Section 1: Design + Main Construction.

DOCTOR:Does it have a title?
RIVER: The Pandorica Opens.
AMY: The Pandorica? What is it?
RIVER:A box, a cage, a prison. It was built to contain the most feared thing in all the universe.
DOCTOR:And it's a fairy tale, a legend. It can't be real.

The Pandorica can't be real, ok, well let's see what we can do about that and then see about it opening!

The main reason I build things for my son to use with his Doctor Who 5½" figures, is that they are not normally available. This one is the exception and is actually already available to buy from Underground Toys, as long as you buy the chair and the five Character Options figures that gave you 1 wall as part of the set, you could construct the Pandorica.
The only downsides to this set were that it worked out to be quite expensive and had relatively little play value.
In order to use the chair, you would have to physically remove 1 or 2 plastic walls and apart from functioning as a chair with restraints, it did little else.
From a bit of research, other people had undertaken this project to varying degrees of success. What I wanted to try and achieve was not only to have a functioning chair, but also a functioning Pandorica, i.e.; with sliding doors.
At a later stage, if my son enjoyed playing with it and looked after it, I would see what could be done to light it and make it even more realistic.

So the mission parameters have been set, TIME to get cracking the PANDORICA OPEN, all puns intended!

Using pictures of the 5½ " Pandorica Chair, some reference pictures of the real thing and a lot of screen grabs, I started trying to draw up some plans from which to build this upgraded chair.
As with most of the items the BBC designs, the level of detail was amazing.
This version had to fit the 5½" Doctor figure, this figure with its limited movement, couldn't sit in the ordinary position required to match the original.
To overcome this, the chair would have to be built in the same vein as the 5½" Underground Toys set, allowing for the limited mobility of the figure, whilst trying to match the original overall.
Artistic license will rule the day and compromises will have to be made.


Above is the basic drawing for the very interesting individual shapes of the Pandorica chair, drawn up using the above listed references, with their fitment to each other relative to the whole. The various components to be incorporated into the final item and within the construction requirements in order for it to all come together as one piece eventually, but with the option of separation, if required at a later date.
From this drawing, I could then separate the individual pieces and their elevations for printing as a template which could be used for construction.

With the design done and how the individual pieces would come together to form the chair assessed, it was time to put those templates to good use and cut them out from 12.5mm MDF and get to detailing them.


                 
The basic shapes were cut, shaped and carved to add detail.
Various pieces of card and styrene sheet of varying thickness were added to create the various elements and panels.
The 3 sets of restraints were created using 2 heavily modified plastic picture hooks for the top restraints, 2 heavily modified large cable clips for the wrist restraints and a pair of heavily modified brass hinges for the waist restraint.

Which once further detailing with thin malleable wire was completed, the 6 individual pieces were assembled using another set of heavily modified hinges to allow for some movement of the arms of the chair.



The raw assembled chair to comes to fruition.
The main back, seat and seat base were glued and screwed together.
The extremities, the 2 back pieces and 2 chair arms were then affixed to the main back with screws, for later separation.


In the above picture, the hinges used to create the waist restraint and attach the chair arms to the main back, can clearly be seen, allowing the chair arms to move if so required.


                                 
The constructed chair with its 1st resident firmly restrained.


A closer view of the chairs first inmate as would be seen from outside of the Pandorica.


With the chair constructed, it was time to move onto constructing the functioning Pandorica, with as seen above, sliding doors.
All of which was constructed from 12.5mm MDF, glued and screwed for rigidity.


A base and top were constructed with artistic licence to account for the figure in its seated position and within the box size constraint.
These were made from various items such as an EVA foam disc and lid for the base.
The top detail was constructed from cardboard, card and a bottle top.
Both were adorned with details to match the original.
The pictures above show a dry test fit of all the elements.


A couple of pictures of the Chair and the Pandorica, made to measure with resident inmate in mind .

So as far as Section 1: Design + Main Construction goes, that's all for now folks!

WOW! You've done a brilliant job on this, I've got the Pandorica, but not with the chair, that got too expensive for me.
Look forward to seeing the next step that you do.

Chris.

Off to a superb start.   Excellent work on the chair, leaves me looking forward to seeing how you render the exterior details.

I'm also looking forward to seeing how you light it up.

Quote from: Davros Skaro on Dec 22, 2018, 05:57 am
WOW! You've done a brilliant job on this, I've got the Pandorica, but not with the chair, that got too expensive for me.
Look forward to seeing the next step that you do.

Chris.

Hi Chris,
            Thanks for your comment, it is much appreciated.
I agree, the chair and walls did work out to be pretty expensive and that was if you could get hold of one.
That was one of the reasons to try and make this Pandorica, rather than buy the plastic version.
Plus as the title suggests this one was going to be made with a few differences from the toy in mind.
Next section will be posted in the very near future.

Rob.

Quote from: Kingpin on Dec 22, 2018, 08:36 am
Off to a superb start.  Excellent work on the chair, leaves me looking forward to seeing how you render the exterior details.

I'm also looking forward to seeing how you light it up.

Hi Kingpin,
                Thank you so much for your comment.
In the next section you will get to see how I rendered the exterior details for version 1.
Version 1A is where you get major improvements, including the exterior, interior and lighting.
These will start in section 3 of this build thread.

Rob.

Section 2: Painting + Assembly.

AMY: So, it's kind of like Pandora's Box, then? Almost the same name.
DOCTOR: Sorry, what?
AMY: The story. Pandora's Box, with all the worst things in the world in it. That was my favourite book when I was a kid. What's wrong?
DOCTOR: Your favourite school topic. Your favourite story. Never ignore a coincidence, unless you're busy. In which case, always ignore a coincidence.

Being just that, busy, let's ignore coincidence and KBO (Keep Buggering On)!
Basic Construction completed, it's Time for some paint!!



All of the constructed parts were primed with 2 coats of gesso.


Painting the primed chair was a simple case of applying a gunmetal base and dry-brushing over with aluminium to highlight areas of wear.
The seat cushions and recessed areas of the main chair parts were painted black.


The Light sections were printed from the above drawing and simply glued in place, also shown in the above pictures.


A completed test fitting of the chair with its new resident inmate securely restrained.


Time to move onto the Pandorica itself, 3 coats of satin black enamel paint were applied to give it some durability.



After some internet searching, I had managed to find a very good picture of the Pandorica face, which was in turn printed and glued onto the 4 faces.
A matt black was rag applied to the entirety of the Pandorica in order to add some definition to what should be a honed stone finish.




And finally the Pandorica opens!



A close-up shot of the Doctor in the Pandorica.



A couple of close-up shots of just the Pandorica awaiting the Doctors return.

And this was how it was left for some time for my son to play with, until the time came to improve the Pandorica and actually light it as well!
All of that in the next thrilling episode, da da daaa!

So as far as Section 2: Paint + Assembly goes, that's all for now folks!

That looks really great, you've out done yourself on this. It looks better than the CO one.

Chris.

Quote from: Davros Skaro on Dec 30, 2018, 11:31 pm
That looks really great, you've out done yourself on this. It looks better than the CO one.

Chris.

Hi Chris,
            Many thanks for your comment, I am chuffed you think that this looks better than the CO one, but you ain't seen nothin' yet.
The next section deals with the improvements and lighting made to this version to give it a bit of a difference, a little bit of wow factor and some more play-ability, so stay tuned, the best is yet to come!

Rob.

Section 3: Improvements + Lighting.

DOCTOR: Because guess who? Ha! Listen, you lot, you're all whizzing about. It's really very distracting. Could you all just stay still a minute because I am talking! The question of the hour is, who's got the Pandorica? Answer, I do. Next question. Who's coming to take it from me? Come on! Look at me. No plan, no back up, no weapons worth a damn. Oh, and something else. I don't have anything to lose! So, if you're sitting up there in your silly little spaceship, with all your silly little guns, and you've got any plans on taking the Pandorica tonight, just remember who's standing in your way. Remember every black day I ever stopped you, and then, and then, do the smart thing. Let somebody else try first.

As Underground Toys had already made a Pandorica Chair and the box itself was a Character Options collectable, the point of of scratch building this Pandorica was to eventually modify this homemade version to try and see if it were possible to improve on what had been made originally in the same vein as the set.
Trying to improve the scratch built Pandorica meant trying to make it more realistic overall and include some lighting internally.
All hopefully to possibly increase its playability.
So in this particular instance, as I'm now a mad man with a Pandorica box, I think I might be the somebody else trying first!


Stage 1 More realistic;


The starting point of these improvement works would be a new stone plinth for the Pandorica to sit on, just like the real thing did.
It would also be the place that would store the battery compartment.
The plinth was constructed from 12.5mm MDF with a rebate for the Pandorica to sit in.


The outside faces were rough filled to give the impression of stone.
Possibly one of the worst filler jobs I have ever done, the rougher the better, within reason!


I was in possession of some textured frosted plastic, this sheet was cut to individual Pandorica face size and 8 discs were routed out.
But why 8?



Above, the reasons for the plastic discs, in order to make it more realistic, the Pandorica faces that had previously been printed and stuck on, were going to be replaced.
The frosted plastic discs were going to be the base for this stage 1b of the realism improvement.
So to facilitate the discs, the original Pandorica had to have 4 circles routed out of it, allowing for a small rebate to house the plastic discs.



Pictures of the routed out Pandorica faces with the frosted plastic inserts dry fitted.
Are you starting to see where this is going?


Here's another clue, the 8 frosted plastic discs were painted with green glass paint, but only on 1 side.
But still why the 8?


Using the original Pandorica face picture I had found online as a template, I managed to draw something that resembled the face using Publisher.


I managed to convince a great shop to undertake cutting the Pandorica faces from black vinyl, if I provided them with a drawing.
This was the same great guy I had used on the previous project of the Junk Tardis.
After a bit of fine tuning to work within the capabilities of the cutting machine, this was cut from black vinyl. The deal was I did all the weeding, weeding and more weeding.
Did I mention there was a lot of weeding? But I got there eventually.
Last time, again why 8?




Pictures above show the second roughest filling job I have ever done.
This was undertaken to all the outside faces of the Pandorica, again to try and replicate the honed stone look of the real thing.


Which when put together in the raw, sort of fit the bill for stage 1c of the realism improvement.

Onto the next stage, Stage 2 Lighting; and so where to begin.


The original chair base was again improved by adding lighting to it corresponding to the original light positions.
A new addition for the top piece was this back plate. Constructed from thin styrene sheet, this again had lighting inserted to match the original.


This hopefully will bring some interesting interior lighting into play.


This new lighting was fabricated from a shop bought LED string, in order for it to fit into the correct location properly, it had to be heavily modified.


As was the Pandorica to accommodate the new lighting to the top position.


The original top piece was altered to allow for new lighting which would project through the 4 new openings cut into the original piece to illuminate outwards from the side as well as downwards.
New detail pieces were fabricated from sheet styrene and more of the frosted plastic was used as a diffuser.
Foil was added to the internal faces to maximise the light output which will be a single LED in a central location, hence the appropriately sized hole in the styrene disc.


Of course, the frosted plastic was painted the correct colour with glass paint, after all we are trying for more realism within the lighting as well.


A quick dry fit test shot of the progress so far and there is more, a lot more to come!
If you're still curious as to why 8 discs, why only painted on 1 side and why 8 lots of vinyl Pandorica faces, if you haven't worked it out already, then I'm afraid the answer will be waiting for you in the next section; Improvements + Lighting Part 2!

So as far as Section 3: Improvements  + Lighting goes, that's all for now folks!

Can't believe I missed this thread earlier!

That is excellent work, can't wait to see what comes next

I Echo the above remarks.

but I'm also waiting to see this:

I've had a bit of a think about your comment

QuoteIf you're still curious as to why 8 discs, why only painted on 1 side and why 8 lots of vinyl Pandorica faces, if you haven't worked it out already, then I'm afraid the answer will be waiting for you in the next section; Improvements + Lighting Part 2!

& I think it is to put the black vinyl cut out of the walls on. You have the painted ones on the inside for the colour then the vinyl outside giving the desired effect without compromising either disc if something went skew.

Just my theory anyway.

Chris,

Quote from: fivefingeredstyre on Jan 05, 2019, 10:14 am
Can't believe I missed this thread earlier!

That is excellent work, can't wait to see what comes next

Hi fivefingeredstyre,
                            Thanks for the comment, so pleased you like it so far and that you think it is excellent work, but there is more to come, specifically with the lighting.

Rob.

Quote from: warmcanofcoke on Jan 05, 2019, 03:43 pm
I Echo the above remarks.

but I'm also waiting to see this:

Hi warmcanofcoke,
                           Thanks for your comment mirroring fivefingeredstryre and the picture.
You have reminded me that it wasn't just the Doctor that was entrapped within the Pandorica, so leave that with me and we will see what we can do!

Rob.

Quote from: Davros Skaro on Jan 07, 2019, 04:56 am
I've had a bit of a think about your comment

QuoteIf you're still curious as to why 8 discs, why only painted on 1 side and why 8 lots of vinyl Pandorica faces, if you haven't worked it out already, then I'm afraid the answer will be waiting for you in the next section; Improvements + Lighting Part 2!

& I think it is to put the black vinyl cut out of the walls on. You have the painted ones on the inside for the colour then the vinyl outside giving the desired effect without compromising either disc if something went skew.

Hi Chris,
           Thank you for your comment on the puzzle of the 8 discs.
I can see that you have indeed been using the little grey cells, all I can say is close, very close, but not quite.
All will be revealed in the next section and especially in the completion shots.

Rob.