What do you think?
Rate this book
The Gerry Anderson Vaults
Thunderbirds: The Vault
On 30th September 1965, International Rescue successfully completed their first assignment, and the Tracy brothers imprinted themselves on a generation of captivated children. Thirty-two episodes, many repeats, sixty territories, two feature films, three albums, numerous comics, books, toys, videos and DVDs and five decades later, Thunderbirds are still saving the world from the brink of peril.
Thunderbirds: The Vault will be the first ever lavishly illustrated, definitive, beautifully packaged, presentation hardback telling the story of this enduring cult phenomenon. Packed with previously unpublished material, including prop photos, design sketches, production memos and other collectible memorabilia, plus specially commissioned photography of original 60s merchandise, and new interviews with cast and crew, it’s going to be a collectors’ dream and a fantastic piece of British TV history.
Thunderbirds: The Vault will be the first ever lavishly illustrated, definitive, beautifully packaged, presentation hardback telling the story of this enduring cult phenomenon. Packed with previously unpublished material, including prop photos, design sketches, production memos and other collectible memorabilia, plus specially commissioned photography of original 60s merchandise, and new interviews with cast and crew, it’s going to be a collectors’ dream and a fantastic piece of British TV history.
- GenresNonfiction
240 pages, Hardcover
First published September 10, 2015
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 19, 2018
Here is another show that I grew up with although at the time I didnt realise that I was living the world of repeats.
For me I was fascinated with the amazing models. The craft of all kind were amazing and always made me wish I could turn the creations of my imagination in to reality. Ironically now decades later (how sad is that) there are so many tools both visual and real that would allow me just that freedom, my childhood dreams of international rescue have moved on.
Anyway this book is a true celebration - although to be honest its not just limited to the Thunderbirds. There are references to his work prior to the now famous adventures of IR and with some references of what was to come later (although only focusing on supermarionation and not the CGI or live action that was to follow).
This book I feel is better laid out than that of Captain Scarlet and also gives a far more rounded view of the production of each episode and details of what went on around it.
What fasciated me was the insight to what happened around the production to where the name Thunderbirds came from to the politics or Lou Grade and his almost tyrannical control over Television at the time. He may have been outspoken but when ever he believed in something he would put all his might and energy in to it - I wonder if productions from today can claim the same level of dedication.
So for me this book is a true vault of information. It shows how the series was shaped - in every detail. It also celebrates everything Thunderbirds - I still remember my Dinky Thunderbird 2 - although I secretly wanted Fab 1. I think for me this book is not just a celebration of the series but also part of my childhood and that I think that editors and writers of this book (yes its credited to Marcus Hearn ) but I suspect there are a lot more people who should be thanks.
For me I was fascinated with the amazing models. The craft of all kind were amazing and always made me wish I could turn the creations of my imagination in to reality. Ironically now decades later (how sad is that) there are so many tools both visual and real that would allow me just that freedom, my childhood dreams of international rescue have moved on.
Anyway this book is a true celebration - although to be honest its not just limited to the Thunderbirds. There are references to his work prior to the now famous adventures of IR and with some references of what was to come later (although only focusing on supermarionation and not the CGI or live action that was to follow).
This book I feel is better laid out than that of Captain Scarlet and also gives a far more rounded view of the production of each episode and details of what went on around it.
What fasciated me was the insight to what happened around the production to where the name Thunderbirds came from to the politics or Lou Grade and his almost tyrannical control over Television at the time. He may have been outspoken but when ever he believed in something he would put all his might and energy in to it - I wonder if productions from today can claim the same level of dedication.
So for me this book is a true vault of information. It shows how the series was shaped - in every detail. It also celebrates everything Thunderbirds - I still remember my Dinky Thunderbird 2 - although I secretly wanted Fab 1. I think for me this book is not just a celebration of the series but also part of my childhood and that I think that editors and writers of this book (yes its credited to Marcus Hearn ) but I suspect there are a lot more people who should be thanks.
October 12, 2015
There are those of a certain age in the UK to whom “5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. 1… Thunderbirds Are GO!” is an instant memory, a strident herald from their childhood.
The puppet series created by Gerry Anderson and his wife Sylvia is one of the most iconic series of the 1960’s, up there with Doctor Who, the Daleks and The Prisoner. The story of the Tracy family and their fantastic machines dealing with rescues around the world were a staple of many a childhood of that time.
Despite only being 32 50-minute episodes, transmitted in 1965-66, their delights have often been repeated through the generations. Their repeated showing on the BBC (rather than the traditional ITV television network) in the 1990’s created a new media frenzy, with shops in 1991 selling out of most Thunderbirds merchandise just before Christmas. (And as a parent, at this stage, I well remember the frantic searching, pre-online shopping, in desperation to get the sold out toys for my children who dreadfully wanted a Tracy Island and the respective vehicles for Christmas.)
My reason for mentioning all of this is that we are now, as of September 2015, at a point where it has been 50 years since that first transmission. (The first episode was shown on the 30th September 1965.) And with that date there is a whole new raft of material to illustrate, celebrate and remind us of those halcyon days.
Thunderbirds the Vault is the big coffee-table-book sized tome designed to remind all those fans of whatever generation realise the cultural impact of such a television series.
I must admit that I was a little disappointed initially with this book, as most of the other similar books I have with the word ‘Vault’ in their title have had faux copies of tickets, production plans, artwork, letters, concert programmes and other merchandise that fold out, pop-up and detach. This is instead like the Doctor Who: The Vault book in that there’s nothing so overtly fancy here, alas, but there is a wealth of photographs of rare ephemera from the 1960’s and 90’s. Though the book is mainly of the Thunderbirds era, the first section of the book is about how Thunderbirds came into being built upon the success of other earlier Gerry Anderson productions – Torchy the Battery Boy, Fireball XL5 and Stingray.
When we get to the Thunderbirds era properly, each episode is précised in order of transmission and there are comments about each about their relative merits and failures. A lot of the photographs are of the production of the programme and show what a difficult programme it was to make – at the time of its manufacture in the 1960’s it was the most expensive programme on the ITV television network, with each 50 minute episode costing the equivalent of £600 000, a figure unheard of at that time for a children’s television programme.
Marcus Hearn, writer of the Hammer Vault and the Doctor Who Vault, does a serviceable job of incorporating a historical narrative with observations and interviews with many of the remaining production crew about how the series were made, mishaps and triumphs all. My overriding impression from this is that it was a very tough and demanding job to work on, not least because of Gerry Anderson, but one in which those who were involved are very proud of, even today.
Rather surprisingly, there is no real mention of the rather good new animated version of the TV series, though perhaps the dreadfully awful live action movie of 2004 is mercifully forgotten. But it is quite clear that this is a book that concentrates on Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s original vision. With Anderson’s involvement in the subsequent series less, due to the selling of his rights, it is understandable that such things are not covered, though perhaps a little annoying for the completist. The book ends with the rest of Gerry’s ‘uneven’ career briefly summarised and photographs of tributes at Gerry’s funeral, who died in 2012.
In summary, this is a worthwhile wallow in nostalgia that fans of the original will appreciate. It was one of the most merchandised programmes of its time, with over 3000 products of related merchandise recognised today. Looking at the many pictures of the multifarious merchandise (books, magazines, figures, toys, and records, amongst many others) will bring both a rush of nostalgia and perhaps also a pining for things once owned and now lost, whilst the story of its production will leave you with admiration for those involved.
Most of all though, this is a worthy celebration of an iconic moment of 1960’s British television. Happy birthday, Thunderbirds!
The puppet series created by Gerry Anderson and his wife Sylvia is one of the most iconic series of the 1960’s, up there with Doctor Who, the Daleks and The Prisoner. The story of the Tracy family and their fantastic machines dealing with rescues around the world were a staple of many a childhood of that time.
Despite only being 32 50-minute episodes, transmitted in 1965-66, their delights have often been repeated through the generations. Their repeated showing on the BBC (rather than the traditional ITV television network) in the 1990’s created a new media frenzy, with shops in 1991 selling out of most Thunderbirds merchandise just before Christmas. (And as a parent, at this stage, I well remember the frantic searching, pre-online shopping, in desperation to get the sold out toys for my children who dreadfully wanted a Tracy Island and the respective vehicles for Christmas.)
My reason for mentioning all of this is that we are now, as of September 2015, at a point where it has been 50 years since that first transmission. (The first episode was shown on the 30th September 1965.) And with that date there is a whole new raft of material to illustrate, celebrate and remind us of those halcyon days.
Thunderbirds the Vault is the big coffee-table-book sized tome designed to remind all those fans of whatever generation realise the cultural impact of such a television series.
I must admit that I was a little disappointed initially with this book, as most of the other similar books I have with the word ‘Vault’ in their title have had faux copies of tickets, production plans, artwork, letters, concert programmes and other merchandise that fold out, pop-up and detach. This is instead like the Doctor Who: The Vault book in that there’s nothing so overtly fancy here, alas, but there is a wealth of photographs of rare ephemera from the 1960’s and 90’s. Though the book is mainly of the Thunderbirds era, the first section of the book is about how Thunderbirds came into being built upon the success of other earlier Gerry Anderson productions – Torchy the Battery Boy, Fireball XL5 and Stingray.
When we get to the Thunderbirds era properly, each episode is précised in order of transmission and there are comments about each about their relative merits and failures. A lot of the photographs are of the production of the programme and show what a difficult programme it was to make – at the time of its manufacture in the 1960’s it was the most expensive programme on the ITV television network, with each 50 minute episode costing the equivalent of £600 000, a figure unheard of at that time for a children’s television programme.
Marcus Hearn, writer of the Hammer Vault and the Doctor Who Vault, does a serviceable job of incorporating a historical narrative with observations and interviews with many of the remaining production crew about how the series were made, mishaps and triumphs all. My overriding impression from this is that it was a very tough and demanding job to work on, not least because of Gerry Anderson, but one in which those who were involved are very proud of, even today.
Rather surprisingly, there is no real mention of the rather good new animated version of the TV series, though perhaps the dreadfully awful live action movie of 2004 is mercifully forgotten. But it is quite clear that this is a book that concentrates on Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s original vision. With Anderson’s involvement in the subsequent series less, due to the selling of his rights, it is understandable that such things are not covered, though perhaps a little annoying for the completist. The book ends with the rest of Gerry’s ‘uneven’ career briefly summarised and photographs of tributes at Gerry’s funeral, who died in 2012.
In summary, this is a worthwhile wallow in nostalgia that fans of the original will appreciate. It was one of the most merchandised programmes of its time, with over 3000 products of related merchandise recognised today. Looking at the many pictures of the multifarious merchandise (books, magazines, figures, toys, and records, amongst many others) will bring both a rush of nostalgia and perhaps also a pining for things once owned and now lost, whilst the story of its production will leave you with admiration for those involved.
Most of all though, this is a worthy celebration of an iconic moment of 1960’s British television. Happy birthday, Thunderbirds!
February 15, 2019
4+ almost 5 stars. It took me *forever* to finish this book, but only because, due to its large format and thoroughness, I was reading just a little each night before bed. For fans of Gerry Anderson's "Thunderbirds" it is one of the very best books on the subject, covering the show's history, the people behind it and loaded with rarely seen or never previously seen pictures. Highly recommended. Looking forward to reading its companion volume on "Captain Scarlet" - a personal favorite Supermarionation show of mine.
October 22, 2022
A behind the scenes book about the illustrious series: Thunderbirds.
Thunderbirds: The Vault is in essence an illustrated history book about the Thunderbirds. Centering mainly on the conception, production and stories of the series, this book start with the very beginning. With the husband and wife couple Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and their work with puppetry, and then moves further in the proces that the Thunderbirds came to be, and where they stood for.
With 240 pages choke full of pictures and illustration, readers wil get an excellent view of what it took to make just one single episode and who exactly were all involved in making them. In all this book leaves nothing out. Everything is there, from concept art, merchandise and the actual filming miniatures. To script-writing, lore bibles and the personal accounts from artists.
In short, a very good book with a good history of the series and hundreds of pictures.
Thunderbirds: The Vault is in essence an illustrated history book about the Thunderbirds. Centering mainly on the conception, production and stories of the series, this book start with the very beginning. With the husband and wife couple Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and their work with puppetry, and then moves further in the proces that the Thunderbirds came to be, and where they stood for.
With 240 pages choke full of pictures and illustration, readers wil get an excellent view of what it took to make just one single episode and who exactly were all involved in making them. In all this book leaves nothing out. Everything is there, from concept art, merchandise and the actual filming miniatures. To script-writing, lore bibles and the personal accounts from artists.
In short, a very good book with a good history of the series and hundreds of pictures.
December 17, 2015
Ez az a könyv, ami minden Thunderbirds-rajongónak kötelező - de ilyen valószínűleg nincs sok az országban. :-) :-(
Gerry Anderson és felesége, Sylvia nekünk, magyaroknak leginkább az élőszereplős sorozatok, főként az Alfa Holdbázis (Space: 1999) miatt lehetnek ismerősök - továbbá ők készítették az UFO c. sorozatot és az Utazás a Nap túlsó oldalára (Doppelgänger) c. mozifilmet. Utóbbiban Roy Thinnes a főszereplő, aki a legjobb hatvanas évekbeli sorozat, a Támadás egy idegen bolygóról (The Invaders) sztárja is volt.
Nagy-Britanniában és az Egyesült Államokban ugyanakkor leginkább az elképesztően kidolgozott, gyerekek és felnőttek számára is élvezhető bábfilmek miatt ismerik Andersont, érdemes végigböngészni az életművét. A könyv is ezekre koncentrál, elsősorban nyilván a Thunderbirds sorozatra. Jól követhetően írja le, hogy épült ki Andersonék 21 Century nevű cégbirodalma, különösen érdekes a sorozattal kapcsolatos játékok, kiadványok és egyéb holmik (merchandising) üzletágának kialakítása - mindenki azt hiszi, ennek az úttörője George Lucas volt, pedig nem.
Egy másik érdekes - és szomorú - szál a könyvben annak elemzése, hogyan vetítette ki öntudatlanul Anderson a saját szeretet nélküli gyerekkorát a filmekre, és zsúfolta tele azokat csonka és diszfunkcionális családból érkező szereplőkkel.
A könyv nagy, nehéz és gyönyörű kiállítású - ahogy az egy ilyen kultuszsorozatot dokumentáló kötettől el is várható.
Gerry Anderson és felesége, Sylvia nekünk, magyaroknak leginkább az élőszereplős sorozatok, főként az Alfa Holdbázis (Space: 1999) miatt lehetnek ismerősök - továbbá ők készítették az UFO c. sorozatot és az Utazás a Nap túlsó oldalára (Doppelgänger) c. mozifilmet. Utóbbiban Roy Thinnes a főszereplő, aki a legjobb hatvanas évekbeli sorozat, a Támadás egy idegen bolygóról (The Invaders) sztárja is volt.
Nagy-Britanniában és az Egyesült Államokban ugyanakkor leginkább az elképesztően kidolgozott, gyerekek és felnőttek számára is élvezhető bábfilmek miatt ismerik Andersont, érdemes végigböngészni az életművét. A könyv is ezekre koncentrál, elsősorban nyilván a Thunderbirds sorozatra. Jól követhetően írja le, hogy épült ki Andersonék 21 Century nevű cégbirodalma, különösen érdekes a sorozattal kapcsolatos játékok, kiadványok és egyéb holmik (merchandising) üzletágának kialakítása - mindenki azt hiszi, ennek az úttörője George Lucas volt, pedig nem.
Egy másik érdekes - és szomorú - szál a könyvben annak elemzése, hogyan vetítette ki öntudatlanul Anderson a saját szeretet nélküli gyerekkorát a filmekre, és zsúfolta tele azokat csonka és diszfunkcionális családból érkező szereplőkkel.
A könyv nagy, nehéz és gyönyörű kiállítású - ahogy az egy ilyen kultuszsorozatot dokumentáló kötettől el is várható.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews