The Mole

You might be looking for the 2004 or 2015 version.

The Mole
Type	Drilling and burrowing machine
Affiliation	International Rescue
Top Speed	50 m.p.h
Main Operator	Virgil Tracy Scott Tracy
Appearances	Pit of Peril City of Fire The Duchess Assignment Cry Wolf (cameo)

The Mole is one of the many pod machines available for use by International Rescue. It's transported to danger zones by Thunderbird 2.

Overview

The Mole is a medium-sized tunneling vehicle used for underground missions. Once arrived at the danger zone, it exits its pod and is transported to the drilling location by a trolley with caterpillar tracks. A lifting ramp then tips it into position to commence drilling.

An additional set of caterpillar tracks on either side of the vehicle allows it to return to the surface independently, for retrieval. It's equipped with a thermal-imaging system, inside the drill-bit, to locate buried individuals.

Technical Data

Body

• Length: 60 feet
• Width: 12 feet
• Weight: 12 tons
• Maximum drilling speed: 15 mph
• Power: Nuclear-fusion powered electric motors
• Engine: 1000bhp Rocket Propellant

Trolley

• Length: 38 feet
• Width: 24 feet
• Weight: 18 tons
• Top speed: 50 mph
• Power: 1,000 bhp high-compression dual-turbine engine

History

The Mole's first outing was for the rescue of the Sidewinder in Pit of Peril, after it fell into a disused mine pit that had subsequently been used as a dump for military equipment. Scott helms the drilling machine in order to retrieve Virgil after he is lowered into the pit so he can lay explosive charges. Coming up against hardcore granite on his way down, Scott is forced to deviate by two degrees from his original path in order to get around it, before emerging into the side of the pit.

The Mole in Pod 5

And, down it goes!

Scott starts to bore down to the pit wall

Breakthrough!

Job done, Virgil boards the Mole

During the Thompson Tower blaze in City of Fire, the Mole is required in order to drill down to the underground passage-ways, where the Carter Family find themselves trapped after the inferno breaks out in an adjacent carpark.

The Mole in Pod 3

The Mole travels through the path, cut by the Firefly

Drilling position reached

Drilling commenced

The Mole travels downwards

Breakthrough to corridor "C17"

Scott and Virgil (to the rescue) on their Hoverbikes

Virgil uses the Mole in The Duchess Assignment so he can drill down under the burning Country House, into its basement, and rescue the kidnapped Duchess of Royston before the house collapses on top of her.

The Mole inside the pod

Virgil at the controls

Night-time mission...

During Bob and Tony's tour of Tracy Island in Cry Wolf, the Mole is seen in storage adjacent to the Thunderbird 2 hangar, alongside other pod vehicles.

The Mole (far left) in the pod bay, next to the Fire Tender

Cutaway Drawings

Main article: History of the Cutaway Drawings (Classic Thunderbirds)

As far as is known, at least four cutaway drawings of the Mole exist, three of which were illustrated by Graham Bleathman. The first appeared in the 1968 Thunderbirds annual by an uncredited artist (likely Eric Eden), the rest were all by Bleathman.

(1) 1968 annual

(2) Fleetway edition

(3) Redan comic

Gallery

The Mole, underway

Scott at the controls

Scott, seen through a cockpit window
(Pit of Peril)

In drilling position

Exiting Pod 5

In transit

Firefly (foreground) passes the Mole

Size comparison with automobile

Entrance doors
(Pit of Peril)

Trivia

• The Mole's drill turns the wrong way when excavating.
• The caterpillar tracks on its sides move in the wrong direction when it surfaces.
• Its controls look exactly like the Mobile Control Centre.
• A serial number of 56156 can be seen on the top rear port side.
• The Mole is carried in Pod 5 in Pit of Peril and Pod 3 in City of Fire and The Duchess Assignment. The Mole was also carried in Pod 5 in Vault of Death but couldn't be used because of the high concentration of pipes and cables near the Bank of England.
• Throughout its rescues, the Mole has always been present with another pod vehicle.
• The Mole was destroyed twice in the comic-book stories; firstly in Operation Earthquake when it blew up, and then in City of Doom, when it falls into a boiling pit of lava.
• According to Century 21 Tech Talk, the Tracy brothers have so much respect for the Mole that they jokingly refer to it as "Thunderbird 6".