Episode 1: The Edge Of Construction


Hello!

After years of following the amazing work of you all, I have finally had the opportunity to have a blue box land in the bottom of the garden, and thought I would share it with you.

First up a little bit of history.  A build is something that has been on the agenda for a long while, but practicalities of 'time and space' (work and lack of garage, rather than the inter-dimensional kind) made it very difficult to get started.  However, in February I was afforded the opportunity to buy an old build which was in desperate need of structural and aesthetic work; this was ideal for my purposes as it meant I essentially had the bare bones in place and could undertake the rest of the work in situ.

So what follows is a diary of re-build.







The sign 'boxes' are practically non existent, very flat, and different on every side.

Episode 2: The Rain Of Terror

After two months of torrential downpours and gale force winds, we finally had a clear weekend to start work on the box.

The biggest priority was getting some rigidity into the structure, so we started by screwing 4x4s into each of the hollow corner posts - long enough to reach up into the roof section.

Episode 3: Outside The Spaceship

The sun is shining, the flowers blooming, and things are materialising...

Because we have not built this box from scratch, we have to base our decisions on what looks right overall rather than following a specific design.  On balance, I would say the Hudolin design is my favourite as - for me - it amalgamates the best features of the versions before it, while also retaining a certain authenticity to an actual Met Police Box - how I wish the new series had retained this design!

With this in mind, we hope that the finished product will have the same weathered, solid, galvanised metal effect that an old phone box might have.

Today we added an extra frame of wood to the base of the box and this instantly gave her (yes - it's a 'she' now!) a much more solid and robust appearance.  In keeping with the exiting panels, we gave this a bevelled edge.  Polyfilla and undercoat were quickly applied to provide as much protection as possible should the weather suddenly change on us.

With the base in situ is was possible to begin work on the corner posts.  Firstly we nailed MDF planks straight through the existing outer corners into the internal 4x4s; unlike the original design, these planks are long enough to go the full height of the box and therefore cover the join between the walls and the roof section.







This is one of the instances where the aesthetic enhancements are actually making a structural improvement.  With the original wooden corners sandwiched between the 4x4s and the MDF, we have now got 6'' of solid wood in each corner and the roof section is now firmly locked between the layers.







After a bite to eat and a self-congratulatory drink, we gave everything a once over with the fill and undercoat.







This completes the essential structural work and has improved the overall appearance enormously.  From now on we can start to concentrate more on the cosmetic enhancements...


Next Episode: The Sign Makers

Episode 4: The Sign Makers


After the success of getting the corner posts on, we couldn't wait to get started on the next big change to the exterior - The sign boxes.  Having got the posts in place, it was amazing how much the box looks bare without them.







We already had some pretty good signs in place, it was only really the 'bulk' that we were missing.  Therefore we made essentially large outer frames to attach to the roof section.  We didn't look for specific measurements for these, instead we held up some wood samples against the front and sides until we thought we had what looked right proportionately whilst also covering up any inconsistencies.







After the huge progress we made in the previous few days, we felt we were on a bit of a roll - So it's no surprise that this was the day we started to have problems.

Firstly, our drill - which we have had for about twenty years - finally decided its time had come half an hour after the hardware store had closed (RIP - It did stirling service!).  Thankfully, we had plenty of sawing and glueing to do, and had already pre-drilled some holes, but it got us off to a shaky start.

Then, after sawing a plank of wood, I removed my safety goggles just in time for a big gust of wind to blow all the sawdust in my eye.  One visit to casualty and a damn good rinse later, we were finally able to get a sign box in place.









Next Episode: The Glue-Gunfighters

A great looking project - doesn't it look surprisingly rewarding with just the primer on? Really looking forward to seeing how this progresses.

Oh, and I love your update titles :-)

That's looking great!

However, I thought MDF was unsuitable for outside use?!

Would hate to see that hard work disintegrate after the first rain fall 

looks great. 
MDF can be used outside but needs to  be well treated. and from the look it is
..

HI,

Thanks for the feedback!  Yes, getting the undercoat on was a great moment - It really does bring it all together.

As I understand it, MDF can be used ok if properly weatherproofed. We've put at least three coats of undercoat on, plus a rubber based paint used on cars.  Hopefully, this will do the trick...!

That sounds about right to me! Unfortunately the MDF on my build is somewhat...less...er...

Episode Five: The Glue-Gunfighters

Having completed the sign boxes, it was important to dedicate some time to the slightly less exciting but vital job of sealing the various joins with silicone and beginning the process of building up as many weather-shielding layers as we could.

As I have previously explained, because this is not a build from scratch, I have had to make a few compromises on some of the details.  So, there are no post caps in the traditional sense, instead I have used quadrants to neaten off the ends and cover any potential water traps.  Likewise, I stumbled across some strips of moulding which I have put across the joins on the roof step.  All of this was polyfilled and several hours spent going over every nook and cranny with the silicon gun.







The roof benefits from having some lead strips on the joins of the slopes, and this has been further weatherproofed by a couple of coats of car underbody rubber paint.  







With the weather on our side and a longer weekend providing extra drying time, we were able to give her ladyship several undercoats.







The roof as a unit was not bad, but it did leak, and we have begun to question the size, as it almost disappears when the box is viewed from certain angles.  Also, in keeping with the finer design elements (three panels under each window, three under-sign steps, etc), it seems right that the roof should therefore have a three stack formation.  We've drawn up some plans about how this can be done relatively simply and will also provide an extra layer of weather protection (The Power Of Three!).

That's all a little way in the future, as the next stage will be a return to the cosmetic enhancements - Specifically, the windows...


Next Episode: The Windows Operation

Episode 6: The Windows Operation

"Which window shall we go through today children...?"

Play School was all very well and good, but they only had four windows - We had eight to deal with and, true to form, none of them quite matched...

When the box arrived, there were so many more important structural issues pressing that the windows were not a priority.  But as these issues were fixed and the overall cosmetic improvements enhanced the overall shape, the original cut-out windows looked worse and worse.

My biggest pet-hate was not that they had been cut from a single piece of ply (quite a respectable method in my opinion), but that the router had left quite obvious curves on each corner of the frames.  Up close, this gave them a 'bubble gum' Wendy House appearance which undermined the sharpness of the classic design.  It also meant effectively, the box did not have 'real' windows.







At the risk of contradicting myself, I think the frosted perspex used for the glass, was surprisingly effective and I am considering finding something similar to go behind the finished new windows.  Anyway, back to the build - We considered several different ways of going about this; mainly knocking out the old ones and starting from scratch.  But on closer inspection, we decided that it would be easier to build on what was already in situ.

Having removed the perspex, we took a Stanley knife and jigsaw to the existing plywood framework and whittled out the curved corners - slow work, but strangely satisfying.  Unsurprisingly, the frames were not evenly sized on each window, so we did what we could to even them out and make them at least appear balanced to the eye.  This could all be done quite roughly, because the next stage was to build up a new frame over the top of the original with narrow strips of timber, effectively creating a new and much neater window.







As is now the usual routine, each window was polyfilled, sanded and undercoated as we went along.  Great though the weather has been lately, we still do not entirely trust it, so make a point of making sure that there is no exposed wood left over night.







Now that the windows have been remade, I find myself asking The Question.

The oldest question, hidden in plain sight...

The question I have been running from all my life...

"White windows or blue windows?"

Thoughts please!


Next Episode: Ghost Lights

Episode Seven: Ghost Lights

In true Timey-Whimey fashion, this episode is set before the events of The Windows Operation.  So maybe it can be regarded as a prequel...?

A few weeks before we set about altering the windows, I chanced upon a solar-powered floodlight, which illuminates automatically at dusk.  I was hoping to do something like this in the future, but the opportunity came along, and I was able to fit it to the 'ship'.

Personally, the things I'd consider for the window trim include:
-How close it winds up to having the lines of the 1963 box.
-How dark a shade of blue you wind up using and
-What you want. 

Mine was based on the 1963 prop but initially I had the blue/black door sign and blue window trim.  I wound up with a lighter shade of blue than I wanted too (in America if you walk into a big box hardware store and ask for Oxford Blue the kid working the paint counter will stare at you stupidly until you bring him a color swatch from the display with a name like "Majestic Liberty" or "Midnight Navy". 

But one day I decided to go with the white door sign, St. John's badge, and white trim.  Because it is a lighter shade of blue and I have false windows that are lighter looking so there isn't a lot of contrast with the white trim, I think it looks better with blue windows.  But because it is so clearly the 1963 box, dimensionally--and I'm anal retentive, it has white trim.  I'm also lazy.  And since the trim is white right now I'd have to paint it if I wanted it blue. 

Since you've got the primer grey color maybe you can just paint the windows last and see how a contrasting color looks.  If you still can't decide, flip a coin.  That will force you to decide how you really feel. 

It's a pleasure to see how this is coming along! The lights look great, and the transformation to the corner posts and the sign boxes is nothing short of incredible!

Hi,

Thanks for the kind feedback - Putting the corner posts on was definitely the turning point for me. 

Thanks for your thoughts Volpone.  As a rule of thumb, I would say the darker the blue, the better it is to have white windows as the create a great contrast.  I suppose one of the reasons i find ot hard to decide is that, in terms of authenticity, the Brachacki model can be either.  I probably will end up tossing that coin...!