Thunderbird 1 looks really cool as a toy, the toy gets the look of the redesigned machine very right, this is notable in the paint and sculpt. Where the sculpt is best is on the engines and underneath, the back of the craft has a very good amount of detail in it's main engine, 8 boosters, and the various pipes that go into them, all in a very nice in my opinion dark grey colour, with blue accenting and the white TB1 symbols. I can't go without mentioning the brilliant hexagonal pattern sculpted in the blue bit I don't know the name of, this is a little detail in the show that I didn't expect in the toy, and I really like that. Sculpted into the underside of Thunderbird 1 is the viewing port on the nose and the doors, though these are not functional, obviously, it's a cool little sculpted detail. Something missing in the sculpt is Thunderbird 1's VTOL jets, they are admittedly a tiny detail, but they are still a detail that is absent. Paint is very high standard for a children's toy, with a mainly light grey and dark grey body with red, yellow, black, white and of course blue detailing, though I personally think a bit more of a shine wouldn't have gone amiss on the light grey body, it's something I won't complain about. additional playability come with sound effects activated with a button on the blue bit, and extendable wings that are extended by rotating the engines, though not the biggest quality control concern I have with this set, I do think that this has potential to be an issue in the future, say for instance if the mechanism was damaged. but overall, I do like Thunderbird 1, the little worry I have about the mechanism aside, it's a very nice little thing.
Thunderbird 2 is the coolest looking of the 4 in the set, and in terms of sculpt, puts Thunderbird 1 to shame; the whole body is covered in little grooves and panels, with sculpt highlights in the engines and air intakes ,the view ports are also very nice little details, and the sculpt hides the various function buttons well enough so they don't compromise the look. And unlike Thunderbird 1, Thunderbird 2 has it's VTOL jets, though they don't move like they do in the show. Paint is also extremely nice, with the body being a dark green with white, red, yellow, black and grey detailing. Playability incudes sound effects activated with a button on the top of the cockpit, deployable landing struts activated with buttons on either side of the transport module, wings that can be folded up like they do in the show, and of course the deployable transport module, activated with a button just behind the module. The module can be opened up and used to store the tiny little Thunderbird 4, Which, while devoid of functionality, is easily he most detailed of the 4 vehicles, with sculpted grooves similar to Thunderbird 2, and paint detail including blue view ports and back hatch, grey on the engines and even on the dry tubes, and red accents throughout the body. Unfortunately though I do have quality control issues with Thunderbird 2. Firstly, I'm worried about how loose the folding wings are, and the struts; again I'm fearful of the mechanism but what's more worrying is mine came out of the box with some noticeable stress marks on one of the struts, and I'm worried about how easily broken they might be, and more so about why it was damaged like this in it's box.
Unfortunately Thunderbird 3 actually had a broken mechanism in the box; by pushing a button on the main engine you can deploy the grasping arms, something new to the new series, but one of the arms doesn't deploy on mine, which is no doubt the cause of my fear about broken mechanisms with these toys, and it is very disappointing. Other than that though Thunderbird 3 is solid, red being my favourite colour, I love the red colour of the body, and additional detail includes white, yellow, grey, and black. Sculpt is nearly on the same level as Thunderbird 2, with very nice sculpting around the engines, on the grasping arm and on the nose, and finally the sculpting on the view port is really cool too. As well as the grasping arms, the toy also has sounds activated by turning the centre.
I do have a problem with this set, and that is quality control, which isn't to say the toys are poorly made, but it does mean that they may be subject to damage in time, other than that though I really like these Thunderbirds toys, they're nicely sculpted and painted, and have a decent amount of functionality and playability between them. I got them because I'm a collector and I love Thunderbirds, but I know these things will make for a very nice Christmas present, and if I'm honest, I might just do that, assuming they're not sold out, which they will be. So I'd say pick them up, just be warned; know why you're buying them or who for, because they might not last.
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