Fireball XL5-TNG

I loved Fireball XL5 as a kid.  Of course I knew it wasn't accurate -- even at the age of ten I knew more about space than the writers of this show, apparently.  But it had the right "feel" somehow.  Later Anderson puppet shows never had the same appeal for me, though.  Thunderbirds was about as exciting as watching wrecking equipment or paramedics ... and those uniforms made the  guys all look like gas station attendants.  Anyway, times change and even the XL series spaceships could be expected to become obsolete.  Here's one of my post-XL5 designs, the XS series.  The trick was not to make it look too modern, and keep some of that charming post-WWII British clunkiness, while updating just a little.  I have an XT series, as well -- with two rocket engines in pods beneath the wings.