Classic Thunderbirds
01/07/2004 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
pub: Asahi Sonorama. 96 page softcover. Price: £30.00 (Japanese Import via Comet Miniatures, UK but check the Net for suppliers in your country. ISBN: 4-257-03682-6. Buy from Amazon US - Buy from Amazon UK
nb: US titles may only be available from Amazon US, and UK titles from Amazon UK. check out website: www.cometminiatures.co.uk
Now
Asahi Sonorama is either the
publisher, writer or both. As the book is in Japanese, it’s a bit
hard to say which.
To fans of the Gerry and Sylvia Anderson supermarionation
series, there are a few collectables that are like gold dust. Chief
amongst these are the Town Mook and SF Mecha Graffiti books about
their series - and before anyone asks, yes I own copies and no,
they’re aren’t for sale.
The reason non-Japanese speaking people buy them
has nothing to do with reading Japanese but for the numerous photographs
on good paper stock from the series in them.
‘Classic Thunderbirds’ is no exception to this although
only 64 pages are in colour and the rest in black and white. It’s
also slightly bigger than A4 size which is a first, at least for
me, of this type of book. Likewise, the pictures are larger than
usual with several filling whole pages showing everything 60s Thunderbirds
(it’ll be interesting to see if the Japanese are so interested in
the forthcoming film).
There are a lot of behind the scenes photos that I
haven’t seen before and an entire section showing the model kits
that parts were taken from to spruce up places like the Thunderbird
One Hanger. The Japanese take their fan favourites very seriously.
I know the price is kinda on the heavy side but in
the long run, it will seem kinda cheap compared to what it's likely
to raise in a few years time. I doubt if Anderson fans will be buying
this book as an investment but it would make sense to track them
down before e-bay bids them out of your price range.
Although I cite UK’s ‘Comet Miniatures’ as the one
place I’ve found so far selling this book, check around on the Net
for any possible stockists in your own country. If you want your
jaw to drop, them get before they sell out.
GF Willmetts 
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