Thunderbirds / Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons

Crablogger base control/Ambulance filming miniature

In Stock
$104,894.84

Description

An original filming miniature created for the production of Thunderbirds, the pioneering television series of the 1960's created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson.

This is an original filming miniature created by the noted Century 21 miniature effects team headed by legendary special effects artist Derek Meddings. The miniature was originally built as the Crablogger base control vehicle used on screen in the 1966 Thunderbirds episode Path of Destruction and was later converted in to an ambulance for use in the subsequent Gerry Anderson production Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, firstly in the episode Winged Assassin, where it is used to recover Captain Scarlet from the crash site, and later in the episode Treble Cross.

The miniature was hand built by the talented Century 21 miniature effects team and is constructed almost entirely from wood, it is built upon the signature suspension system used on most Anderson filming miniatures of the period that was devised by Derek Meddings. This incorporated foam under the axle allowing the model to bounce slightly resulting in very realistic movement on screen and holes for Jetex motors which were used to simulate dust around the vehicles as they travelled, it was these innovative details which contributed to the groundbreaking special effects of the series. Much of the original Crablogger base control vehicle still remains underneath the miniature which has simply been clad with wooden panels to convert it to the ambulance, indeed the original yellow paint and some detail including the rear ladder can still be seen through the windows of the vehicle. The miniature features lights to the front and rear which are wired inside (one bulb is missing) and is detailed with tape and panel lines, a common feature of Anderson miniatures.

The miniature measures approximately 25.5" long, 8" wide and stands 9" high, considering its 50 year age it remains in outstanding screen used condition with only minor paint wear. When the miniature was obtained by The Prop Gallery it was missing the front canopy and so a replacement was fabricated by an industry professional from heat formed perspex, one of the crosses was also absent and is a replacement. Also missing was one of the rubber wheels, incredibly we were able to source a wheel of the correct make and vintage from a radio controlled aircraft and so although it is identical to the others it is not original to the miniature.

With none of the principal Thunderbird craft believed to exist and only a handful of original Century 21 built filming miniatures from any series known worldwide this represents one of the rarest and most significant surviving miniature artefacts used in arguably the two biggest series ever produced by Gerry Anderson.

Please note that special shipping arrangements will apply on this item.

Movie / TV Show Thunderbirds (TV)