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| Thunderbirds View-Master #B453 |
A TRAP FOR THUNDERBIRDS - Sawyers (later GAF) 1966 3-D View-Master Reel Set #B453
In the mid-60s my family bought a View-Master, it was the first time I'd seen such colour - as TV back then was black and white. I always had a problem viewing them in stereo - due to an early squint. Lining the two eye images up to look three dimensional didn't work for me. But the colour was like a movie cel - which is almost what they were!
We never had the above Thunderbird slides - is that the right word? According to this very knowledgeable site "Thunderbirds: “A Trap For A Thunderbird” (B 453), [...] was only marketed to Europe via Sawyers’ Belgian plant".
And you ask what's this got to do with Frank Bellamy? Well nothing much actually but it gives me a chance to think about what source material Frank had to draw from. He began drawing the Thunderbirds strip for TV21 in July 1965 (read detail here) and the first story was actually published in TV21 #52 dated 15 January 1966.
Starting in TV Century 21 #66 (published 23 April 1966) the story we've called "Shoot Down the TC193" (or "Talons of the Eagle") by Alan Fennell began and Bellamy had to draw a USAF aircraft (call sign: "Eagle Leader" in the comic). The plot for the comic concerns a USAF aircraft which has some sort of jamming device which allows them to escape detection. Thunderbird 2 is seen by them and Jeff Tracy gives permission to shoot the craft down to enable Brains to examine their jamming device. In issue #72 (4 June 1966) Thunderbird 2 rescues the sinking aircraft from the Pacific ocean and Brains fulfils the mission. Repairs are made to the aircraft whilst the crew have been sedated and they are left (very strangely in a cliff-side hangar on a nearby island that is never shown again!).
The cover of the View-Master shown above is likely a still taken by the studio, perhaps for use in TV21 or was a special process camera used to get the 3-D effect, meaning these images were specific to the View-Master project? The cover of TV21 #69 states: "Thunderbirds hunt TC193". The cover of issue 71 has the photograph of the aircraft's tail on fire as seen in the TV episode "Cham-Cham" - see both below.
In "The Cham-Cham", USAF transport aircraft are being shot down during
radio broadcasts by popular band the Cass Carnaby Five. International
Rescue suspects sabotage, and Lady Penelope, Tin-Tin and Parker go to
the Swiss Alps to investigate the band's latest tour venue, Paradise
Peaks mountain resort. There, they discover that the aircraft attacks
are being co-ordinated with the aid of an advanced computer called a
"Cham-Cham". This episode was filmed in November and December 1965
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| TV21 #66 |
The third Thunderbirds story Frank Bellamy illustrated ran in TV21 #66 - #72 (23 April 1966 - 4 June 1966) so it seems more than likely he was either given access to photographs (via Alan Fennell, I presume) or paid a visit to the studio - although I only know of one such visit early on, before he began drawing Thunderbirds.
In this image we see Bellamy copies the aircraft but changes the "grappling hooks" and despite the photo not showing an antenna to the front of the craft, Bellamy has included it - quite correctly as can be seen in the cover shots below
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| TV21 #72 |
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| TV21 #67 cover photo |
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| TV21 #71 cover photo |
The Classic Trap Scenario: The plot of "A Trap for Thunderbirds" features the series' recurring antagonist, The Hood, setting a trap for International Rescue. This heavily mirrors TV episodes like “Martian Invasion” or “Edge of Impact,” where The Hood engineers a disaster specifically to photograph the secret Thunderbird crafts.The Rescue Formula: Just like a standard 50-minute television episode, the script follows the strict pacing of a disaster occurring, Jeff Tracy dispatching the team, and Scott and Virgil deploying specialized equipment to save the day.The Use of Key Crafts: The narrative is specifically structured to showcase the iconic Thunderbird 1 and Thunderbird 2, ensuring kids using the View-Master got to see the primary vehicles in action, matching their heavy usage in the broadcast
