Cowell coins
THUNDERBIRDS Set of 4 Lenticular* Postage Stamps - Royal Mail Mini Sheet
- issued 2011.
These stamps have been printed using Lenticular* technology (when tilted the
images appear to move: each of the 4 Thunderbird Vehicles goes through its
"launch sequence"!!).
*Lenticular printing is a technology in which lenticular lenses (a
technology that is also used for 3D displays) are used to produce printed
images with an illusion of depth, or the ability to change or move as the image
is viewed from different angles. Examples of lenticular printing include flip
and animation effects such as winking eyes, and modern advertising graphics
that change their message depending on the viewing angle. Colloquial terms for
lenticular prints include "flickers", "winkies",
"wiggle pictures" and "tilt cards". Also the trademarks Vari-Vue and Magic
Motion are often used for lenticular pictures, without regard to the
actual manufacturer.
Thunderbirds is a British science-fiction television
series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, filmed by their production company
AP Films (APF) and distributed by ITC Entertainment. It was produced between
1964 and 1966 using a form of electronic marionette puppetry (dubbed
"Supermarionation") combined with scale model special effects
sequences. Two series were filmed, comprising a total of 32 episodes.
Production ceased after Lew Grade, the Andersons' financial backer, failed in
his efforts to sell the programme to American network television.
Set in the mid-2060s, Thunderbirds is a follow-up to
the earlier Supermarionation productions Four Feather Falls, Supercar, Fireball
XL5 and Stingray. It follows the exploits of International
Rescue (IR), a life-saving organisation equipped with technologically-advanced
land, sea, air and space rescue craft; these are headed by a fleet of five
vehicles named the Thunderbirds and launched from IR's secret
base in the Pacific Ocean. The main characters are ex-astronaut Jeff Tracy, the
founder of IR, and his five adult sons, who pilot the Thunderbird machines.
Thunderbirds began its first run in the United Kingdom on the ITV network in
1965 and has since been broadcast in at least 66 other countries. Periodically
repeated, it was adapted for radio in the early 1990s and has influenced many
TV programmes and other media. As well as inspiring various merchandising
campaigns, the series has been followed by two feature-length film sequels (Thunderbirds
Are Go and Thunderbird 6, released in 1966 and 1968
respectively), a 2004 live-action film adaptation and a mimed stage show
tribute. The second of two TV remakes, the computer-animated Thunderbirds
Are Go, premiered in 2015, in honour of the original show's 50th
anniversary.
Widely considered to be the Andersons' most popular and commercially
successful series, Thunderbirds has received particular praise
for its effects (directed by Derek Meddings) and musical score (composed by
Barry Gray). It is also well remembered for its title sequence, which opens
with an often-quoted countdown by actor Peter Dyneley (who voiced the character
of Jeff): "5, 4, 3, 2, 1: Thunderbirds Are Go!" A
real-life rescue service, the International Rescue Corps, is named after the
organisation featured in the series.
Set between 2065 and 2067, Thunderbirds follows the
exploits of the Tracy family, headed by American ex-astronaut turned
multi-millionaire philanthropist Jeff Tracy. He is a widower with five adult
sons: Scott, John, Virgil, Gordon and Alan. The Tracys form International
Rescue (IR), a secret organisation dedicated to saving human life. They are
aided in this mission by technologically advanced land, sea, air and space
vehicles, which are called into service when conventional rescue techniques
prove ineffective. The most important of these are five machines named the
"Thunderbirds", each assigned to one of the five Tracy
brothers:
- Thunderbird
1: a
hypersonic rocket plane used for fast response and accident zone
reconnaissance. Piloted by primary rescue co-ordinator Scott Tracy.
- Thunderbird
2: a
supersonic carrier aircraft that transports rescue vehicles and equipment
to accident zones in detachable capsules known as "pods".
Piloted by Virgil.
- Thunderbird
3: a
single-stage-to-orbit spacecraft. Piloted alternately by Alan and John,
with Scott as co-pilot.
- Thunderbird
4: a
utility submersible. Piloted by Gordon and normally launched from Thunderbird
2.
- Thunderbird 5: a space station that
relays distress calls from around the world. Manned alternately by
"space monitors" John and Alan.
With the engineer Brains and Jeff's elderly mother, as well as the
Malaysian manservant Kyrano and his daughter Tin-Tin (who serves as Brains'
assistant), the family reside in a luxurious villa on Tracy Island, their
hidden base in the South Pacific Ocean. his location, IR is safe from criminals
and spies who envy the organisation's technology and seek to acquire the
secrets of its machines.
Despite its humanitarian principles, some of IR's operations are
necessitated not by misadventure but deliberate sabotage motivated by greed for
power and wealth. For missions that require criminal investigation, the
organisation incorporates a network of undercover agents headed by English
aristocrat Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward and her butler Aloysius Parker. Based
at Creighton-Ward Mansion in Kent, Penelope and Parker's primary mode of
transport is FAB 1, a specially-modified Rolls-Royce. The most persistent of
IR's adversaries is the criminal known only as the "Hood". Operating
from a temple in the Malaysian jungle, and possessing abilities of hypnosis and
dark magic, he exerts a powerful telepathic control over Kyrano, his estranged
half-brother, and manipulates the Tracys into missions that unfold according to
his nefarious designs. This allows him to spy on the Thunderbird machines
and, by selling their secrets, make himself rich.
Postage
We are happy to
combine postage for multiple items - please request a total at checkout.
Postal services offered depend on the total cost of items, and the
size and weight of the package.
You will not be
charged more than cost of posting
We aim to post
items on the same day if payment is received by 1pm, and we manage this most of
the time.
If we can't post the same day, we will always post the following day.
Returns
If you are not happy with your item, you are welcome to return it for a full
refund.
If the item does not match our description, we will pay for return postage and
make a full refund.
If you have simply changed your mind, we will be happy to refund the cost of
the item only.
We have a 30 day
no quibble returns policy as we want our customers to be completely happy with their
coins and service
Any coins that I sell come with our personal guarantee
That they are what we say they are
Or your money back
Please visit Cowell
coins shop FOR a huge selection of coins
Or contact us with
you requirements
We may either have
it in stock or be able to find it for you
Postage will be made same or next day
after payment by PayPal
Secure payment system
