Pod 4

Pod 4 is one of Thunderbird 2's six transporter pods, held in the Pod Bay on Tracy Island.

Use and Adaptions[]

Pod 4 is specially designed to carry Thunderbird 4, and is modified accordingly.

Pod 4 is able to float on any other body of water. It's also fitted with a slide to deploy Thunderbird 4; the door opens downwards, the slide slides out on rollers, and Thunderbird 4 is launched. For the Thunderbird 4 missions in Desperate Intruder and Atlantic Inferno the launching slides in Pod 4 had different designs than the common design.

The Haynes Thunderbirds Manual says that the slide is fitted with an electromagnetic slider, which is to be used in retrieval of Thunderbird 4, sliding it back up the slide into Pod 4.

Like the other five Pods, Pod 4 is left in the danger zone until the mission is over. Pod 4 also carried a Sealing Device linked to Thunderbird 4 for extinguishing natural gas fire jets for the first mission in Atlantic Inferno.

Trivia[]

Throughout the course of the show and in its films, there's no footage of Pod 4 being picked up post-mission.
For the rescues in Operation Crash-Dive, The Mighty Atom, Day of Disaster, and Atlantic Inferno Pod 4 is dropped from Thunderbird 2 into the water. However for the rescues in Desperate Intruder and Attack of the Alligators!, Thunderbird 2 gently unloads Pod 4 on shore, as with the other 5 pods. For the rescue in The Man From MI.5, Thunderbird 2 gently unloads Pod 4 on the water.

Goofs[]

As the Mole is leaving the pod in The Duchess Assignment the sign inside reads "Thunderbird 2 Pod 4", despite the fact that the flap was labelled as being Pod 3.
In Attack of the Alligators!, Jeff tells Virgil to take Pod 6, but when it is dropped off at the rescue zone, the number on the flap is a 4 (as would be expected for a mission involving Thunderbird 4).
When Seascape is being destroyed in Atlantic Inferno, the Thunderbird 2 model flying in the background has a Pod in it - despite the fact that Thunderbird 4's still under the water. (Not actually a "goof" as such, Virgil may have opted to retrieve the pod to avoid damage from Seascape or potentially another gas explosion.)