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2010 TARDIS Paint

Started by mordrogyn, Apr 12, 2010, 09:13 pm

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galacticprobe

Jun 09, 2010, 02:18 am #30 Last Edit: Jun 09, 2010, 02:53 am by galacticprobe
Years ago (1983 or '84 I think) I threw together a small TARDIS model from a piece of 4x4 I had found, and some small bits of wood I picked up at a hobby store. I also used an old, round mechanical pencil lead container, cut down, for the lamp housing. I made the signage using a magnifying glass and a continually sharpened blue color pencil (maybe that's why my eyes have gone trifocal now). Oh, and the door handles came from a doll house shop. I even got a small button battery and what I think they used to call "grain of wheat" bulb, and managed to squeeze that into my "housing" so that little treasure actually lit up.

At first I was going for the Season 18 look, even though I thought it came out a bit squat (and now I realize that it's more in proportion to the new series 9th/10th Doctor boxes). I was making this beauty for an upcoming convention (AtlantiCon II, I think it was, in Virginia Beach, VA), and as I was running out of time I used what was left of some car touch-up paint for a car I no longer had. I can't remember the name of the color, but it was almost a royal blue for a 1972 VW Karmann Ghia. I had to throw some thinner into the bottle to stretch it out, but the result was rather nice.

The judges thought so as well; I entered her into a model competition, quite unintentionally. I just wanted her on display and the people in charge of the "Art Room" where all the models, drawings, etc., were, had me fill out a form so they would know whose model was whose. Little did I know at the time that it was also an entry form for the competition. Scratch-built category, and she walked out of there with a blue ribbon, taking first place, which cheesed off a lot of Trekkies because this was mainly a Trek convention and two of the judges were the late Mark Lenard (Sarek) and the late Angelique Pettyjohn (Shahna from "The Gamesters of Triskelion").

The little thing's gotten lost in the shuffle over recent years, but my wife assures me that she's still around, and once I find her (and blow some of the dust off of her) I'll post a few pictures. But I think the point I was trying to get at is there are many other "royal-ish" blue cars out there whose paint might be a good match for the Matt Smith box, so those who can't find the specific paint being mentioned in other posts, don't feel discouraged. Get a small bottle or two of close-match paint and give them a try on some scraps from your builds and see which looks the best.

Dino.
"What's wrong with being childish?! I like being childish." -3rd Doctor, "Terror of the Autons"

Doctor Iz

Quote from: Doctor Iz on Jun 08, 2010, 01:55 am
I did some research on this particular color and found out the following information:

In the US, there is a different color name for 55A.

Year                    Color                 Code         Type
2000     -    SYDNEY BLUE PRI          55A        METALLIC

I don't know if this is the exact match between these two vehicles, given that the year differences, but the color code number is the same....

I am going to call the Subaru dealer for a color swatch for comparison. 

I hope this helps and I will keep you all posted!

Cheers,
Jon



Good News !!  ;D ;D I have gotten a small sample of SYDNEY BLUE - 55A - the match is almost spot on IMO.  :o :o :) :) I will post some comparison photos later today - Cheers, Jon 
(http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h310/jonizdo/Logos/DRIZ_rev20080226copy-2.jpg)

mordrogyn

(http://i50.tinypic.com/20kan9v.jpg)

Doctor Iz

Hi everyone... Well here are the photos.
The planks of timber on the left of all photos are from the mystery pot of paint from the UK.  The planks on the right are Subaru Sydney Blue Metallic - 55A.
For the most part they are very close, however on different angles there are some differences.  The differences are likely that I sprayed a couple extra coats on the right planks attributing to the differences. Also, the lighting probably influence the hue.  I am not sure what you folks think, but in my opinion, it's pretty darn close.  I hope this helps!

th_IMG_5660.jpg th_IMG_5640.jpg th_IMG_5653.jpg th_IMG_5655.jpg  th_IMG_5647.jpg th_IMG_5649.jpg  th_IMG_5645.jpg  th_IMG_5641.jpg

Cheers,
Jon ;D ;D







(http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h310/jonizdo/Logos/DRIZ_rev20080226copy-2.jpg)

mordrogyn

The grain is not quite as visible, but as you say if you added extra coats that would of course hide the grain more....
Looks pretty darn close to me also.
(http://i50.tinypic.com/20kan9v.jpg)

Doctor Iz

I agree!
When I took the orginal photo that I posted it was an overcast day and that probably changes things as well.  Paint is funny business.  Its appearance can change for multiple reasons.  I am pleased to know that we have now sorted out that the 2010 NST is paint and NOT a stain!   :o :o

(http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h310/jonizdo/Logos/DRIZ_rev20080226copy-2.jpg)

philipw

Quote from: Doctor Iz on Jun 16, 2010, 01:29 am
I agree!
When I took the orginal photo that I posted it was an overcast day and that probably changes things as well.  Paint is funny business.  Its appearance can change for multiple reasons.  I am pleased to know that we have now sorted out that the 2010 NST is paint and NOT a stain!   :o :o


Looks great to me. How did you apply it? Spray, or brush?

geminitimelord

Looks exact! only difference is the wood grain is more prominent on the left side but that could just be the samples you painted.

Curious if its auto paint how did you spray? Conventional Wagner sprayer or a special one? Also did you use a primer? How does it feel after, meaning Laytex sometimes has a tacky feel.

I think if you make a NST MK4 you would need to get the same kind of Pine they used so the grain would be pronounced. Also construction would need to be done without the use of screws on the front side as filler would show up poorly on that paint.  Might have to construct with a mortise join.

DoctorWho8

I think the left one is spot on.  If the grain was more pronounced on the right one, I think it would be an exact match.  Either paint will work, though.  Hooray!
Bill "the Doctor" Rudloff

galacticprobe

Jun 18, 2010, 04:16 am #39 Last Edit: Jun 18, 2010, 04:16 am by galacticprobe
Let's not forget about the filters used in the filming of the series. That can also change the look of the paint (color in general). Those "Star Trek: The Next Generation" uniforms, at least the "red" ones, in person were more of a burgundy/wine color, but under the lights and camera filters they looked almost as red as shirts of the poor unfortunates who wore the red in the original series. So the color matching can be tricky depending on the look you're going for: screen accurate, or accurate to what it looks like in person. (This sounds familiar; I think it's been mentioned in another similar thread.)

In the end, it all comes down to the eye of the builder. (Thinking of your TARDIS as a girlfriend, so to speak, "yours" will always be better than any other no matter who is looking at it. After all when it comes to comparing one against another, "yours" will always win out in your heart, lest you find yourself in serious trouble with your "dear", and getting no replacement sonic in return.) <There's a joke in there.>

Dino.
"What's wrong with being childish?! I like being childish." -3rd Doctor, "Terror of the Autons"

Doctor Iz

Quote from: philipw on Jun 16, 2010, 01:11 pm
Quote from: Doctor Iz on Jun 16, 2010, 01:29 am
I agree!
When I took the orginal photo that I posted it was an overcast day and that probably changes things as well.  Paint is funny business.  Its appearance can change for multiple reasons.  I am pleased to know that we have now sorted out that the 2010 NST is paint and NOT a stain!   :o :o


Looks great to me. How did you apply it? Spray, or brush?


Philpw - Primrodo and I were just discussing color.  This is the correct color - listed above.  I sprayed it on!  You would not get the "stain" look if you brushed it on.  It's automotive paint, not friendly to brushing.  The spray gives it the exact look that you are looking for!  Excellent progress on your NST MKII (Matt Smith NST).  Cheers, Jon ;D
(http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h310/jonizdo/Logos/DRIZ_rev20080226copy-2.jpg)

philipw

Thanks. Spray it will be. I'll be after the paint this week as well.

superrichi1a

While we're on this topic. Dr Iz, would you mind telling me how much the paint is over in America please? I am currently trying to decide on my colour, and I have narrowed it down to either a stain or the Liberty/Sydney Blue. Both, I think look fine, the stain is almost more of a Tennant colour but it is close enough to the Subaru colour to not warrant any noticable difference in low light, and bright day light, I think it still looks decent, and is "my blue".
The problem with me using a stain is that I can't use an undercoat (such as a primer), to help with the weather, and, while two coats of preservative may be enough, I'm not quite convinced. The other issue is that it's a nice enough colour, but the Subaru is just better.
The problem I have with the Subaru is cost. I haven't checked to see if I can get it anywhere yet, I may try some Subaru dealers, but honestly I have no idea, but it seems to me that it will obviously be very expensive (it may alos not take to wood all that well?).
Isn't it how ironic that we have to think of solutions out of the box, in order to build our boxes a lot of the time?

philipw

Jan 10, 2011, 10:28 pm #43 Last Edit: Jan 11, 2011, 03:42 pm by philipw
I purchased a pint of the subaru blue today with reducer and it was $36 for both. That is the problem with auto paint is that it's very expensive. I didn't get a gallon price, but I'm guessing something over $150.

I also didn't get any clearcoat, which brings me to a question for Iz....

Did you just apply the paint with reducer and nothing over it? Did it end up with *some* gloss to it like the prop on its own?

Doctor Iz

Jan 14, 2011, 02:28 am #44 Last Edit: Jan 14, 2011, 02:34 am by Doctor Iz
Quote from: superrichi1a on Jan 09, 2011, 04:28 pm
While we're on this topic. Dr Iz, would you mind telling me how much the paint is over in America please? I am currently trying to decide on my colour, and I have narrowed it down to either a stain or the Liberty/Sydney Blue. Both, I think look fine, the stain is almost more of a Tennant colour but it is close enough to the Subaru colour to not warrant any noticable difference in low light, and bright day light, I think it still looks decent, and is "my blue".
The problem with me using a stain is that I can't use an undercoat (such as a primer), to help with the weather, and, while two coats of preservative may be enough, I'm not quite convinced. The other issue is that it's a nice enough colour, but the Subaru is just better.
The problem I have with the Subaru is cost. I haven't checked to see if I can get it anywhere yet, I may try some Subaru dealers, but honestly I have no idea, but it seems to me that it will obviously be very expensive (it may alos not take to wood all that well?).


Superrichi1a - the price for a gallon of the Subaru Sydney Blue would was quoted at $ 107 USD.  Yes, very expensive in comparison to a standard tin of paint.  I had them reduce it for me to be "Ready to Spray".  Meaning, the will reduce it to the right dilution to spray through an air compressor air gun.  This what I did!  I definitely understand your concerns regarding the undercoating issue if you go with a stain.  Automotive paint has a stain like because it's thin in consistency and is petroleum based.  If you want the grain to be exposed as NST MKII MS model, then the automotive paint is the way to go.  You could spay a reduced primer as a base coat and then add a top coat of the blue.  I don't know the overall durability for exterior use on wood.  Remember, the hero prop is not outside exposed to all the elements 24 hours a day either.  Last, the NST MK DT model was painted with traditional paint that was a custom mix.  The wood was weathered and there is a thread somewhere that describes to the method used in the NST MK DT model and an alternative approach as well.  The color of Matt Smith' NST and David Tennets NST are quite different.  So, you are correct in saying you need to settle on the blue that works for you.  I hope this makes some sense and is helpful.  Cheers, Jon

Quote from: philipw on Jan 10, 2011, 10:28 pm
I purchased a pint of the subaru blue today with reducer and it was $36 for both. That is the problem with auto paint is that it's very expensive. I didn't get a gallon price, but I'm guessing something over $150.

I also didn't get any clearcoat, which brings me to a question for Iz....

Did you just apply the paint with reducer and nothing over it? Did it end up with *some* gloss to it like the prop on its own?


Phil - I was quoted $107 for a gallon.  This paint is very thin in consistency and goes far.  As I mentioned above, I asked the gentleman to reduce when mixed it to 'ready spray' so I could just pour it into my air gun.  It worked out fabulous and looks the part for sure.  No clear coat, but I don't' know if it would change the overall finish.  If your planning on keep this NST your building outside, then you may want to discuss that with a paint supplier.  And yes, there is a natural gloss sheen to this paint.  I can't tell you how extact the match is....it's damn near perfect!  Feel free to email me with any questions! Cheers mate!  Iz
(http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h310/jonizdo/Logos/DRIZ_rev20080226copy-2.jpg)