moving it? As the area is being re-developed and they wish to preserve the building. So they mine the foundations, use giant jacks, set up a rail system, and build a giant atomic powered machine 2/3 the size of the building. However, they did not know there was a system of underground rivers beneath the city. All goes well, until the ground starts to give way. A unscrupulous reporter falls in a hole and the entire building collapses on top of them. Luckily they are safe in a cavity underground. As Thunderbird 2 is out of action, they ask to US warship to help transport thunderbird 4 (the underwater one) to the scene to attempt a daring rescue through the underground river system!!! A great adventure with lots of cool special effects!!! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[mattblack]

Actually, it wasn't a U.S. Warship: it's a "World Navy" ship. Gerry Anderson shows often had a United World Government (except for a few rogue nations), probably meant to be an outgrowth of the United Nations. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p> </p><p>One Percent of Federal Funding For Space: America <strong><em><u>CAN</u></em></strong> Afford it!!  LEO is a <strong><em>Prison</em></strong> -- It's time for a <em><strong>JAILBREAK</strong></em>!!</p> </div>

 

[jmilsom]

I stand corrected! A "World Navy" ship! The rogue nations must be quite a threat to make them so trigger-happy! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[jmilsom]

Ha Ha. I just watched another one - Episode 13 from the first season <i>Day of Disaster</i>. How is this for a failed Mars mission.<br /><br />A probe is to be launched from the US to Mars. For some reason it must be launched from the other side of the world (England), so is transported there. The astronauts travel all the way in the capsule! It is then being transported by road. The vehicle carrying the rocket has to cross a suspension bridge, which was weakened in a storm. The bridge collapses and the rocket with the astronauts inside sinks to the bottom of the bay. When it hits the bottom, the launch countdown accidentally begins!!!!! International Rescue then race to save them!!!!<br /><br />I think NASA is doing a pretty good job in comparison!!! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>