Thunderbirds: International Rescue Technical Operations Manual by Chris Thompson & Andrew Clements (book review).
When you receive Thunderbirds: International Rescue Technical Operations Manual by Chris Thompson and Andrew Clements, a smile will appear on your face as you flick through its pages, packed with illustrations and photographs. If you know the subject well, you will find yourself ticking off what has been included, while noting additions and possible corrections.
Most of it looks right, although I didn’t think the passenger lift to Thunderbird 2 was located in the lounge. When the crew return, they tend to enter from outside the lounge. Of course, the lift could have a second exit on a lower level, in case they wanted a shower.
As I say above, there is a mixture of photographs and colour illustrations throughout, which should make us all happy. None of the Thunderbirds or their vehicles is shown in cutaway illustrations. As this has been done several times over the years, the creators probably decided to take a different approach and present exterior blueprints instead.
I could argue that cutaways should have been included simply to justify the word ‘Technical’ in the title, although that would probably have meant covering every pod vehicle in the same way.
Each section of the book is presented by different members of the Tracy family, along with Lady Penelope, Parker and Brains. I’m a little concerned that Jeff Tracy wants readers to burn the book before it falls into enemy hands. I’m sure the Hood already has a copy of his own and is smiling at his entry, particularly the praise for his disguises.
There is some disinformation. In one picture of the island, the round house is shown on the same side as Tracy Villa and much lower than Thunderbird 2’s hangar. It should be on the other side of the island, because the tall cliff conceals the 350 feet needed to accommodate the 287-foot-tall Thunderbird 3.
If anything happened to Thunderbird 3 while coming in to land, it would incinerate the family. Also, if the round house were positioned there, the settee mounting would have to descend at a very sharp angle to reach the base of the rocket. I think too much attention may have been paid to toy models of the island rather than its appearance in the television series. Thankfully, this is corrected in the section detailing Thunderbird 3’s launch bay.
Interestingly, the livery, or paintwork to you and me, of the Thunderbirds is regularly replaced because of wear. This would explain the slight differences in colour seen during their television appearances.
A few questions are answered, including how Scott and Virgil get out of their Thunderbirds when they arrive at a rescue, even if the answer involves such old-fashioned technology as ladders. You would think Brains might have devised something a little more elaborate to prevent unauthorised people from climbing aboard.
We also don’t see how Scott’s Mobile Control unit compacts before being stored, although it is shown being moved on a trolley. At least the anti-gravity nonsense has been removed.
Looking at Thunderbird 1’s Mobile Control, it is still unclear how the unit folds up when closed, although some elements are easy to identify, such as the screen-monitoring system folding down. Speaking of screens, considering how flat the portrait and wristwatch displays are, you do have to wonder why the two Mobile Control screens are not equally slim, unless the technology is being deliberately kept from the public. These days, I suspect Brains would have made the whole unit more compact.
If there is a flaw in the Thunderbird 2 illustrations, it is the absence of wheel grips to hold the pod vehicles securely in place during flight. I was also under the impression that every pod contained a laboratory for Brains, rather than there being only one.
Only the Laser Cutter is shown with side supports securing it inside the pod. A more serious flaw with the Mobile Crane, which Brains would no doubt sort out, is that its cabin has room for only three people. What would have happened to the two crew members from the Crablogger if they had returned in time? It isn’t as though Scott knew Brains and Virgil would be jetting away from it.
You also see a significant number of International Rescue auxiliaries, some 32 in total, although the book doesn’t explain why Jeremiah Tuttle is Agent 47. I thought his former career was as a cleaner rather than an instructor.
However, considering Parker is Agent 2, this seems to indicate that there may be more than one agent in each destination area. Although Sir Jeremy Hodge is included, Professor Borender is not. Likewise, Jeremiah Tuttle’s wife, Ma Tuttle, doesn’t receive her own entry, despite her exploding baked-bean tins suggesting considerable expertise with explosives.
There are details of several significant rescues, although the book stops short of covering the rescue of Zero-X beyond a single illustration. Considering the detail given to the development of Thunderbird 6, leaving this one out seems an odd choice, as it was a particularly difficult rescue.
A few rescues and pod vehicles are mentioned that were never shown on television or even in TV21, although a couple did appear there. It will be up to readers to decide what they consider canon. There are also hints of ideas that would later appear in the animated series, although I think that deserves a book of its own.
Now we come to the nitty-gritty of significant omissions, and that is a tough one. Lady Penelope’s St Christopher brooches, complete with radio responders, are absent. They were used in both The Duchess Assignment and Thunderbirds Are Go.
This book is bound to sell regardless, simply because it has Thunderbirds on the cover. It is comprehensive in what it covers and, as pointed out above, very little has been omitted. There is more than enough here to keep you reading from cover to cover.
GF Willmetts
August 2026
Published by Anderson Entertainment, 2026. 303-page illustrated oblong hardback. Price: £39.99 (UK). ISBN: 978-1-91452-284-0.
Visit the website: Thunderbirds: International Rescue Technical Operations Manual
