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(Benji's) Console Regeneration

Started by the_temporal_mechanic, Aug 17, 2009, 06:51 am

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the_temporal_mechanic

Aug 17, 2009, 06:51 am Last Edit: Mar 12, 2010, 03:59 pm by Scarfwearer
With all of the commotion about retro console rooms, I decided to take a peek into what my console may have looked like in its younger days.  I always approached my original console with the ethic that it had seen better days, and that after a pretty rough ride, bits and pieces had to to be scavenged to keep her going.

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So the surface of the console is blackened and covered in crossover cables with lots of dirty wash to hold her all together.  Most of the components are just interesting things that have a similar paint job.

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Last weekend I set about to clean up the design a little
I started by sketching out my own thoughts of a classic console.  I focused on the flat panels, with more knobs and Spartan use of space.

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Then moved on to how those elements may translate into my own console

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I decided to use aluminum paint with gunmetal gray contrasting parts.  I removed all components that had a junky feel, as well as getting rid of the crossover cables.  The wiring was all centralized and now goes down the center of the plinth.  

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I still have some negative space here and there that newer components are going  to populate, but as usual, this is a work in progress.

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The underside now has ribbed trim along the edges of the table legs and table top for a cleaner look and much reduced use of cables along the underside.

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The rotor itself has a new diffuser film over it as well to soften the glow from the fairy lights and obscure the wiring within.

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Let me know what you think!


the_temporal_mechanic

Aug 27, 2009, 06:22 pm #1 Last Edit: Dec 14, 2009, 11:30 pm by scarfwearer
Thanks Roman!  That's vinyl shelf liner for the refrigerator.  It really softens the glow and obscures the wiring in the rotor.  I am still using the bird of prey also!  The Defiant has been boxed up in a project enclosure on one of the other control boxes.  Pics to come!

dustyfro

Aug 18, 2009, 06:48 am #2 Last Edit: Mar 12, 2010, 03:55 pm by scarfwearer
Aw, I liked the Borg console!  The new one is off to a nice and shiny start though.  It'll be fun to see it evolve with more gadgets.
x Hannah

the_temporal_mechanic

Aug 19, 2009, 07:15 pm #3 Last Edit: Mar 12, 2010, 03:56 pm by scarfwearer
Thanks Hannah!  I have been collecting sound modules and boxes to fit them in over the past week.  I want at least 3 sound effects on each panel, and I also want to be able to take off the access panels on the bottom to reveal more inner workings than its previous incarnation.  I always loved the bits of the show when the Doctor would be fiddling around with the insides of the console.  The storage boxes will also be refitted on the inside to have more components.  A lot of what was removed from the outside of the console will go in there.

theroman89

Aug 26, 2009, 10:30 am #4 Last Edit: Mar 12, 2010, 03:56 pm by scarfwearer
Hey Ben!
Good to see you're at it again  ;D
I really like the diffuser film you added to the central column  :D

Even though I'll miss the Borg console I'm really looking forward to what else you have up your sleeves  ;)

Hehe, the Romulan Bird of Prey is still there  ;D

Can't wait to see more of your progress, buddy!


-Roman

type55tardis

Mar 12, 2010, 04:54 pm #5 Last Edit: Jun 12, 2010, 05:30 am by type55tardis
Brilliant !! your console gave me the ideas for my original time column
so let me get this straight,A thing that looks like a Police box standing in a junkyard,It can move anywhere in Time and space ?

flaming cog

Is it just me, or does the new console look alot like this one  ;)

See even the BBC knows genius when they see it :)
(http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/5721/themanofmanyfaces.jpg)

type 83

Nuuuuuuu!
The dirty console was the first custom TARDIS I saw and the one that inspired me to build consoles. It may have looked messy, but that was it's unique look.
:'(

type55tardis

May 31, 2010, 06:09 am #8 Last Edit: Jun 12, 2010, 05:31 am by type55tardis
Ive got to say,you really have built a pretty fine console there ,Its got a Gallifreyan `The Invasion of Time ` look about it ,but also its so much your own creation , I take my hat off to your imagination and I applaud your use of everyday objects in different ways to their intended purpose carry on the good work, only one thing to say.    
                                               !!Magnificent!!
so let me get this straight,A thing that looks like a Police box standing in a junkyard,It can move anywhere in Time and space ?

the_temporal_mechanic

Thanks for all the comments guys.  I know a lot of people loved the Borg console, but it needed a change.  Moving the blasted thing across the US was a bit of a challenge and as it came back together, the time was right for mixing things up.  I'm in the process now of collecting scrap to build another custom console so I will post a thread with sketches and the current material list. 

type55tardis

I like this console.I love its ingenuity

I`m looking forward to our move of house,because then i intend to get a large purpose built workshop in the garden some 20ft x 12ft so that i can have my console permanently on display with roundeled walls and maybe even doors.and leave myself space in the workshop to carry on with other projects (probably the T55 Mk2 console)
so let me get this straight,A thing that looks like a Police box standing in a junkyard,It can move anywhere in Time and space ?

galacticprobe

Jun 12, 2010, 03:41 pm #11 Last Edit: Jun 12, 2010, 03:43 pm by galacticprobe
What a great job! The Borg-ish look wasn't bad: very interesting and I'd never seen anything like it before. That took some ingenuity. The new look it's getting is, well, also great! I think the central column looks fantastic in either version: the new diffuser gives it that otherworldly feel, and the pre-diffuser version, well, what can I say other than "Shiny blue lights!"

And I usually pride myself on spotting the "unusual" detail in props (like in "ST IV: The Voyage Home" when Dr. McCoy uses that little gadget to heal Checkov's head in the hospital - a piece of the Klingon Battle Cruiser model kit - spotted it straight away.) But I never noticed that part of the Romulan Bird of Prey on this console until Roman smacked me in the face with it and I had to take another look before I spotted it! Great job hiding it (at least from me).

Now I'm going to go back and look for that Defiant bit!

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

the_temporal_mechanic

Okay folks, have had a chance to do some layering of the paint, replaced some components and reworked the legs and rotor for the new look.  I think it's about ready to show.... pics to come...

type55tardis

Jul 02, 2010, 02:54 pm #13 Last Edit: Jul 02, 2010, 02:54 pm by type55tardis
Can`t wait !!
so let me get this straight,A thing that looks like a Police box standing in a junkyard,It can move anywhere in Time and space ?