TBs GuideSimon & Schuster, out 27 August

A fully illustrated guide to the machines and personnel of the new International Rescue…

If you’ve missed your Saturday morning fix of the new Tracy brothers and are eagerly awaiting the rest of the first season – or, if you backed it, the Kickstarter-funded three new episodes of the original series currently in pre-production in Slough – then this small guide will fill the gap. There are plenty of illustrations, including guides to the attributes of the various craft, and some very interesting titbits tucked away in the description of each ship (including a couple of things that are far more feasible than the specifications Brains gave on air during a recent rerun of some of the episodes). Each brother has a key mission outlined, alongside their biographical details – Scott is confirmed as the oldest, Alan the youngest (but the relative ages of the others aren’t yet given) – but, interestingly, there’s no mention of their father… or mother…

It’s good to see Kayo given the same amount of space as her “brothers”, with more information revealed here about Thunderbird S than we’ve so far had onscreen – it’s been seen on patrol, but the Kayo-centred episode was the remake of Fireflash, a fact noted here since that’s the episode that is featured for her. Brains gets rather short shrift and those who wonder about his real name will have to keep on doing so; Colonel Casey, Grandma Tracy, and perhaps surprisingly both Lady Penelope and Parker only get a page each.

Verdict: A handy pocket guide that I suspect will be much thumbed by the younger generation of fans. 7/10 (9/10 if you’re under 11)

Paul Simpson

 

Also out on 27th August is a Sticker Activity Book, with a selection of puzzles and over 50 stickers for International Rescue fans to enjoy.