Very First Thunderbolt Ad

[jradms]

Got this a couple of days ago it is dated February 1952 which was the year the Thunderbolt was introduced so this is the very first Advertisement for the Thunderbolt siren. :TBolt:

[Unit of Civil Defense]

[SoundMaster 391]

Got this a couple of days ago it is dated February 1952 which was the year the Thunderbolt was introduced so this is the very first Advertisement for the Thunderbolt siren. :TBolt:

Was this the one on eBay?

[jradms]

Got this a couple of days ago it is dated February 1952 which was the year the Thunderbolt was introduced so this is the very first Advertisement for the Thunderbolt siren. :TBolt:

Was this the one on eBay?

Yes it was.

[SoundMaster 391]

Got this a couple of days ago it is dated February 1952 which was the year the Thunderbolt was introduced so this is the very first Advertisement for the Thunderbolt siren. :TBolt:

Was this the one on eBay?

Yes it was.

Haha nice! I am thinking about getting this one maybe. http://www.ebay.com/itm/121563581264?_t ... .S2.R3.TR9

[jradms]

Was this the one on eBay?

Yes it was.

Haha nice! I am thinking about getting this one maybe. http://www.ebay.com/itm/121563581264?_t ... .S2.R3.TR9

I almost thought about getting that one to, but I decided just to get this one because ii was the very first Ad for Thunderbolt when it was introduced in 1952.

The one in the link was made in May 1974, I'll bet that the Super Outbreak that occurred the month before was probably what prompted Federal to make that Ad.

[Apillow]

Wow! They had rounded rotator boxes and blowers? I never new that. But it looks like it's painted the same way as a "Rounderbolt" but I've never seen a Rounderbolt. Is this what a Rounderbolt is?

[SuperBanshee]

I have the same advertisement in a large stash of advertisements and photos I compiled last year. This advertisement was printed throughout 1952, so some examples might bear a later date.

The rounded rotator and blower covers are just concept art leftovers that never made it into the production design. In the olden days, Federal began each siren design with a basic sketch of what the final product should look like. Changes always occur during development of the siren, largely to make mass production more convenient.

There is no such thing as a "Rounderbolt". Years ago there was a rumor that Federal experimented with a round horn version of the Thunderbolt. As of 2016, nothing substantial ever came from these rumors and are presumed to have been mistaken for information surrounding the ACA Hurricane.

[uncommonsense]

Federal's prototype Thunderbolt did look like that photo. A picture was once posted here but it was linked, not uploaded, and no longer works.

[CDV777-1]

Federal's prototype Thunderbolt did look like that photo. A picture was once posted here but it was linked, not uploaded, and no longer works.

I spent about an hour looking for that prototype pic on my computer yesterday. I know I saved it somewhere. If anyone has it can they please post it.
The prototype blower and rotator did look like that though I think the chopper housing was a bit rigged together. It's entirely possible that a chopper housing that looks like the one in the ad was eventually installed on that original blower and rotator.

Where did this term "Rounderbolt" come from and what is that supposed to mean? Seems like these goofy names just pop on here from nowhere.