Celebrating 50 years of the iconic show, Thunderbirds: The Vault is packed with previously unseen photographs that reveal how a miniature world was brought to life!

A recent trend over several sci-fi genres over the last few years is the "Vault book." Basically a large book that brings together not only a comprehensive history of a subject, but also various items of interest.

Designed specifically for the 50th Anniversary, Thunderbirds: The Vault is brought to us by Marcus Hearn, hot off the heels of the rather excellent Dr Who Vault, and Mike Jones, editor of Fab Magazine. It’s 240 pages primarily tells the story of Thunderbirds, how it came to be, how it was made and how it impacted the people who made it. Chapters are devoted to what came before, Gerry's child and entry to the industry, the creation of AP films and the productions that led to Thunderbirds. As well as what came after, the evolution into Century 21 up until Gerry's death in 2012.

A danger with a show 50 years old is that one would find that a lot of things have already been covered quite extensively in the various books and documentaries out there already, despite that, I still found many new stories and anecdotes from the many interviews with cast and crew. There is also an episode guide which delves not only into the stories themselves but also reviews and ties them into the the main text.

Each page is nicely laid out, packed with images from the show, behind the scenes, concept art and rare pieces of merchandise. The books large size means the images can be presented in a large size that makes them great to see the added detail. The little additions to each page really makes this book stand out.

In conclusion, Thunderbirds: The Vault, is an excellent addition to the 50th anniversary lineup and an fascinating look into not only the production of Thunderbirds, but also the people who made it.

Thunderbirds: The Vault is available from the official Gerry anderson Store!