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If I had to pick one of my favourite moments from any Thunderbirds episode it would be the sequence when the Recovery Vehicles haul the "Sidewinder" out of the burning pit! The sequence is made particularly special for me because of Barry Grey's superb music that really conveys the power of these machines!
I've stuck up all my reference photos blown up to as near the exact size of the original models as possible.. These were pretty much all "screen grabs" from the DVD I had to do especially as I don't have any reference photos of this vehicle in any of my extensive archive photos.
Here I am carving the nose of the model in Jelutong wood. I have already transposed the side elevation on to the wood in pencil and have cut down to the line. I have then done the same with the top plan view. Once this was done I carved the nose using the photos as reference
These are two views of the construction of the mudguards that sit either side of the main body. I traced their shape directly from my drawing which, in turn, was traced from the photo. On the original models the joins between the top & side of the mudguards is reinforced with a rounded trim.
Here I have completed the main construction. I have let a solid piece of Perspex into the front & sanded it down to blend in with the wooden nose. This has then been polished and masked up to become the window. I have then sprayed the whole wooden front with primer-filler, rubbing down between coats.
This is another view of the model at the primer stage. The clamps that are fired from the tubes can be seen in detail; with their 4 studs added (I have no idea why these were put on!)
n this photo I have finished the main body, adding the rim around the window in 20 thou Plastikard. I have then sprayed the final colour Ford "Carnival Red". The firing tubes are sprayed with Ford "Silver Fox" with the cone part of the magnetic clamps picked out in matt black enamel.
Here I have added much of the final detail. The rubber tubes are electric flex with the wiring pulled out. The lettering is done in "Ebring" rub-down lettering. The side door was actually quite difficult to match to the original.
Another view of the model showing the rear detail. You can see I've made a linkage from one launch tube to the other. This connects to a ram which lifts the tubes to fire! The kit detail appears to come from tried & trusted kits much used in "Thunderbirds".