season 14 wooden console

[Teletran]

finding a source for the lion heads at each corner might be tricky.

Well at least their not structural so you can add them later if necessary.

I'm not even sure it appeared in all the stories that season.

I know that it wasn't used in "the talons of weng-chiang" and I can't remember if it was used in "the face of evil" I know it wasn't used in the last episode when the doctor and Leela enter the tardis to leave but that would presumably been in a different production block than the first episode when the doctor arrived so that doesn't necessarily prove anything. Maybe we should do a list of all the episodes in which the interior of the tardis is seen. 

[handofomega]

How do you plan on doing the top???   I read that originally the prop was supposed to have an iris that opened to reveal a small domed central column.   The budget wouldn't allow for the iris so they just covered the hole and set a shaving mirror on top.   I have to admit that when I read that I was HIGHLY curious as to how that would have looked on screen. 

I found the bit I was referring to in an old (circa 1989) issue of "In-Vision" issue 15.  It talks extensively about the new TARDIS console room for season 14.   To quote it:

"The staircase bannisters and podium railings were all fibreglass moulded sections, but the control console was mainly wood and brass.  For THE MASQUE OF MANDRAGORA, only one of the hinged top panals opened to reveal a control panal beneath it.  Others, it was planned, would be added in later stories as the need arose.  Rodney Bennett wanted the top of the console to have an iris mechanism fitted which would open to reveal a dome full of instuments, rising to provide the Doctor with navigational information.  The idea was vetoed by Hinchcliffe, partly because the concern about mechanical reliability, and partly because the cost of the story was already very high.  The circle for the iris was cut in the top but never used, and so was concealed in this story by placing a shaving mirror on top.
   As an additional touch, reminders of the previous Doctors were dotted around the room: a Sheraton chair for Hartnell, a ruffled shirt and jacket for Pertwee, and a recorder for Troughton."

I hope this helps any and all who want to construct this version of the console.   Due to lack of space in my abode, I will probably end up making one of these one day, hopefully. :-/

P.S.  Scarfwearer I was wondering where you got the dimensions for the season 14 console???   Do you know the angles on the console as well???

[Scarfwearer]

P.S.  Scarfwearer I was wondering where you got the dimensions for the season 14 console???   Do you know the angles on the console as well???

All the dimensions on the plans I made are measurements from the available photos, so they're certainly not spot on. I looked up Lis Sladen's height to get a sense of scale (adding a couple of inches for her shoes).


I have a spreadsheet which can compute the angles from the linear measurements - I'll see if I can add those to the plans shortly. I should mention that angles are not very useful if you're actually building props as you tend to get mismatches of measurements - you're much better off cutting pieces with common measurements. If you want to have a go the spreadsheet is here: Console dimensions computer (save to a file before opening)

Crispin

[thedoctorofdeath]

Well if Anyone has any season 14 consoles they built post pics here please!

[dalethetimelord]

There was a season 14 -esque thing that popped up on ebay a couple of years ago I remember... wasn't amazing, but nor was it awful... just seemed very odd - the buttons were on the outside, and someone had tried to make some sort of rudimentary column IIRC.

[Teletran]

It could have been a ship's compass but that's just a guess.

EDIT:

I should probably point out that that I'm talking about the pirate thingy, I'm fairly sure the console was specially built

[Rassilons Rod]

This is my first post, and I must say, what a fantastic forum! Many thanks to Purple Blancmange for sending me this way

I've always been fascinated by the wooden console room (even though if I get my dream to build one of these things it will be the 5 Doctors console room) and I have some WIPs of the stained glass roundels.

I don't claim them to be perfect but if anyone has any suggestions I can correct them. There's one blank one as I didn't have any pics of the area to the left of the scanner to hand other than the one blurry one already posted here.

I just knocked these up this afternoon using a mix of Powerpoint and Paint (oh the joys of working on a sunday...)

Hope this is of some use! (click for larger)
-Marc

[Scarfwearer]

Hi Marc,
Welcome! I'm sure I remember a rassilonsrod from a while back. And thanks for putting up the roundel schematics - a nice bit of research.

Crispin

[Rassilons Rod]

Hi Marc,
Welcome! I'm sure I remember a rassilonsrod from a while back. And thanks for putting up the roundel schematics - a nice bit of research.

Crispin

Hi Crispin,
I've enjoyed your console room for some time now I'm RassilonsRod on OG and I used to be part of the MSN Groups Rebuilders Forum but i think I was still known as kostamojen then (I took on the rassilonsrod when I started to go on more who based forums).

I'll make the roundels a little nicer when I get some more references from the RoD DVD and see if I can figure out whats on that last wall

-Marc

[davidnagel]

The ebay console Dale is talking about I have the original construction photographs the builder took and I do believe the console appears as a archived page at www.richardwho.com is previous ebay auctions or similar.

Matt Irvine's book "special effects" does feature some information about the console I believe...?

[bumbler]

Hello and thanks for these plans on the console. I'm attempting to fashion a large wasted space in my basement into the above mentioned console room with the room entry as the doors to the TARDIS. I long ago lost any reference materials for Dr. Who and can only catch every second episode here on BBC-Kids. By the way, does anyone have any idea where I may find a link to pic's of "The Higlander's" museum room from his apartment? I am refering to the first and third (?) Higlander movie.

[robuk]

Hi all,

My first post on this most excellent board - signed up a few weeks ago, and have been reading up on the fantastic quantity of high quality info ever since. The items - police boxes, consoles etc - produce by the folks here are simply mind blowing, and naturally I'm green with envy

Up until a few minutes ago, I've been playing with the idea of building a TARDIS - probably of the Newbury design because:

1) I've always rather liked that look
2) There don't seem to be many of that design around
3) Most importantly, the ceilings in here are about 8 and a half feet high and I *think* it would *just* fit (if I'm wrong about that someone please tell me!).

But then I spotted this thread, and suddenly I'm consumed with the desire to own a console. Unless and until I figure out a way to get a big box inside a little box there's no way I'd ever be able to fit a full sized console in here, much as I'd like to. But a season 14 console - or something like it - is a definite possibility.

On the other hand, much as I like the idea of staying close to the original, the instrument panels under the hinged hatches don't look very "exciting", if you see what I mean, particularly with the hatches closed! So I'm toying with the idea of more modern looking instruments, and the idea of mounting them on the surface rather than hiding them under hatches. I'm not too sure about the surface mounted idea though - it might look horribly wrong. What do you folks think? Surface mounted or not?

Secondly, consoles should have columns! I know, the original didn't have one, but I want one Looking at the pics posted at the top of this thread, I could imagine that the disk in the middle of the cosole top (presumably hiding the hole!) might be the top of a column that fits almost flush with the top of the console when lowered, and I think I might be tempted to go in that direction.

All of which leads to a couple of questions:

1) I've had a look at the plans for this console posted by scarfwearer (thanks, scarfwearer!), and while I think I can follow most of them I can't quite figure out the widths of the top and bottom of the hatches. I'm probably overlooking something very obvious, but if someone could suggest some numbers I'd be very grateful!

2) Materials. I've been known to butcher contiboard into something approaching what I had in mind when I started, but I'm no woodworking expert! Any suggestions for what this console was originally made of? And how the grain effect was achieved? Was it simple varnish on the original materials, or something more?

I'm sure more questions will come to mind as I think about this project, though I've no idea when I'll actually get started - if I don't at least get the spare room decorated before I start this my life won't be worth living!

TIA,

Rob.

[Scarfwearer]

1) I've had a look at the plans for this console posted by scarfwearer (thanks, scarfwearer!), and while I think I can follow most of them I can't quite figure out the widths of the top and bottom of the hatches. I'm probably overlooking something very obvious, but if someone could suggest some numbers I'd be very grateful!

One not necessarily 'obvious' aspect is that the edge of a hexagon is always half of the maximum diameter. So the bottom width of the panels with the hatches is 18.5", and the top is 11.5". (I'm allowing for the top plate to be an inch wider than the disk that sits on it, if that makes sense.)
I built a little dimensions calculator in Excel, which will work out the edge lengths and so on for any hexagonal sloping panel arrangement like those seen on the consoles, so one of us could use this to work out the perimeter lengths of those panels.
As I mentioned on the website, all the dimensions are guesswork, so do change them if they look wrong.

2) Materials. I've been known to butcher contiboard into something approaching what I had in mind when I started, but I'm no woodworking expert! Any suggestions for what this console was originally made of? And how the grain effect was achieved? Was it simple varnish on the original materials, or something more?

Further back in this thread there's some discussion of this: some kind of wood-effect sticky-backed plastic wrap was apparently used, perhaps over plywood. I think there was a brand name for this, but I forget.

Crispin

[robuk]

One not necessarily 'obvious' aspect is that the edge of a hexagon is always half of the maximum diameter. So the bottom width of the panels with the hatches is 18.5", and the top is 11.5". (I'm allowing for the top plate to be an inch wider than the disk that sits on it, if that makes sense.)

Aha! I didn't know that - thanks scarfwearer.

Further back in this thread there's some discussion of this: some kind of wood-effect sticky-backed plastic wrap was apparently used, perhaps over plywood. I think there was a brand name for this, but I forget.

Would that be Fablon? I didn't realise that was still going, but a quick Google search shows it is.

I noticed mention of sticky-backed plastic earlier on, but I didn't think it would be durable enough. Might well be worth looking into though.

Thanks again,

Rob.

[handofomega]

Rob,

As far as columns go, have a look at an earlier post I made about just that.  Apparently the season 14 console was supposed to have some sort of column-like dome fittted at the top.  Good luck with your build.

Hi all,



Secondly, consoles should have columns! I know, the original didn't have one, but I want one Looking at the pics posted at the top of this thread, I could imagine that the disk in the middle of the cosole top (presumably hiding the hole!) might be the top of a column that fits almost flush with the top of the console when lowered, and I think I might be tempted to go in that direction.


TIA,

Rob.