TB Comics Etc

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This 1/48th scale TB1 was built for use in the latest THUNDERBIRDS comics. It stands 14 1/4 inches high. It is made of Jelutong wood, with Perspex (Plexiglass) wings and tailplanes and aluminium radiator vanes and jet nozzles. Its legs are made from soldered brass.

A set-up for the new comic showing TB1 landing at an oil refinery.

A cover from the 1992 comic issue 12 depicting a scene from the TV episode "The Uninvited" where Thunderbird 1 has been shot down in the desert by "Zombite" fighters

This note book, free with issue 2 of the latest Thunderbirds comic featured the model seen in photo 1.

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One of the shots of TB1 on Seascape finally used in the comic.

Setting up a shot of TB1 landing on the gas rig "Seascape" from the TV episode "Atlantic Inferno". Once again this required building a large section of "Seascape" to exactly match the original model.

The cover of a special issue 13 of "TV ZONE" magazine re-used a photo I originally did of TB1 flying over the Arctic icecap. For this photo I used a model of TB1 I originally made in 1969! It had however been refurbished by this time!

TB1 takes off in its launch silo for this front cover shot of the 1992 comic. Getting this shot involved building a large section of the silo which in itself involved tracking down many of the plastic kits used to decorate the original set.

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The Front cover photo of TB1 on "Seascape" was eventually so cropped down it cut off much of the model I'd spent hours recreating!

Setting up a scene where TB1 attends a crashed jet aircraft. The model aircraft was one I'd originally made for my "Starguard" project.

 Indeed, many of the "Starguard" models ended up being used as "guest" craft in Thunderbirds photos.

The final shot used in a T'Birds Poster Magazine

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Here I'm working on a weather station based very much on that seen in the TV episode "Edge of Impact" This meant buying about 10 "Airfix" Girder Bridge" kits -the mainstay of Thunderbirds kit bashing! I also used this station in a photo for the Stingray comic.

2 photos of TB1 attending the Weather station rescue as they finally appeared in the comic. The rocky backdrop was just a painting done in emulsion!

I was once the proud owner of an original Parker puppet. I bought him at an auction at Phillips in London in 1981 along with several other puppets, and used him for this early comic cover.

This comic cover of Sunprobe involved me building the entire rocket ship and its gantries and launch pad. Yet again this meant obtaining many kits once only available back in the 1960's.

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The "Skimjet" originally built for "Starguard" made it onto the front cover of the Thunderbirds comic when I wrote a story for the comic entitled "Operation Icefloe". Well, I just had to think of some way to get the model seen!

The MEV (Martian Excursion Vehicle) originally featuring in "Thunderbirds are Go" was resurected by me for this comic cover shot. It also featured extensively in the later "Captain Scarlet" comic.

These photos were taken just after "Jurasic Park" came out. Needless to say the comic's editor, Alan Fennell, wanted a story where Thunderbirds were combined with dinosaurs! This allowed me to use a model Styracosaurus I'd originally made for Ray Harryhausen!

Email Martin at: martin@martinbowersmodelworld.co.uk