The Doctor's Journal from "The Impossible Astronaut"

[Elvis Gump]

This is a rough version of the very briefly seen Doctor's journal from "The Impossible Astronaut" in the diner scene where the 'future' Doctor and River compare where they 'are' in time. (Thanks to PC Jonathan at http://www.combom.co.uk/ for the screen-grab for reference)



The one mod I made because I couldn't find my swivel X-Acto was I didn't do the rounded cut details, but rather squared-off ones like on River's. It's a cardboard slip cover over a Moleskin journal which appears what the Doctor's is built on.

It looks like the on-camera prop might be covered with nothing more than colored paper from some of the surface wrinkling, but I spray-painted this with the non-enamel dark blue Krylon paint.

The little badge seems to be a custom Gallifreyan symbol, so in the interest of time until I get a better image of it I substituted the fob watch symbol printed on white paper in the mean time. It makes a nice protective cover for my moleskin sketch-book in the meantime...

[riftmaster]

nice build!

riftmaster

[Elvis Gump]

Thanks Rifmaster.

Here's a jpeg of the pattern 1:1 that anyone interested can print out and spray-glue down to cardboard scrap to cut out the patterns. The black bits are discard.



To create the circular opening, you can rough cut inside the black 'circle' and then as I did use a Dremel sanding attachment to finish it off to a smooth, even finish. This leaves a 3/4" hole. For the 'emblem' I simply scaled down a jpg of the watch emblem to that size, used the trick of a bit of clear package sealing tape on either side of it to protect it, a poor-man's laminate, and then glued that in a temp till I can make something to fit it.

Anyone do etching?

[greatwazoo42]

Impressive work as usual, EG.

[Elvis Gump]

Thanks Wazzo. It really is insanely simple compared to the TARDIS, Sonics and other gadgets featured here though. If I get a better picture of the original, I'd like to make it more accurate to the prop. All these measurements are just eye-balling and guessing. I wish I knew how to work in leather and had someone to teach me as I'd really like to make some book covers like the River Song book in it too.

I really wish I knew how to etch metal as well to make the little emblem. I figured out which cubby I hid some of Dremel bits in and I have one of those engraving bits so I might try that.

If that doesn't work, it might be cool to just glue a coin in there. An American dime fits, so I wondered does anyone in England know what silver English coin would correspond to the size? It's ordinary pocket change to you in England , but in America it's still neat to have a 'foreign' coins. Well, neat to me

[Scarfwearer]

A 5 pence piece would be similar to a dime, if I remember right.
It's been a few years...

Crispin

[Elvis Gump]

Brother, can you spare 5 pence?  I'll ask at my bank to see if they have those. Of course being so far from civilization in Mississippi, I suspect they are going to look at me like I asked if they serve tea & crumpets!

[Scarfwearer]

I'm not sure whether banks will carry foreign coins - usually only notes. Better to ask a friend who likes foreign holidays. Most people come back with a few.

Crispin

[Elvis Gump]

My little corner of America is more akin to Mayberry as seen in "The Andy Griffth Show" so 'world-travelers' are probably rarer than the rarest 5 pence piece. I'm going to hope the bank however will know where I can find the local coin-collector shop.

Still though, really want to figure out if I can get some of the stuff to do metal etching I've found instructions for Googling around. Might take a while to work up the courage to play with acid, especially after watching the peril of acid in this week's episode of Doctor Who! Don't want to end up with the nickname "Lefty"...

[Scarfwearer]

Perhaps one of our US members would like to PM Elvis and offer to send him a British 5p piece in the mail?

Crispin

[DoctorWho8]

Really nice job on what little visuals you have to work from.
Bill "the Doctor" Rudloff

[cardborduser]

even Canadian coins are foreign to us, and they would be a lot easier to get..
but then again , my local library here in Sokie asked me if it was a real coin when i paid a $.50 with a half dollar...


i like the use of moleskin notebooks , i made a river song one out of one of them.

[Organic Mechanic]

Great work Elvis! Gotta love a matched set, ehh?

Leather work is surprisingly simple to do if you're really interested in making them that way. I say simple, but of course it takes practice to get the results you're after.

Really, you just need a buck of your desired shape, a wet (fully soaked) bit of died leather, a few poking & pulling implements, and a hair dryer.

Just stretch the leather (while wet) over the buck and, a little at a time, use the hair dryer to dry it into a permanent position, using the implements as needed to ensure that all of the details are fully realized as it's drying.

(these are disturbingly simple instructions, but that's really about it. lol)

[Elvis Gump]

The closest I've seen to some leather scraps I could buy was either Hobby Lobby or one of those Michael's stores last fall and all the pieces were a tad too small to do the River Song, though would work for this smaller size. I probably won't try it until I read up some more and find where to order the right leather for it. As it is, these are just knock-about and dirt cheap compromises. And not precious if they get skint or roughed up.

And I suspect if we see the Doctor's journal again it might be subtly different anyway as even in the low-rez it looked like a prop that may have been very hastily made to just have the rationale that if River has a journal, why doesn't he? There's only one other shot I've seen of it and it's in a wide promo shot of them preparing to shoot the scene where you can see all the crew and it looks like Matt and Alex are running lines, so I've wondered if the director asked for it at the last minute so Matt wasn't just sitting there delivering lines like "Oh yeah, did Jim the Fish" and so forth.

The real thing to do in leather and then distress and age would probably be that old 500 year journal which I think showed up in Trougton's era, was it "Tomb of the Cybermen"? The book River had about the Angel's in TotA would be worthy of some distressed leather and fiddly bits too, though I've never seen any good reference photos of it either.

So lots of book props that could be done, as well as a lot of fun gadgets that haven't been done either. Projects for a Sat afternoon waiting for an episode to air...

[andrewandmorph]

Hi i have made one of these using your template and it worked grate, i use craft / funky foam for this, and for the symbol if you look closely on some photos like the one you have it resembles a seal of Rassilon. brill make