{"rewrite":{"id":"r_cd5feeadf5bb4de887b507ae","clusterId":"c_0ab7920758c315dc7549f602","slug":"thunderbird-3-lands-on-vrchat-lunar-plant-for-60th-anniversary","model":"deepseek-v4-flash:free","headline":"Thunderbird 3 Lands on VRChat Lunar Plant for 60th Anniversary","summary":"To mark 60 years since the Japanese broadcast of the special effects puppet drama Thunderbirds, a 3D model of Thunderbird 3 has been placed in the VRChat world Lumarnity, an official lunar smart community operated by JGC Global. The model, created by V Inc., appeared on August 12, 2026. Thunderbird 3 is the rocket used for space rescue operations and supplying Thunderbird 5. In the world, visitors can view the giant rocket up close, take commemorative photos with their avatars, and press a button labeled THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO! to launch it into space. The installation is limited-time, according to an in-world panel. The world is accessible on PCVR and PC desktop mode, but not on Meta Quest standalone. The 60th anniversary initiative by Tohokushinsha includes key visuals, new products, digital expansion, and a September 30 screening and talk show for Thunderbirds Day. Lumarnity, released in October 2023, has received the Best Industry Metaverse / Real Space Metaverse Award at the JAPAN Metaverse Awards 2025.","whyItMatters":"The collaboration places a 1960s vision of the future inside a modern corporate metaverse project, blending a classic puppet drama with a real plant engineering company's lunar community concept.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThunderbird 3 now stands on the lunar surface of Lumarnity, a VRChat world created by JGC Global, an overseas plant and facility EPC company. The world, released in October 2023, recreates a lunar base and port centered on a propellant production plant. It also features 3D models such as a lunar rover using Bridgestone tires and lunar construction machinery from Komatsu. The world received the Best Industry Metaverse / Real Space Metaverse Award at the JAPAN Metaverse Awards 2025.\u003c/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eV Inc., which produced the Thunderbird 3 model, is a VRChat partner company with projects for Sony Group, Square Enix, and Itochu. The model is part of Tohokushinsha\u0026#39;s broader 60th anniversary plans, which include a new Japanese key visual, commemorative plastic models, shrine seals, and a September 30 event. The Thunderbird series, originally broadcast in the UK from 1965 to 1966, began in Japan in 1966. The installation is temporary, and the world is not accessible on Meta Quest standalone.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Thunderbird 3 has landed on a lunar plant in VRChat, and you can launch it with a button. The 60th anniversary of the Japanese broadcast gets a very literal space-age tribute.","twitterPost":"A 1960s puppet drama rocket now sits on a virtual moon base built by a real plant engineering firm. Thunderbird 3 is in VRChat's Lumarnity world until the limited-time installation ends.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Thunderbird 3 has touched down on a VRChat lunar plant as part of the series' 60th anniversary in Japan. The giant 3D model, created by V Inc., lets visitors launch the rocket and snap photos with their avatars.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"KAI-YOU\",\"url\":\"https://kai-you.net/article/96245\",\"title\":\"Thunderbird 3 Lands on VRChat Lunar Plant for 60th Broadcast Anniversary\"},{\"source\":\"PANORA\",\"url\":\"https://panora.tokyo/archives/152669\",\"title\":\"V社、「サンダーバード」日本放送60周年記念企画に参画　VRChatに登場する「サンダーバード3号」の巨大3Dモデルを制作\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":7257,"outputTokens":1020,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1786672681,"createdAt":"2026-08-14T01:54:12.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-08-14T01:56:44.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-14T01:54:12.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_0ab7920758c315dc7549f602","canonicalTitle":"V社、「サンダーバード」日本放送60周年記念企画に参画　VRChatに登場する「サンダーバード3号」の巨大3Dモデルを制作","representativeArticleId":"a_e84f35b1bf165f69870a5557","sourceCount":2,"writtenSourceCount":2,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Thunderbird 3\",\"Thunderbirds\"],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"announcement\",\"domain\":\"other\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-08-13T03:14:21.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-08-13T04:50:00.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-14T01:56:45.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"KAI-YOU","url":"https://kai-you.net/article/96245","title":"サンダーバード3号、放送60周年記念でVRChatの月面プラントに上陸"},{"source":"PANORA","url":"https://panora.tokyo/archives/152669","title":"V社、「サンダーバード」日本放送60周年記念企画に参画　VRChatに登場する「サンダーバード3号」の巨大3Dモデルを制作"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Thunderbird 3","Thunderbirds"],"studios":[],"people":[],"type":"announcement","domain":"other","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Thunderbird 3's 3D model appeared in the VRChat world Lumarnity on August 12, 2026.","The model was created by V Inc. for the 60th anniversary of Thunderbirds' Japanese broadcast.","The Lumarnity world is operated by JGC Global and is accessible on PCVR and PC desktop mode, but not Meta Quest standalone.","The 60th anniversary initiatives include a new key visual, plastic models, and a September 30 screening and talk show for Thunderbirds Day.","Lumarnity received the Best Industry Metaverse / Real Space Metaverse Award at the JAPAN Metaverse Awards 2025."]}