Gerry Anderson's worlds are closely associated and fondly remembered for their fantastically futuristic hardware. From global rescue outfits to secret defence organisations battling alien invaders, any number of classic Anderson series boasts an incredible line-up of brilliantly designed vehicles, headquarters and other kinds of forward-thinking technology used to defend the Earth. 

With the release of the Stingray W.A.S.P. Technical Operations Manual, let's take a deep dive into the fantastic vehicular aesthetic of Stingray and examine why it's so unique!

Invaders from the Deep

Stingray occupies a unique place in Gerry Anderson's extensive filmography due to its futuristic underwater setting. Aquatic storylines may have been semi-regular throughout Supercar, Fireball XL5, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, and UFO, but Stingray is the only series to feature the action-packed exploration of the world's oceans as its premise. That distinct core idea feeds into Stingray's depiction of a technologically advanced world where human military powers interact with equally advanced underwater alien races.

The ability to bring this mixture of worlds to life convincingly was undoubtedly enabled by AP Films' growing experiences in producing sci-fi puppet entertainment, but the great leap forward was Lew Grade's significant financial investment in the company prior to Stingray's production around late 1963. Compared to Supercar and Fireball XL5, Stingray's enhanced budget fed into wildly increased production capabilities. With AP Films' improving craftsmanship stretched further thanks to these added resources, it's no surprise that Stingray adopts the general premise of Fireball XL5, twists the setting from outer space to under the oceans, and produces some of the most colourful depictions of vehicular hardware in an Anderson series. 

Where Fireball XL5's monochromatic format blends human and alien technology into a fairly indistinguishable industrialised vibe, Stingray showcases a clear schism between terranean and subterranean technology. Stingray's vivid aquatic worldbuilding is keenly felt in the kaleidoscopic array of weird and wonderful vessels piloted by the many undersea races encountered by the WASPs. Fireball XL5's emphasis on expressive lighting is dispensed with here in favour of spectacular colours and uncommon shapes of underwater craft that appear to defy logic, implying a curious sense of functionality. Given their alien nature, isn't that the point? The unusual colour schemes and decals that adorn the interiors and exteriors of these strange machines signal a departure from what had come before.

While Stingray's magnificent special effects were produced by Derek Meddings and Brian Johnson, and Stingray itself was designed by series' associate producer Reg Hill, many of these one-off vehicles that enliven Stingray's underwater world were the work of mostly uncredited model maker Eric Backer. While the likes of Stingray and Titan's Terror Fish command many of the series' most exciting action sequences, it's Backer's vividly curious subterranean vessels that make Stingray's sprawling underwater world feel engagingly inhabited by strange forms of life.

Stingray's Incredible Voyage

There's a keenly felt juxtaposition between these alien craft and the far more recognisable military advanced capabilities of Marineville, together with its star submarine. They're the centrepiece of Stingray's technological wonders. Stingray itself is a beautifully conceived design. It was the last of three beloved Anderson vehicles designed by Reg Hill, following Supercar and Fireball XL5 (which also had input from Meddings). The craft's appropriately aquatic flavoured design, all rounded contours and fish-like fins, is a world away from the real-world developments in nuclear submarines that were swiftly dominating the world's military powers during Stingray's production and broadcast. Yet the craft's naturalistically smooth, amphibious outline gifts it with a realistic believability, itself a helpful distinguishment between the WASP's star vessel and the comparatively surreally designed craft that Stingray regularly battles against. 

The extensive militaristic set-up of Marineville is an explicit connective link between the sparsely laid out Space City and the atomic secrecy of Tracy Island. Marineville is an establishment straight out of the post-war paranoia playbook, boasting an astonishing array of defensive capabilities, complete with nuclear missiles adorning its front lawn. Yet for all of Marineville's labyrinthian layout of launch tunnels and underground capabilities, it also offers all the comforts of home for its personnel with its apartment buildings flanking the Marineville Control Tower. It's an emergency-ready aesthetic that would be carried over into the deceptive luxurious lifestyle of the Tracy family. 

Marineville's real-world military visual edge can also be found with the comparatively traditional fighter aircraft that populate Marineville's defences. Arrowhead Interceptors and Spearhead Bombers further Stingray's sense of realism, as do the likes of World Security Patrol Sea Probe submarine, a vastly more traditional submarine compared to the exciting unconventionality of Stingray.

Stingray's vehicular aesthetic blends exotic underwater allure with hardened military power. The imaginative designs of its many vehicles, weaponry and other forms of technology are enhanced by their futuristic technical details that aid in portraying Stingray's world as approaching believability.

Discover the fantastic secrets of Stingray and the World Aquanaut Security Patrol's vehicular world with the release of the W.A.S.P. Technical Operations Manual! Order your standard or special edition of this highly anticipated tome that details all you could ever want to know about the incredible marine security and technological marvels of the WASPs!

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