The three and a half inch Thunderbirds Are Go action figure line from Vivid Imaginations has already featured all the Tracy brothers and their nemesis The Hood but now they’ve added both Brains and brawn. Eh? No one appreciates quality punnage anymore…

Kayo and the Brains and M.A.X twin-pack run at £7.99 and £14.99, respectively so let’s see if they’re worth the money!

Kayo Kyrano is International Rescue’s chief of security, pilot of Thunderbird S and the niece of series antagonist, The Hood. While she appears to be a new character, she is actually a modernised version of the original series’ Tin-Tin.

Her figure is a pretty faithful translation from screen to plastic and, especially for a figure in this scale, is pretty well-articulated — that is to say she actually has swivel elbow joints and knee joints. A lot of other similar figures recently have skipped this and I’m glad that Vivid hasn’t. Granted, it’s still limited but at least it’s something.

Kayo comes with her signature wrist communicator and her unique helmet which is cleverly moulded to allow clearance for her hair. The head sculpt is a bit muddy but that’s a scale issue more than anything so I can forgive that but there’s something about her placid face and the way her eyes sit that unnerves me. It’s not quite right for Kayo to look so… Placid. Maybe a smirk or something could have improved the look, I dunno…

Hiram ‘Brains’ Hackenbacker is the… well, brains behind International Rescue. His technical knowledge and scientific prowess are one of the cores of the team and he is an invaluable asset and ally.

Brains features much the same articulation as Kayo and the other figures, but doesn’t have any accessories in the traditional sense but, at the very least, he looks rather dapper and you can pose him like his old puppet counterpart.

The real highlight of the two-pack for me is M.A.X, Brains’ awesome robotic companion who assists in the lab and with the repairs of the Thunderbirds. M.A.X is deceptively articulated and by that I mean he has a ton of joints but also a fair number of fake joints that don’t move. Regardless, M.A.X is the only figure in the trio that I had genuine fun with because, for a faceless robot spider, he can be remarkably expressive! He’s an absolute blast and definitely the star of the two-pack.

While Kayo only makes a passing grade for being my favourite character on the show, I would definitely recommend picking up the Brains and M.A.X set for a pair of characters you can have fun with posing.

Much like the other vehicles in Thunderbirds Are Go, Lady Penelope’s signature FAB 1 also got a funky new redesign for 2015 and now joins the ranks of the Vivid Imaginations’ Action Vehicle line.

Much like Thunderbirds 1, 2, and 3, FAB 1 is sold on an open faced card back that offers the same strangely angled shape as the 4 vehicle set I reviewed not too long ago. The reverse features technical specifications and the toy’s actual features in Lady P’s signature colour and a quote from Parker that isn’t included, sadly.

Out of the packaging, FAB 1 looks the business; a faithful representation of it’s onscreen counterpart. The soft pink is contrasted nicely with the sleek silver stripe down the centre. The trendy, minimalist design looks good from almost any angle; though the assembly lines can detract from the otherwise clean lines.

In terms of action features, I feel a little let down. In the sounds department — which are activated by pressing the silver trunk — we have a sound effects for driving, flying, and then one each for Lady Penelope and Parker. The voice clips are recycled from the show, which is fine because its nice to hear Rosamund Pike and David Graham rather than some random soundalike but the line’s themselves are kind of bland and not iconic to their respective characters. Hell, I think both lines are from the very first episode!

Pressing FAB 1’s canopy down will deploy the wings from the underside of the vehicle and that’s it. Don’t get me wrong, they deploy with a very satisfying ‘whishk’ sound but the wheels don’t fold down, the engine doesn’t expand and there are no weapons to be found. For the Thunderbirds answer to James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5, this release is pretty lacking though I can appreciate that there’s budgetary restraints to keep the toy within the £9.99 price point, hence why all the Action Vehicles barring Thunderbird 2 only have one action feature.

FAB 1 is equally on par with the other vehicles in this line (haven’t got my hands on the much anticipated Thunderbird S yet but I can’t wait to review that too) and is a good toy for its price though that mileage may vary depending on your own personal attachment to Penelope.

With the mid-season break for Thunderbirds Are Go racing toward us, I thought this would be the perfect time to give my impressions on the show but not only that, but I’ve been lucky enough to receive a DVD test copy of Volume One! Here’s the details!

The Thunderbirds Are Go DVD (Volume 1) will be released in stores from 22nd June 2015 showcasing 13 episodes from the thrilling new series!

Thunderbirds Are Go is an exciting mixture of CGI and live action miniatures. Whenever disaster strikes, International Rescue answers the call!  From their hidden island base in the south Pacific, the five Tracy Brothers pilot remarkable, cutting-edge Thunderbird vehicles from the depths of the oceans to the highest reaches of space – all for one purpose: to help others in need.  

Continue the F.A.B. action and complete your own missions on the Thunderbirds Are Go website! The International Rescue training programme is now open for recruit registration!  Take part in IR training missions, earn badges and rewards and work your way through the ranks! Sign up and find out if you can crack The Hood’s weekly challenge!

Technically, the DVD is quite competent. The UI is thematically consistent with the show and even plays clips from the show while waiting for you to make your decision. The episode selection screen is easy to navigate and the set-up menu lists a bunch of options for languages and subtitles. If there’s one drawback, it’s the lack of special features. Considering the amount of behind the scenes footage that exists, it’s a shame that none of it is included.

Moving onto the show proper, the series has been a fantastic jaunt through various exotic locales, crafted beautifully by the WETA Workshop. The lengths the WETA team has gone to create these living, breathing worlds in which the CGI characters inhabit is astounding. Little movements of the physical set that coincide with character interaction is really interesting to see.

The Thunderbirds have also been given a radical new lease on life, with every iconic vehicle getting a substantial overhaul, if not visibly, then functionally. TB1 operates in much the same way it always did but with some new gimmicks and TB2 (my personal favourite) is just as cool as it was 50 years ago! Though I do lament the lack of iconic Pod machines…

Oh, they’re there. The Elevator Cars and Mole are present but very different. Pod 2 contains a mobile factory in which the two chassis are fitted with modular components to suit whatever mission TB2 is dispatched for. It’s a REALLY neat idea and I do like it but there’s a charm to the dedicated machines of old. Then again, there’s still another 4 Pods unaccounted for so maybe my dream of a 2015 update to the Firefly and Recovery Vehicles may still come true!

Despite the shortened run time (From 50mins to 22mins) there’s plenty of characterisation (and a few lame running gags, unfortunately). Scott tends to be the most boring, as de facto leader in his father’s absence but still has the odd flash of coolness. Virgil has been firmly established as the ladies’ favourite and I can’t argue. He’s got the masculine lumberjack thing going for him and a bucket full of charm and wit. Alan is bratty and probably the least interesting and John has tons more flavour to him than his predecessor. Kayo is a reinvented Tin-Tin and is quite the action girl, being a tomboyish counterpart to Lady Penelope. (Kayo even gets her own Thunderbird, though it hasn’t got any real play in the first half).

Speaking of Lady P, her blossoming romance with Gordon is quite interesting and the characters play off each other quite well.

Overall, I’m really digging the series and the few flaws aren’t enough to turn me off. You can pre-order Volume One of Thunderbirds Are Go from iTunes and Amazon UK and is set for release on the 22nd June with an RRP of £14.99. What do you think of the show so far? Be sure to let me know in the comments and keep a look out in the future for more Thunderbirds Are Go content!