Brachacki prop details

[Rassilons Rod]

Is it me, or does the roof make a sort of covered area above the sign boxes? if so, I need to fix my model!

[purpleblancmange]

Is it me, or does the roof make a sort of covered area above the sign boxes? if so, I need to fix my model!

Yeah, during the '66 refit, the roof was removed and the side walls were pushed forward when they hacked up the corner posts.  This had a knock on effect making the box rectangular in plan view and as such made the roof over hang at the front and rear, but not on the sides when it was put back on.

Someone once commented that the prop in this guise, especially towards the end of its tenure, looked rather like someone's rather knackered old garden shed.  Who said such sage words?  Who other than my good ol' Dad!

[DoctorWho8]

The plain door panel came during the later part of Troughton's era.  Somewhere around Dominators I think.
Bill "the Doctor" Rudloff

[markofrani]

The phone panel was changed for 'The Seeds Of death' Season 6 of the Troughton era. Presumably the original was lost and a replacement was cobbled up. In fact, on looking closely at the Tardis arrival in the story it does look like it has no phone panel. Yet on departure the new panel is there:

[markofrani]

Here it is minus a phone panel at the beginning of the story...

[Rassilons Rod]

 I remember Purp saying they just stuck it on every time... Which is why its on the wrong side in Snowmen... I wonder why they didn't just bolt the thing on and leave it there?

-Marc

[dalethetimelord]

I believe the phone panel was stuck on the wrong door for an entire season.... strikes me as odd, but there ya go.  Maybe the old girl felt like a change!!

LOVE the prop as seen on Norwich.  Looks a grand old lady.

[zbigniev hamson]

In that screen grab from the first episode of the Seeds of Death, it looks like the door-panel-where-the-phone-panel-would-be is strangely deep-set.

[markofrani]

I agree, it does look very deep. It almost looks as if they had a telephone cubby hole built behind the missing phone panel door, although there is no evidence of that in previous stories especially when the panel was mistakenly positioned on the left door. Most curious! Any theories???

[purpleblancmange]

The prop was going through a bit of work during and around this story, maybe they decided it could have the cubby hole.  I think after this point, the panel is hinged again.

There are other images from this story where you can clearly see that the back wall is not there, and also the rear face of the corner posts have been removed too.  Again, I think this may be part of the repair work because they're back on again in the next episodes.  Also the roof is on very skewed at this point - almost as if it's just balanced up there.  Eventually a set of hinges are used to keep it in place - which rather makes me feel that the story of it later collapsing in on Lis Sladen's head is a bit of an "exageration" shall we say.

As for the replica, it's owned by a friend of a friend of mine, the guy is a serious collector of 60's replica memorabilia - as well as original stuff if he can get his hands on it.

[Rassilons Rod]

and also the rear face of the corner posts have been removed too.  Again, I think this may be part of the repair work because they're back on again in the next episodes.

The what now?

[purpleblancmange]

The what now?

Not explained too well, but if you were to stand and look at the rear face of the prop, the corner posts as you look on to them are not there, only the sides of them - the bits attached to the left and right wall.

Clear as mud.

[atomicgraph]

In that screen grab from the first episode of the Seeds of Death, it looks like the door-panel-where-the-phone-panel-would-be is strangely deep-set.

hummm???  looks like the whole panel door might be missing.

[Rassilons Rod]

Not explained too well, but if you were to stand and look at the rear face of the prop, the corner posts as you look on to them are not there, only the sides of them - the bits attached to the left and right wall.

Clear as mud.

Interesting, I didn't know that!I wonder why they would build it like that?

[purpleblancmange]

The prop wasn't built like this, it just appears that in and around the making of this story, further repairs were being carried out.  The  '66 refit was quite an extensive reworking, the corner posts themselves and the two side sign boxes were modified heavily, they litterally ripped them apart and rebuilt them to suit the new geometary of the prop.

If you were to look at the internal construction of the box - in particular the posts - you'd be surprised that it lasted for as long as it did.