AIP 1/350 Thunderbird 2
I got stupidly excited when these reissues were announced and knew I had to get some.
This took me all the way back to Tuesday Evenings at 6:00PM on Grampian TV. The only time I was allowed to have dinner in the living room as my Mum and I sat down to watch Thunderbirds.
I still have really vivid memories of the series 2 "Attack of the Alligators" which scared me more that Doctor Who.
I only had one issue with the kit and that was purely my doing. I got lazy and used the kit decals for the engines. When I was then putting them on the kit the fit was so tight that, despite being clear coated the decal tore and lifted.
So, it was back to painting and masking.
Primed with Tamiya XF-53 Neutral Grey.
Painted with Tamiya XF-5 Flat Green, LP-21 Italian Red, X-10 Gun Metal, XF-3 Flat Yellow, XF-69 Nato Black, XF-57 Buff for pre-shade mottling and Vallejo Steel.
Thunderbird 4 was XF-3 Flat Yellow with a drop or 2 of Clear Red
A wee bit of Citadel Nuln Oil Wash for the engines and grills.
Finished with Windsor & Newton Satin Varnish.
As I was taking the photos I realised I hadn't removed the masking on the windows and when I did saw that the Krystal Klear had smeared a bit on the inside.
Looks OK from a foot away.
I had an absolute blast building this and am looking forward to the Thunderbird 1 and Fireflash that I got at the same time.
I also have the SHED Models Thunderbird 3 to do at some time. It's been hanging around in the stash since I bought it at Wonderland Models in 1991.
Anyway enough waffle,
Thanks for looking,
Cheers,
Alistair
Love the Thunderbirds (and Stingray, Captain Scarlet, got all their movies), Alistair and I love your build!
Thanks for sharing this, triggering all those wonderful memories!
Thanks Spiros,
It triggered all sorts of memories for me and it was a really fun build.
Cheers,
Alistair
Alistair, your T-Bird 2 is definitely a ‘GO’ and is a great looking build. Looks spot on and could be used in an actual episode.
We actually have a few Thunderbirds episodes on VHS Tape - but no VHS machine ?.
Thanks so much.
I did collect them and Captain Scarlet on VHS when they came out but have since progressed to DVD and then Blu Ray. They know how to lever cash out of me just waiting for the 4K's to come out to spend more.
Cheers,
Alistair
So cool. I used to have the Dinky toys die-cast model of this one and Lady Penelope’s double axle front Wheel , Pink , Rolls look alike with missile firing from the front grille ! Great memories Alistair here. The work and coloration looks amazing.
Thanks,
I always wanted the Dinky TB2. Used to leave the catalogue open at that page near Christmas but it never happened, although for my 6th birthday I did get all the Capt. Scarlet diecasts.
Nice blast from the past. There was also Supercar and Fireball XL-5.
Thanks very much.
Those two were before my time I'm afraid. Loved Stingray, Secret Service and UFO though.
Thunderbirds are go!
Fine job on my favorite of the T-Birds. The show aired in my city on Saturday mornings and I think my brothers and sister got a little tired of my grabbing the tv for that hour on that day.
Remember Fireball XL-5?
Thanks so much.
I've seen some Fireball XL5 but only since the advent of VHS, DVD etc. I have no memory of it being broadcast.
Cheers,
Alistair
I also remember watching the Thunderbirds when I was a kid, Alistair (@alistairfgauld). They were really cool to watch and the vehicles are still really fun. I was just looking at a magazine ad showing all of the stuff that is coming out, and now I want to build some. Most of my models look better if you stand off to view them, and some look better if you stand way off. Cheers.
Thanks so much.
All mine look acceptable form a distance.
Cheers,
Alistair
How long is TB2 in 1/350? About nine or ten inches? Are the rest of the Thunderbirds in 1/350 also? (I'm trying to scale TB2 in my head comparing it to my Polar Lights refit Enterprise and how big a person would be on that. Am I close?)
TB2 is 8 inches in length.
TB1 is in 1/144 an the other one I have is Fireflash in 1/350
Hope that helps.
Cheers,
Alistair
Hello Alistair
This is Scott Tracy of International Rescue ,
On the behalf of my dad , brothers, Penelope , Tin Tin and Parker
I would like to thank you and congratulate you for this gem of a model.
We all encourage you to keep up modeling our machines with such talent !
Scott Th.1
F.a.b.
Many Thanks Scott,
I wasn't sure if you'd want them so publicly displayed.
Cheers,
Alistair