8 ms·
Unseen Thunderbirds film reels found in garden shed
- worldsayshi 2y agoThunderbirds was made in the 60's?? How come it was such a hit when I was a kid in the 90's? I had their fortress as a toy.
- MrVandemar 2y agoMaybe there was a revival around that time? Otherwise I'd guess nostalgia from parents?
- huesatbri 2y agoFrom wikipedia: ” In the early 1990s, Matchbox launched a new range of toys to coincide with the BBC2 repeats. Sales figures for Christmas 1992 surpassed those achieved by Star Wars merchandise in the 1970s and 1980s.”
- hi_hi 2y agoThere was also an episode of the popular kids TV show Blue Peter, where they showed you how to make Tracy Island. I believe that helped boost it's popularity.
- ChrisKnott 2y agoI think that was downstream to deal with the fact the real toy was expensive and hard to get due to demand. IIRC it was Blue Peter's most requested instructions ever. Quite a signficant public service by whoever designed that when you think about it.
- Symbiote 2y agoThe original instructions are online! https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/classic/bluepeter/makes/tracyisland.pdf https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/classic/bluepeter/makes/tracyisla... Via https://www.bbc.com/videos/c511wey54g4o https://www.bbc.com/videos/c511wey54g4o ("1993: Tracy Island - Blue Peter") The next video in the archive is about "this new thing called the Internet", from 1994 https://www.bbc.com/videos/czv20818q2no https://www.bbc.com/videos/czv20818q2no
- simonjgreen 2y agoThis was huge. Everyone in my class was trying to build it! It occasionally gets talked about to this day
- _joel 2y agoWith Anthea Turner, no less... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZM_iV7R8rTM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZM_iV7R8rTM
- hi_hi 2y agoBack in the good old days, when kids had attention spans!
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- hi_hi 2y agoFor all those who didn't have the privilege of growing up as a kid in the 90's, this went viral before going viral was a thing :-) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UzWkEHOdZA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UzWkEHOdZA
- dfawcus 2y agoYes. Probably because Terrahawks (80s) was such a flop, and so there was scope to repeat Thunderbirds. Not that the others: Joe 90, Supercar, etc got much in the way of repeats. That said I did enjoy Captain Scarlet and Stingray as a kid.
- Mindwipe 2y agoThere was about eight years between Terrahawk's failure and the BBC deciding to repeat Thunderbirds to great success so the two things are probably unrelated.
- noneeeed 2y agoThere were a lot of repeats when I was a kid (80-90s). Shows like Thunderbirds and the like were mainstays of my TV watching. They were really good for their time, and hadn't really aged too badly by the 80s and 90s, so it made good financial sense to repeat them. Combine that with the money to be made from toys and it was a much better deal than forking out for new programmes.
- simonjgreen 2y agoBecause it was really well produced, and brilliantly written and directed! Even now it looks great.
- _joel 2y agoYep, here's Peter Cook and Dudley Moore https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oMi_Hv3Sws https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oMi_Hv3Sws full version https://www.facebook.com/WeirdHollywood/videos/2021-march-peter-cooke-and-dudley-moore-sketch-on-thunderbirds/437473894029517/ https://www.facebook.com/WeirdHollywood/videos/2021-march-pe...
- postexitus 2y agoThere was an even a (quite crappy) Amiga game! Coincided with re-runs on Turkish (newly formed) cable TV - such good (or not) memories. https://www.lemonamiga.com/games/details.php?id=1056 https://www.lemonamiga.com/games/details.php?id=1056
- AdammadA 2y agoThere was a really good Thunderbirds game for its time on the inferior Sinclair ZX Spectrum 48k. I was amazed all those years ago by its puzzle gameplay design. You can play it here. https://archive.org/details/zx_Thunderbirds_1985_Firebird_Software https://archive.org/details/zx_Thunderbirds_1985_Firebird_So... Edit : to set up controls since it's not noted on that page, you'll need to press R ( Redefine keys! ) and that'll get you started! How to play : you swap between thunderbird 1 and 2 each ship by pressing spacebar ( default ) or whatever you configured it to. You'll notice the ship selected in the bottom left corner of the screen.
- ragebol 2y agoI still have that island fortress thing somewhere in a closet, or maybe my parents. With the pool that could swivel out the way, the trees that fold down and some sound effects IIRC. Was all the rage in my class when I was a kid (in the 90s).
- worldsayshi 2y agoYup, same. I don't still have it though. :(
- ccppurcell 2y agoI also had the toys in the 90s and possibly attempted the blue Peter make of the fortress. I even had a duvet cover and lunchbox. These things were of course bought by my parents who watched the show in their childhoods. In turn my kid loves sonic and I have bought him hats and jumpers etc. I think these revivals intentionally capitalise on nostalgia.
- jayflux 2y agoLooks like the majority of it is the same as what aired, just with some alternative edits. Which makes sense as the guy was an editor for the show. These aren’t “unseen” episodes etc.
- Cthulhu_ 2y agoNah, but the title is accurate; the reels had been unseen. And there's some unused / unaired scenes (or, at least one). Still a valuable historic artifact.
- Cthulhu_ 2y agoThe documentary "Supermarionation" (no relation to Super Mario) on Netflix is about the making of Thunderbirds and the other puppeteer shows from the same studio. Mind you, it's a typical Netflix documentary with 90% interviews from a handful of people.
- jahnu 2y agoIs it worth watching though? I wouldn't mind if a documentary was an interview with just 1 person if it's good. The problem with those Netflix ones is they have a handful of people repeat the same thing over and over and over. Then they pad it out even further in between those repetitions with pan and zoom of a couple of barely relevant photos or newspaper clippings or illustrations, perhaps a clip of a news anchor reporting from the relevant time etc. What would be 30 seconds in a good documentary ends up being 5 minutes and 1 episode becomes 6. I now usually give up and read the Wikipedia page once I spot these techniques.
- illwrks 2y agoI watched this when it first appeared. From memory it was a good behind the scenes documentary and worth the watch if you had a passing interest in it as a kid.
- mavhc 2y agoyou'll be wanting https://www.youtube.com/@century21films28 https://www.youtube.com/@century21films28
- HeckFeck 2y agoI tried to watch the McAfee documentary and gave up after 20 minutes of that slog. How they managed to make the documentary about this man boring is beyond me, and answering that would itself make a more interesting documentary. In short, it was so bad that I will no longer watch any Netflix documentary again.
- Cthulhu_ 2y agoWell some info about the concept, making of, follow-up series, and the people involved revisiting the studio (which is a car garage now but still has some of the original sets / movie making gear like gantries) was interesting enough, but honestly I was watching it in bed in a few sittings and kept falling asleep, lol. The story would make for a decent book I'd say.
- ZiiS 2y agoPSA: despite the trope, please do not store film in your garden shed. Film is very delicate and hates moisture and temperature fluctuation.
- InDubioProRubio 2y agoDont worry- as long as there is PSA personal around, you know there is a guy, whos job is it to fix the films discolouration and damages in post. So its okayish and greyish.
- shermantanktop 2y agoBut in Britain all things end up in the garden shed eventually…
- GJim 2y ago> please do not store film in your garden shed. Under no circumstances should you store nitrate film (or film you even think might be nitrate) in your home. It is more flammable than petrol. There is a damn good reason people store old film in garden sheds and not in the house. It isn't a 'trope'. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_base https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_base
- ZiiS 2y agoAn important thing to be aware of. However, storing nitrate film in your shed would still be illegal and inadvisable. There is a decade buffer ensuring Thunderbirds was not filmed on nitrate. tbh I don't think the is any nitrate film stored in a shed which would still be recoverable.
- cameronh90 2y agoI'll ensure that from now on my shed is only used for old tins of paint, firelighters, matches, leaky jerrycans of diesel, fireworks, and gas cylinders. My nitrate film can go in the loft instead.
- 2y ago
- VagabundoP 2y agoCaptain Scarlet was where it was at, such a scary vibe in that show.
- zabzonk 2y agoWhat about UFO? Not puppets (though by the Anderson team) but live-action with sexy ladies in purple wigs and somewhat creepy vibe. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFO_(British_TV_series) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UFO_(British_TV_series)
- VagabundoP 2y agoI remember it but not too well. The Invaders[1] was scarier I think... [1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061265/ https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061265/
- cutler 2y agoDefinitely. I remember months of anticipation as a kid leading up to Christmas Day when I received my Captain Scarlet outfit.
- hi_hi 2y agoLet me use this moment to turn your attention to the superior successor of Thunderbirds...Terrahawks https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaOQA-wcm2w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kaOQA-wcm2w The opening sequence 3D wireframe graphics were rendered on a cluster of prototype ZX Spectrums and were the inspiration for ILM's groundbreaking work on Tron.
- aardvark179 2y agoNot actually true. The title sequence was hand drawn, and the series didn’t even start filming until after Tron had come out.
- seabass-labrax 2y agoIndeed, at it seems particularly unlikely when you consider that the absolute state of the art in the ZX Spectrum demoscene nearly fifty years on still isn't as high-resolution as Terrahawks' title sequence: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJd6GtM5P9E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJd6GtM5P9E By the way, there is an excellent orchestral rendition of the theme music by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, seemingly from a recording for the 'On Screen' album in 1986: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lEQFrl9bEE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lEQFrl9bEE
- UncleSlacky 2y agoYes, it looks similar to the Hitch-Hiker's Guide graphics from around the same time, they were cartoons.
- fredoralive 2y agoKevin Davies, who animated the opening and ending credits for Terrahawks (credited as "Video Game & Titles") was an assistant to Rod Lord when he was making the graphics for the TV version of Hitch-hiker's.
- RichardCA 2y agoThis was discussed a few weeks ago. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41509558 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=41509558
- voytec 2y agoNever heard of this show but puppets style seems to have later became the basis for the Team America puppets[0]. [0] https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Team-America.jpg https://static1.srcdn.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/...
- Freak_NL 2y agoThat was pretty much a direct homage to (or spoof of) Supermarionation, the puppetry style used for Thunderbirds and a number of other shows.
- marcle 2y agoNice childhood memories: "Thunderbirds are go!" I always wondered how the palm trees were able to be flattened:).
- lgeorget 2y agoI always assumed everything on the island was made to LOOK real, but everything was cleverly replicated and engineered.
- irthomasthomas 2y agoWait, they have all those digital scans, but the article does not include a single frame from any one of them? I know they said it needs restoration work, but still...
- quercusa 2y agoThe Endeavour episode 'Apollo' (s6e2) takes place in a studio much like the Andersons' - recommended https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/endeavour-apollo-moon-rangers-studio-gerry-anderson-thunderbirds-stingray-supermarionation/ https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/endeavour-apollo-moon-ra...
- carwyn 2y agoMost of the Gerry Anderson shows are available to stream on ITVX in the UK. The Re-imaginings of Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlett in 3D are there too. Fireball XL-5, Supercar, Joe 90, Space Precinct (sub needed), UFO, Terrahawks, Space:1999, The Secret Service, Stingray, Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet (3D), Captain Scarlet, Thunderbirds the Anniversary Episodes, Thunderbirds Are Go (3D), Thunderbirds.
- jmbwell 2y agoMany of these are on Peacock in the U.S.
- Finnucane 2y agoAre there blooper reels where the puppets swear when they blow a line?
- regus 2y agoThe Thunderbirds board game is an excellent co-op game and it is worth playing if you can find it. It was made by the same guy who created Pandemic and Forbidden Island/Desert. https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/160610/thunderbirds https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/160610/thunderbirds
- hyperman1 2y agoI've just shown these to my kid, as he seems not to like most of todays TV. He loves them. I never watched them myself, so I am learning a lot of all your coments. A board game? Making the island? I'll have some research to do.
- Dwedit 2y agoThunderbirds is actively airing on TV today, there's a channel owned by Weigel Broadcasting (MeTV Toons) which shows it.
- robertlagrant 2y agoI still remember an episode of Blue Peter where they got you to make your own Tracy Island. I vaguely recollect blocking the toilet with toilet paper as you needed the inside of a toilet roll for part of it.
- steve_adams_86 2y agoThis sounds so much like something my youngest would do, haha. I always wonder if the creators realize when they come up with this stuff that a ton of rogue kids are going to flush entire rolls to get the tube.
- bombcar 2y agoThat's why school supply stores will sell you 4,800 tubes for only $1,640! https://www.discountschoolsupply.com/arts-crafts/arts-crafts-kits/craft-kits-projects/sturdy-recycled-craft-rolls---24-pieces/p/324128q200 https://www.discountschoolsupply.com/arts-crafts/arts-crafts...
- timdiggerm 2y agoI never _quite_ got that thing built. I came close, but then never painted it maybe?
- chgs 2y agoThis was in the early 90s when thunderbirds was being reshown on tv, comics reprinted and in the shops, toys available at all good toy shops etc Howver the toy Tracy island was out of stock - demand exceeded the supply. With Christmas rapidly approaching and a lot of kids about to be unhappy, the “build your own” program lodged in the national conscious - everyone knew Blue Peter, it had been running for decades with its sticky back plastic and one they made earlier.
- joshuaheard 2y agoGreat show I loved as a kid! I have the series collection on DVD.
- pjmlp 2y agoOne of my favourite childhood series....
- hacsky 2y agoThe film survived 60 years. Wonder if modern storage media (SSD, NVME) would survive that long?
- squarefoot 2y agoDon't know why but I never liked shows with puppets, not even as a kid, and I still don't like them today, the only one exception being Farscape.
- nuancebydefault 2y agoPostman Pat looks quite nice, stop motion of pupers with a lot of joints.
- Aachen 2y agoIs this what Mozilla Thunderbird was named after? It took me a while to parse this title as something other than an email client! Wikipedia doesn't list a name origin for Thunderbird, just that it was renamed from Minotaur
- kridsdale3 2y agoThunderbird is also a common deity in Pacific Northwest native mythology. The Seattle area AHL hockey team is the Thunderbirds. As is the UBC Football team.
- renecito 2y agoWe are so fortunate we live in the days of "found never seen before" content is so comon, it's not like people found a way to fake artistic content right?