K9 Picture History

[cardinal hordriss]

Not sure if the 'reboot K9' from the Australian TV series and movie...

View attachment 156018

https://www.facebook.com/ItsAnAshton/posts/1566522690055511

I still haven't watched a single episode of the K-9 spin-off but if they did a big toy of this, half-size minimum, I would buy it.  

 

[biodoctor900]

Oh god, the redesigned K9, my friend Richard was the one who made it (ItsAnAshton)

I need to go bleach my eyes. I really don't like the design, and watching part of the first episode of the first series they did, I had to switch it off, it was terrible

BioDoctor900

 

[galacticprobe]

Remember, BioDoc, that series, much like 'The Sarah Jane Adventures', was intended for the younger audience (real kids, not grown kids like those that got hooked on 'Doctor Who'). Sure, the 'K9' spinoff was corny, with a feel of 'Torchwood for Kindergartners' to it, but if you kept that in mind, it wasn't too horrible to watch.

I do suspect they would have been happier using the original K-9 design, but I hear the owner of that design wouldn't give consent for them to use it, other than in the briefest of cameos to establish the character, which is why you only see it in the first few seconds of Ep 1, and then in crude drawings from some alien book (again very briefly) in one other episode.

Not too many people liked that show's K-9 design either, which is why I remember reading for Series 2, they were redesigning K-9 based on viewer feedback. If it's taken them this long to get the design to this point, I'd like to know what those viewers suggested, and what your friend and his cohorts had to weed through to come up with this new design!

Dino.

 

[davidnagel]

I saw the original pooch last weekend at the smallspace event, organised by Mat Irvine and took these few snaps. Only notable of interest is the back two buttons that Matt tells me are used to switch the dog on, saves opening the side door to do it instead!



And the back flap, which I was told was used/seen flapped open in a story - but this eludes me, can anyone advise?

 

[davidnagel]

Interestingly, looking back through the thread, when the prop appeared in the show, the nose was hollow. Present day, the nose is filled in. I wondered when that happened?



Those two pictures side by side even show that the nose looks different completely and from there, the whole bottom half of the head.

 

[galacticprobe]

Only notable of interest is the back two buttons that Matt tells me are used to switch the dog on, saves opening the side door to do it instead!

Interesting place to put those. I wonder why they didn't hook those on/off switches to one of the buttons on his control panel up top. Then that panel would have actually done something.

And the back flap, which I was told was used/seen flapped open in a story - but this eludes me, can anyone advise?

Possibly "School Reunion"? Sarah Jane's K-9 Mk III was broken down at the start, and the 10th Doctor had at least his side panel (with the K*9 logo on it) removed while he worked on him. Maybe that back panel was supposed to be shown open in that episode as well. (Maybe it was, but with everything else going on when the Doctor was working on K-9, we just didn't notice it because it was on the back?)

Interestingly, looking back through the thread, when the prop appeared in the show, the nose was hollow.

That was the look of the nose for K-9 Mark I (who stayed on Gallifrey with Leela), Mark II (who stayed in E-Space with Romana), and Mark III, who was a gift to Sarah Jane and first appeared in the spin-off pilot "K9 and Company".

Present day, the nose is filled in. I wondered when that happened?

The end of "School Reunion". K-9 Mark III was, as we saw, really worn out in that one, and he sacrificed himself to save everyone. With Sarah Jane being sad that she'd lost her "Girl's Best Friend" (the subtitle of "K-9 and Company"), when the Doctor left, the TARDIS dematerialised and left in her place K-9 Mark IV, which had the filled-in upper part of the nose. (This is the same K-9 Mark IV that appeared in 'The Sarah Jane Adventures'.)

Those two pictures side by side even show that the nose looks different completely and from there, the whole bottom half of the head.

I know the eyes, and initially the ears, were different between Mark III and IV (like the nose), but I never noticed the whole bottom half of the head being different before. He's still got his little tape readout "mouth" slot. Now I'm interested in seeing more of the head - profile pics and the like - of the Marks I-III and IV to see just how much different the head is. If might indicate whether or not they made a completely new head for the Mark IV.

I hope this was helpful, David. And those are some great photos you posted! Thanks so much!

Dino.

 

[maddavros]

K9 started off with a filled in (or blocked) nose, some when after Invisible Enemy this was changed

 

[davidnagel]

Dino, you're mixing up the School Reunion prop (rebuild by Mike Tucker in 2006) and this prop, the original 70s prop. I'm talking about this prop in all instances where its only appearances post 2006 are its brief reappearance at end of "School Reunion" and all the Sarah Jane Adventures series.

Was it the 70s prop used in the Australian's K9 series?

I want to say the back access panel/flap was used in Armageddon Factor as I seem to recall such a thing occurring as the miniaturised main cast walked out of him?

 

[cardinal hordriss]

I want to say the back access panel/flap was used in Armageddon Factor as I seem to recall such a thing occurring as the miniaturised main cast walked out of him?

That was a special little door on his side.

 

[Five Fingered Styre]

yeah, I seem to remember that for the Armageddon Factor they fitted a fake fillit panel on his side recess to enable the door to open...

As for the rear flap, I think this was somethign Matt Irvine did in later refurbs (long after the prop was used in the series - possibly when Mike Tucker and Matt Irvine completely rebuilt him before Search Out Space?)

 

[Five Fingered Styre]

Interestingly, looking back through the thread, when the prop appeared in the show, the nose was hollow. Present day, the nose is filled in. I wondered when that happened?

View attachment 164319

Those two pictures side by side even show that the nose looks different completely and from there, the whole bottom half of the head.

K9 started off with a filled in (or blocked) nose, some when after Invisible Enemy this was changed

This is taken from Invisible Enemy part 4



I remember talking to either Matt Irvine or Mike Tucker about it at a convention a few years back. Apparently the original nose blank was detachable and just clipped into place, and it got lost quite early on...

It's just a guess but I'd wager that K9's current nose plate is not the original and as such when it was remade they cast the plate and blank as a single piece...

 

[Five Fingered Styre]

Interesting place to put those. I wonder why they didn't hook those on/off switches to one of the buttons on his control panel up top. Then that panel would have actually done something.

The panel Buttons are not practical - they are just lights, rather than switches.

 

[galacticprobe]

The panel Buttons are not practical - they are just lights, rather than switches.

I realize that. I was just commenting that it would have been a nice place to put two on/off (push-push) buttons in that control panel in place of two of the lights to make that panel "functional". (And I admit I wasn't that clear in my previous comment on that.)

Dino, you're mixing up the School Reunion prop (rebuild by Mike Tucker in 2006) and this prop, the original 70s prop. I'm talking about this prop in all instances where its only appearances post 2006 are its brief reappearance at end of "School Reunion" and all the Sarah Jane Adventures series.

Not quite mixing up the props, David. I was simply trying to answer your question: "...when the prop appeared in the show, the nose was hollow. Present day, the nose is filled in. I wondered when that happened?" As Steve pointed out above, either Mat Irvine or Mike Tucker mentioned (and is backed up by that grab from "The Invisible Enemy"), the original nose's "bump" was solid, but that part was removable and apparently lost early on. It was then replaced with the hollow-bump nose that we became familiar with. This hollow-bump version lasted from when it was replaced on the original (sometime after Ep 4 of "Invisible Enemy"), until K9 Mark III was destroyed in "School Reunion"; you can see the nose bump is still hollow in "School Reunion" right up until the explosion. Then when the Doctor leaves K9 Mark IV behind for Sarah Jane, the nose bump is solid again, as it was in "Invisible Enemy".

So the "I wondered when that happened?" answer is two fold: it was originally filled in, but the part was lost and replaced with the hollowed one, and it was filled in again at the end of "School Reunion".

Was it the 70s prop used in the Australian's K9 series?

That one I don't know. The actual prop was on screen for only a matter of seconds - shot mostly from overhead from the house's human occupants' POV - before K9 (because of its grey color, purportedly to have been the Mark I that somehow got off of Gallifrey) activated his self-destruct mechanism and blew himself to bits in order to destroy the aliens and save the people in the house. Then his regeneration mechanism activated and the new K9 design appeared.

Beyond that I don't know which prop made that cameo in the Aussie series, and I've heard too many conflicting stories on how many K9 props there were (aside from the hero and the stunt versions) to know which stories are true, and which ones are perpetuated rumor.

I hope this helps clear things up a little more.

Dino.

 

[davidnagel]

As always Dino, cheers!

 

[davidnagel]

Seems to match up!

 

[omarvance]

Man I wish I had $20k for that auction lol

 

[Five Fingered Styre]

Looks like the static prop head to me.

Here's a link to the auction site

https://ukm.propstoreauction.com/m/view-auctions/info/id/169/

And here's the brochure

https://content.propstore.com/auction/la2019/catalogue/EMLA2019_Online.pdf?_ga=2.216931478.1838780254.1568179388-1479337409.1568179388

THere is a lot going under the hammer, (Lot 231 looks strikingly familiar.. but the Doctor Who items really start from Lot 240 (Axon Injector Device) through to Lot 245 (Genesis Ark)

Annoyingly, I'm going to be in the vicinity the week before the display...

 

[warmcanofcoke]

I'm just imagining a handsome wood wall mounted frame and brass plaque.

231. Kapitänleutnant’s (Jurgen Prochnow) Leather Jacket     †DAS BOOT (1981)The Kapitänleutnant’s (Jürgen Prochnow) waterproof leather jacket from Wolfgang Petersen’s World War II epic Das Boot. The Kaleun of U-96 — often referred to as “the Old Man” — wore his jacket during a close encounter with a passing British destroyer midway through his submarine’s patrol of the Atlantic Ocean.The double-breasted jacket is made of grey leather and features a long collar and lapels — the style worn by the boat’s officers — and pockets at the hips and chest. It is lined in woollen blanket material in the wartime fashion, and has a Bermans & Nathans costumier tag marked “Herr Jurgen, 15313 No.1, U. Boat” attached within the jacket’s inside left breast pocket. Metal buttons featuring anchors line the front of jacket. Distressed for use, the jacket features dust and dirt marks all over, and the buttons have become corroded over time.Estimate: £2,000 - 3,000


240. Axon Injector Device    ϺDOCTOR WHO: THE CLAWS OF AXOS (TV SERIES, 1971)An Axon injector device from Michael Ferguson’s Doctor Who arc The Claws of Axos. Devices were used by the Axons to inject Axonite, the source of their growth technology, into a frog, as a demonstration of the element’s potential. The injector comprises a resin centre rod surrounded by clamp discs securing metal prongs attached to an acrylic handle, with fibres dipped in orange-tinted resin to create the Axonite pieces. The injector shows minor wear from production use and aging, the Axonite shows significant disintegration, there is a chip on the base of the handle, and there is denting and discolouration throughout. Dimensions: 29 cm x 7 cm x 7 cm (11 ¼” x 2 ¾” x 2 ¾”) Estimate: £2,000 - 3,000238.


DAY 1241. Kalik’s (Michael Wisher) Device    ϺDOCTOR WHO: CARNIVAL OF MONSTERS (1973)Kalik’s (Michael Wisher) device from the Doctor Who serial Carnival of Monsters. The conniving Kalik used his device as a weapon and could use it to render his enemies unconscious. At the start of the adventure, which features the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee), Kalil used it to stop an angry functionary from escaping. The device features a black acrylic handle attached to a metal faux emitter, from which an energy beam is fired in the episode. The device resembles a tuning fork, with a small metal sphere at the end and a larger one at the base. The larger of the two spheres glows red with the aid of visual effects. A silver piece of tape on the handle gives the impression of a button. The piece has some wear from production use and age. There is some scratching and scuffing, and one corner of the handle has been chipped. The metal has some areas of rust, most notably around the larger sphere. Dimensions: 28 cm x 7.5 cm x 5 cm (11” x 3” x 2”)Estimate: £2,000 - 3,000


242. The Marshal of Atrios’ (John Woodvine) Weapon    ϺDOCTOR WHO: THE ARMAGEDDON FACTOR (TV SERIES, 1979)The Marshal of Atrios’ (John Woodvine) weapon from Michael Hayes’ six-part Doctor Who serial The Armageddon Factor. The Marshal was the commander of the Atrios people, who went to war against the planet Zeos. Secretly under the influence of The Shadow (William Squire), the Marshal was a major threat to the fourth Doctor (Tom Baker), and was always seen with his weapon holstered at his hip. The weapon is made of brass with a wooden grip, and features a canister with a spiral feeding into the back, and a nozzle at the front. The weapon shows minor damage from production use and age, displaying scratches, discolouration and dents throughout. Dimensions: 18 cm x 11 cm x 5.5 cm (7” x 4 ¼” x 2 ¼” Estimate: £2,000 - 3,000


243. K9’s Head and Control Panel    ϺDOCTOR WHO: THE LEISURE HIVE (TV SERIES, 1980)K9’s head and control panel from “The Leisure Hive”, the first serial in the 18th season of sci-fi TV series Doctor Who. This head is believed to be one of only two such pieces created for the Tom Baker serials. It was set up for pyrotechnic purposes for the Brighton beach scenes at the beginning of the first episode with the addition of an opening hatch, and screen matches the head seen in that episode. Romana (Lalla Ward) threw a ball into the sea for K9 to fetch, as the Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) slept on a deckchair. The water caused the robotic dog to explode and his circuits became severely damaged.Constructed from fibreglass, the head consists of moulded angular sections finished to replicate blue steel. A coiled neck is attached underneath and an elongated nose creates a canine-like shape. Adhered to the front is a red acrylic grill, and a laser-gun barrel is housed within the tip of the robot’s nose. A hatch which features an incorporated magnet is located on the top of the head, with two holes present where the ears were once attached. Non-functional circuit boards painted in faux silver are fitted to the interior. The control panel is made mainly from resin with wooden side sections, finished in the same metallic blue as the head. The top half of the panel curves upwards slightly and displays two orange rectangular screens. Eleven smaller blue, red, green and orange acrylic buttons adorn the piece.The lot displays signs of production use and age, including dirt remnants, scratches, discolouration and minor wear. Exposed glue is present on the back of the neck and the black vinyl around the bottom of the neck has begun to peel away. Over time some components have gone missing, including the ears, a circular piece on the grill and a button on the control panel. The paint has chipped away on some parts of both items, revealing the materials underneath. Dimensions (head): 14.5 cm x 40 cm x 26.5 cm (5 ¾” x 15 ¾” x 10 ½”); (panel): 21 cm x 15 cm x 7.5 cm (8 ¼” x 6” x 3”)Estimate: £15,000 - 20,000


131PROPSTORE.COM  |  30TH SEPT & 1STOCT 2019 130ENTERTAINMENT MEMORABILIA LIVE AUCTION - DAY 1244. March 2005 Production Clapperboard    ϺDOCTOR WHO: BAD WOLF (2005)A clapperboard from “Bad Wolf” — Episode 12 in the first series of the BBC’s revived sci-fi show Doctor Who.This clapperboard is marked with handwritten production information identifying this as slate 489, take 4, a night scene shot outdoors (“NIGHT EXT”) for visual effects purposes (“VFX”). It is dated “15th March 2005” and the director credited as Joe Ahearne, who was the most prolific director during Christopher Ecclestone’s tenure as the Doctor, helming five episodes of the series.The body of this clapperboard is made of yellow acrylic, with “Doctor Who” engraved in black across the front, black Velcro® on the back, and wooden clap-sticks at the top. There are some signs of production use and handling, most notably on the handwritten notes on the clapperboard; the number 5 from “15th March” has been partially erased. Dimensions: 29 cm x 25 cm x 3 cm (11 ½” x 9 ¾” x 1 ¼”)Estimate: £1,500 - 2,500


245. Dalek Genesis Ark     †ΔDOCTOR WHO (TV SERIES, 2005 -)The Dalek Genesis Ark from the “Army of Ghosts” and “Doomsday” episodes of the revived BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who. The Genesis Ark was a Time Lord prison ship that, similar to the T.A.R.D.I.S., is bigger on the inside. It contained millions of Daleks, imprisoned after the Time War. After the Ark was seeneen briefly at the end of “Army of Ghosts”, Mickey (Noel Clarke) accidentally touched it during the events of “Doomsday”, resulting in the device activating and the Daleks pouring out. Based on the classic Dalek design, the Ark has a fibreglass shell with medium density fibreboard (MDF) struts inside for support. There are an array of small acrylic lights on the outside of the shell, as well as larger domed lights. Three sets of grates decorate each side, through which dry ice would have seeped out during shooting.A removable panel at the back of the Ark reveals a hollow interior containing wires and cables for the lights on the exterior of the body, with enough space for a person to operate the effects. A small handwritten note in ink on a piece of wood inside the Ark reads, “Lou Was Ere 05”. The Ark has some wear from production use and age. There is scuffing and scratching on the outside of the Ark and small patches where the paintwork has been damaged. Loose tape and piping hang down inside. Dimensions: 144 cm x 144 cm x 183 cm (56 ½” x 56 ½” x 72”) *Contains electronics; see electronics notice pg 508 *Special shipping required; see special shipping notice pg 508Estimate: £5,000 - 7,000

 

[exleo]

The K9 head and back plate are the original screen used pieces that were on the dummy lightweight K9 prop from 1977 onward, and continued to be used through to it's last appearance in 'K9 & Company' alongside Lis Sladen, hence the paint colour matching the prop during that one time tv special.
This head was always a distinquishable different shape from the hero prop with a far shorter muzzle section making the head appear squat. Although this was designed as the original head for the hero prop it had been constructed to measurements that were too small to hold the chunky mechanics required for the nose blaster and original tickertape tongue device, so the larger head was created in time for it's first screen appearance. This left the squat head to be used on the lightweight dummy prop for the actors to carry or for any stunts requiring K9 to be thrown, dropped or exploded.
The pieces remained a part of that dummy prop while in storage possibly under the care of Mike Tucker.

In 2006 the dummy prop was refurbished by Mike Tucker and the head and backplate removed to be replaced by more accurate pieces matching the original hero prop so they could be fitted with electronics, along with the body to play the battered K9 as seen in the 2006 episode 'School reunion'. The electronics in this version of the prop were more modern and far superior to the hero prop allowing for faster movement, the gun to tilt upward and the fast spinning motion as required in that episode.
Once 'destroyed' in the episodes narration, the version that the Doctor leaves with Sarah Jane as the Mk IV is of course the original hero prop from 1977.

 

[lofiscifi]

You saved me a job from writing that!

Here's the 'new' battered head on (what was originally) the 'dummy' prop's body...