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THUNDERBIRD 5

Most people recognise the tape recorder used in Thunderbird Five for John Tracy to monitor emergency transmissions.

John Tracy on standy-by

The tape recorder used was a popular portable unit made in Japan at that time.

It was sold under several names, inc, Homey HR-408A, Acme 1500 and Benkson 68.

Homey HR-408A

Ah, now you are off to Ebay to look aint you?

The tape recorder first featured in the previous series Stingray, where it was installed at X20’s house.

It features heavily in the episode “An Echo of Danger” where Phones visits a disguised X20 as he belives he is delusional, and X20 plays his loud hypnotic music on the tape recorder.

Tape recorder at X20’s house

This complete prop was later used in Brains’s laboratory in Thunderbirds.
It can also been seen in the Thunderbirds episode ‘Ricochet’ above a tape recorder that later appears in Captain Scarlet.

This is Space Station KLA

 

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