TV Century 21

Not to be confused with the magazine Century 21 published in the 1990s, or the rocket from the Thunderbirds Are Go! television series.

TV Century 21
Other titles	TV21 TV21 and Tornado TV21 and Joe 90
Publishing dates	January 23rd, 1965 - September 25th, 1971 January 23rd, 1965 - January 8th, 1966 (LP) January 15th, 1966 - June 13th, 1970 (TB) January 21st, 1967 - August 30th, 1969 (ZX)
Issue count	242 (original series) 105 (new series) (347 total)
Editors	Alan Fennell (1965 - 1967) Chris Spencer (1968) Howard Elson (1968 - 1969)
Published by	City Magazines Ltd., in conjunction with Century 21 Publishing

The first issue of TV Century 21 (later renamed TV21) was published on 23rd January 1965. It focused on Fireball XL5, Stingray and Supercar, but also featured a new strip based on two of Thunderbirds' supporting characters: Lady Penelope. Mr. Steelman was published nine months before Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward and Parker appeared on TV in the opening episode of Thunderbirds.

TV Century 21 was a joint venture with City Magazines (part of the News of the World group), which handled publishing and distribution, while Century 21 Publishing produced the contents. Alan Fennell, who became the comic's editor and head writer, brought in assistant editor Tod Sullivan, script editor Angus Allan and art editor Dennis Hooper as his production team.

Within weeks of its launch, TV Century 21 was Britain's top-selling comic, presenting the work of some of British comics' most admired artists: Mike Noble, Ron Embleton, Don Lawrence and Ron Turner.

Thunderbirds-Related Content

Thunderbirds Comic Strip

Main article: Thunderbirds (TV21)

The Thunderbirds comic strip from TV Century 21 began in issue 52 and remained a staple of the magazine until issue 242, at which point it was renamed TV21 & Joe 90 with its issue number reset to 1. The strip ultimately lasted until issue 38 of the new numbering's 105 issues, making it TV21's longest-lived comic series by a narrow margin to Secret Agent 21.

Frank Bellamy, previously well-known for his work on rival comic the Eagle, would act as the strip's primary illustrator between 1966 and 1969, only taking a single break during Solar Danger, where Don Harley would fill in. Bellamy would depart after completing Seeking Disaster, which concluded October 18th 1969. He would be replaced by John Cooper, who would see out the strip until its final conclusion in June 1970. The writing would fall on the shoulders of Alan Fennell, the magazine's first editor, who had also written for the television series. Fennell was the sole author for at least the first year of the strip, perhaps longer, until Scott Goodall would take over the reins sometime during 1967. However, due to the fact that the stories were published without any authorial credits, it is impossible to determine exactly who wrote what story and when the switch occurred. Goodall would work on the strip until Danger in the Deep, which would be the last story published in the original TV21 before the merger with Joe 90: Top Secret. A variety of writers would see out the last eight stories, which are thought to include Geoff Cowan, Dennis Hooper and Richard O'Neill.

Lady Penelope Comic Strip

Main article: Lady Penelope (comic)

The Lady Penelope comic strip featured in TV Century 21 for the entirety of its first year, from issue 1 to 51, before it was cut from the magazine as part of the changes which brought in the Thunderbirds strip (the strip would, however, continue in the new publication Lady Penelope). The appearances of Lady Penelope, Parker, FAB 1 and Creighton-Ward Mansion in January 1965 predated their television debuts in Trapped in the Sky by eight months, meaning the strip marked the beginning of the entire Thunderbirds franchise.

Production wise, Eric Eden acted as artist, with Alan Fennell and Tod Sullivan sharing writing duties.

Zero X Comic Strip

Main article: Zero X (comic)

The Zero X comic strip first appeared in TV Century 21's 105th issue, being brought in for the start of the magazine's third year. It survived until issue 241, ending just one issue before TV21 merged with Joe 90 Top Secret and reset its numbering scheme. A spin-off of the 1966 film Thunderbirds Are Go, the strip followed the Zero X crew first seen there: Paul Travers, Brad Newman, Greg Martin, and Ray Pierce.

The strip would start off under author Angus P. Allan (who had previously adapted the Thunderbirds Are Go novel) and illustrator Mike Noble. Eric Eden would fill in for Noble during four weeks of Horror of Asteroid Belt Nine!. From 1968, the strip's production team would be shaken up, with Jim Watson taking up the art and Scott Goodall sharing writing duties with Allan. By October 1968, however, Noble found himself back on Zero X duty, but not before Ferran Sostres would illustrate Britonium!.

Lady Penelope Investigates Short Stories

Main article: Lady Penelope Investigates (series)

Running throughout the first year of TV Century 21 was Lady Penelope Investigates, a prose series where Lady Penelope 'investigates' real world celebrities of the time, as well as crossing over into the fictional universes of other well-known television series. On the celebrity front, these included Roger Moore, Tommy Cooper, Spike Milligan, and Diana Rigg, as well as characters from Danger Man, The Beverly Hillbillies, The Rogues, The Fugitive, and The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

International Rescues

Main article: International Rescues

Comic Crossovers

Main article: Crossovers

Competitions

• In issue 26, "Lady Penelope's "nosey" assistant" and "Penelope's title" were both featured as crossword clues.
• Issue 51 launched a competition with a prize of two hundred copies of Introducing Thunderbirds. All readers had to do for a chance of winning was identify the Thunderbird craft on the cover (Thunderbird 1) and give a list of their six favourite features in TV21.
• Issue 53 launched a competition with a prize of two hundred Thunderbird jigsaw puzzles. Readers had to match the names of Jeff Tracy's children to the surnames of the five American astronauts they were named after, as well as give a list of their six favourite features in the magazine, for a chance of winning.
• Issue 54 launched a competition with a prize of one hundred Thunderbirds pencil by number colouring sets. All readers had to do for a chance of winning was colour in a picture of Thunderbird 1 in the "appropriate" colours and send it in to the stated address along with a list of their six favourite TV21 features.
• Issue 55 launched a competition with a prize of one hundred friction models of Thunderbird 1. All readers had to do for a chance of winning was identify three silhouttes of Thunderbird craft (Thunderbird 3, Thunderbird 4 and Thunderbird 2) and provide a list of the six features in TV21 they liked best.
• In issue 56, the "pilot of Thunderbird 1" was a featured crossword clue.
• Issue 58 involved Thunderbirds elements (as well as elements from Fireball XL5, Stingray, Doctor Who and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.) in a competition to win fifty Cluedo games. Framed as a test used in the selection of USS Senior Special Agents, readers had to identify the deliberate error in six different pictures, helped on each by a clue. The TB-related picture depicted Thunderbird 2 with a "1" on its hull, the clue being "Wrong for 1 but right for 2!".
• Issue 59 launched a competition said to have been designed by USS Agent 0056 Duane Simpson which had a prize of one-hundred-and-fifty Thunderbird water pistols. Readers were presented with three pictures of craft used by International Rescue and the World Government and for a chance to win they simply had to identify which was which as well as give a list of their six favourite features from TV21. The three vehicles were the Jungle Cat, the Mole and the Domo.
• Issue 60 lauched a competition said to have been designed by USS Lieutenant General Abbis Ling which had a prize of one hundred friction models of Thunderbird 3. Readers were presented with pictures of four Thunderbirds characters who were each disguised in some way and simply had to identify which was which in addition to listing their six favourite TV21 features for a chance of winning.
• Issue 61 involved Thunderbirds elements in a competition to win one hundred Stingray and Thunderbirds paperback books, which was designed by USS Head of Section 9 Tatiana Bianca. Two pictures from Stingray and one from Thunderbirds were printed and readers had to identify which character was from the wrong series in each picture for a chance to win, as well as provide a list of their six favourite TV21 features. Lady Penelope and Parker each featured in one of the Stingray pictures while Commander Shore was seen in the Thunderbirds one.
• Issue 63 saw the beginning of a series of merit award tests. In the fourth question, readers were asked to identify a craft (Thunderbird 4) simply from a view of its back.
• Issue 66 launched a competition designed by USS Agent Torb Metarbis, who acquired one hundred Thunderbird Papercraft Sets for the winners. Readers were presented with three partial photographs of well-known Thunderbirds characters and simply had to correctly identify each of them (as well as provide a list of their six favourite TV21 features) for a shot at winning.
• Issue 67 launched a competition designed by USS Chief of Staff Ptrov Kikinsky who obtained fifty sets of Thunderbird books as prizes, consisting of a Thunderbird Sticker Fun Book, a Lady Penelope Sticker Fun Book, and a Thunderbird Puzzle Book. Kikinsky had removed the heads of Lady Penelope, Tin-Tin Kyrano, and Grandma Tracy from their bodies. Readers had to correctly match up the heads to the bodies and give a list of their six favourite features from TV21 for a chance of winning.
• Issue 67 also contained Thunderbirds elements in a TV21-Lone Star competition which boasted James Bond merchandise for the winners. Readers were presented with four pictures of secret agents, one of which was Lady Penelope, and asked to answer who the agents were, which organisation they worked for, and who their main opponents were.
• Issue 70 launched the "S.O.S. Thunderbirds Zoom Competition" organised by Lyons Maid with a full-page promotion. Readers were presented with six desperate rescue scenarios (each illustrated in pictures labelled A to F) and asked to prioritise them by order of urgency. Situation A saw Lady Penelope trapped on a Pacific island with no food or water, situation B described a flying saucer landing in Australia and the Martians inside capturing the army headquarters with their death-ray guns, a Jetship in the Atlantic began to sink in situation C, situation D told of an atomic research station in the path of volcanic lava, situation E depicted Thunderbird 4 wrecked in the Arctic with International Rescue's Commander-in-Chief aboard, while situation F stated that the Thunderland Dam was in danger of bursting. Issues 72, 73, 74, 76, 77, 80 and 81 saw the competition promoted again, with identical full-pages of content being used to achieve this.
• Issue 71 marked the release of the questions for the second merit award test. The fifth question asked which out of Thunderbird 1, Thunderbird 2, and Thunderbird 4 was the odd one out.
• Issue 72 launched a competition designed by Astran agent Kapbeta which had a prize of one hundred Thunderbird Rocket Guns. A map of the Astran capital of Kapland was provided and readers had to mark a route out from one of the entrances to the Kaplan's office and then send it in to the stated address for a chance of winning.
• Issue 72 also saw the start of a competition from Lincoln International which had twenty-five of their Thunderbirds model construction packs as prizes. Four illustrations of the Thunderbird craft were printed with each containing a deliberate mistake and readers had to identify these mistakes for a chance of winning. Thunderbird 1 was depicted launching from Thunderbird 2's hangar, Thunderbird 2 was seen taking off from the Round House while Thunderbird 3 was shown coming up through the swimming pool.
• In issue 73, USS Agent Oppenheimer "secured" one hundred friction models of Thunderbird 2 as prizes in that week's competition. Readers were presented with three pictures of characters who regularly appeared in the magazine but which had been developed in the negative. They had to correctly identify the subjects of the photographs and provide a list of their six favourite TV21 features for a chance of winning.
• Issue 75 launched a competition designed by the Head of USS operations in the Orient Paul Tibari which had a prize of seventy-five Thunderbird stencil sets. In a simple spot-the-difference test, readers had to differentiate the real Venus from an enemy agent impersonating her, who had made one small mistake in her otherwise perfect disguise, for a chance of winning (in addition to listing their six favourite features from TV21).
• Issue 77 launched a competition devised by Head of USS activities on Saturn Bob Zundapt which had a prize of twelve International Rescue suits for the winners and thirty-six Thunderbird guns for the runners-up. Readers had to identify four countries from their border outlines, with the images ostensibly photographs taken from the TV21 weather satellite, for a shot at winning. They also had to list their six favourite features in the magazine and give their preferred size of suit for the entry to be valid. Future Fanderson committe member Stephen Brown would be one of the twelve major winners.
• Issue 78 saw the publication of the third merit award test. One Thunderbirds-related question was featured: Lady Penelope is the British Agent attached to International Rescue. She has one main enemy. Who is it? The multiple-choice options were Mr. Steelman, the Hood, and the Bereznik Secret Service.
• Issue 78 also contained a competition devised by USS Deputy Chief of Australasian Operations Eddie Willow which had a prize of one hundred pairs of Thunderbirds Scanshoes. Readers were presented with fourteen numbered squares over a silhoutte of Thunderbird 2 and had to fill them in correctly using the two provided clues, as well as state their six favourite TV21 features in order of preference, for a chance of winning.
• As well as both the above, issue 78 launched a Lincoln International competition which offered twenty-five Lincoln Thunderbird Model Packs for the winners and one hundred models of FAB 1 for the runners-up. In the scenario described, International Rescue had been called to aid in rescue attempts in four different danger zones: a forest fire, a mining disaster, an underwater explosion, and a collapsing building. Four labelled pictures of rescue craft (the Firefly, Thunderbird 4, the Domo, and the Mole) were printed, with readers asked to identify which would be used in each situation. They also had to complete the sentence "Thunderbird 2 is the most useful of all International Rescue's equipment because...". It was stated those entries with the correct answers and the "most original completition of the sentence" would be declared the winners.
• Issue 79 launched a competition which had a prize of seventy Thunderbird plasticine modelling kits from Harbutt's Plasticine Ltd., devised by USS Agent Gerard Brun. It stated that Thunderbird 1 had been completely overhauled and refitted but that the standard markings still had to be painted on. Readers had to mark on the picture exactly where these should go, cut it out, and then send it along with a list of their six favourite TV21 features to the provided address.
• The competition launched in issue 80 was devised by USS Agent Tobias Lunn and boasted a prize of fifty Thunderbird 5 models. Readers were presented with two silhouttes of characters featured in that issue of TV21 and tasked with looking through the magazine, finding the pictures, and successfully identifying the characters. If they did this, and accompanied their answers with a list of their six favourite features in the publication, they would have a shot at winning.
• Issue 81 launched a competition which had a prize of seventy-two Thunderbird Plush Craft Sets. Readers had to give the time displayed on three clocks (a sun dial, a 24 hour clock, and an "ordinary" clock) as well as their six favourite features from TV21 for a chance at winning.
• Issue 82 launched a competition involving Thunderbirds elements, for which readers had to correctly put the five Tracy brothers in the order of their age, with the eldest first and the youngest last. The prize was unrelated, being one hundred Supercar Intercom Sets.
• Issue 83 launched another competition with Thunderbirds elements but an unrelated prize (in this case seventy-five Constri Construction Sets). Readers had to identify three images of TV21 characters (one of which was the Hood) with only the top parts of their heads to base their guesses on.
• Issue 84 launched yet another competition with Thunderbirds elements but an unrelated prize (one hundred Corgi ambulances in this case), with readers this time asked to identify the odd one out between Stingray, Fireball XL5 and Thunderbird 3.
• Issue 92 once more launched a competition with Thunderbirds elements but unrelated prizes (a vast array of different products, including some from Corgi). John was pictured in Thunderbird 5 with a speech bubble coming from him which explained how to enter while the Jeff puppet was photographed amongst the four hundred prizes.
• Issue 92 also launched a TB-related competition, with a prize of fifty TV Century 21 Annuals. Readers had to identify three characters (Kyrano, the Hood and Parker) from only a view of their backs in addition to naming their six favourite TV21 features and current favourite TV programme for a chance to win.
• Issue 93 launched a competition which had a prize of one hundred Thunderbird 1 models. Pictures of all five Tracy brothers but only three Thunderbird craft (Thunderbirds 1, 2 and 4) were printed on the page and the readers had to correctly identify the respective pilots of these craft as well as name their six favourite TV21 features and current favourite TV programme for a chance to win.
• Issue 94 launched a competition which offered a prize of fifty Thunderbird 2 models. A picture of four of the Tracy brothers (with Jeff) in the Tracy Villa lounge was printed but with one of the brothers "disguised". Readers had to correctly name who this was (Alan) as well as state their six favourite TV21 features and current favourite TV programme for a chance to win.
• Issue 95 launched a competition which awarded fifty friction models of Thunderbird 3 as prizes. For a chance to win, readers had to simply give the "real" surname of Brains (as well as list the six features in TV21 they liked best and their current favourite TV programme).
• Issue 96 launched a competition with a prize of fifty models of Thunderbird 4 to the winners. Readers had to unscramble three words which described the function of TB4 (MUNIBARES, CURESE, OSTARPINEO) for a chance to win, in addition to the usual requirements of listing their six favourite TV21 features and current favourite TV programme.
• Issue 97 launched a competition which boasted twenty-five battery operated models of Thunderbird 1 as prizes. Pictures of the Fireflash, the Wombat and the Firefly were mislabelled with readers given the task of correcting this by identifying which was which (in addition to giving the usual accompanying details about their favourite TV21 features and television programme).
• Issue 98 launched a competition which saw fifty friction models of FAB 1 awarded to the winners. A picture of Lady Penelope and Parker was printed on the page but with part of it removed in the style of a jigsaw piece. Readers had to correctly determine which piece (out of three possible options) completed the picture, sending in their answers with the usual details about their favourite TV21 features and television programme.
• The competition launched in issue 100 had a prize of one-hundred-and-fifty copies of the Thunderbirds Are Go novelisation. A picture of the Round House was provided and all the reader had to do for a chance to win was name which Thunderbird craft (Thunderbird 3) launched from there, in addition to the two usual stipulations about preferences.
• Issue 101 launched a competition which offered twenty-five battery operated models of FAB 1 to the winners. Its content, however, was unrelated to Thunderbirds, with readers being asked to identify Steve Zodiac and Commander Zero of Fireball XL5 from two composite pictures.
• Issue 102 featured a crossword puzzle with pictures as clues, with entrants able to win fifty Thunderbirds 3D painting sets as prizes. Several TB-related clues were included: a picture of Scott Tracy for SCOTT; a picture of FAB 1 for CAR; a picture of Zero X for ZEROX; and a picture of Jeff Tracy saying "Estimated time of arrival" for ETA.
• Issue 103 contained an "Agents Observation Test" which had three questions in it related to the events of the Thunderbirds comic The Big Freeze. These were: Can you name the Arctic base where International Rescue are attempting rescue operations?; What is the Firefly?; and What is the name of the ice breaker at present rushing to the Arctic base?.
• Thunderbirds elements featured in an otherwise unrelated competition in issue 107, with photographic clues depicting Thunderbird 5 and Thunderbird 2 aiding in the identication of tracks recently recorded by Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich and Cliff Richard and the Shadows respectively. The entrant's suggestion for the name of a pop-group which the Tracy brothers might form was also required along with the answers.
• Issue 108 launched a competition which had a prize of fifty Thunderbirds Give-a-Show Projector Sets. Three pictures showing the launch procedure of Thunderbird 2 were printed out of sequence, with readers simply having to put them into the correct order for an opportunity to win.
• The prize for the competition announced in issue 114 was twenty-five Thunderbird rifles though its actual content was wholly unrelated to Thunderbirds with readers given the task of identifying disguised TV stars for an opportunity to win.
• Issue 116's competition featured Thunderbirds elements but an unrelated prize (twenty-five pairs of jump skates). A picture of Alan at the controls of Thunderbird 3 was printed on the page but with two parts of it removed in the style of jigsaw pieces. Readers had to correctly determine which pieces (out of four possible options) completed the picture, as well as answer the usual additional questions, for a chance to win.
• The competition in issue 117 again contained Thunderbirds elements but boasted an unrelated prize (seventy-two U.N.C.L.E. Mauser Pistols). Three photographs of secret agents (including Lady Penelope) were featured on the page with one of their main weapons printed above them, but each of the weapons were credited to the wrong agent. Readers had to simply identify each agent and the piece of equipment they use, in addition to completing the sentence "I think that a secret agent should have an unusual weapon because..." and listing their six favourite TV21 features, for a chance to win.
• Once more, issue 119's competition offered non-TB prizes (thirty Future Scientist Kits) while referencing TB elements. Namely, readers had to identify three characters who regularly appeared in TV21 using photographs only showing the top parts of their heads. The three characters were Thunderbirds's Tin-Tin and Alan, as well as Fireball XL5's Steve Zodiac. In addition, they had to answer the usual questions about preferences as well as complete the sentence "I like COUNTDOWN because..." to have a chance of winning.
• The competition in issue 120 presented an illustration of the Zero X control cabin with Paul Travers, Greg Martin and Brad Newman inside. Readers had to colour it in with the colours they thought were most appropriate and then send it in with the completed coupon containing the question of their six favourite TV21 features. Neatness was taken into consideration and the five entries deemed the best won the unrelated prize of a Mohow house each for their creators.
• Issue 122's competition featured TB elements but boasted prizes unrelated to the series (fifty Big Game Target Sets). It asked that readers correctly identify three photographs of craft regularly seen in TV21 printed in the negative, as well as complete the sentence "I think identification is part of a secret agent's training because...", for an opportunity of winning. The first and third pictures depicted Thunderbird 3 and Thunderbird 4 respectively.
• The competition begun in issue 125 offered one hundred friction models of Thunderbird 1 to the winners but was otherwise unrelated to Thunderbirds, instead involving the identification of characters from Fireball XL5.
• The competition in issue 127 involved TB elements but gave away unrelated prizes (one hundred Corgi model racers). For a chance to win, readers had to correctly identify photographs of four Thunderbirds characters (the Hood, Tin-Tin, Lady Penelope and Jeff) as viewed from the back as well as complete the sentence "My favourite character in Thunderbirds is... because...".
• Issue 128 launched the "Action Thunderbirds! Zoom Competition" organised by Lyons Maid with a whole page of promotion. It was similar in constitution to Lyons Maid's earlier "S.O.S. Thunderbirds" competition originally printed in issue 70, with readers being presented with six emergencies (each illustrated in pictures labelled A to F), though this time they were asked to select the most suitable out of the five Thunderbird craft to attend to each problem. The scenarios were: situation A, which saw Lady Penelope kidnapped and held to ransom by a London gang in a hide-out underneath the North Sea; situation B, which involved a sinking chemical plant built on marshy ground, containing massive tanks of phosphorus that would explode if exposed to damp; in situation C floods cut off the capital of Unoland, with the floodwater carrying deadly poison as a by-product of a nearby power station, and International Rescue required to render the poison harmless and then take in supplies; situation D described meteors large enough to destroy cities heading towards Earth at 75,000 miles per hour; situation E depicted the Statue of Liberty falling onto an ocean liner, the rescue organisation being asked to save the passengers and crew; and situation E stated that the Trans-Europe railway had been damaged and blocked by an avalanche, while International Rescue were tasked with clearing the line before an approaching jet-train crashed. Issues 130, 133 and 136 saw the competition promoted again, with identical full pages of content being used to achieve this.
• Issue 130 also launched a new competition, which had a prize of fifty friction models of Thunderbird 3. Readers had to answer either true or false to ten statements, as well as complete the sentence "My favourite TV programme is... because...", for a chance to win. The statements were: Jeff Tracy has four sons; Thunderbird 3 is a space station; Brains invented the TB craft; Lady Penelope is IR's London Agent; Tracy Island is in the Atlantic Ocean; Virgil Tracy pilots Thunderbird 2; the Hood is Jeff Tracy's bodyguard; FAB 1 is driven by Lady Penelope; Thunderbird 4 is an underwater craft; and Thunderbird 1 is launched through the round house.
• Unusually, issue 135 was created by Parker after, in his words, "the heditor asked me if I liked competitions" and "gave me this spot to invent one for you" once he replied in the affirmitive. Parker also claims he almost didn't do it upon seeing the prize — fifty battery-operated models of Thunderbird 4 — because all he wanted to do was play with one. The competition itself, similar to that seen in issue 130, involved a series of statements (this time all involving Lady Penelope) which the readers had to mark as either true or false for a chance to win. These were: Lady Penelope lives in America; her silver teapot holds a radio transmitter; FAB 2 is her Ladyship's Rolls Royce; Lady Penelope has her own magazine; Jeff Tracy is Lady P's arch-enemy; she has her own mansion; the Hood is Lady Penelope's brother; F.A.B. is a secret password; Parker is Lady P's butler; and FAB 1 can ride on water. Additionally, the sentence which readers had to complete was "My favourite TB craft is... because...".
• Issue 139 launched a competition with a prize of twenty-five battery-operated models of Thunderbird 1. Readers simply had to correctly identify three Thunderbirds characters (Jeff, Gordon and the Hood) from partial pictures of their heads for a chance to win. The sentence which needed completing was also TB-related, being "My favourite character in Thunderbirds is... because...".
• Issue 140 launched a competition which awarded a 1968 Thunderbirds Annual to each of the fifty winners. Three pictures of previously-seen vehicles connected with rescues were printed on the page, with readers required to name all three and identify the odd one out, as well as provide their reasoning, in order to enter.
• Issue 142 contained a crossword which, if completed and sent in correctly, had the potential to earn the entrant (fifty in total) a copy of the new TV Century 21 Annual. Three of the clues were Thunderbirds-related: Space travel Thunderbird number (5); The Tracys live on an... (6); and Captain of Zero X (7).
• Issue 147 launched a new competition. Though its prize was one hundred copies of the Captain Scarlet Story Book, the premise directly referenced one of the Hood's new plots. It stated that he was rumoured to be making another attempt at penetrating International Rescue's Tracy Island base and was sure to wear a disguise. Readers were asked to imagine how the Hood would mask his identity and draw a disguise on a picture of his disembodied face which was printed on the page, the only rule being that he must be unrecognisable. Additionally, for the first time in a while, readers had to list their six favourite TV21 features on the coupon they sent in.
• Issue 152 featured a crossword. One of the clues was Thunderbirds-related, specifically "Alan is Jeff Tracy's youngest...", with the answer being SON.
• Issue 159 contained a "Spectrum Promotion Exam", which offered the chance for Spectrum Shades to be promoted from Shade White to Shade Red. One Thunderbirds-related question was featured, namely "Who is in charge of International Rescue?". The options were Jeff Tracy, Steve Zodiac and Captain Scarlet. Also, Jeff Tracy was a wrong answer for the question "Who was the first man in Space?" alongside other options Yuri Gagarin and Colonel Glenn. The answers for the exam were later printed in issue 162.
• In issue 174, the "rumour" was announced that the winner of the Spectrum Knock-Out Competition would receive as a special prize an accurately scaled, working model of Zero X. It was noted as being made to specifications by Century 21 Toys and possessing plug-in remote control, detachable friction-powered lifting bodies, a detachable battery-powered MEV, a detachable heat shield, coloured flashing lights and retractable stub wings. The results were initially slated for publication in the following issue but would not be printed until issue 178, where Denis O'Regan from Area Pink was confirmed as the winner.
• Issue 175 had a crossword with the clue "Take the centre out of T'BIRDS—and you get the T'Birds Centre!". The answer was IR.
• Published in issue 180, the third "Spectrum Promotion Examination" offered the chance for one thousand Spectrum Shades of any rank to be promoted to Green Shade. It was accompanied by a picture of Kyrano and featured three Thunderbirds-related questions. These were: "What is Kyrano's profession?" and "Name his brother's nickname"; "How many sons has Jeff Tracy?"; and "Who is Colonel Price?". The answers were, respectively, servant and the Hood, five, and Controller at Glenn Field.
• The fourth "Spectrum Promotion Exam" was printed in issue 188 and offered the chance for one thousand Spectrum Shades of any rank to be promoted to Blue Shade, the highest rank in the junior Spectrum organisation. The test featured three Thunderbirds-related questions. These were: "Give the full name of the English secret agent who works for International Rescue"; "Name the doctor who sometimes accompanies the Zero X crew on their missions?"; and "What type of craft is Thunderbird 6?". The answers, printed in issue 190, were Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, Ray Pierce and a single propeller biplane respectively.

Reader-Submitted Content

• In issue 16, eight-year-old Yvonne Masters of Bromley, Kent states in an agent report that her favourite features in TV21 are Stingray, Lady Penelope and Fireball.
• In issue 23, Derek Connell of Essex states in an agent report that he has just read his first edition of TV21. Among other things, he asks who "the mysterious Lady Penelope" is, expressing a familiarity with all the other characters.
• Also in issue 23, M. Fearnley of Audenshaw, Manchester asks if a full page detailed picture of the U.S. Army's "terrific" Junglecat (Sidewinder) could be printed. Agent Twenty One replies that a larger picture will indeed appear in the upcoming TV Century 21 Summer Extra.
• Again in issue 23, an annoymous report from a parent states that their six-year old son jumped through a glass plate door after reading the Lady Penelope strip from issue 16 (Behind Enemy Lines part 5) and deciding to emulate Ernst. He sustained only a few minor cuts.
• In issue 28, R. Miles from Hanham, Bristol states in an agent report that their favourite features in TV21 are Burke's Law, Lady Penelope and the Daleks. Agent Twenty One replies by revealing that the Summer Extra will feature a drawing of FAB 1.
• In issue 30, J. Gray of Sutton Coldfield, states in an agent report that Lady Penelope is currently a press reporter for TV21, directly in response to Derek Connell's earlier query. Gray adds that they "don't think she will keep that job for long", however, because "by secret detection" they have discovered she applied for a job as a part owner of an emergency rescue service, which will be seen on television in the autumn. Twenty One confirms the accuracy of the detection work, clarifying that she will be joining the Tracy brothers and their fantastic crafts in Thunderbirds later in the year.
• In issue 44, Michael Clark of Stretford delivers a report on that week's agents' password: Fireflash. He states he was arrived at London Airport on October 5th, 2065 and given details about the Fireflash. Clark was informed that it is powered by seven Rolls-Royce turbo jets, three on each side and one on the tail. Also, that its length is 250 feet, its wingspan is 175 feet, its cruising speed is 6000 miles per hour, its full speed is 8000 miles per hour, its capacity for passengers is two hundred, and that its first flight which will be to New York was scheduled for October 27th. Twenty One commended Clark for his report but said it was rampant with misinformation, speculating that the airport director showing him around was really the Hood in disguise. Twenty One follows with some correct information on the Fireflash. He states the Mark I was brought into service in November 2063, has a seating capacity of six hundred, is powered by six atomic engines sited in the tail, has a cruising speed of 2800 miles per hour, and an average travel time from London to New York of one hour and forty-five minutes. He also notes further information is available in the currently on-sale TV21 International Extra.
• In issue 46, Twenty One references the soon-to-come Thunderbirds strip in response to Ian Nicol of Glasgow's opinion that TV21 is dull and should be livened up, stating that the adventures of the International Rescue organisation are sure to liven things up for him.
• In issue 49, Lisa Samuels of Canterbury delivers a report on that week's agents' password: Rescue. She states the word is part of the name of the world's greatest rescue organisation, a reference to International Rescue. She also expresses her opinion that the adventures of the Tracy family on TV are the most exciting she has ever seen and that Gordon Tracy who pilots Thunderbird 4 is her favourite. Twenty One takes the opportunity to remind her of International Rescue's upcoming adventures in TV21.
• In issue 57, John Ramkin of Plumstead reports that just before Christmas he entered a fancy dress competition at his school as a member of International Rescue and got into the final. He states his mother made the costume over a period of six evenings based from the designs in TV21. Twenty One replies that John's International Rescue suit, which is shown in a photograph alongside the report, looks very good and commends his mother for her hard work.
• In issue 60, M. Davies of Poynton delivers a report on the password "Thunderbirds". They state it "of course" refers to International Rescue, giving descriptions for each of the five Thunderbird craft, including their pilots and the speeds, 7500 and 5000 miles per hour, of Thunderbirds 1 and 2 respectively.
• In issue 84, a photograph of Alan John of Bristol in his IR uniform and standing next to his Thunderbird 3 birthday cake was printed. The report described how Alan's personal defence sector as a member of the local International Rescue Action Group was infiltrated and how the invaders achieved full destruction of TB3 with an attack using knives and forks. Despite Alan's defence being in vain, he managed to claim some cake for himself, meaning "the taste of defeat was welcome" in the end.
• In issue 86, A. Mackay from Harrow-on-the-Hill requested some information on Brains. Twenty One replied by spotlighting him in the Personality feature for that week.
• Issue 90 had a headline reading "Decoy Agents Protect International Rescue" which was accompanied by a short article and a photograph of Agent Martin Tillman and two friends from Tongham, Surrey, all three of whom were wearing replicas of the IR uniform. The article went on to say that Tillman and his friends may have unwittingly been instrumental in diverting the attention of some Bereznik agents who were on a mission to intercept Virgil, Alan, and Gordon. At the time, Thunderbird 2 was engaged in secret operations in the South of England, while the Bereznik agents were apparently "baffled" by the presence of International Rescue uniforms in Surrey.
• In issue 99, a photograph of Ian Wright of Denton and his friends enjoying his birthday party was printed. Donning IR hats, the caption stated Ian and his friends "seem[ed] to have 'borrowed' the identities of International Rescue's pilots" and that this would "certainly have confused any enemy agents in the locality".
• Issue 103 featured a photograph of Martin and Lesley Wright from Roade, dressed as Scott Tracy and Lady Penelope respectivey, standing next to their own model of Thunderbird 1. A caption explained that Martin and Lesley had entered a fancy dress parade with a little help from their parents and "needless to say" took home three first prizes in the competition, "proving once again that International Rescue always succeeds!".
• Issue 106 contained a photograph of Agent Richard Mayston of Highams Park wearing a Thunderbird 1 hat. A caption had the quip "If one of the qualifications for being an agent is the ability to keep things under your hat, Richard Mayston has a head start!".
• Issue 109 featured a photograph of Agent Richard Edwards in "International Rescue operator's uniform", with the caption stating that he was currently stationed at No. 8 District Police Training Centre, Glamorgan.
• Issue 119 contained correspondence from Derek Perkins of Surrey. In his letter he stated that he was a member of an organisation attached to the Contact 21 and as head of the organisation was allowed to wear an International Rescue suit. An attached photograph depicted Perkins arresting "an enemy agent" who was caught stealing secret information from their headquarters.
• Issue 125 featured a photograph of Agent Brian Spence of Toronto with his own "specially constructed" model of Tracy Island, which was equipped with models of all the Thunderbird craft and accessories. A caption stated Spence had recently entered the model into a competition and won first prize.
• Issue 125 also contained a photograph of two-year-old Michael Baker, who was dubbed 21's youngest agent (at least, as far as records revealed). Baker was pictured in full International Rescue uniform and holding a test model of Thunderbird 2.
• In issue 131, Agent Christopher (whose full name, number and operational area were not printed for security reasons) was noted as usually wearing his complete International Rescue while investigating SOFRAM activities along the M6 Motorway. TV21 noted this "clever cover-up" helped in his missions due to his enemy's mistaken belief that he only kept alert for lives in danger.
• The Deadly Toy Sea-Copter designed by Agent Alan Mason of Dursely, as seen in issue 136, contained a radar transmitter for relaying messages from agent to agent. This was described as "act[ing] as a type of Thunderbird 5" by connecting USS Agents.
• Issue 137 contained a photograph of a scale model of Zero X, made by Agent Kenneth Ling of Liverpool. Ling explained the model was intended for instructional purposes in training newly-recruited agents, took four months to build (with help from a co-agent), was made of wood and metal, and measured at 3.5 feet long, 8 inches high and three feet wide.
• In issue 139, Twenty One stated that Jeff Tracy had recently passed on to him a book about Thunderbirds entitled "Zero Time 28 Hours", written by USS Agent R. Huckin of Isleworth. Jeff was reportedly "very impressed" by Huckin's writings, as were the Tracy brothers, with "each member" of International Rescue enjoying the novel. Twenty One then revealed he was under instructions to give the book to Lady Penelope once he had finished but "regrettably" informed Agent Huckin that he was unable to persuade the editor of TV21 to print it.
• In issue 150, Agent Kenneth Craggs of Trimdon sends in the photograph he recently took of Thunderbird 3 flying over his base. However, Craggs notes there was no call to International Rescue for the craft at the time and suggests therefore that the TB3 he saw was an impostor. Twenty One confirms Craggs' suspicions in a reply, following a further investigation on the incident, commending him for his report. Twenty One explains that the impostor was traced to a base in the Scottish highlands whereupon the USS took over the base and seized the craft, taking in the personnel for interrogation as to their intentions.
• In issue 186, Shade Jack Redford, winner of the previous Be an Editor competition, wrote in to thank the editor of TV21 for the toys, saying "they're super, especially Zero X, which was a complete surprise to me".
• Also in issue 186, Shade N. Cambridge of Area Pink wrote in to report the completion of the SEV (Spectrum Exploration Vehicle) and attached a picture of the craft on a test flight. They said the space vehicle, fitted with the latest anti-Mysteron equipment and booster engines which allow it to take off without lifting bodies, was built and designed by themselves and the other members of their Shade Base based on the MEV of Zero X. Captain Pink replied, calling it an "exciting project" and stating that Colonel White had expressed an interest in the SEV and was looking forward to seeing it in operation.
• In issue 191, the winner of £1 for his "Brainwave" submission was Keith McNeill of Area Blue. McNeill sent in two drawings: one of Zero X in flight and another, which was a cut-away of the MEV. Colonel White chose to print the latter (for practical reasons, in black-and-white rather than the original colour) because "although they are equally good, the M.E.V. has far more detail and is visually and technically interesting".
• In issue 196, Doctor Ray Pierce answered a question from Shade Sullivan of Southwick which was addressed to Colonel White. Sullivan wanted to know the opinions of the Spectrum captains on the issue of smoking, citing many of their school friends as partaking in the activity and even one boy who started aged ten. Doctor Pierce replied it was likely Sullivan's friends would be buying as many as twenty cigarettes a day when they got older, equating to around ninety pounds per year, also noting in addition to the financial disincentive that they stood a greater risk of suffering from cancer and lung illnesses.
• In issue 209, Alan Dickles of Coventry referenced Stephen Baxter's letter from issue 205 by expressing his hope that Baxter's request for a time-travel story in TV21 was satisfied with the recent Thunderbirds story, that being The Time Machine. Dickles added "Please let's have more stories like this in TV21 — it's really made me an enthusiastic fan. Doesn't anybody else think the way I do?".
• In issue 223, James Ray of Ayr posed a question about the Saturn Probe series, asking why the Saturn Probe team were going to Saturn to reveal the secrets of the planet when Zero X had already landed there some time before. Colonel White replied there was a "logical answer" to this but that he wanted all Shades to write in and suggest a possible answer of their own.
• Issue 226 contained a photograph of Agent Russell State of East Malling in full International Rescue uniform. The caption explained State was a "keen fan" of International Rescue, so much so that he had started his own organisation along the same lines. However, a slight difference to IR was that his organisation rescued secret agents in distress.
• In issue 236, George Finesilver of Luton asked Twenty One for a list of active service organisations in operation in 2069, besides International Rescue and Spectrum. This request was granted.
• Issue 236 also featured a letter from a Mrs E. Hardman of Manchester, a grandmother who read TV21 for self defence every week after her two grandsons had gone to bed. She mentioned telling them about "Thunderbird adventures" and talking to them in the language of the 21st century by using phrases such as "S.I.G.". Twenty One responded by electing Mrs Hardman a life-member of the W.I.G.S. (standing for The Well-Informed Grandmother's Society).
• In issue 238, Paul Monaghan of Cheshire asked Twenty One to print some information on the "neglected artists" of TV21. He highlighted in particular the one who put "so much talent" into Thunderbirds and Zero X, who Paul believed was called Frank Bellamy. Twenty One confirmed that Bellamy drew Thunderbirds but corrected him by saying that it was Mike Noble who illustrated Zero X. He agreed their work was "tops" and promised to take the matter up with the Editor if other readers expressed an interest in learning more about the "TV21 'make-up' team".

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• Issue 12 referenced Lady Penelope in an advert encouraging readers to place a regular order for the magazine with their newsagent. A boy, who regrets not ordering TV21, wonders what's happening to Stingray, Fireball, Lady Penelope, Supercar, and all his other favourites.
• Issue 42 featured a half-page advert for the first six Century 21 Records, the fourth of which was Introducing Thunderbirds. A photograph of Thunderbird 1 accompanied it.
• Issue 46 featured a full-page advert for the first six Century 21 Records along with images of their covers, including Introducing Thunderbirds. Issue 47 featured the same advert and a postal order for the records.
• Also in issue 46 was a full-page advert featuring John Tracy and Thunderbird 5 to promote the impending beginning of the Thunderbirds strip in TV21.
• Issue 47 featured a half-page advert of Gordon Tracy and Thunderbird 4, again to promote the Thunderbirds strip.
• Issue 48 featured a half-page advert of Alan Tracy and Thunderbird 3, again to promote the Thunderbirds strip.
• Issue 49 featured a full-page advert of Virgil Tracy and Thunderbird 2, again to promote the Thunderbirds strip.
• Issue 50 featured a full-page advert of Scott Tracy and Thunderbird 1, again to promote the Thunderbirds strip.
• Issue 51 featured a full-page advert of Thunderbird 3, Jeff Tracy and all five Tracy brothers which proclaimed "Thunderbirds Are Go! In next week's TV21". Elsewhere, the TB logo was featured among logos for the other series set to join the magazine the following week.

Issue 46, page 17

Issue 47, page 13

Issue 48, page 13

Issue 49, page 13

Issue 50, page 13

Issue 51, page 13

• Issue 52 featured a quarter-page advert for the incoming new range of Thunderbirds toys from J. Rosenthal (Toys) Ltd. which highlighted Thunderbird 1 as "the first of 19 Fabulous Thunderbird Toys".
• Issue 52 also featured a full-page advert for the Lady Penelope magazine which consisted of an image of issue 1's front cover, in preperation for its launch the following week.
• Issue 53 featured another TB1-focused advert for the Rosenthal toys, this time a half-page in size, which noted that Thunderbird 1 was now available in toy shops.
• Issue 53 also featured another advert for Lady Penelope with an image of the first issue, this time a half-page in size, which listed the comic strips contained within and proclaimed that it was on sale now.
• Issue 54 had an entire page devoted to advertising Rosenthal toys, including the friction model Thunderbird 1 as well as a multi-directional water pistol and a missile construction kit. Issue 55 featured the same advert.
• Issue 57 featured a quarter-page advert for the Lady Penelope magazine which branded it the "top adventure weekly for girls" and listed the strips contained within.
• Issue 58 contained a half-page advert for the Rosenthal toys, again focusing on Thunderbird 1. Almost identical to the promotion featured in issue 53, this one instead reminded readers that eighteen more Thunderbird toys were soon to follow.
• Issue 59 contained a half-page advert for the Rosenthal Thunderird water pistol which featured Lady Penelope and Parker. It saw Parker fire the weapon in the presence of Her Ladyship, commenting "'Cor — m'lady... it's multi-directional!" as he did so. Issues 81 and 86 had the same advert.
• Issue 60 featured a half-page advert for the friction motor Thunderbird 3 from Rosenthal which announced the toy was on sale in the shops now.
• Issue 60 also contained a quarter-page advert for the Lady Penelope magazine which branded it the "top adventure weekly for girls" and listed some of the strips contained within.
• Issue 61 featured a half-page advert for Rosenthal's battery-operated Thunderbird 5 with "mystery action and flashing lights" which announced the toy was currently on sale. Issue 68 had the same advert.
• Issue 61 also contained a half-page advert for the upcoming Thunderbirds Extra which stated it would reveal the secrets of International Rescue and come on sale from March 25th. Issue 62 featured the same advert.
• Issue 62 also contained a full-page advertisement for the Rosenthal range of toys, including the friction model Thunderbird 1, the friction motor Thunderbird 2, the battery-operated Thunderbird 5 and the multi-directional Thunderbird water pistol, all said to be currently in shops. Issue 63 featured the same advert.
• Issue 63 also contained a slightly larger advert for the Thunderbirds Extra than had been seen previously, now altered to state it was on sale now.
• Issue 65 featured an advert for Century 21 Records which introduced its new range of twelve inch records and among the stories featured was the re-release of Introducing Thunderbirds. This advert also promoted three new mini-albums, including F.A.B. and Thunderbird 1.
• Issue 67 contained a full-page advert almost identical to those seen in issues 62 and 63. However, in this case, Lady Penelope appeared stating "Watch out for my FAB ONE — it's on the way!" which duly promoted Rosenthal's upcoming FAB 1 toy.
• Issue 69 featured another full-page advert very similar to those seen in issues 62, 63 and 67. This time, the promotion for the FAB 1 toy was replaced by exposure for Rosenthal's non-TB Tor missile construction kit. Issue 71 had this same advert.
• Issue 70 contained a half-page advert for a series of Thunderbirds postcards from C.G. Williams Ltd.. The six examples featured were textless versions of images taken from the television programme's title sequence which depicted the five Tracy brothers and Lady Penelope with their respective vehicles.
• Issue 71 also featured a full-page advert promoting a range of snap-together kits from Lincoln International, which proclaimed "BUILD YOUR OWN THUNDERBIRD FLEET" in big block capitals. The advert had illustrations of Thunderbirds 1, 2, and 3, with accompanying text noting that kits for Thunderbird 4 and FAB 1 were also available. Issue 77 had an advert with the same illustration and accompanying text, though its composition was slightly different, resulting in it only amounting to half a page in size.
• Issue 72 featured another full-page advert for Rosenthal's range of Thunderbirds toys. It included a different illustration of Thunderbird 2 which demonstrated the folding landing gear and detachable pod containing a jeep on their friction motor toy, as well as the same image of Lady Penelope as seen in issue 67 which promoted the upcoming FAB 1, and a new picture of their multi-directional Thunderbird water pistol. Issues 83 and 85 also had this advert.
• Issue 73 contained a half-page advert for the Rosenthal range, specifically for the friction motor Thunderbird 1 with variable wing movement (which was advertised as currently in toy shops) and the (then-upcoming) Thunderbird Special cap firing repeater pistol.

Ad for the cap-firing repeater pistol, issue 73

100 shot water-pistol, issue 81

• Issue 74 featured a small advert for the Lady Penelope Summer Extra on the same page as Dateline 2066, promoting the fact that there was a Kodak camera to be one as well as listing some of the strips (including Thunderbirds) which were to be contained within.
• Issue 75 had a half-page advert which promoted three new mini-albums from Century 21 Records set to be released on June 24th, including images of their covers. They were all Thunderbirds-related, being End of the Road, The Stately Homes Robberies, and the themes from Lady Penelope magazine.
• Issue 75 also featured a half-page advert for the Zoom ice lolly from Lyons Maid. It was framed as a "special report from Thunderbird 5" and saw John provide all the essential details about the product. Issue 76 had the same advert.
• Issue 79 featured a half-page advert promoting the TV Century 21 Summer Extra which was set for release on July 29th. It included a picture of the cover and a list of the strips contained within. Issue 80 contained this advert as well. Issues 81 and 83 also promoted the Extra, each using a slightly different arrangement to convey exactly the same information, with issue 84 reprinting the advert from 83.
• Issue 79 also had a full-page advert for the Rosenthal range of Thunderbirds toys in a kind of merger of the adverts originally seen in issues 69 and 72. The illustration of the starscape featuring Thunderbirds 1, 2, and 5 was retained from issue 69, as was the column listing the different products and prices. However, the bottom part, which had previously been home to a separate image promoting the Rosenthal Tor missile construction kit, was replaced by the illustration of Thunderbird 2 from issue 72 to create a single image of Tracy Island and the night sky.
• Issue 81 contained a full-page advert for the Thunderbirds 3D cut-out models which could be found in packets of Kellogg's Sugar Smacks. It featured the cut-out of Jeff who addressed "every Thunderbird agent" by instructing readers to search out all six of the models, stating that the "accuracy of models threaten[ed] to reveal the identity of I.R.". It also featured Virgil, who encouraged readers to look for the packet with his picture on the front.
• Issue 86 featured a half-page advert which promoted the TV Century 21 Annual (with Thunderbird 2 on the cover), the Stingray Annual, and the Thunderbirds Annual. It stated that they could all be ordered "today".
• Issue 87 contained a quarter-page advert which solely promoted the TV Century 21 Annual, again with an image of its TB-related cover. Issue 90 had the same advert.
• Issue 87 also had a half-page advert for the Rosenthal range of Thunderbirds toys, this time featuring a new illustration of Thunderbird 1 and a photograph of Virgil stating "F-A-B! Thunderbird One — make sure you collect the whole fleet!". Again, issue 90 contained the same advert.
• Issue 88 had a full page advert for the Rosenthal range. It promoted the friction motor Thunderbird 2 with an altered version of the illustration originally from issue 72 and the same photograph of Virgil from issue 87, this time saying "FAB! Thunderbird Two — make sure you collect the whole fleet". It also featured Lady Penelope next to a picture of the friction motor scale model FAB 1, referencing it by stating "In my VERY OWN Penelope Pink". Additionally, the advert contained images of their Thunderbird 1, Thunderbird 3, Thunderbird 5, cap firing pistol and multi-directional water pistol toys, proclaiming that all these products were available from "all good toy shops now". Issue 91 had the same advert.
• Issue 89 contained a half-page advert which was framed as a "newsflash from International Rescue" and featured a photograph of Scott. It promoted the following week's issue, especially the fact that a real Thunderbirds hat was being offered to every reader.
• Issue 89 also featured a half-page advert for the Rosenthal toys, this time with a new illustration of Thunderbird 3 and the same photograph of Virgil, who now said "FAB! Thunderbird Three — make sure you collect the whole fleet!".
• Issue 92 once again contained a full-page advert for the Rosenthal toys. It was largely dedicated to the promotion of the friction motor FAB 1, featuring a new illustration of the vehicle and photographs of Lady Penelope and Parker, with the latter stating "She goes like a bomb — M'lady". It also had pictures of the cap firing pistol and multi-directional water pistol toys as well as prices for all five Thunderbird craft which was accompanied by a photograph of Jeff stating "Sensational. The whole Thunderbird Fleet — make sure you collect them all!". The advert also boasted that these products were available from all good toy shops, with demonstrations possible in the bigger stores. Issue 94 also had this advert.
• Issue 92 also featured a full-page advert for a Scott Tracy outfit obtainable when buying Cadbury's Cake, accompanied by a photograph of a young boy donning the clothes in question.
• As well as the above, issue 92 featured a half-page advert which promoted three new Thunderbirds mini-albums and two new 33's, including the covers of all six releases. These were Sun Probe, Terror in New York City, and The Perils of Penelope for the mini-albums and Jeff Tracy Introduces International Rescues and Lady Penelope Investigates for the 33's. Issue 97 had a full-colour version of this advert.
• Issue 93 featured an altered version of the full-page advert featured in issue 88. The illustration of Thunderbird 2 was replaced with one for Thunderbird 1, with the photograph of Virgil now saying "FAB! Thunderbird One.. Make sure you collect the whole fleet!". Also, the smaller picture of the Thunderbird 1 toy from the original advert was duly replaced with one of Thunderbird 2.
• Issue 95 contained a festive full-page advert for the Rosenthal range of the same basic composition introduced in issue 88. Virgil and Lady Penelope were both depicted with different photographs, now in colour as opposed to black-and-white, stating "Make sure you collect the whole fleet! You can see them all on T.V." and "It's a Fab gift for you or your friends!" respectively. The Thunderbrd 4 toy also joined the ranks of the other Thunderbird craft in being featured with smaller pictures. Additionally, Gamages, Hamleys and Selfridges (along with "other leading stores") were explicitly named as locations where one could witness demonstrations of the toys. Issue 99 had the same advert.
• Issue 96 featured an almost identical advert to that featured in issues 92 and 94. In terms of differences, the words "This Christmas!" were appended onto "Stand by for Thunderbirds toys" to fit with the festivities and the specific list of stores where demonstrations occurred first used in issue 95 also appeared.
• Issue 96 also contained a quarter-page advert for Thunderbirds moulding and colouring sets from Sculptorcraft. It showed a picture of the box and stated the International Rescue vehicles and personnel the pack allowed its owner to make. It further stated that the product was available "from your store or toy shop" but encouraged the reader to write to Sculptorcraft's address in Hull for full details. Issue 98 had the same advert.
• Issue 97 had a full-page advert promoting the Thunderbirds cut-out models found in packets of Kellogg's Sugar Smacks. It did this with a new illustration of Thunderbird 2 and depictions of each of the six characters featured in the campaign in the actual size of their models, as well as a picture of what the boxes of Sugar Smacks looked like.
• Issue 97 also contained another festive full-page advert for the Rosenthal range similar to the one featured in issue 95, with the main difference being that the big colour illustration of Thunderbird 2 was replaced with one of Thunderbird 3 while TB2 took TB3's former place as a smaller picture among those for the other Thunderbird craft. The photograph of Virgil was also enlarged and appeared in black-and-white instead of colour as before, with his speech only slightly altered to read "Make sure you collect the whole fleet! You can see them all on T.V. now!".
• Issue 97 featured a third TB-related advert, which filled half a page and promoted a Thunderbirds plasticine model kit from Harbutt's Plasticine Ltd. through a colour image of the box and a short description of its contents.
• Issue 97 additionally had a quarter-page advert for International Rescue uniforms. It featured a new illustration of Alan, who proclaimed in a speech bubble "Join International Rescue... in your very own Thunderbirds official uniform", but also contained the tagline "Be like Virgil in your smart blue uniform".
• Another TB-related advertisement in issue 97 was the poster for the film Thunderbirds Are Go, which specified that the premiere would be in early December at the London Pavilion and on December 23rd for general release.
• Issue 98 had a quarter-page advert for the Thunderbirds Are Go! official book of the film. Featuring an image of the cover, it stated a release date of December 6th and promised over one-hundred-and-fifty photographs from the film. Issues 99, 100 and 104 had the same advert.
• Issue 98 also featured a full-page advert for the Rosenthal range very similar to the one from issue 95. There was only one major difference, being that a colour illustration of Thunderbird 1 replaced the one depicting Thunderbird 2, with a smaller black-and-white image of TB2 in turn replacing the one of TB1 lower down on the page.
• Issue 100 featured an advert for the Rosenthal range almost identical to that seen in issues 92 and 94. The only difference was that Jeff now said in his speech bubble "Fab gifts for you or your friends! You can see them all on T.V now!".
• Issue 102 had a half-advert for "the great colour magazine of the film Thunderbirds Are Go!", apparently the same product as the official book of the film advertised in previous issues as the claim it would contain "over 150 thrilling photographs" from the film was repeated. The advert itself was illustrated by a black-and-white shot taken from the film. A version of this advert, resized to fit a quarter of a page, featured in issue 108.
• Issue 103 contained a half-page advert for Lincoln's range of Thunderbirds snap-together kits, specifically the first four Thunderbird craft and Lady Penelope's FAB 1, filled with an illustration of Thunderbirds 1 and 2 and Brains. A caption beneath Brains stated "Brains says you can have your very own fleet of Thunderbirds" while a speech bubble coming from him said "Yes International Rescue want you to join them! Start assembling your fleet — you'll find my detailed secret instructions inside every Thunderbird kit".
• Issue 103 also had a half-page advert which promoted Topo Gigio starring in some new Century 21 Records. This included Favourite Television Themes, which also featured some TB-related imagery on its cover and some TB-related themes in its content.
• Issue 104 had a different half-page advert which also promoted the new Topo Gigio releases and Century 21 Records in general. Covers of five records were featured, including Great Themes From Thunderbirds, Vault of Death, Desperate Intruder and The Impostors.
• Issue 105 contained a "1967 Price List" for all five toys based on Thunderbird craft, the cap firing pistol, the multi-directional water pistol, and both the friction motor scale model and battery operated FAB 1. It filled half a page and was accompanied by an illustration adapted from a Thunderbirds Are Go film poster, of the five Thunderbird craft and FAB 1, with the MEV and the Rock Snakes featuring in the background. Issues 106, 110 and 122 also had this promotional material.
• Issue 106 also featured a full-page advert for Thunderbirds models from Smiths Crisps, with new illustrations of Thunderbird 3 and Scott, and smaller depictions of the first four TB craft as seen in their models. A speech bubble coming from Scott explained how readers could obtain these models in addition to some free Smiths Crisps bags through a postal order.
• Issue 107 contained a full-page advert similar to the 1967 Price List first seen in issue 105. The Thunderbirds Are Go illustration was reused, with the colour photographs of Virgil and Lady Penelope from issue 95 (now with blue and pink backgrounds respectively) also reappearing. Finally, the price list itself was expanded by the additions of Lady Penelope's Tea Set, Lady Penelope's Jewellery Set, Lady Penelope's Dressing Table Set and the Thunderbird's Painting Set. Issues 111, 113, 117 and 121 featured an advert of the same size with the same information and pictures but in a different layout.
• Issue 107 also featured a short reminder/announcement on the Contact 21 page that the Thunderbirds Are Go film book was available in the shops.
• Issue 109 featured a mostly non-TB half-page advert which promoted the latest Topo Gigio record, but also mentioned among the best-selling mini album releases ''Great Themes From Thunderbirds, The Vault of Death, The Desperate Intruder and The Imposters. Issue 121 also had this advert. Issue 112 featured the advert as well, albeit with a slightly different colour scheme.
• Issue 111 had a half-page advert for the Thunderbirds Spring Extra, which featured a picture of the cover and proclaimed it would be "on the bookstalls soon". It also teased the content of the magazine through several speech bubbles coming from an image of Thunderbird 5. These stated: "Tracy Island threatened by missile attack!"; "TB4 foils mammoth bullion snatch!"; "Mad professor threatens to cover Europe with ice... TB2 alerted!"; "Exclusive photographs of Mars-craft Zero X released!"; "Jeff Tracy reveals the secrets of International Rescue!"; and "Carrier sinks in Pacific... Commander marooned on Tracy Island!". Issue 113 had the same advert again, but with the proclamations "ATTENTION ALL THUNDERBIRDS FANS!" and "On the bookstalls soon" replaced with "IT'S ON THE BOOKSTALLS TODAY!" and "On sale now".
• Issue 112 also contained a half-page advert for the Spring Extra, with its launch date now confirmed for March 18th. It had a similar format to the previous issue's advertisement, but the speech bubbles teasing the magazine's content now emanated from a picture of the cover itself. These stated: "Lady Penelope trapped!"; "Secrets of International Rescue revealed"; "Glacier threatens town! Panic in the streets"; and "Channel tunnel collapses!".
• Issue 114 had a half-page advert which promoted Lincoln International's range of snap-together kits, proclaiming "Join International Rescue with your own THUNDERBIRD Fleet!". It featured pictures of the five kits' boxes (the first four Thunderbirds and FAB 1) as well as an illustration of a boy playing with Thunderbird 1 and saying "They're terrific fun to make".
• Issue 116 contained a full-page advert which promoted the free Thunderbirds models which could be found in packets of Kellogg's Sugar Smacks. It had a photograph of Scott saying "THUNDERBIRD 1 calling all agents" as well as a picture of the box. Illustrations of the first four Thunderbirds, in the actual size of their models, were also featured, along with a short description of each craft. These notably gave the top speeds of Thunderbirds 1 and 2 as 15,000 and 5,000 miles per hour respectively.
• Issue 118 featured a full-page advert for the All Systems Go wall chart from Lyons Maid. John Tracy addressed TV21 readers as part of the promotion, explaining that All Systems Go was a new series of picture cards which when collected could be mounted on a full-colour wall chart to create a world guide to "the wonders of the space age". John further explained that one card could be found in every Zoom ice lolly wrapper and that the wall chart (along with a free badge) could be requested through a postal order using the provided coupon for only 1/-. Issues 120, 122, 123 and 125 had the same advert while issues 119, 121, 124, 126, 127, 129, 131, 132 and 134 featured an altered version of this advert, now half a page in length and presented in colour with the layout slightly tweaked to account for its smaller size.
• Issue 137 contained yet another advert for the TB models inside packets of Kellogg's Sugar Smacks. On this occasion the promotion was solely focused on the upcoming model of FAB 1. A colour illustration of the vehicle with Lady Penelope and Parker riding inside was produced for the piece, with Penelope and Parker also having separate dialogue related to the product. Penelope stated "Parker and I are very pleased with the way Kellogg's have made this model" while Parker replied "Yes milady. It's a real beauty. Tough plastic. Easy-to-assemble kit. Everything!". Additionally, a colour image of the cereal box, which depicted Virgil, was printed alongside.
• Issue 148 featured a half-page advert which promoted products from Harbutt's Plasticine Limited. It advertised two sets in particular through a short description of each of their contents and a picture of their boxes. These were the Thunderbirds model kit (the same one earlier seen in issue 97) and the non-TB Circus Animals set. Issue 151 had the same advert.
• Issue 168 contained a half-page colour advert for the Space Age Britain wall chart from Lyons Maid. In a similar vein to the previous promotion of the All Sytems Go wall chart, John Tracy addressed readers to explain that the chart was giant size to match a new free series of Zoom picture cards which enabled one to learn all about great achievements in British technology. John further explained that the wall chart (along with a free badge) could be requested through a postal order using the provided coupon for only 1/-. Issues 173 and 182 had the same advert while issues 169, 171, 177, 181 and 187 featured a full-page version of this advert, with the layout slightly adjusted accordingly.
• Issue 174 had a half-page advert which promoted a variety of products from Dinky Toys, using illustrations of each of the toys mentioned. This included Thunderbird 2 and FAB 1 from Thunderbirds, as well as the SPV, MSV and SPC from Captain Scarlet and Mini Moke from The Prisoner. Issues 178, 183, 187, 191 and 196 repeated this advert, albeit without the illustration and information relating to The Prisoner. Issue 230 featured a full-page advert for Dinky Toys' output. Although it largely focused on promoting a new product in the form of Mac's car from Joe 90, the Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet elements from the earlier adverts were reused, framed as "more Dinky Toys from your TV favourites". This Joe 90-oriented version of the ad was reprinted in issue 239 and New Series issue 4.
• Issue 184, cover dated July 27th 2068, featured a quarter-page promotion for the upcoming Thunderbird 6 in the form of a black-and-white version of its film poster. It was accompanied by the news that the film would be available to watch in cinemas from July 29th.
• Issue 189, cover dated August 31st 2068, contained a half-page advert which promoted the upcoming Captain Scarlet and TV21 Annuals, which were both to come on sale that September. Black-and-white pictures of the two front covers were printed, with Scott Tracy, Paul Travers and Zero X featuring on the one for the TV21 Annual.
• Similarly to the advert first seen in issue 189, issue 191 contained another half-page advert which promoted TV21-related Annuals using black-and-white pictures of their front covers. However, this time the Annuals were described as "OUT NOW!", and there were three, those being the Thunderbirds Annual, the Joe 90 Annual and the Project SWORD Annual. Another difference to the previous advert was that this one also gave a brief description of each Annual's contents. Issue 196 featured an altered full page version of this advert, with the text and images appropriately enlarged to fill the extra space and a banner reading "COUNTDOWN FOR ACTION!" also being added.
• Issue 205 yet again promoted annuals, this time with a full page black-and-white advert. Pictures of four annuals (for TV21, Joe 90, Thunderbirds and Project SWORD) were printed beneath a headline declaring "ANNUALS ARE GO!". These pictures were positioned in the vastness of space, surrounding Thunderbird 5, from which a voice (presumably John Tracy) stated "Calling all readers! Are you receiving us for Christmas..? These four action-crammed annuals are in the shops now... and only 12'6 each...".
• In issue 217, accompanying a page of promotion for the following week's issue which announced the impending start of a Department S comic strip, Thunderbirds and Zero X were listed in a box with Captain Scarlet, Tarzan, Saturn Probe, Twenty One, The Munsters and The Saint as features which would also be contained in the pages of issue 218.
• In issue 224, Thunderbirds and Zero X were again listed in a box of "all the regular favourites" (along with Captain Scarlet, Department S, Secret Agent Twenty-One and The Saint) as part of a full page of promotion for the new feature Football United, which was set to begin in TV21 the following week.
• In issue 230, Thunderbirds and Zero X were once more listed in a box of "regular favourites" (this time with Captain Scaret, Football United and The Munsters) as part of a half-page promotion for the new football strip Super League, which was starting in TV21 in the next issue.
• Issue 240 featured a half-page advert which promoted two upcoming annuals, namely the Joe 90 Annual and the Captain Scarlet and Thunderbirds Annual. It announced that they would be in the shops from September 1st and "each contain fast-moving strip stories about your favourite characters, plus many fact-finding features and lots more" set at a price of 12/6d each. Pictures of the two Annual's front covers were printed alongside this proclamation. Issue 242 reprinted this ad, the wording slightly changed to reflect the release of the products a few days prior.
• Issue 241 contained a similar half-page advert for two more upcoming annuals, the Joe 90 Top Secret Annual and the TV21 Annual. Once again, the Annuals were priced at 12/6d each and set for release from September 1st, with pictures of both covers accompanying the promotion. Their descriptions were altered somewhat, now reading "each contains 96 pages of action-crammed picture stories and fact-filled features, plus lots more". This ad appeared again in New Series issues 1, 6 and 7. New Series issue 13 also reprinted this advert, with the only change being the addition of the publisher's address in case readers experienced difficulty purchasing the products.
• Issue 242 contained a half-page announcement that TV21 would be merging with Joe 90 Top Secret beginning the following week with a new issue 1. It confirmed that Thunderbirds would remain, The Saint and Tarzan would return after being axed earlier in 1969, to be joined by Joe 90's Land of the Giants, Star Trek and Joe 90 himself. The article was accompanied by pictures of Scott Tracy and Thunderbird 1.
• New Series issue 2 again featured a variation upon a theme, with a promotion for yet another different line-up of currently available annuals which was accompanied by pictures of their front covers. On this occasion, the TV21 and Joe 90 Top Secret Annuals were joined by the TV Tornado Annual. The price remained at 12/6d each and each was stated to contain "96 pages, from cover to cover, offering all your TV favourites in fast and furious action — plus lots more". This advert was notably smaller than its predecessors, taking up about a quarter of a page. New Series issue 3 featured a similarly-sized ad with a different layout and largely the same content. The wording was slightly changed and consequently the Annuals were now alleged to contain "96 colourful pages of action, with your TV favourites — plus lots more". New Series issue 4 altered the layout again with another minor change to the wording, the ad speaking of "three colourful annuals offering action-packed adventures with your TV favourites — plus lots more". New Series issue 5 switched up the wording and layout once more. They were now described as "action-packed" and "crammed with exciting picture strip and text adventures about your TV favourites", also containing "fact-finding features on a host of interesting subjects, plus lots more" in each of their "96 pages from cover to cover". New Series issues 9 and 10 featured almost-identical adverts to that seen in New Series issue 3, with the only differences being the pictures of the TV Tornado and TV21 Annuals swapping positions and the addition of the publisher's address in case readers had difficulty purchasing the items.
• New Series issue 26 contained a full-page advert which promoted Dinky Toys' "Magnificent T.V. Seven". These were: from Joe 90, Joe's car and Sam's car; "Captain Scarlet's Thrilling three", the Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle, the Maximum Security Vehicle and the Spectrum Patrol Car; and the "Terrific two from Thunderbirds, FAB 1 and Thunderbird 2. All seven vehicles were accompanied by short descriptions of their features as well as similar but distinct illustrations depicting them when compared to the earlier Dinky ads. FAB 1 was stated to fire five rockets (the hinged radiator concealed the "big block-buster" with an additional four "pursuit rockets"), and have a sliding canopy and jewelled headlights. Meanwhile, Thunderbird 2 was said to have spring-released telescopic legs and a pod containing Thunderbird 4. New Series issue 29 reprinted this advert.

Other Features with TB-Content

• Issue 45 featured a one-page prose feature entitled Parker's Diary which was a day-to-day look at Parker's week.
• Issue 48 featured a "message to all agents" from Twenty One. It stated that many agents had been requesting information on Thunderbirds and asking if TV21 would be featuring the adventures of the Tracy family. Twenty One confirmed that Department 4, the USS information section, told him TV21 had signed a contract for the exclusive publishing rights and that they would begin as soon as the time machine engineers are able to build their equipment into the Thunderbird machines.
• In issue 52's instalment of Dateline 2066, as foreshadowing for the comic story Atlantic Tunnel, Mexican World Senator Clive Malaques suggested that the titular Atlantic Tunnel be constructed while speaking before the Ways and Transport Committee of the Senate, claiming it would speed the flow of goods from the Americas to Europe. The cost of the project was estimated at twenty-seven billion pounds.
• In issue 55's instalment of Dateline 2066, Lady Penelope was stated to be Unity City's newspaper offices' most likely guess for the identity of the mystery woman who tipped off authorities about Admiral Beatty passing secret information to Bereznik.
• In issue 58's instalment of Dateline 2066, as part of more foreshadowing for Atlantic Tunnel, it was stated that the Ways and Transport Committee had given to go ahead for an Atlantic Tunnel survey, with the cost of the project to be met by the World Senate. Additionally, Clive Malaques announced that the survey would begin almost at once.
• Issue 68 marked the beginning of a feature titled Stand By For Launch, the first of which described how Scott primed Thunderbird 1 for lift-off through a series of captioned illustrations. Issue 69 continued the series by focusing on Virgil and Thunderbird 2, as did issue 70 with Alan and Thunderbird 3, and issue 71 with Gordon and Thunderbird 4.
• In yet more foreshadowing for Atlantic Tunnel, most of issue 72's instalment of Dateline 2066 was dedicated to reporting on how the "go ahead" for the Atlantic Tunnel had been given, including further comments from Clive Malaques who stated work was to begin almost immediately. More specifically with regards to the Thunderbirds comic, it was noted there was a plan in place to lease out the mining rights for the subsidiary tunnels created by the process so that the "vast deposits of untapped minerals" could be retrieved, even mentioning mozatium by name, the mineral sought by International Rescue in the comic. Annotated diagrams of the Tunnel's planned appearance were also included.
• In issue 73, Dateline 2066 featured the "first official pictures" which had been released showing the construction work on the Atlantic tunnel as well as a small accompanying article. It stated that the work would progress at a rate of five miles per day once tunnelling started. This, as mentioned previously, tied in with the Thunderbirds comic Atlantic Tunnel, which had begun in TV21 in the same issue.
• The introductory instalment of Planet Blob from issue 73 was tangentially related to Thunderbirds, with one Blob suggesting they should call International Rescue when a building is set alight.
• Issue 81 saw the beginning of a series of "personality notes" on various characters appearing in TV21 which, as the brief would suggest, gave some insight into the personality of these characters as well as some basic facts about them. The first instalment was focused on Jeff Tracy.
• Issue 82 continued the Personality series with a feature on Tin-Tin.
• Issue 83 saw Scott Tracy as the focus of Personality.
• At the request of A. Mackay from Harrow-on-the-Hill, Brains was the focus of Personality in issue 86.
• In issue 88, Alan Tracy was featured in Personality.
• Issue 89's instalment of Personality focused on John Tracy.
• Issue 92 featured a quiz with some Thunderbirds-oriented questions. Question 4 asked the reader to identify Tracy Villa from a photograph also depicting FAB 1 while Question 8 asked the same but in relation to the Domo.
• Issue 92's Contact 21 page featured the announcement that, according to underground information, a "dangerous enemy operator" had landed in Britain at any one of six locations, accompanied by two headshots of the mysterious character (the Hood with a beard and mustache). The Contact 21 computer-selector randomly picked out one agent from each location and asked them both to identify this person and to write a report detailing whether or not they had seen him. These agents were: Martin Cohen, London; William Moors, Stoke-on-Trent; John Bret, Darlington; Douglas Welsh, Edinburgh; Philip Watson, Glasgow; and Peter Dalgaad, Surrey.
• In issue 97, Lady Penelope was featured in Personality.
• In issue 104, Universal News, a short-lived Dateline-esque prose series, featured several TB elements. One article detailed that International Rescue had saved an airliner which was making an unscheduled trip to the Nevada Desert, teasing the comic story Operation Depthprobe which began in the following issue. Another noted that TV21 had been given exclusive rights to cover the launch of the Zero X Mark III, newly re-equipped and modified following the crashdown of the Mark II in Thunderbirds Are Go. This also teasted the following issue's content, in this case the beginning of the Zero X comic strip. Other smaller articles promoted the Thunderbirds Marksmen toy to be given away in the magazine the next week while another advertising TV21 itself contained an image of the TB-focused cover of issue 52, the first to contain the main Thunderbirds strip.
• Issue 105 featured an observation test which USS headquarters staff had designed and which took the form of a spot-the-difference puzzle, with its subject being two similar photographs of Thunderbird 1 hovering above a monorail.
• Issue 116 saw Agent Twenty One announce that a new World Security Council directive ordered all USS special agents to report any sighting of an unidentified aircraft, encouraging readers to send in any information they possessed. He stated this directive arose from "last year's pursuit of an unidentified flying object by Zero X". Paul Travers' report on the subject, which was attached along with an image of Zero X itself, said that he was unable to intercept the mystery space object even when moving at Velot 7, seven times the speed of light. Issue 122 featured one such reported sighting from Richard de Pinna of Warwick, while issue 123 contained one from P. R. Weatherall of Pembroke Dock, and issue 124 had one from David Nicholls of Stourbridge which Twenty One replied to.
• At the request of Stephen Ransom of Hampshire, details about Zero X and its crew were printed in issue 124. It alleged the speed of the craft was Velot 7 (seven times the speed of light), that it was powered by Anton 8 engines, and had a rate of climb of six thousand feet per second. Biographical details about Paul Travers, Brad Newman and Greg Martin were also presented, with the ages, places of birth and jobs prior to joining the Solar System Exploration Committee given for all three.
• Issue 126 contained a short in-universe biography of TV21 space correspondent Joe Meesh. It mentioned that Meesh had accompanied Zero X on many of its missions, with it being he who was responsible for sending the video reports back to Earth via TV21's communications satellite.
• Issue 127 featured another account on a fictional TV21 newsman, this time international photographer Hendricks Flame. It contained two specific references to prior TB comic stories: firstly that Flame had been hunted down as a criminal for going along with the Zero X crew in the aftermath of Paul Travers' trial (as seen in The Stowaway) and secondly that Flame had extensively covered International Rescue's journey to the Sun and subsequent activities on Venus (as depicted in Solar Danger).
• Issue 129 (dated July 8th 2067) continued the in-universe biographies of TV21 staff with a focus on newsdesk editor Lennon Sabre. It noted that, up until a month prior, Sabre was "virtually part of the International Rescue team" and was responsible for relaying information and telescan reports back to the Fleet Street offices. However, on June 8th, he was promoted to newsdesk editor, with his place on the reporting team taken over by Pete Tracker (who later became the main character of the Front Page comic strip).
• Issue 130's biography, on features editor Royston L. Ward, once again referenced TB elements. It stated that Ward was voted columnist of the year in 2065 for his series of features on Thunderbirds. TV21 was "greatly impressed" by this and it was the reason they "immediately" gave him a job offer.
• Concepts from Thunderbirds appeared in issue 134's instalment of Then and Now, in which the Concorde of 1967 was compared to the "Mk 7" Fireflash of 2067. A number of statistics were given about the craft: a top speed of 3,000 miles per hour; a length of 400 feet; a wingspan of 104 feet; a maximum take-off weight of 3,900,000 pounds; a maximum payload weight of 700 passengers or 440,000 pounds; a cost of 190,000,000 pounds; and a crusing height of 150,000 feet. Notably, a maiden flight of October 2053 was stated, contradicting both Trapped in the Sky and the information about the Fireflash earlier printed in issue 44.
• Issue 141 contained an "Agent's Identitest" which Twenty One claimed was a compulsory USS intelligence test. Three pictures were printed, each with one alteration, with readers asked to identify them and then check their answers, which were upside-down at the bottom of the page. One image depicted Paul Travers sporting an uncharacteristic moustache.
• Issue 144 featured "another official World Government Identitest" which referenced Thunderbirds elements. Readers were asked "What is wrong with this picture of the IR men?" in reference to a shot of Scott, Virgil and Brains. The answer, once again available upside-down at the bottom of the page, was that the picture had been printed the wrong way, making note of Scott and Virgil's uniforms as a way to easily spot this.
• In issue 150, Spectrum Shades received a mission from Captain Blue. He asked them to imagine they were making a routine check at an oil refinery. Meanwhile, five miles away, an experimental space-plane takes off from Glenn Field Spaceport at which point there is an explosion in the radar control, sending the plane on a collision course with the refinery. He further explained that they had taken charge of the operation to alert the personnel in order to evacuate as quickly as possible. Blue provided three choices of how to do so and requested that Shades write in with their answers and their reasons for selecting them.
• The question "Where is Thunderbirds' Tracy Island base?" was featured in the "Spectraquiz" from issue 158. The multiple-choice options were: A) the Atlantic; B) the Pacific; and C) the Indian Ocean. Readers received three points if they answered B, two points for A, and just one point for C.
• Two Thunderbirds-related questions were featured in the "Spectraquiz" in issue 159. The first was "Is Thunderbird 5 A) a submarine, B) a space station or C) an American sports car. Readers received three points if they answered B, two points for C, and one point for A. The second question was "In what cinema film did Zero X appear?", with the options being A) The Jungle Book, B) First Men on the Moon and C) Thunderbirds Are Go. Readers were awarded with three points for C, two points for B, and one for A.
• Issue 163's "Spectraquiz" asked which out of Thunderbird 1, Zero X, F111 and Fireball XL5 was the odd one out. The answer was F111 because it was not a spacecraft.
• Issue 168 featured a half-page profile on "Public Enemy No. 1", the Hood. It gave details about the man himself as well as his temple H.Q., being accompanied by a large picture of its interior. Notably, this piece made the bold claim that the Hood's organisation was responsible for "perhaps half the world's crime".
• A quiz published in issue 181 contained a picture of one of Zero X's lifting bodies, asking the question "What is this?".
• The "Spectrum Fotofile" for issue 192 depicted Zero X in flight.
• In issue 198's Fotofile of the new Spectrum Red Saviour Mark II, it was noted the Mark I had been used extensively by local governments and that readers might be able to recall that one such craft saved the life of the Zero X crew during a virus outbreak some months ago, referencing the prior comic story Horror of Asteroid Belt Nine!.
• Issue 205 featured a "Quick-Fire Quiz" with Thunderbirds elements. Four pictures were printed, with readers having to both identify their subjects and determine which was the odd one out. They depicted Thunderbird 5, Captain Blue, Parker and the Zero X Escape Capsule. Parker was the odd one out because he did not (at the time) appear in TV21.
• Thunderbirds elements appeared in multiple aspects of the "Spectrum Christmas Quiz" from issue 206. Firstly, Ray Pierce was the answer to the "Niner", wherein the answers of four crossword-esque clues gave readers the letters to a character who appeared in TV21. Elsewhere, pictures of parts of four famous craft seen in TV21 were printed, with readers asked to identify them. Three were TB-related, namely Thunderbird 2, Thunderbird 4 and Zero X.
• In issue 212, Agent Twenty One announced there would be a "new look" to TV21 starting from issue 215. He stated that the "old favourites", including Thunderbirds and Zero X, would remain but that "many new and exciting features and strip stories" would also be beginning.
• In issue 213, Twenty One tested readers with ten questions about the contents of TV21. Out of these, four were related to Thunderbirds. These were: "Name Zero X's base"; "Name Paul Travers's co-pilot?"; "How many Tracy brothers are there? Can you name them?"; and "Who pilots Thunderbird 2?". The answers were given upside down at the bottom of the page and were, respectively, Glenn Field Space Port, Greg Martin, 5 (John, Alan, Scott, Gordon and Virgil), and Virgil Tracy.
• A "Spectrum Aptitude Test" devised by Captain Scarlet was printed in issue 215, containing the question "Which is the odd one out: Tarzan, The Saint, Thunderbirds, Land of the Giants?". Land of the Giants was the answer for the reason that it was not a series featured in TV21, though it would join the line-up just seven months later following the magazine's merger with Joe 90 Top Secret. Readers were allocated a time limit of ten seconds to answer the question and scored five points if they were correct.
• In issue 216, Twenty One again mentioned Thunderbirds as one of the "regular favourites" set to remain following the introduction of TV21's new look, now pushed back to issue 218.
• In issue 220, a Dateline-esque report attached to the end of Saturn Probe gave an update on events in Project City, referencing the then-current Thunderbirds story City of Doom. It stated that Brains, using the Domo, had launched an attempt to drag the Mole free from the city's electric door.
• At the time of going to Press with issue 221 Colonel White and Shades of Opinion received a telegram from Tracy Island. It was signed "Jeff Tracy, and Boys (IR)" and read "Congratulations stop Great new outlook to TV21 stop Wishing you all success for future stop The boys like the free gift Ends".
• In issue 222, among the clues to the crossword puzzle featured was "One of the Tracy boys". The answer, Alan, was printed upside down at the bottom of the page along with the rest of the solution.
• Issue 223 contained another crossword puzzle with a similar clue: "Christian name of one of the Tracy brothers". This time the answer was Scott, with the solution being printed the right way up at the bottom of the page.
• In issue 224, a crossword puzzle featured the clue "He's in charge of Thunderbirds". The answer was Jeff Tracy, with his first and last name being the answer to 1 Down and 5 Down respectively. The rest of the solution was printed upside down at the bottom of the page.
• Issue 225 featured an "Aptitude Test" with the question "Which is the odd one out: John, Alan, Virgil, Brains, Gordon, Scott?". Brains was the answer for the simple reason that he was not a member of the Tracy family. Readers were given a time limit of twenty minutes in total to complete the test, with the answers printed upside down at the bottom of the page.
• Issue 225 also contained another crossword with another TB-related clue; on this occasion it was "Pilot of TB.1". The answer was Scott, revealed with the rest upside down elsewhere on the page, and readers were given a limit of fifteen minutes to complete the crossword.
• Again in issue 225, Jeff Tracy asked Agent Twenty One to set a "special mission" for all secret agents. Twenty One relayed that Jeff wanted readers to devise equipment for International Rescue. Any equipment to deal with any rescue operation was allowed, but the gear had to be compact enough to fit in the pods of Thunderbird 2.
• The crossword puzzle published in issue 227 contained two clues related to Thunderbirds. As with issue 224's clue the two-word answer of Tracy Island to the first — "Where the Thunderbird pilots live" — did double duty, serving as the answer to both 1 Across and 8 Across. The other clue was "He's the clever one in the Thunderbirds team", which was Brains. As usual, the solution was printed upside down at the bottom of the page.
• Issue 229's crossword puzzle featured as a clue "Pilot of Thunderbird Three", to which the answer was Alan. This information and the rest of the solution was printed upside down at the bottom of the page.
• Issue 230's "Aptitude Test" featured a two-part Thunderbirds question which revolved around Grandma Tracy. It was "Who is this person pictured above, right? What relation is she to Jeff Tracy?". Additionally, another question asked "With how many lifting bodies is Zero X launched?".
• Issue 230's crossword puzzle also contained a Thunderbirds-related clue, that being "You'll find him in Zero X". The answer was "Paul" and was printed with the rest of the solution at an angle elsewhere on the page.
• Issue 231's crossword puzzle contained the clue "Pilot of Thunderbird Five", with the answer being John. As usual, all of the answers were printed upside down at the bottom of the page.
• Issue 234 contained an almost-full page feature on Thunderbird 2 and Virgil Tracy, sharing the page with a small advert for a brand of roller skates, which began a series entitled Specification. As the name suggested, it gave a brief description of TB2, as well as several specifications for the craft. This included: a length of 250 feet, a wing span of 180 feet, an overall height of 60 feet, and a top speed of 5,000 miles per hour. Some information about Virgil was also provided: that he was aged 28, named after US astronaut Virgil Grissom, six feet tall, and the second-eldest Tracy brother.
• Issue 235 continued the Specification feature. This time it was granted a full page, though its focus was split between Scott and Thunderbird 1 and Alan and Thunderbird 3. Statistics for TB1 included a top speed of 15,000 miles per hour, a height of 115 feet, and a wing span of 80 feet. Among the facts included about Scott were his age of 28, his height of six feet, that he was named after American astronaut Scott Carpenter, and that he was the eldest Tracy brother and "deputy commander" of International Rescue. Meanwhile, TB3 was stated to be over 200 feet in length and capable of speeds in excess of 25,000 miles per hour. Additionally, Alan was said to be five feet ten inches tall, named after US space pioneer Alan Shepherd, and the youngest of the Tracy brothers at only 20 years old.
• Issue 236 completed the short-lived Specification series, splitting a full page between the two remaining Thunderbirds and Tracy brothers. Gordon was said to be named after US astronaut Leroy Gordon Cooper, 23 years of age and five feet ten inches tall, while Thunderbird 4 was stated to be capable of speeds over 200 knots. Finally, John was stated to be aged 26, named after US spaceman John Glenn and five feet eleven inches tall. Thunderbird 5 was revealed to orbit the world every 30 minutes and be able to pick up and monitor any signals within 400,000 miles.
• Also in issue 236 was a picture taken from behind of a "well known television character, secret agent and former member of TV21's line up". This person was Lady Penelope. Agent Twenty One challenged readers to identify her and provide as many facts about her as possible.
• Issue 242 had a two-page Thunderbirds feature entitled The fastest service in the World... which detailed the launch procedures of each of the five Thunderbird craft and featured images of them all. The article acknowledged that much about Tracy Island remained unknown even after International Rescue's years of service but that Jeff Tracy had authorised the release of this report. Additionally, Jeff stated his wish for all readers to study and memorise the sequences in detail to prepare for a potential "call-up" for new recruits. Although Jeff stressed this was currently "completely impossible", TV21 suggested "it might well be the wish of International Rescue to expand their organization in the future".

Covers

Main article: TV Century 21/Covers

Many covers from TV Century 21 featured elements from Thunderbirds or stills from its episodes. Such elements were often not identified as originally intended and instead served to illustrate a unique plot point from any given comic story. Occasionally, shots taken especially for use in the magazine graced its covers. This section documents those instances and the sources for images seen on the covers.

• Issue 8 featured a photo of the Fireflash at London Airport taken from the yet-to-release Trapped in the Sky, with the Fireflash appearing in the Stingray story Curse of the Crustavons from that issue. This contradicted its source material, Trapped in the Sky, as that episode was clear that the craft's maiden flight was International Rescue's first mission while this story was set well before then.
• Issue 9 featured a photo of the Sidewinder from Pit of Peril on its cover. It was also featured in the continuing Stingray story Curse of the Crustavons, albeit identified as the Junglecat instead.
• Issue 29 featured a reversed photo of the Anderbad Monorail Station on its cover, as the tunnel was to the left of the engine sheds for its appearance in The Perils of Penelope. Anderbad was instead identified as Strasbourg Station, seen in the Lady Penelope story The Return of Mr Steelman.
• Issue 32 included a picture of a Skymaster Helijet on its cover as part of the Fireball XL5 story The Giant Ant Invasion.
• Issue 33 saw the first picture of FAB 1 on its cover as part of the continuing Lady Penelope story The Return of Mr Steelman.
• Issue 42 saw another cover appearance for FAB 1 to help illustrate the Lady Penelope story The Isle of Arran Riddle.
• Issue 48 featured the titular Sun Probe from Sun Probe on its cover. However, its appearance was unrelated to Thunderbirds, as it was actually launched to search for the missing Fireball XL5 as a tie-in to Time Slip!.

Fireflash, issue 8

Sidewinder, issue 9

FAB 1, issue 42

Sun Probe, issue 48

After Thunderbirds joined the magazine's content, images of the Thunderbirds themselves began to grace the magazine's covers, as well as the characters and other recognisable elements.

Issue 52

Issue 57

Issue 64

Issue 70

Issue 80

Issue 103