Welcome back to another Thunderbirds Are Go review and I’m finally rounding out Vivid Imaginations’ Action Vehicle releases with the Vehicle Super Set 2.0, which includes the later wave releases!

The packaging, design-wise, is much like the original but is a little thicker to accommodate the odd shape and size of Thunderbird 5.

For the sounds and action features in… action, you can check out the demo video below:

First out of the packaging is Lady Penelope’s F.A.B. 1 which I covered previously as a standalone review so for my full thoughts, please check that out because this version is identical.

I finally get the chance to handle my favourite Thunderbird from the show and it’s a whelming experience. It does everything I expect, no neat surprises or anything, just a solid translation into plastic and of one of my favourite designs of the new show.

The action feature is releases the Shadow Bike from below the cockpit canopy. I found it’s better to just tap the release button rapidly to get it to work consistently.

I expected to like Thunderbird 5 the least because I just knew there wouldn’t be a spinning gravity ring but I’m still impressed that the design works well in this scale, especially alongside Thunderbird 3. I think this Thunderbird also features the most voices as opposed to just sound effects which is cool.

The action feature has to do with John’s space elevator and it’s actually pretty poor. I mean, it makes sense but this type of draw string play feature is often accompanied by a grapple hook or claw, which the space elevator does feature in the show but here it’s just a lump of plastic.

Despite any reservations I have about each vehicles’ individual flaws, they’re still fun toys and the much needed final additions to the Tracy family’s arsenal and I recommend picking it up for that reason alone.

You can find the Thunderbirds Are Go Vehicle Super Set 2.0 for £29.99 rrp from most retailers and online.

The original Thunderbirds series was a huge success in Japan, garnering a huge following and the vehicles have been part of the modelling culture there for decades so when Thunderbirds Are Go hit the shores of Nippon, you just knew that they’d take this new show to heart.

And they did! As well as model kits and other merchandise; Tomica, a Hot Wheels/Matchbox style line of die-cast cars produced a number of vehicles for the show and, best of all, included vehicles we hadn’t gotten here in the West! Today’s spotlight is on one such entry – Tomica Thunderbirds 08 Jet Mogura aka The Mole!

Unlike the bubble card packaging we might be used to, The Mole comes this dinky little box that gives it a unique, almost premium, feel that is wholly unique to Japan.

Out of the box and this die-cast digger doesn’t disappoint! Its hefty for it’s size and the details and paint are just astounding. The plastic for the drill and treads along the pod’s shaft aren’t as shiny as the promo photos would lead you to believe but the rubber rolling treads on the bottom more than make up for that. If there was one downside, it would be the lack of a tilting hinge or the pod being detachable but I’m sure if there are any larger versions produced then we’ll see that implemented (Looking at you, R/C Mole)

Size-wise, when compared to the Thunderbird 4 included in the 4-pack of vehicles I reviewed before, The Mole seems massive. By rights, it should be but the new series has The Mole as just on of many modular modes for the pod vehicles

It scales well with Thunderbird 2 at least and can almost fit into the pod but is just a little too big.

Overall, I really dig this little vehicle and I highly recommend the rest of the Tomica Thunderbirds line since it’s the only place you’ll be getting models for Thunerbird 5, Lady’s Penelope’s car, The Mole and even the Thunderbird Shadow. Go digging online and you’ll no doubt unearth a bargain but for now, I’ll catch you guys next time on Mint in Box!

Thunderbirds really are go with the second half of the season coming soon and still riding high from the return of a television legend, I’m proud to showcase the Thunderbirds Are Go 4-Piece Vehicle Super Set from Vivid Imaginations!

The packaging is very oddly shaped. I don’t quite get why it’s this way but then some other companies have been adding flat corners to packaging so maybe I’m just not down with Paul from Marketing. Regardless, the rich blues and variety of colours is very indicative of the vehicles held inside and, naturally, we’ll kick off with:

Thunderbird 1 – The first responder to many disasters and Scott Tracy’s personal craft. The updated design doesn’t do much to improve on the original and the toy reflects that. It’s iconic! It’s dynamic! It’s other words ending in ‘ic’. The action feature involves twisting the thruster assembly to unfold the wings. Simple, neat and effective. The 3-4 seemingly random sounds are crystal clear and, unless I’m wrong, are the actual voices of the pilots, which is refreshing. A solid kick-off point.

Thunderbird 2 has always been my favourite since childhood so the new updated version really tickles my fancy. Being the heavy duty equipment courier, TB2 naturally has the most action features. Fold-up wings, deploying landing struts and the iconic pod are all present. I’m a little disappointed that the pod features no ‘4’ decal but I imagine it would get scuffed over time. Another sampling of 3-4 phrases cycle through randomly but one phrase seems rarer than the others. ‘Copy that, Thunderbird 4’ plays very seldom and I don’t think there’s a knack to triggering it.

Thunderbird 3 is the space exploration vehicle and was always my least favourite as a kid, probably because it did nothing but be a rocket but the 2015 edition comes with some extra bells and whistles. The grey fuselage can be rotated to activate the sounds and pressing the main circular thruster on the bottom with activate TB3’s grapple arms. It’s a fantastic little action feature but unfortunately, one of my struts was broken right out of the packaging, the spring must have been misaligned somewhere in the guts of the toy which is a damn shame.

Thunderbird 4 is a plastic lump. There’s no other way to say it. While it is very well sculpted and painted, being a fantastic representation of the brilliant 2015 design, it has no action features, simply being able to fit inside TB2’s pod. That’s perfectly fine because it’s such a small piece but the thing that bothers me most is that it doesn’t float. That’s right! I tested it in my sink and while the pod will float, TB4 sadly will not, sinking to the bottom with a soft thud.

Overall, I can highly recommend the super set, not only because it includes 4 of the 5 Thunderbird craft, all of which a pretty fun to play with but also as a cost-saving measure. Each Thunderbird in this set is available in stand-alone packs but buying them all together in this particular set will save you roughly £7 off the RRP when compared to single releases.

The Thunderbirds Are Go 4-Piece Vehicle Super Set is available from most toy retailers and online for an RRP of £29.99