Our Top 10 Thunderbirds Pod Vehicles

[@GerryAndersonTV]

If you enjoyed this, then you might also enjoy the Gerry Anderson Podcast - a weekly podcast about everything Anderson! Give it a listen >>> www.gerryanderson.co.uk/podcast

[@MrAqr2598]

Gerry Anderson I definitely agree with the top 2, but haven’t watched enough episodes to, as Scott says, “discuss” the other 8.

[@more.power.]

I am 65 years old and my 3 year old grandson and I seat in front of the computer watching Thunderbirds. 60 years ago the amazing stories of Thunderbirds entertained me and now they entertain my grandson.

[@markfryer9880]

And your grandson will have fond memories of sitting down to watch Thunderbirds episodes with you as a key memory.

[@Endeva09]

Lovely 😊

[@ulysses8785]

Cool!

[@mikesilva3868]

Cool tim😊

[@soulance8342]

Trying to get my 3 year old son into them as right now. He is really into construction equipment and vehicles so it should work

[@paulgibbons2320]

Thunderbird 2. Gerry Anderson's answer too the Swiss army knife.

[@ryanangelastro504]

Or in this case a Swiss army aircraft.

[@TheRob625]

Great comment!

[@timwilliscroft9615]

Eat your heart out C5 Galaxy. Mach 6.5! (Being fusion powered is a real asset for range.) We have to take the impossible aerodynamics with love. Spiritually it's a freight plane stretched and expanded into a futuristic freighter. In the real world, the unfortunate AN225 had a higher cargo capacity and could go 10,000km, so it could cosplay as TB-2. Shame it got bombed.

[@minicle426]

For me, I always considered the Mole to be the true TB6. It fills a unique niche in rescue. It gets a shot in the ending credits. It also has a form of rocket propulsion for those who may be a bit nitpicky. :P

[@joanaguayoplanell4912]

We all did

[@markfryer9880]

Ah, the end credits! Left you wanting more Thunderbirds adventures, even though you had to wait a whole damn week for it, 6AM next Saturday morning !

[@dannygroom3327]

I suggested the mole a whole 2 years before this guy. Did I get a comment or even one loosey thumbs up? No. So you can all get stuffed. (And you can all be sure as hell I won't be the one calling I.R. if you ever get so much as a saucepan stuck on your head)

[@matthewwatson3160]

Well according to the Century 21 tech talk episode. The Tracy Brothers jokingly refer to The Mole as "Thunderbird 6".

[@arthursoaresrodrigues4766]

​@@matthewwatson3160Exactly I remember that

[@smokeydoke100]

They did such an amazing job on those models, right down to the suspension.

[@ADAPTATION7]

Yes, so much detail on those models, down to the exhaust. Not surprising that this show was quite expensive in it's day due to so many hands working backstage.

[@minicle426]

Gerry Anderson was pulling of the whole lived in future before George Lucas. I liked how the vehicles showed dirt and wear and tear.

[@MediumRareOpinions]

@@minicle426 I swear there are times as a kid I forget I was watching models, the details convey the sense of scale of the vehicles so well. Personally I think it holds up far better than any early CGI, even today outside of high budget films CGI hasn't got up to that level of realism.

[@CrusaderSports250]

@@MediumRareOpinions WHAT you mean to say they were models!☺. they were very good there's no doubt about that, the great quartet Fireball XL5, Stingray, Thunderbirds, and Captain Scarlet, how the future should have been.

[@notreallydavid]

@@ADAPTATION7 Many years ago I think I heard 30 000 mid-sixties pounds per episode quoted.

[@davidrussell8689]

As a child I used to dream with these vehicles. As an adult I appreciate just how good these models were made . Simply wonderful

[@georgegonzalez3365]

The engineering behind these vehicles is awesome, even though the show is decades old it still seems ahead of it’s time.

[@lawrencedavis5459]

Y'all knew the mole was gonna be no.1

[@thunderbirdsharrypotterfan]

yep

[@joanaguayoplanell4912]

And we also knew the Firefly wouldn't be too far behind. Those two are almost unanimously the most useful, the best looking and by far the most iconic pod vehicles in the series (excluding the Thunderbird 4 of course).

[@LuMnOsITi]

I honestly thought Thunderbird 4 would be

[@joanaguayoplanell4912]

@@LuMnOsITi Thunderbird 4 is a kind of in a league of it's own...

[@bellerophonchallen8861]

Yeah, and with three outings it probably represents the best value for money vehicle for the Tracy family. Who knows what that laser cutter would have cost to build, or the neutraliser. I wonder as well, who actually made the secret heat proof metal Brains developed for that bulldozer. Maybe Russian steel works or Indian? They can't have a smelter on Tracy Island and I wouldn't trust the American business sector with such a revolutionary design.

[@joshuagrover795]

Thunderbird 1's Remote TV Camera seen in the episodes "A Pit of Peril" and "Edge of Impact" is effectively the modern counterpart of a drone so Thunderbirds technology coming to life, Anderson and the team had really good foresight.

[@HappyDude1]

I was thinking the same thing. they can rescue people, deliver supplies, ... nowadays

[@waynewhite2323]

The pods are such a great idea, as a kid you never knew what was coming out.

[@linokleinmeuleman3348]

Wayne White i whas a kid then ,now 61but still love it !

[@Nyerguds]

I always saw them as a bit of a plot hole; they just happened to have a vehicle tailored for every specific niche situation. I actually really love the modular approach idea they used in the remake series, where Pod 3 is an assembly factory combining parts into a vehicle that suits the need of the rescue.

[@joanaguayoplanell4912]

@@Nyerguds Yeah, I loved this approach too. Even with the earlier episodes sending the Thunderbird 1 in advance to scout ahead, they still felt a little bit like an ass pull (even if an awesome one). Now they keep the "awesome vehicles that ready to whatever the plot needs them to do" without feeling cheated by "how the F* did they know wich ones to bring". Plus, the factor that technically, they are bringing EVERY SINGLE POD VEHICLE at once makes a VERY interesting potential scenario of the heroes swapping the parts in the middle of the mission in a future episode if they need more than two pods to do the job, and having to manage the time it takes to return to Thunderbird 2 versus the potential utility of the swap. And the building animation is Iron Man suit-up levels of cool, especially the Mole getting ready to pierce the heavens.

[@Nyerguds]

@@joanaguayoplanell4912 I was literally squeeing in the volcano episode where suddenly, _two_ moles appeared. Too bad they were both lost...

[@felixcuthbert2719]

It was like a Lucky dip with wings.

[@Huter2142]

Mole and Firefly have had a special place in my heart since i was watching episodes taped off the telly by my parents at the age of 4, such iconic vehicles

[@David2-n1g]

I’m 59 years old hence I was born with the Thunderbirds. I never missed an episode when they were replayed later during the seventies. A very memorable TV series.

[@Calvertfilm]

The Mole & Firefly are two of the most distinctive and memorable but I also have a soft spot for the Recovery Vehicles & Elevator Cars.

[@joanaguayoplanell4912]

And the producers too, given how they made sure to bring them back in the remake series, with the Firefly and Mole appearing as staples.

[@eezergoode8588]

Those elevator cars were awesome. I love how you can see the diesel fumes blast from either side as they exit the pod. And the big wheels like the old Soviet tank transport lorries. 👌

[@stargazeronesixseven]

Such amazing care to details back then in the 1960s animatronics! Gerry & Sylvia Anderson were the Pioneers & Masters of their Crafts! Thank You So Much for bringing back so much fond memories of our childhood! 🌷🌿🌍💖🕊

[@razzledazzle7776]

I love how specific all these vehicles are.

[@grumpyoldman3458]

Me too, and I like the way some are variations on the same chassis but with different tools. They may have been done like that because of budget/time restraints making the programme, but I like to think it's Brains making the best use of resources.

[@lancelot1953]

Hi "Gerry Anderson" channel - I grew up with Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's early shows (starting with Supercar). These shows had a lot to do with me embracing a military flying career (US Navy) and shortly before Mrs. Sylvia Anderson passed away, I emailed her a thank you message for all the dreams that she made come through for me and for "keeping me out of trouble" in my youth with their shows. She wrote back to me telling me to keep on dreaming, and never to give up. What a nice Lady. Thank you for bringing me back to the memories of a time of innocence and freedom, Ciao, L (USA)

[@arte4arte]

Even when I was a kid I was aware that I was watching a show that featured very obvious puppets, miniature sets and vehicles, but to this day I admire the level of detail observed in every aspect of the show. The vehicles were very clever, and they all looked completely plausible - the designs made sense and they looked like they could actually work.

[@j.sterling9167]

In the six decades I've watched T.V, Gerry Anderson & his band of creative minds take top prize for the most imaginative, original and most creative vision of the future. Due to the fact there were series after series, (the first few were quite simple) the latter series were much more detailed and better developed than anything else ever shown on Television.

[@markfryer9880]

Ah, Thunderbird 2! My favourite because it carried all the cool rescue gear and came to get the job done. Loved the Pod system for the mid episode surprise equipment reveal.

[@davidsworld5837]

Have you not noticed how fast thunderbird 2 is, when looking at how soon it get to a location in what seems like minutes behind thunderbird 1 which is meant to be fast.

[@blackpeter70]

I would have had an even happier childhood if Dinky had unleashed the Firefly as one of it's Thunderbirds collection.

[@whhyyyyyyyyyy]

i believe i have a firefly toy just not sure its from dinky

[@kjamison5951]

Gerry and Sylvia deserve great credit for all the shows they created. They got top model makers to create some of the most fantastic machines and vehicles ever seen. While not entirely futuristic from the perspective of contemporary science-fiction of the time, everything had a plausible function and that IR had access to this equipment to help anywhere within the World, was amazing. How many children were so inspired by them that they chose technology subjects in order to design and build real life versions of things? Thank you for this list and for including the honourable mentions!

[@RockyRailroadProductions_B0SS]

The Firefly is my favorite personally, but I also quite like the Mole. Great selection for this list.

[@joanaguayoplanell4912]

These two are on a league on their own.

[@revzillo]

The pod vehicles are just awesome they seem over the top but imagine being rescued by one of these amazing vehicles or seeing them going on a rescue mission in real life 👍😉

[@carmanbazza]

Yes! Elevator cars… ok and the mole… Take me back to the 60s. Great childhood memories.

[@L00PdeL00P]

Gerry Anderson was really imaginative with the whole pod system. I always loved the firefly.

[@chrisst8922]

Derek Meddings conceived it all given Gerry's brief.

[@michaelwray1034]

Brilliant.. The mole for me.... Im 60 still love em.

[@kamfaimichaelman8129]

Years ago, during my trip in Japan, I bought several of these scale model machines, each with a piece of candy including the Mole which I Iove the best !

[@otacon5648]

The Recovery Vehicles were always my favourite when I was a kid. I watched all the episodes on repeat with my Dad. My family would tape the episodes off the tv with a VCR 😁 I have all episodes in the DVD box set now so that me and my son can now enjoy them together. God Bless Gerry Anderson.

[@dontuno]

Hands down, the Mole. I often wonder whether a real version couldn't be created. TBM's (tunnel boring machines) just plod their way to wherever, but the Mole would get there in no time. Loved watching this tribute and it took me back a goodly number of years. Many thanks.

[@chriso243]

The elevator cars in Trapped in the Sky I'm 63 now and watched the first ever broadcast episode of Thunderbirds. Fireflash landing on the elevator cars, is, for me, still the greatest piece of TV ever made ! Other notable 'tough' vehicles - Mobile Crane & Firefly

[@colinconman3808]

excellent and so professionally put together. I agree with all the vehicles in the countdown.

[@jonvenner6319]

So much of what I loved on telly back in the sixties looks incredibly dated yet Thunderbirds has survived the test of time so well. Brilliant!

[@dethkruzer]

I had a feeling the elevator cars were gonna be in there somewhere. And no wonder, they do hold a special place in the history of International Rescue.

[@kiwitrainguy]

"Trapped In The Sky" is an amazing title for an episode.

[@videowilliams]

The concept of one manned master machine with several unmanned drones around it is now military doctrine with such things as the F-35 multi-role fighter. The Thunderbirds did see the future, aimed at kids though it might have been. So proud to have been a child of the '60s when it came out!

[@joshuagrover795]

Thunderbird 1's Remote TV Camera seen in the episodes "A Pit of Peril" and "Edge of Impact" is effectively the modern counterpart of a drone so Thunderbirds technology coming to life, Anderson and the team had really good foresight.

[@fishpop]

These pod vehicles were always so cool, especially The Mole & Firefly. It just adds on to why Thunderbird 2 is my favourite. Also there's the weird idea that she effectively gives birth every mission. :P

[@jfess1911]

I loved this show which I only saw a handful of times when I was a child in the 1960's. I has only seen the Anderson shows on grainy black and white TVs and am amazed at the beauty of the models now that I can seen them in higher resolution.

[@angelsone-five7912]

I always liked the Firefly best, a most impreesive vehicle.

[@LordMattyA87]

And after thunderbird 4 the mole’s everybody’s favourite pod vehicle!

[@joanaguayoplanell4912]

Some prefer the Firefly, and I can totally understand, those two are the flagship pod vehicles of International Rescue, and both are very good candidates to be called Thunderbird 6 and 7. And appropriately, on the new series they are widely used (altough for some reason, the Firefly is just called Excavator Pod whenever it shows up)

[@smugfortune9977]

What I like about Thunderbirds vehicles is that they have a sense of realism to them you could instantly see these things saving lives

[@fightboss]

This is Awesome! You Showed 3 of My Favorite Pod Vehicles,the Recovery Vehicles,the Mole, & the Firefly! Thanks for your Great Work!

[@MaxTheFun1995]

Yh, they are my favourites aswell, though i'd add elevator cars in there aswell! ❤

[@kevinprior3549]

Thunderbird 2 is probably the most famous vehicle of all of Gerry Anderson's work. I had the toy of Thunderbird 2. Was cool cos it also had Thunderbird 4 inside.

[@James-xm9oq]

As a child, Thuderbirds showed an exciting, heroic future until the "grownups" ruined it all.♥️😎

[@pierre-rose7783]

You never knew what would drive out of TB-2's pod, but whatever it was, I always just loved it !

[@Renserin]

I really need to watch the DVDs of the show I've got lying around, since the only pod vehicles I've actually seen are the Transmitter Truck and the Monobrake, though I do have one of the technical manuals, so I know the rest exist.

[@mikeandhev]

I now realise that my love of tracked vehicles started with watching all the Thunderbird vehicles carried in the pod of TB2, great compilation.

[@macsmith2013]

I cannot imagine the fun the model makers had building all of those vehicles/machines.

[@domwoodhouse2383]

I like the Mole best. International Rescue's most known machine.

[@thefemalethunderbirdsnerd4068]

My F.A.B favourite TB 2 pod vehicle has to be the mole. I also like the thunderiser, the firefly and the the elevator cars

[@redironproductions5579]

Hard to pick a favourite when the folks who worked on thunderbirds did such stupendous job hah

[@tomroland5467]

Mole definitely first followed by the Firefly. Always liked the engine noise for both vehicles and to this day wonder where it came from? The Firefly is very much like a combat engineers vehicle with it's demolition cannon and forward blade.

[@lukechristmas3951]

It's times like this that I wish I had that MOS.

[@TheRob625]

I watched Thunderbirds as a kid, but I'd forgotten just how many pod vehicles International Rescue owned. Thanks for the reminder and a great video.

[@ToaArcan]

The Firefly is my overall favourite. When they started doing the big toys for the late 90s/early 2000s revival, the Firefly was the first Pod vehicle I got. As it happened, I wasn't able to get the rest, but I was satisfied with the Firefly. That said, it's impossible to argue with the Mole being Number 1. It's just iconic. The ur-drill tank.

[@Uajd-hb1qs]

Yellow is my favourite colour and I’ve been obsessed with rotating machinery since I was a kid so the Mole always took it for me. Like someone already said in this comment section, the Mole is definitely the unofficial Thunderbird 6.

[@yvesboutin5604]

The Firefly is my favorite and I hope it has already been developed in real life because it will prove very useful in a variety of applications. Thanks for the video! Some memories are certainly worth preserving.

[@robertmccully2792]

I use to watch this show a long time ago.. was cool.

[@ivanabnerpanjaitan1471]

Its amazing how this Special FX done in the 60's.... i wish i can watch this again

[@MarkSW]

Love the way it's been done, just like watchmojo. Hope to see more.

[@JasonAFlintham]

I had a toy of the Mole when I was a kid, and it was easily alongside my favourites which were the Thunderbirds that came with the Tracy Island set.

[@StarWarsJay]

Yes! My favourite part of any of the shows.

[@petespersonalchannel2921]

When my son was little, he couldn’t say “Fire Fly”, and called it the “Fnyer Fnyer”. I still think of it as that! Great video.

[@jetenginee.]

Sounds like me saying ketchkupshup instead of ketchup, seems more difficult to say

[@FerrarifanOls95]

Did anyone notice that the Thunderiser and the Laser Cutter Vehicle are almost identical aswell? Happy 90th Birthday Gerry Anderson!

[@Firemarioflower]

3:59 He's just enjoying the ride and happy that he succeeds! Leave him alone!!

[@paulkandi]

The Mole and the Firefly were my favourites with the transmitter coming in 3rd..

[@TheJamienelson123]

Spot on with the mole, always my favourite

[@steveparish9210]

I've said it before and I'll say it again the models are incredible 😮

[@McGowanForge]

I loved Thunderbirds as a kid, and I still do tb2 was my favorite, but I always felt that the pod vehicles and tb2 changed sizes a lot, like once It looks small then next episode it will look huge

[@jetenginee.]

I'm pretty sure they used several modles, small ones for the scenes where tb2 was flying and larger more detailed ones for close up shots like in the perils of Penelope

[@fishpop]

Of COURSE The Mole is #1! What else would it be? Kinda funny how it actually dinked into the pod exit at 6:22. Also funny is how all three of it's appearances were with flaming places.

[@ACtheLegend]

I like to believe George Lucas did the same thing with the Stormtrooper helmet years later as a homage to that moment (and while that theory is nonsense, he really is a Thunderbirds fan!)

[@douglasmaccullagh7865]

Firefly and Mole are top of my list (if we exclude TB4), but my favorite is still Thunderbird 2. There were a few stories where TB2 itself was the primary piece of heavy rescue equipment.

[@melkiorwiseman5234]

Number 5 looks very similar to a machine used (along with the Domo) in a story in the TV-21 Annual I have, and if it is the same machine, it's officially known as the "Exadigger." (because it's an "excavator and digger") Number 2: The Firefly. According to that same Annual, the Firefly uses a two-part fuel, each part being non-flammable until after they are mixed in a special mixing valve just before being fed to the engine. Number 1: According to various paperback novel stories, the Mole has an access hatch just behind the drilling screw. This means that the Mole can rescue people without having to completely enter the danger zone. It only has to move forward far enough for the access hatch to be clear of the tunnel it has drilled. It is also canon that the Mole leaves behind a quick-setting binder around itself in the tunnel as it proceeds, to prevent any cave-ins.

[@zosothezephead837]

My vote would have been for the Elevator cars, they're such a brilliant concept and the execution is unrivalled 🙂

[@iannagel2499]

For me, the elevator cars were impressive. I'm 70 years of age and there was a time I considered the Thunderbirds series the best of Jerry Anderson's concepts. Obviously, number one spot has to go to the mole.

[@LordTwaddle]

I love the Firefly but I also love the high power yellow fire trucks, they have one as a pod vehicle while fire services used it too such as in City Of Fire. Similar design to Firefly only purely designed to be a high speed emergency service vehicle.

[@TaylorZanderFrancis]

Let's see a Top 10 most Dangerous rescues next.

[@thunderbirdsharrypotterfan]

Michael D. Kimpton good idear

[@russcattell955i]

I wonder if International Rescue's Mole was a partial inspiration for modern tunnel boring machines.

[@vectorbrony3473]

I've notice a lot of the tracked vehicles share the same wheel sets. Makes sense from a production standpoint.

[@pawpatrolthunderbird4569]

those vehicles are so cool when they save lives and souls

[@MartyInLa]

Ya, agree the Mole is #1. I have 3 different scale models of it, if you buy a Thunderbird 2 model, the pod usually comes with the Mole!

[@tsk9277]

I can't help but think that given the size of No.9, you could probably put it another pod with something else. Got to love Firefly/Mole and Thunderbird 4.

[@julianmercier]

Great job! No disagreements.

[@AlexKravchenko-uo3ds]

My top 5 pod vehicles: 1. Firefly 2. DOMO 3. Excavator 4. Recovery Vehicles 5. The Mole

[@ronnielenroberts6136]

Seeing how much dust the vehicles throw off upon exiting the pods do the Tracy's not once clean them?

[@TheThunderbirdZero]

Probably just the cold engines blowing off smoke as they're warmed up.

[@badkittynomilktonight3334]

Always thought that the Mole should have been Thunderbird 6

[@Wessex90]

That would have been perfect 👌.

[@terryforsdyke306]

agreed, although I was shocked to hear it was only used 3 times, I would have swarn it was in close to half the episodes

[@Wessex90]

Terry Forsdyke geez you’re right 🤯 🤯!!

[@bingola45]

The Mole should have been Thunderbird Six? How the hell could you land the Mole on a stricken airship!

[@minicle426]

@@terryforsdyke306 TB3 wasn't used that much either.

[@goannaj3243]

always loved the mole machine

[@todddavis2041]

Yeah 1 & 2 were fantastic choices! Aside from Thunderbird 4 who else thinks The Mole is the Best?

[@thebiggeststarwarsfan6635]

Recovery vehicle number two is automated... CoNtRoLlEd FrOm ThE fIrSt VeHiClE

[@lawrencedoliveiro9104]

4:23 How they all fit? Remember that the camera angles for equipment leaving the pods only ever shows the front halves, never what is in the rear. Given the relative sizes of things, they could indeed fit.

[@minicle426]

Maybe they also fold up in some manner to complex to show when this was made?

[@MeaHeaR]

they mite reverse untt stack on topp ov eeech uthhér

[@zosothezephead837]

Semi-jokey comments like that are NOT appreciated by me. It's the only thing that tarnishes this great vid.

[@nlmfilms6641]

The Mole and Firefly are my favorites!

[@1204heather]

my favourite has to be the mole got to be a link to journey to the centre of the earth thing going on, but I just love them all because they are unique in the functions they have to perform just awesome deploy the pod yeah! excellent well worth a high 5

[@dannygroom3327]

Yeah I am pretty sure I heard somewhere that Brains actually got the idea for the mole after watching that old movie. Of course it could just be a myth.

[@mikemaunder9468]

Bravo... I agree the MOLE and the FIrefly!

[@diegoz9050]

All those beautyfull toys!!

[@nicksubocz]

The Mole was my favourite!

[@danielphelps4440]

The mole is my favourite pod vehicle!

[@pcb1175]

Number 1 couldn’t have been anything else. It’s the only other T2 pod vehicle I had as a toys besides T4.

[@joanaguayoplanell4912]

Also the only one with a dedicated spot in the credits. Always will be the honorary Thunderbird 6

[@pawpatrolthunderbird4569]

I like the transmitter truck its so cool with the radar on it👍👍👍

[@DenitaArnold]

Now I know where some of the later cartoons got the ideas for vehicles. For example the Swat Kats Turbo Mole

[@jerrybailey5797]

Gotta be the Fire fly , the Elevator cars and the Mole , those are the main vehicles but tge rest are cool aswell 👍

[@hopebgood]

The Mole's my fave then the Elevator Cars.

[@craigdavidson2278]

found a thunderbird 2 (101) in our shed....gave it to my son....found the new series on of thunderbird on Internet now he is a fan, he has seen the original version also....just trying to find all the original dinky models for him.

[@GerryAndersonTV]

Glad to hear he's enjoying the classics too!

[@RedWelshDragon]

I agree with the list of pod vehicles, of coarse The Mole was going to be number 1. But i would have put the Recovery Vehicles as number 3, and Domo at 6.

[@ShadeSerpent]

I love the Elevator Cars and the Mobile Crane.

[@seniartkreatif]

something about vehicles with big and lots of tyres excites me.