Thunderbirds

[Londontram]

Well first impressions everyone? I enjoyed it but think they tried a bit to hard on the first episode to squeeze everything in but I think its got potential, I think someone raided the parts bin for that under water lab, the crew area had more than a little space 1999 eagle transporter cockpit about it. Over to you chaps. Steve

[gwrrob]

I enjoyed it and it had lots of nice touches.The launching sequences were very nice and I can some merchandise hitting the shops.I wish I had my Thunderbird 2 diecast model that I had as a young boy the first time round.Excellent start but why is it going to CITV.

[micklner]

Very good for adults in parts. Runs at a ridiculous pace for young children to have any idea as to what was going on for 90% of the time. 

 

p.s bring back dad and grandma too      

Edited April 4, 2015 by micklner

[davy crockett]

I prefer the old puppets.

[newbryford]

Gone is the Lowmac in the T3 launch sequence........

 

And a nice cameo appearance from the original "Stingray".

 

Cheers,

Mick

[Dan Griffin]

Where's the stingray cameo.? Havnt watched it yet but don't want to miss it.

[Tim V]

Jury's out for me, when the original came out it was stunning, and the talk of the primary school playground. I'm not so sure now (OK I left primary school 49 years ago!) - and what's it doing on at 8:00 on a Saturday!

[Barry Ten]

Where's the stingray cameo.? Havnt watched it yet but don't want to miss it.

 

early on - blink and you'll miss it!

[Chameleon]

Watched a making of programme on it the other night. It has a good mix of CGI and traditional model making including kit bashing. Will have a look on catch up.

It has some nice touches,like using the original Parker and Sylvia Anderson having a cameo as lady Penelope's aunt or some such. I swear, when she says "home Parker" it sounds just like all those years ago. (Pity she looks like Zelda from the Terrahawks tho!)

Edited April 4, 2015 by Chameleon

[beast66606]

Entertaining in it's own right - yes.

 

Thunderbirds ? - no

[Metr0Land]

I too watched the 'making of' this week and was impressed that most of the key players were fans, and committed to updating Thunderbirds whilst being true to the original (rather like when they brought back Dr Who).

 

I liked the teaser short film that was around a few weeks back.

 

What I didn't like was the tempo.  It was all go go go go go.  Whether that suits today's generation that are all sound bites and instant gratification I've no way of telling, but the pace of the originals somehow added to the believability of those puppets on strings.

 

It's no longer filmed in SUPERMARIONATION which was a great facet of the original.  I'm slightly surprised they didn't and have a 21st century update of that name woven into the opening titles.

[Guest]

What I didn't like was the tempo.  It was all go go go go go.  Whether that suits today's generation that are all sound bites and instant gratification I've no way of telling, but the pace of the originals somehow added to the believability of those puppets on strings.

 

That's the way of things these days. When I re-watch the programmes I grew up with I'm struck by show much time is spent with nothing happening and how much of the total run time is taken up by opening and closing titles.

 

Something that struck me about the new Thunderbirds is the elaborate 'getting to the ships' sequences look out of place when you have characters who can run.

It used to make sense just to chuck the puppets down a slide.

[ELTEL]

I too watched the 'making of' this week and was impressed that most of the key players were fans, and committed to updating Thunderbirds whilst being true to the original (rather like when they brought back Dr Who).

 

I liked the teaser short film that was around a few weeks back.

 

What I didn't like was the tempo.  It was all go go go go go.  Whether that suits today's generation that are all sound bites and instant gratification I've no way of telling, but the pace of the originals somehow added to the believability of those puppets on strings.

 

It's no longer filmed in SUPERMARIONATION which was a great facet of the original.  I'm slightly surprised they didn't and have a 21st century update of that name woven into the opening titles.

Missed the program on the making of the new Thunderbirds

What station was it on please

Terry

[Rivercider]

Missed the program on the making of the new Thunderbirds

What station was it on please

Terry

It was on ITV2  Thursday 2nd April at 8.00pm   Reggie and Thunderbirds - No Strings Attached,  with Reggie Yates,

 

I quite enjoyed it, as already mentioned a lot of the people involved in the project were already fans, and that showed through.

I have not seen the 'new' Thunderbirds yet,

 

cheers

[bike2steam]

Couldn't see the strings !! Never saw much of the original screening, but saw the repeats on Sunday lunch-times in the early 70's, and that was because of my 10 year younger sister's insistence, it was very amusing then. Watched the new one out of curiosity, marvellous what they can do with computers these days, otherwise - why did I bother.

[Phil Bullock]

Only caught snatches of it today but will watch on catch up

 

Agree with the go go go comments - original series was one rescue per episode!

 

Phil

[Catweasel]

Watched it tonight. Jury's out at the moment I think. Sound track is very Steven Seagal movie in style.

[Phil Bullock]

And where is the incidental music?

 

P

[edcayton]

Did the "making of" programme say what happened to Jeff's ship?

 

Ed

[enginelane]

Old enough to have watched and even had models of all the Thunderbirds. When my daughters growing up built the plastic models of the ships and they enjoyed dad playing with them.

 

I think nothing will replace the puppet version in my eyes but if I was viewing for the first time then yes I would be wanting to see the next edition.

 

Good to see the new CGI Parker is equally street wise as the puppet version, I always thought the butler in the Commander Vimes series from the Discworld was modelled on Parker

[beast66606]

.I wish I had my Thunderbird 2 diecast model that I had as a young boy the first time round

 

I have mine (one of them, I had quite a lot as it was my favourite) and it still has the Thunderbird 4 in the pod - time to dust it off perhaps.

[Revolution Ben]

Hi all,

 

Recorded it and watched it late last night , after the kids (two teenage girls!) had gone to bed.

 

As a 48-year-old who still remembers the excitement of waiting for the originals to come on each week - and the envy of noticing it was still being run on ITV Midlands when my area, Anglia, was running Survival or something - I thought it was a really good effort.

 

Of course, it isn't the same as the original Thunderbirds, but then times (and we!) have changed. I did notice immediately that the credits are far brisker - watching reruns of the originals a few years ago I noticed how lengthy they seemed compared to programmes these days.

 

I disagree about the pace of the episodes; yes, they are designed to appleal to "kids these days" but there were chances to catch up; like the original series the launch sequences for each craft were largely repeated frame for frame.

 

Lots of nice touches - stingray cameo, the slightly "wobbly" way Virgil's slide flips over, T2s fold down wings (which make a lot of sense) and the sympethetic way the craft were updated (with almost identical lettering to the originals.)

 

My only criticisms are around the clunky dialogie where characters unnecessarily explain things to help the viewer (eg "It's 2060, we don't live in that kind of world") and certain plot elements: for example, I didn't believe Gordon would jeopardise the rescue of 3 people to check out something in an underwater cave. He could've gone back later!

 

And I'm still not quite sure how they get their suits on!

 

Cheers

 

Ben A.

Edited April 5, 2015 by Ben A

[gwrrob]

I have mine (one of them, I had quite a lot as it was my favourite) and it still has the Thunderbird 4 in the pod - time to dust it off perhaps.

Am I right in saying they were made by Corgi Models.I remember them as being metal.

[Black Sheep]

Ours are metal with some plastic parts, aquired via Kellogs in the 90's

[Guest]

Am I right in saying they were made by Corgi Models.I remember them as being metal.

 

I don't remember. I do remember Thunberbird 2 was blue because 'green toys don't sell'

We only had a black & white telly so I didn't know any better.