2003 Archive 
Don't ask my why, but the Japanese are nuts about the Gerry Anderson Supermarionation shows. It must be all the models. Several companies in japan have produced a huge quantity of collectibles ranging from the super-cool to the super obscure. Surprisingly, this trend continues even today where a two year (!) mobile Thunderbirds museum exhibit continues to tour the country.
Many of the items are available via our old friend, EBAY. Of course, many of these sellers are either in the far east or are in the US. How did the US people obtain the Japanese items you wonder? Most of them are bought from a mail order company in Japan called Hobby Link Japan. They seem to specialise in exporting Japanese hobby items all over the world. They have been in business a number of years (not sure how many), but I have dealt with them on many occasions and they have always delivered the goods. The only real drawback is the postage costs, however this is out of their control and is a common problem allover the world, not just Japan. UK is a case in point.
I did a search on the HLJ site today and found about 50 (count em!) Thunderbirds items alone (use advanced search and enter "Thunderbirds" in the series name about 3 fields down). This page is going to be my attempt to maintain a current list of available Anderson items at HLJ. All images from from HLJ are are used with their permission. This page will expand over the current week as I complete this during my free time.
Books
Japanese books are of course in Japanese, but usually contain an abundance of large and unusal photographs. Many are excellent.
| AHS03682 | Thunderbirds Album |
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|---|---|---|
| AHS03682 | Softcover book which is a reissue of the super-rare and super expensive Asahi Sonorama "big pink book" which typically sells for several hundred dollars. This is just the Thunderbirds section but comes for about $30. Highly recommended. |
Vehicles (not kits)
These are metal or plastic vehicles which are painted and ready for play/display.
| Aoshima | 1/200 Thunderbird #2 DX |
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|---|---|---|
| AOS09043 | Large and very detailed Thunderbird 2 model for serious collectors. This is a reissue of the Bandai DX Thunderbird 2 from the 1980s. |
Konami vehicle sets
Technically, these are kits, but they require only the simplest snap-together assembly. All vehicles are molded in a quality plastic and are hand painted to an extraordinary detail level. These look like they could have been used on the shows! These vehicles are not sold individually, but in boxes containing 6-10 vehicles in a mixed lot.Typically, one is the "chase item" and there is typically 7 vehicles in a set, so expect to get at least 6 out of 7. Its a great deal, and many times you will get the whole set in just one box. Give the spares to your friends. And hey, enjoy that delicious candy!
| Konami | Thunderbirds pod vehicles volume 1 |
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|---|---|---|
| KNM10576 | Set of 7 vehicles from the rapidly expanding range from Konami. Worth it just for the excellent Thunderbird 2. Comprises:
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Model Kits
Most are designed for the lightweight hobbyist. Recently the manufacturers have switched from repeated reissues to actually releasing new items like launch bays. Keep em coming.
| Aoshima | 1/350 Thunderbird #1 & Launch Base |
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|---|---|---|
| AOS33111 | Model kit of Thunderbird 1 in launch bay. Includes base, floor, background and wall to the left from where Thunderbird 1 descends. |