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Macross Creator Kawamori Talks Designing Plane for Thunderbirds Remake

The Japanese dub to the England-based CG remake of 1965 British sci-fi series Thunderbirds is set to premiere in Japan this month.

In anticipation for the broadcast of Thunderbirds Are Go, a special press conference was held featuring the main cast who voice the five Tracy Brothers, along with renowned mech designer Shōji Kawamori, who designed the Shadow plane used in the show.

At the conference, Kawamori spoke of the process that went into designing the plane. He remarked that the New Zealand design team that approached him for the job were well aware of his repertoire in mecha-fueled stories. Because of this, Kawamori was urged not to make anything robot-like for the show.

Kawamori was told "if a robot showed up, it'd save the day way too easily."

He continued his design process from there, keeping ideas like sleekness and stealth in mind for the ship. His design for a cockpit that converts into a motorcycle was considered unconventional by Thunderbirds-standards, but Kawamori felt that it fit its fictional pilot, Kayo, very well.

Kawamori then spoke about the show overall, particularly on the work put into this remake.

"I could certainly feel the nostalgic atmosphere as they worked on this," Kawamori remarked. "It almost felt like continuing the legacy of the original series."

The Japanese dub will premiere in Japan on August 15.

Having worked on several mech designs over his illustrious anime career, Kawamori is perhaps most famous for his work on Macross series.

Thunderbirds was originally a 1965 British sci-fi series in which characters were portrayed by puppets, who act as an international rescue team. Thunderbirds Are Go premiered in Britain on April 4 of this year, celebrating the show's 50th anniversary.

[Via Anime Anime]

Update: Satelight clarified that the Shadow's cockpit turns into a motorcycle.