Thunderbirds IR was the title of a proposed new Thunderbirds series that never (pardon the pun) took flight. It’s a shame it didn’t, because this teaser for the proposed series uses a blend of CGI and souped-up, animatronic versions of the original puppets that looks really, really good.

The original Thunderbirds was of course the most successful and enduring of Gerry Anderson’s “Supermarionation” TV shows produced in the UK in the 1960s. The show was reknowned for it’s incredible miniature effects, which still hold up incredibly well today (many of the show’s FX artists also worked on Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey). The series still has an incredibly loyal following around the world so it’s surprising that Carlton Television who controls the rights to Thunderbirds couldn’t make a go of the new show.

*Anything* would be better than the live action Thunderbirds movie Hollywood put out last year.

In case you have trouble downloading the teaser, there’s also a Flickr gallery of screenshots available. Thanks to Mike Cane for the links and info!