AOSHIMA ZERO-X
A 380mm diecast Thunderbirds model produced by Miracle House
We review another fine Thunderbirds replica from Miracle House. Zero X featured in the first Thunderbirds film, "Thunderbirds Are Go!", as the ill-fated spacecraft designed to carry the first men to Mars. It turned out to be about as safe and reliable as a Fireflash Airliner...
This is a superb diecast model with many working features that duplicate those we see on screen.
The attractive box has a photo of Zero-X from "Thunderbirds Are Go!" on the front. Curiously, the box is prominently badged "Captain Scarlet", and neither "Thunderbirds" nor "Thunderbirds Are Go" are mentioned (at least, not in English!). The only indication that the box contains a Thunderbirds product is a red and silver sticker bearing a picture of Thunderbird 2. Since the only copyright references on the box are to "Captain Scarlet", perhaps somebody saved on the licence fees.
There is a "Captain Scarlet" version of this model available in an identical box - sans sticker. This is also curious. A slightly modified front end of Zero-X (MEV) does briefly appear in the first episode of Captain Scarlet, but the rest of the ship never appears in the series, so we don't know what it would have looked like. We won't be purchasing/reviewing the Captain Scarlet version of Zero-X, since aside from the MEV, its provenance is highly dubious.
Although this is a diecast metal model, you should be aware that plastic has been used extensively. In our opinion the plastic parts do not detract from the quality, and certainly don't mar the visual appearance in any way.
Features include:removable heat-shield, detachable MEV, removable lifting bodies (wings), and retractable under-carriage.
The MEV has retractable tracks, retractable gun and spring launched escape capsule.
There is also a tiny Martian Rock Snake supplied - a very thoughtful extra.
This model is sold for around £60 in Japan, and is excellent value for money.
We'll be flying our Zero-X to Mars to test its capabilities. We'll be adding photos and flight logs to this page as the mission progresses. International Rescue will of course be standing by - just in case.
As in the movie, our Zero-X mission to Mars starts with Vehicle Assembly.
Here are photos of what you get in the box; the packaging is excellent. Great care has been taken to protect the model and
you can store it back in its box between missions.
Although the instructions are in Japanese, there are plenty of illustrations to show you how it all goes together. You'll need tweezers
to lower some of the landing gear.
A circular red label is included, which you can affix to the top of the escape pod -
it's not always visible in the film, so this is optional.
Here's the main body of Zero-X on its display stand. We've lowered the undercarriage ready for launch.
Two doors in the underside swing open and then you can swing down the wheels using tweezers or a tiny screw-driver.
This is a fragile model - so handle it with care.
Possibly due to sabotage, one set of wheels came off. Prompt action with superglue fixed the problem.
The doors on our model seem a little loose, and tend to sag a little when closed, unlike all of the other doors, which fit tightly.
Miracle House deserve a great deal of credit for including operating landing gear in this model. They have gone to great lengths to incorporate a wealth of detail and operating features which would be beyond the abilities of most manufacturers. This model is a dream come true.