Way back in the mid-'60s, the big thing on British TV was THUNDERBIRDS. (BATMAN was still a few months away.) GERRY ANDERSON's latest puppet programme was a sensation, spawning all sorts of merchandise. One such was the diecast Thunderbird 2 toy, manufactured by DINKY, which was then owned by the MECCANO company.
I wasn't lucky enough to have a brand-new TB2 when they first came out - I had to wait a few years before I managed to get a beat-up one from a jumble sale. It didn't have the red exhausts, but, being an ingenious sort of kid, I used the red tops of two Colgate toothpaste tubes, affixing them with parts of a wooden lolly-pop stick which fitted in the holes where the exhausts were designed to go. It looked great, if I say so myself. I don't know what eventually happened to it over the course of time - it simply disappeared, quietly and without notice, but I never quite forgot it.
A few years back, I saw one in a toy and model shop situated in Parnie Street in Glasgow. Like its predecessor, it was lacking both exhausts, plus one of its legs, but it was going for only a few quid so I bought it. Thankfully, there are a few diehard enthusiasts around these days who professionally manufacture replacement parts for classic toys from yesteryear, and I was able to obtain the required pieces from one such supplier. A friend had a TB2 with one surviving leg, so I bought four replacement ones and swapped them for the one from his model.
Next, I stripped the chipped and flaking paint from my TB2, repainted it (by hand), fitted the new exhausts and missing leg, then applied a brand-new set of adhesive labels to complete the desired effect. What you're looking at in the above photo is the result of my handiwork. The replacement pieces and labels are virtually indistinguishable from the originals, and I finally have a practically pristine version of the famous Dinky Thunderbird 2 from 1966. The cost? Around £12 to £15, all in.
Of course, it's not worth the same as an unrestored version, but the monetary value doesn't concern me. As long as I've got a toy that I once had as a child and it looks as I remember it (or in this case, even better), then that's good enough for me.
"Thunderbirds are go!"
Now THAT's admirable dedication! I have the metal Matchbox one from the Thunderbirds revival of 1992 - still got all the pieces but doesn't look as good as your one there, condition-wise.
ReplyDeleteI've got that Matchbox one as well - also the Corgi one from a few years later. Both in pristine condition. (Corgi also did a great Fab 1.) Vivid Imaginations did a nice plastic TB2 with sound effects. Matchbox and VI also did great large playsets of the craft.
ReplyDeleteYep, I was playing with the large plastic Matchbox TB2 this very morning! Sound effects still work, as do the spring-loaded landing legs. TB4 is still in the pod, but I've lost the Virgil figure that could be sat in the cockpit.
ReplyDeleteIf it's dark green and came with a small Virgil figure, it's the Vivid Imaginations TB2. The Matchbox one was a lighter green, seated larger figures (bought separately) and was contoured more like the one on TV. I've got both. (He boasted.)
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