History Headscratchers / ThunderBirds

* So why wasn't FAB 1 a Ford Thunderbird from the very beginning?

* For all the emphasis placed on secrecy, why don't International Rescue's uniforms include masks and why do International Rescue personnel operate in the open (often openly collaborating with the legitimate authorities face-to-face)? The team members are all the sons of one of the wealthiest men on the planet, and seem to live glamorous lives of international travel and leisure when not heroing, it's not inconceivable that they'd be at least vaguely famous and recognizable.

** By that time Thunderbird 5 had moved away from the interference? Or she was using public communication channels. A bigger issue is why nobody noticed the OD60 in the Med before if it interests with every satellite that passes overhead. And creates a perpetual cloud of mist.

*** I think it's supposed to operate under a dual power system. Atomic reactor drives the turbines and rocket fuel gets it on and off the ground. That's why the rockets aren't constantly firing. One of my cutaway books shows fuel tanks.

* For all the emphasis placed on secrecy, why don't International Rescue's uniforms include masks, and why do International Rescue personnel operate in the open (often openly collaborating with the legitimate authorities face-to-face)? The team members are all the sons of one of the wealthiest men on the planet, and seem to live glamorous lives of international travel and leisure when not heroing, it's not inconceivable that they'd be at least vaguely famous and recognizable.

* Back to the subject of photography: How exactly are photos of the Thunderbird vehicles useful to the Hood? Wouldn't he get more mileage out of schematics or blueprints instead of photographs?

** Thirdly, 30 Minutes After Noon. IR descends to help someone at the bottom of a lift shaft after the top of the building blew up and caught fire (long story). The rescue-cage-lift-thing apparently has "diacetylene sprinklers" to protect from the fire. Diacetylene? [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diacetylene Highly Flammable diacetylene]]? Remind me why we let these guys save people again?

* A classic YouFailPhysicsForever moment in both the series and ''ThunderbirdsAreGo'' is the sonic boom at Mach 1 -- and ''only'' at Mach 1. Fireflash or Zero X is accelerating to supersonic speed and the captain announces, "Mach 1", at which point there's a dull boom -- ''which can be heard in the cockpit'' -- and then nothing. No more boom as the air/spacecraft goes on up to Mach 6 or escape velocity. Okay, you can argue that the thing is way, way up in the air by that time, but that bang at Mach 1 is annoying.

* Just how the hell has nobody ever happened to be a few miles off Tracy Island in a ship or aircraft when one of the Thunderbirds is taking off? TB3 in particular would be pretty difficult to miss, and it can't be all ''that'' far off the beaten track because Alan and Tin-Tin have been known to take a light aircraft to the mainland for a Christmas shopping jaunt.

*** Possibly because those vertical jets would tear up a runway if used over and over in the same spot. Also possibly a speed thing, surely the large rockets would get them up to altitude a lot quicker than the puny little jets.

** [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_aircraft Less harmful plans]] were made in the 60s but they were nothing like as fast as the Thunderbirds, and the projects never really [[IncrediblyLamePun got off the ground]], due to the potential radiation - very similar to Fireflash in the pilot, [[ShownInTheirWork oddly enough]].

** If it was conventionally fuelled I'd chalk it up to a weight issue, for the same reason that Harrier Jump Jets in the Royal Navy never took off from carriers vertically. But since it's not, then it is a very good question why.

* Whenever Thunderbird 2 takes off from Tracy Island, it does so at an angle with the large rockets on the back of it. But whenever it lands and takes off from a rescue site it uses the vertical jets. So why doesn't it use the vertical jets to take off from Tracy Island (aside from RuleOfCool)?

** It's possible that Kyrano has built up resistance to the Hood's mental link, able to keep the really important secrets away from him.

* While i thought that Danger at ocean deep was a great episode, there was [[ThisIsSparta one.huge.plot.hole]] that annoyed me, how is that Jeff couldn't communicate with his sons and yet he could communicate with Penny

* How does the Hood know about International Rescue before the Fireflash incident, their first ever rescue? And if he found out about it through his mental link with Kyrano, how does he ''not'' know about Tracy Island?

* While i thought that Danger at ocean deep was a great episode, there was [[ThisIsSparta one.huge.plot.hole]] that annoyed me, how is that Jeff couldn't communicate with his sons and yet he could communicate with Penny

* A practical issue. I have no idea whether to file this show under "Western Animation" or "Live Action TV". It seems a bit of a hassle to add the "Puppet Show" tab every time.

** Both points above: say hello to the AppliedPhlebotinum (which, in this case, is "{{ILoveNuclearPower atomic power]]". Works for me). And the MST3KMantra.

* AndAnotherThing, paraphrased from somewhere else but I can't remember where I put it: Fireflash can travel at Mach 6, approximately 4,500mph. It is a super-aerodynamic plane. Thunderbird 2 can travel at ''at least'' 5,000mph. It is ''a freaking'' '''''brick.''''' [[FlatWhat What.]]

* AndAnotherThing, paraphrased from somewhere else but I can't remember where I put it: Fireflash can travel at Mach 6, approximately 4,500mph. It is a super-aerodynamic plane. Thunderbird 2 can travel at ''at least'' 5,000mph. It is ''a freaking'' '''''brick.'''''

* A classic YouFailPhysicsForever moment in both the series and ''ThunderbirdsAreGo'' is the sonic boom at Mach 1 -- and ''only'' at Mach 1. Fireflash or Zero X is accelerating to supersonic speed and the captain announces, "Mach 1", at which point there's a dull boom -- ''which can be heard in the cockpit'' -- and then nothing. No more boom as the air/spacecraft goes on up to Mach 6 or escape velocity. Okay, you can argue that the thing is way, way up in the air by that time, but that bang at Mach 1 is annoying.

** In regards to that last bit, they do all have 'Thunderbird [Number]' or just TBx written on them, like they said, they saw the markings on it, and that's presumably what they meant (and from the angle it was lying at they probably only saw the TB1 markings and correctly concluded that it meant Thunderbird 1).