Away from the five main Thunderbird vehicles, International Rescue’s sprawling fleet of small yet powerful rescue machines often bears the brunt of performing complex, nail-biting rescue operations. Heavy hitters (or should that be heavy burrowers?) such as the Mole can be counted upon to tunnel beneath the most impossible of environments to rescue those in peril, but lesser-seen gems prove their worthiness throughout the classic series.
This Thunderbirds Thursday, we’re counting down five of the best rescue operations performed by the pod vehicles in Thunderbirds!
5. The Neutralizer and Jet-Air Transporter Save Alan and Grandma Tracy (Move – And You’re Dead)
Pod vehicles rarely come any smaller than these two compact vehicles. Brains and Virgil utilise these micro machines to perform a delicate operation which, if executed wrongly, could have resulted in the loss of Alan Tracy and Grandma. The pair have become trapped atop the suspension bridge over the San Miguel River and are gradually loosing consciousness as the relentless Mexican sun bears down on them. The situation is made worse by the presence of a sonic wave generator that will detonate if the slightest movement is detected. It’s one of Thunderbirds‘ grimmest danger zone scenarios to grapple with, a slowly tense method of death whereby normal means of rescue just aren’t negotiable.
Thunderbirds script editor Alan Patillo gifts the series one of its most unique rescue operations with the introduction of the Neutralizer and the Jet-Air Transporter. Move – And You’re Dead was the first of only two episodes to be both written and directed solely by Patillo. Brains makes use of the Neutralizer’s powerful radio waves to render the bomb’s motion detection useless, whilst Virgil’s nimble use of the Jet-Air Transporter hovercraft allows Alan and Grandma to jump to safety and be guided to terra firma thanks to the craft’s unique production of pocketed routes of oxygen that can lower falling individuals to the ground. Quite a novelty amongst pod vehicles and a rescue that’s driven by the puppetry rather than the hardware.
4. The Excavator Clears Away the Hood’s Sabotaged Rockfall (Martian Invasion)
It’s intriguing to note that pod vehicles often operate in pairs; their specialised functions resulting in their single-use abilities mean that several different machines can be demanded for each rescue operation. However, the Excavator shows that it can handle geologically disastrous scenarios without the need for assistance. The Excavator rather feels like the result of Brains fusing together the best operational elements of the Firefly and the Mole. This tractor-based mech is seen in Martian Invasion not only clearing a path of rockfall to rescue a pair of actors on a low-brow B-movie set. The Excavator can consume the rubble, convert it to a watery mixture, and eject it to allow for the cleared route to be safely maintained.
Episode writer Alan Fennell enjoyed giving Thunderbirds plenty of memorable pod vehicles that add to International Rescue’s arsenal, and like so many others seen throughout the series, it’s a pity we never see the Excavator make further appearances. The Excavator’s all-in-one functionality showcases a possible evolution in how pod vehicles were created and depicted in Thunderbirds. Rather than pair similar vehicles together, Martian Invasion condenses this approach down into a single, powerful vehicle.
3. The Firefly and the Mole Rescue the Carter Family (City of Fire)
It’s surprising to realise that City of Fire marks the sole appearance of the Mole and the Firefly utilised in a single rescue operation, given their combined popularity. This makes their joint appearance here all the more noteworthy. Both vehicles are put to enthralling use amidst a sprawling mass of incendiary rubble and underground chaos that would be unthinkable for any normal rescue equipment to navigate. In the wake of the devastating collapse of the colossal skyscraper metropolis Thompson Tower, the Carter family is found to be trapped beneath the remains of the city within its underground carpark, with no way to escape and the inescapable threat of the city’s remains collapsing on top of them.
In its debut appearance, the Firefly battles against the tower’s blazing remains to clear a path for the Mole to then burrow into the carpark and rescue the family, who become unconscious due to the enveloping smoke from the encroaching fires. It’s a deftly executed performance of two much-loved Thunderbirds vehicles with hugely complimentary functionalities. Witnessing both models interact with the violently raging inferno set remains one of Thunderbirds‘ most stunning set pieces.
2. The Mole and Recovery Vehicles Drag the Sidewinder to Safety (Pit of Peril)
One of Thunderbirds‘ most complex and prolonged rescue attempts occurs early on in the series with the recovery of the collapsed military land carrier vehicle, the Sidewinder. Unable to simply rescue its trapped military crew from within the gargantuan machine, the Sidewinder itself must be dragged up the side of the pit from which it’s collapsed into. A multi-pronged rescue effort springs into action with Virgil being lowered into the pit to strategically place detonation charges that will allow the Sidewinder to shift into a more favourable position. Virgil then must steer the Recovery Vehicles to fire their rocket clamps onto the Sidewinder and perform the herculean feat of dragging the Sidewinder out of the hellish conditions it’s ensnared in beneath the scorching jungle landscape.
Pit of Peril gives us our first rescue operation with coordination from Brains, but aside from Scott’s piloting of the Mole for Virgil’s own recovery, it’s a rescue operation that mostly falls on the shoulders of the intrepid Thunderbird 2 pilot. One wonders then how much inspiration writer Alan Fennell may have taken from Trapped in the Sky when composing this episode, which also features Virgil bearing the brunt of the rescue operation’s success or failure, and sees him piloting a lead pod vehicle that has several drones in tow. A rescue operation that captures the dirtied-down hardware appeal of Thunderbirds.
1. The Elevator Cars Allow the Fireflash to Land (Trapped in the Sky)
Really, folks – was the number one spot ever going to be something else? Trapped in the Sky does a remarkable job in setting the standard for how rescue operations in Thunderbirds should be executed from both a filmmaking perspective and a narrative one. From their genius design consisting of mighty hydraulic suspensions, flatbed tops and multi-wheel functionality to the jeopardy of Virgil loosing control of the vehicles before and during the rescue, International Rescue’s debut mission is fraught with danger at every turn.
The Fireflash rescue also sees the rolling road and sky backdrop in fully immersive use, emphasising just how meticulously convincing Thunderbirds remains in its miniature world of practical effects, puppetry and model work. Trapped in the Sky‘s rescue operation quite rightly remains one of Thunderbirds‘ most compelling sequences, and it’s only by the skin of their atomic teeth that International Rescue manages to save the day.
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