PUPPET props made by the creator of Thunderbirds for a TV show which was later mothballed will go under the hammer at a specialist toy auction house next week.

'The Investigator' was a rare failure for Stingray, Captain Scarlet and Thunderbirds mastermind Gerry Anderson. The TV show was scrapped after its pilot episode.

Now two of the props from the show are being auctioned at Vectis in Thornaby, Teesside.

The Northern Echo: One of the props from scrapped TV show The InvestigatorOne of the props from scrapped TV show The Investigator

Anderson is forever associated with 'supermarionation', a sophisticated form of puppetry.

The Investigator series was based on two inexperienced but dedicated teenagers, trained by a mysterious alien intelligence to tackle international espionage and political corruption.

However, due to a variety of reasons, including the concept being too far-fetched, and problems with some of the models, the show never went into full production.

The two vehicles in the sale were created for the 1973 pilot episode, shot on location in Malta.

The first is a speed boat, in one-sixth scale which had to be towed for the live action sequences in the 23-minute pilot episode.

The second, a red, eight-wheeled sports car is radio controlled and fitted with a petrol fuelled motor-bike engine.

The Investigator was to be the final Supermarionation production for Anderson. Three Thunderbirds voices were used- Peter Dyneley (Jeff Tracy) as The Investigator, Shane Rimmer (Scott Tracy) as John, and Sylvia Anderson (Lady Penelope) as Julie.

These two vehicles are extremely rare examples of TV history and are featuring in the September 26 TV and Film related sale.

Both the car and the boat have pre-sale estimates of £3,600 to £4,600 each.