Thunderbirds 2086

Thunderbirds 2086

Genre	Science Fiction, Action, Anime
Written By	Owen Lock Robert Mandell
Directed By	Kimio Ikeda
Starring	John Bellucci Laura Dean Earl Hammond
Composer(s)	Barry Gray (uncredited) Kentaro Haneda Koji Makaino
Episodes	24
Original Airdate	17 April 1982 (Japan) 19 August 1983 (USA) August 1984 (AUS) Circa 1985 (Spain) 14 January 1985 (Malaysia) 6 January 1986 (UK)

Thunderbirds 2086 is a Science Fiction anime series inspired by (and thus loosely based around) concepts and elements of the original 1965 Thunderbirds. Originating from Japan, the series was titled Scientific Rescue Team TechnoBoyager, and ran on Fuji TV from 17th April to 11th September 1982.

Shortly after its native cancellation, Robert Mandell was placed in charge by ITC Entertainment to adapt the series for an international market. While TechnoBoyager was a standalone production, Mandell and his team adapted it into a far(ther) future version of Thunderbirds, hoping brand recognition would make for greater sales. Now titled Thunderbirds 2086, the series was launched in 1983.

Thunderbirds 2086 holds the dubious honour of having only three known countries air the complete run of 24 episodes: The United States (Friday afternoons from 1983 to 1984 on Showtime), Australia (Saturday mornings from 1984 to 1985 on the Seven network), and Malaysia (Monday evenings from early to mid-1985 on RTM1). In its native Japan, the series was cancelled 18 episodes in, while the UK fared worse, with only 13 making it to screens. Around the year 1985, four (Spanish dubbed) episodes were aired in Spain under the title Pájaros Trueno 2086.

Regular Cast[]

List of Episodes[]

Ep. #	Title	Director(s)	Writer(s)	Original Airdate (Japan)	Duration	Production Order
1	Firefall	Kimio Ikeda	Owen Lock & Robert Mandell	01/05/1982	0:26:00	03
What should be a standard mission for the Rosinante degenerates into a mission of mercy. Against the orders of Commander Simpson, the IRO Team set out to safely remove the ship's reactor before it destroys the nearby colonies, plus save the live of Dylan's old friend, Captain Bill Watson.
2	Computer Madness	Kimio Ikeda	Owen Lock & Robert Mandell	19/06/1982	0:26:00	09
The Master Computer on Moonbase Omega is due to be replaced. In response, the program takes over the colony and mass-produces an army of assault vehicles. IRO's efforts only make matters worse, as the runaway Computer counters their retaliation by draining the life support of its captured humans.
3	One of a Kind	Kimio Ikeda	Owen Lock & Robert Mandell	29/05/1982	0:26:00	06
A thunderstorm in the Rocky Mountains has resulted in a severe forest fire. It's up to the Thunderbirds to extinguish the fire before it can threaten a nearby nuclear reactor.
4	Snowbound	Kimio Ikeda	Owen Lock & Robert Mandell	17/07/1982	0:26:00	12
Disaster strikes the Snowland Monotrain when an avalanche causes the train to become trapped in a tunnel. IRO send the Thunderbirds in to save its passengers, but Dylan has his work cut out for him as the crew begin to suffocate.
5	Space Warriors	Kimio Ikeda	Owen Lock & Robert Mandell	28/08/1982	0:26:00	16
Having assisted in capturing a group of rogue bandits, Space Patrol is eager for Dylan Beyda to join their cause. The bandit leader, Ricky, subsequently escapes his prison, leading to a one-on-one showdown between the young men.
6	Sunburn	Kimio Ikeda	Owen Lock & Robert Mandell	04/10/1982	0:26:00	17
The heat is on, as the Sunbeam observatory has entered a decaying orbit around the sun. Unless they can find a way to repair its rockets, the station will suffer a firey fate. Can the Thunderbirds save the station and its crew in time?
7	Fear Factor	Kimio Ikeda	Owen Lock & Robert Mandell	08/05/1982	0:26:00	04
Orbital Station L-80 has entered a spiralling descent. Kallan James' student, Jared Reynolds, joins the crew in the effort to save his fathers' life work. Will Reynolds overcome his crippling astrophobia in time?
8	Fault Line	Kimio Ikeda	Owen Lock & Robert Mandell	15/05/1982	0:26:00	05
U.E. Plant #1, the world's first underwater commercial thermoelectric power plant, is built directly over the Maui fault line near Hawaii. Progress goes well, until Edward Frontosa heads down to illegally search for a mysterious substance. This results in the fault going unstable, and threatens to destroy the entire power plant.
9	Shadow Axis	Kimio Ikeda	Owen Lock & Robert Mandell	12/06/1982	0:26:00	08
It's the first anniversary of the Thunderbird team, but there is very little to celebrate when an undersea volcano threatens a research submarine near Samoa. To make matters worse, Kallan is captured by the enigmatic Shadow Axis organisation as part of an insane plot to destroy the Federation.
10	Starcrusher	Kimio Ikeda	Owen Lock & Robert Mandell	11/09/1982	0:26:00	18
General Starcrusher's spies have infiltrated the top secret X-15 project hidden behind Niagara Falls, with intent to lure IRO to the scene and steal their fabulous Thunderbird craft.
11	Shockwave	Kimio Ikeda	Owen Lock & Robert Mandell	17/04/1982	0:26:00	01
A Lunar Space Bus filled with school children is thrown into danger when the nearby Gilden Space Station explodes. To make matters worse, the Station's destruction triggers Operation Shockwave, a global defence protocol that could devastate the Earth. The Thunderbird team are subsequently left with the dilemma of choosing whether to save the Bus before it burns up, or save the United States from a missile crisis.
12	Guardian	Kimio Ikeda	Owen Lock & Robert Mandell	14/08/1982	0:26:00	15
IRO discover more than they bargained for when a stellar craft built in 1995 returns to Earth. The craft is powered by Guardian, a sentient computer program locked on a direct course to Miami coast. With conventional rescue out of the question, the only person who can halt Guardian's path of destruction is the last surviving member of its crew; an elderly man dying in hospital...
13	Thunderbolt	Kimio Ikeda	Owen Lock & Robert Mandell	31/07/1982	0:26:00	14
General Starcrusher and the Shadow Axis have chosen their next target; the USS Thunderbolt, a mile long airbase in the clouds. Their plot is successful, and the Thunderbolt plummets on a direct course to Tokyo. How can the Thunderbird team save a ship that was never designed to land?
14	Big Deal	Kimio Ikeda	Owen Lock & Robert Mandell	24/07/1982	0:26:00	13
There's more than meets the eye with Herman Grody. He may appear to be the new squeaky-clean head of Carillion Mining Corporation, but is actually an agent of the Shadow Axis. Swayed to their side with dreams of power, Grody plots to steal The Federation of all its Cryolite, giving the Shadow Axis the precious resources required to conquer his planet once and for all.
15	Kudzilla	Kimio Ikeda	Owen Lock & Robert Mandell	03/07/1982	0:26:00	10
Dr Reesa Kestler dreams of transforming Mars into a habitable world, and the key to her plan is within the Kudzu vine. The experiment runs out of control when the incorrect radiation dose turbocharges the vine's growth into an acid spitting monstrosity. It's up to Kallan and Dylan to stop the newly-dubbed Kudzilla before it consumes the research base.
16	Nightmare	Kimio Ikeda	Owen Lock & Robert Mandell	10/07/1982	0:26:00	11
General Starcrusher assigns his agent to infiltrate the Nitroid Space Colony and transform its crew into an unstoppable cyborg army. The Colony (along with the entire Federation itself) can only be saved by the unlikeliest of heroes: Danny Beyda, Dylan's kid brother.
17	Cloudburst	Kimio Ikeda	Owen Lock & Robert Mandell	24/04/1982	0:26:00	02
A relaxing weekend vacation for the Thunderbird team is put on hold when the destruction of a Weather Control Satellite results in the deadliest typhoon on record. Its first target is Babalu Island, where Skipper and his family are staying.
18	Crusader	Kimio Ikeda	Owen Lock & Robert Mandell	10/09/2008	0:26:00	19
The Thunderbirds are given the role of environmental conservationists and thus sent on an unusual yet vital mission; A deadly dose of the illegal Agent Ultra chemical has spilled into the Pacific Ocean, threatening to wipe out the Aqua Institute of near-extinct wildlife.
19	Metal Head	Kimio Ikeda	Owen Lock & Robert Mandell	17/09/2008	0:26:00	20
A promising visit to Vancouver turns into a fight for survival, when the Science Minister and his crew become trapped within Metal City. The domed compound is under the control of Metal Head, an experimental 'living' computer forged from a portion of Dr. Budd's mind. The Thunderbird team must put their ingenuity to the test and find a way to bypass Metal Head's massive Droid army and rescue the hostages.
20	Stardive	Kimio Ikeda	Owen Lock & Robert Mandell	24/09/2008	0:26:00	21
Dylan is transformed from rescuer to rescuee when a disaster strands him on board the Centaur spaceship alongside Kristen Elliot, a rival pilot from the Blue Angels squad. With the ship locked on a decaying orbit towards Jupiter and air running out, the pair must put aside their differences to stay alive. Could their rivalry evolve into something more?
21	Mindmeld	Kimio Ikeda	Owen Lock & Robert Mandell	08/10/2008	0:26:00	23
Lieutenant Sarah McBeth has been haunted by mysterious visions ever since her arrival on Moonbase Omega. Visions that lead her to a crystal compound buried near the colony. By removing a portion of the crystal, she releases a thousand year old evil that has the power to manipulate even time itself. The Thunderbirds must find a way to halt the indestructible force before it can reach Earth.
22	Trial	Kimio Ikeda	Owen Lock & Robert Mandell	15/10/2008	0:26:00	24
A race of highly evolved beings have been watching countless civilizations across millions of years. Humanity have become their latest test subjects, and they must decide whether the species pose a threat to the universe. It's up to the Thunderbirds to convince the beings that Earth has evolved beyond its savage past.
23	Child's Play	Kimio Ikeda	Owen Lock & Robert Mandell	05/06/1982	0:26:00	07
IRO Headquarters "Arcology" opens its doors to a group of eager school children. While Kallan gives a guided tour, two of the students, Jimmy and Beaver, steal Thunderbird 1. They subsequently crash the craft into a nearby skyscraper, resulting in a fire which threatens to destroy the entire Arcology.
24	UFO	Kimio Ikeda	Owen Lock & Robert Mandell	01/10/2008	0:26:00	22
A humongous comet is on a direct collision course with Earth, and will wipe out the entire planet in less than twelve hours. The Thunderbirds must head into action and do everything they can to save their home one last time...

Thunderbird Craft[]

Similar to the original series, the International Rescue team had a number of vehicles, equipment and craft at their disposal. However, unlike the original series where the craft would be given names like "The Mole" and serve very specific purposes, the craft in the 2086 remake were numbered from Thunderbird 1 to 17 and most appeared to be usable in a more general way.

Thunderbird 1: A "Space Shuttle"
Thunderbird 2: A large transport ship, similar to the original
Thunderbird 3: A ground vehicle.

Thunderbirds 1, 2 and 3 can merge together to form one large vehicle, as can be seen in the opening credits.

Thunderbird 4: Extremely similar to the original, being a yellow submarine, although much larger in size.
Thunderbird 5: A mobile ground operations vehicle.
Thunderbird 6: A city-sized space station, smiliar to the original series' Thunderbird 5
Thunderbird 7: A small but very fast jet airplane
Thunderbird 8: A VTOL jet
Thunderbird 9: Space Walker vehicle; there are at least two of these
Thunderbird 10: A small spaceship carried aboard TB-2
Thunderbird 11: An armoured high-speed ground vehicle.
Thunderbird 12: An amphibious bulldozer/load lifting vehicle
Thunderbird 13: A flying mini-sub carried aboard Thunderbird 4. It has an atmospheric speed of Mach 1, and travels at about 40 knots under water.
Thunderbird 14: A deep-sea bathyscaphe (not seen on screen)
Thunderbird 15: A tracked drilling vehicle
Thunderbird 16: A tracked reconnaissance vehicle
Thunderbird 17: A spaceship carried aboard TB-6

Arcology, the organisation's headquarters

Trivia[]

The original Japanese version was produced by Kimio Ikeda, who was an avid Anderson fan. His previous project was X-Bomber (dubbed and marketed in the UK as Star Fleet), which was a Supermarionation-style show made much in the vein of Thunderbirds.
Producer Robert Mandell also worked on In Outer Space, To The Rescue, and Countdown To Disaster. Editor Gunter Glinka and Technical Supervisor David Gregg also worked on In Outer Space and Countdown To Disaster.
During the opening speech for every episode, the narrator declares "Conceptions in rescue that can challenge the impossible!". This same line was previously used in ITC's trailer for To The Rescue.
Speaking of the above compilation films, several episodes of Thunderbirds 2086 were also edited into a 'movie' format and broadcast in the USA at least once in 1983. It remains unknown which episodes were used, as no surviving copy has surfaced since.
The final six episodes of the series finally made their television debut in Japan during a 2008 rerun on the Home Drama Channel.

Closing Credits[]

Executive in charge of Production: Robert Mandell
Executive Producers: Banjiro Uemura, Shinji Nakagawa
Technical Supervisor: David Gregg
Dialogue Recording Supervision: Peter Fernandez
Storymen: Owen Lock, Robert Mandell
Production Coordinator: Eleanor Kearney
Character Voices: John Belucci, Earl Hammond, Keith Mandell, Alexander Marshall, Lucy Martin [episodes 1-24]; Laura Dean [episodes 8, 15]; Maia Danziger [episodes 16, 18, 19, 20, 21]
Music Composed by: Kentaro Haneda
Theme Composed by: Koji Makaino
Performed by: Columbia Symphonic Orchestra
Film Editing: Gunter Glinka
Sound Engineering: John Quinn
Main Title Animation: David Hoffman
Title Graphics: Robert Conforte
Vector Models: Peter Mosen
Computer Programmers: David Gregg, Wainwright Samuel
Made in cooperation with ITC Entertainment (Japan) Ltd.

Thunderbirds 2086

Contents

Regular Cast[]

List of Episodes[]

Thunderbird Craft[]

Trivia[]

Closing Credits[]

Gallery[]

Fan Feed