Identifying vintage Dinky, Matchbox and Corgi Thunderbirds toys

Thunderbirds die-cast has been made by several companies over sixty years, and the same craft — Thunderbird 2, FAB 1, Tracy Island — appears in many versions. These are the checks that separate them.

Dinky Toys (1966–1979)

• Only two craft. Dinky made Lady Penelope’s FAB 1 (No. 100) and Thunderbird 2 with Thunderbird 4 in its pod (No. 101, from 1967). Dinky did not make Thunderbirds 1, 3 or 5.
• Three Thunderbird 2s. The 1967 No. 101 is green; a 1973 reissue of the 101 is a darker green-blue; and No. 106 (1974) is an entirely new, larger casting in powder blue with different packaging (official Gerry Anderson blog).
• The 106 trap. Dinky also used No. 106 for the Mini Moke taxi from The Prisoner (1967–70), so a “106” in a listing title doesn’t tell you which toy it is (Collectors Club of Great Britain).
• Count the parts. FAB 1 had a front-firing missile, four rear rockets and figures of Lady Penelope and Parker; Thunderbird 2 had a detachable pod with an opening ramp door and a little Thunderbird 4. Missing pieces are common — even the Science Museum Group’s 1973 FAB 1 is catalogued “Weaponry wanting” (record).
• FAB 1’s dates differ by source — 1966 to 1976 on the official Gerry Anderson blog, 1967 to 1975 according to the Collectors Club of Great Britain — so don’t rely on a seller’s exact year.

Matchbox (1992)

• New tooling, not reissues. Matchbox took the licence in January 1992 and started from scratch because the original moulds had been destroyed (The Independent, 1992). A 1992 Matchbox toy is never a re-release of a 1960s Dinky.
• Look for the marks. The V&A’s examples read “Matchbox. 1992. ITC ENT GRP LTD. Made in China.” (Tracy Island) and “© copyright 1992 Matchbox International Limited … ©1992 ITC Entertainment Group Ltd.” on a carded Thunderbird 1 numbered TB-001 (V&A, V&A).
• Tracy Island has several makers. Vivid Imaginations made new Tracy Islands for later revivals from 2000 — the maker’s name and date on the base and box tell you which you have.

Corgi (2015 onwards)

• Catalogue numbers are printed on the box. Corgi’s current F.A.B. Collection uses numbers such as CC00804 (Thunderbird 2 and 4), CC00902 (Thunderbirds 1 and 3), CC00605 (FAB 1), CC01401 (Thunderbird 4) and CC01501 (Thunderbird 5). See the Corgi shelf for details.
• Colour tells the generation apart. Corgi says its 60th-anniversary Thunderbird 2 is the first in the correct apple green with a matte finish, and its Thunderbird 3 the first in the correct red-orange.
• “Fit the box” sizing. Corgi lists the scale of its Thunderbirds models as “Fit the Box”, and said its 2015 Thunderbirds 1 and 3 were made to a “design scale” rather than a specific scale — so don’t expect different craft to be in proportion with each other.

General checks for any listing

• Ask for photos of the base, the box ends and every accessory.
• Compare against museum records or the maker’s own pages, like those linked above.
• Read our guides to condition and box grading and spotting reproductions and restorations.