Author Archives: Jack Knoll

Gerry Anderson Vehicles in Kerbal Space Program

This week the Security Hazard blog has put together a video where we build and fly some classic vehicles from the Gerry Anderson canon in a game called Kerbal Space Program. In true Thunderbirds style, some of them crash and explode a bit too…

Thunderbirds – 16. Edge of Impact

Edge of Impact was one of the first episodes I saw as a kid, sitting as it did on a Channel 5 VHS alongside Day of Disaster. One thing, however, often stopped me from watching it – my irrational fear of The Hood. That’s right, he’s back, and on this occasion he has no interest at all in International Rescue, and instead just wants to put the Red Arrow project out of action in exchange for a box of treasure. Let’s see how he does!

Thunderbirds – 15. Day Of Disaster

Day Of Disaster demonstrates that when the ambitious Americans of the Thunderbirds world are daring enough to try and send a rocket to Mars, one pompous Brit in love with his rusty old suspension bridge is enough to bring the project to a grinding halt. Yes, the British don’t always come out on top in Thunderbirds and appear to fundamentally lack common sense a lot of the time – such as Lord Silton being driven all the way to the bank in Vault of Death only to have forgotten his key, or Sir Jeremy Hodge in The Perils of Penelope standing at a locked door yelling about how British he is but not actually trying to fix the problem. Day Of Disaster is the next in a line of episodes which shows us how ineffective, yet loveable, us Brits are in Gerry & Sylvia Anderson’s vision of the future… to say nothing of the amazing sequence when the rocket falls off the bridge.

Thunderbirds – 14. End Of The Road

The construction world of the future is a theme focussed on time and again in Thunderbirds. It often comes back to the idea that despite all the highly advanced and automated technology, it still takes hard work and human sacrifice to make things really happen. Despite all these tech-based endeavours, human characters are still the central focus of such stories, End of the Road being a standout example. It’s an episode full of spectacular special effects and some lovely looking guest vehicles – but also in the middle of it all is Eddie Houseman, a guest character whom we grow to like as we learn about his determination and his loose ties with the International Rescue organisation.

The Anderson Close-Up Quiz

How well do you really know your favourite Gerry Anderson shows? The objective of this quiz is simple – try and guess what these are all images of. But there’s a twist! Brains’ computer messed up some of the images and magnified them far too much. Get to work identifying them and let us knowContinue reading “The Anderson Close-Up Quiz”

Thunderbirds – 13. Terror In New York City

There’s no doubt that for most Thunderbirds fans, Terror In New York City is a classic. I first saw it as part of the Countdown to Disaster VHS compilation feature alongside Atlantic Inferno. Needless to say it was a tape that I watched as often as I could. The episode delivers not just one, but two standout moments which push the format of the series to the limit, giving us two of the most catastrophic and dramatic disasters ever seen in Thunderbirds.

Thunderbirds – 12. The Perils of Penelope

If there was ever a case for Lady Penelope being the real star of Thunderbirds, this episode would be exhibit A. The Tracys take a backseat as Penelope and her bit of crumpet, Sir Jeremy Hodge, get caught up in an adventure full of sleuthing and danger!