Giant transporter, carries all the rescue gear to the danger zone - Thunderbird 2 is go! In the second of this five-part series, Fred McNamara argues the case for why each Thunderbird machine is the greatest of the International Rescue craft - continuing with Thunderbird 2! Piloted by Virgil Tracy, Thunderbird 2's role as International Rescue's heavy-duty transporter aircraft means that the success of very nearly every Earth-bound rescue operation hinges on what TB2 brings in its pod. Could International Rescue function without Thunderbird 2? Is it possible the craft is... overrated? Investigations are go!

International Rescue's Most Special Vehicle?

The cliff-face lowers. The palm trees part way. The launch pad lifts the great machine upwards, and with a deafening roar, Thunderbird 2 blasts off on another rescue mission. This is surely the sequence that everyone remembers from Thunderbirds. Of all the other launch sequences of the classic Thunderbird machines, of all the emphasis on mechanical spectacle of futuristic hardware, it's this one. 

There is the iron-clad argument to be made that Thunderbird 2 is just about the only larger-scale craft that International Rescue actually needs. Any number of episodes cherry-picked from Thunderbirds captures Thunderbird 2's vitality to International Rescue's functionality, impressively if unintentionally managing to outmanoeuvre the likes of Thunderbird 1 or Thunderbird 5 in usefulness. However, it's Terror in New York City, the episode that features Thunderbird 2 much less than others, which exemplifies the craft's significance.

Accidentally attacked by US Navy forces, Thunderbird 2 is rendered inoperable for much of the episode, leaving a desperate Scott and Gordon to come to the rescue of the trapped TV journalist Ned Cook and cameraman Joe from beneath the collapsed ruins of the Empire State Building without the airlifting assistance of Thunderbird 2. A nerve-shredding race against time ensues for Thunderbird 4 to make it to the danger zone without the aid of TB2 before the two men drown. With Thunderbird 2 entirely removed, International Rescue's vulnerability in applying uniquely specific roles to each of their individual rescue machines is laid bare to dramatically thrilling effect.

Thunderbird 2 is not the fastest, the most compact or the most subtle of the Thunderbirds, but it undeniably remains the most popular in the eyes of lifelong fans and casual viewers. There is the argument that much of International Rescue's other machines are surplus to requirements, not helped by the classic series' eventual comfortable reliance on Earth-based scenarios where the retrofuture jeopardy of any given rescue operation hinges on what kind of pod vehicle will emerge out of TB2's belly.

Heavy Duty Features

As International Rescue's vehicular transport craft, Thunderbird 2 is designed to ferry all manners of specified rescue equipment to the danger zone. These are determined, ideally, by Scott and John's joint efforts to mapping out the precise severity and jeopardous features of the danger zone prior to Virgil's involvement in the rescue operation. However, where Thunderbirds 1 and 5 struggle to function without Thunderbird 2's intervention, Thunderbird 2 can easily operate without the need for prior aid from International Rescue's space monitor or rapid response rocket.

Episodes such as Day of Disaster and Brink of Disaster highlight how unfortunately easy it is for Thunderbird 2 to be the only necessary rescue vehicle. Where Thunderbird 1's reconnaissance functionality can only go so far, Thunderbird 2's multi-faceted features safely resolves any danger zone. If Thunderbird 2 was equipped with the same hypersonic speeds of Thunderbird 1, would Scott so easily be out of a job?

Thunderbird 2's ingenious pod vehicle system (conceived by Gerry Anderson) and iconic design (by Derek Meddings) easily enable the craft to be the most recognisable of all the I.R. machines. No other Thunderbird craft can boast the eclectic functionality of Thunderbird 2. Thunderbird 1 and Thunderbird 4 perhaps come close, but TB2 is the only Earth-based Thunderbird machine which can tackle rescue scenarios on its own without the help of other vehicles.

TB2's pod vehicle system consists of the ability to select six separate pods that attached within the centre of the craft. Inside each of these pods are remarkably different, compact-sized rescue vehicles, often ground-based. Pod 5 houses a laboratory chiefly used by Brains to analyse and interpret danger zones to help the team devise rescue scenarios. Pod 4 features a unique ramp system and buoyancy that allows for instant dropping into the oceans to allow for Thunderbird 4's release. So many of International Rescue's greatest victories have been scored thanks to the determined efforts of the Tracy boys' piloting of the fantastically engineered pod vehicles, which can only be brought to the danger zone by TB2.

Thunderbird 2 isn't defined by its transportation functionality, however. Like other I.R. craft, TB2 carries an impressive array of its own rescue and security features. The pulse-pounding rescues of the likes of Zero X (Thunderbirds Are Go), Skythrust (Alias Mr. Hackenbacker), Fireflash (Operation Crash-Dive), Martian Space Probe (Day of Disaster), and Penelope, Parker and Tin-Tin's cable car (The Cham-Cham) are all made possible thanks to Virgil Tracy's skilful piloting and an abundance of magnetic grabs, hydraulic claws, cable hooks and more, all housed and deployed within TB2 itself.

Equally Vital?

Thunderbird 2 may do much of the heavy lifting for International Rescue, but it's still able to effectively be deployed in joint rescue operations with other Thunderbird craft, highlighting the shared importance of all the International Rescue machines. The Cham-Cham and Sun Probe capture unusual rescue scenarios that demand different I.R. craft be in different locations at once to perform an interconnected rescue, making Thunderbird 2's involvement in these episodes as equally vital as TB1'a warning of the USAF transporter aircraft's attack or TB3's heroic act of dragging the Sun Probe off of its solar collision course. 

In these instances, TB2 is on an equal footing with more of International Rescue's craft, highlighting the effective use of Thunderbird machines when forced to grapple with out-of-the-ordinary rescue situations. However, Thunderbird 2 still maintains its heavyweight title by still being allowed to perform the decisive rescue that climaxes both of the aforementioned episodes on electrifying notes of coiled tension.

The Most Celebrated Thunderbird Machine

Thunderbird 2 reads like the most explicit realisation of Gerry Anderson's embryonic vision of what would eventually evolve into the Thunderbirds we know and love today. Greatly inspired by a German mining disaster, Gerry's oft-told story of Thunderbirds' creation involved the desire to get specialised rescue equipment to the scene that could perform the much-needed rescue that otherwise ordinary means struggled with.

60 years since Virgil Tracy first piloted the craft towards London International Airport on International Rescue's debut mission, Thunderbird 2 remains the centrepiece of the entire Thunderbirds experience for many fans. Its idiosyncratically curved design, with stubbily protruding wings, somehow simultaneously invites and deflects mockery regarding its aerodynamic capabilities. Its brilliantly executed transportation system taps into the runaway merchandise success of Thunderbirds' toy-friendly aesthetic, surely determining that Thunderbird 2 toys remained on shelves until the late 1970s.

Without the presence of International Rescue's heavy duty transportation aircraft, it's tricky to envision Thunderbirds being the juggernaut jewel of science fiction adventure that it remains, over half a century on since its debut.

Prepare to discover all of Thunderbird 2's most closely kept mechanical secrets with the forthcoming pre-order of the International Rescue Technical Operations Manual! The manual will be available to pre-order later this week on the 24th. You'll also be able to enjoy a special livestream on the day with co-authors Chris Thompson and Andrew Clements about the making of this hotly anticipated dossier on all of International Rescue's greatest secrets!

Celebrate Thunderbird 2's thrilling role in the world of Thunderbirds with our celebratory range of Thunderbirds' 60th anniversary releases, including the Miniature Edition and Anniversary Edition collectable models, the Trapped in the Sky/Terror in New York City 4K Collectors Edition Steelbook, and prepare yourselves for the forthcoming Thunderbird 2 Die-Cast Collectable Model with removable pod! As Virgil Tracy reminds the young Chip in Security Hazard, "Without Thunderbird 2, the rescue would be impossible!"

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