The Jade Console - custom console build

[Volpone]

"Good artists copy.  *Great* artists *steal*."
-Pablo Picasso.

[Andrew Harvey]

"Good artists copy.  *Great* artists *steal*."
-Pablo Picasso.

  Another one is 'An Artist takes what he needs. Who cares?' Kenneth Clark -Civilizations. 1979?

[alexcutler]

I agree with the sentiment.

But then God created Lawyers...

[Andrew Harvey]

I agree with the sentiment.

But then God created Lawyers...

   You have to wonder why? Could'nt he have been better employed at building Tardis'?

[alexcutler]

Yes - but there has to be balance... apparently.

[Andrew Harvey]

Just going through all this thread Jade, and I feel I should apologize for joining in on the quotes without actually commenting on the your build. So there, you have my apology. I love the ice cube moulds, and all the other gubbins you have collected for this Console. Like you, I am a reluctant when it comes to dismantling things which still work, but I think that amp would be great for bits.
  The other thing I wish to say is that I also reckon red to be an excellent choice of colour. As Russell said; it would certainly stand out! I have a picture somewhere of a red console. ( god knows where it was from...) I thought it looked great. Like Russell, I too am old school in my tastes, but I do love a good divergence now and again. And you can always paint the thing a different colour when you grow tired of it! I wonder how a green one would look?

  Love the shoes in the early pictures too!

  I look forward with interest to see how this build progresses!

  Andrew

[Jade]

Thanks Andrew

I've found one of the problems I had since starting this project is trying to decide between aesthetic and functional. The later Tom Baker console seems to be a good example of this. I've lots of bits and pieces that would look cool but would actually do anything. Then when you start to look into using actual buttons and Arduino boards you start adding cost on. I think this might be a console that will evolve over time. Cardinal Hordriss console on here is a great example of this.

Yeah I saw a photo of a red console somewhere (or it may have been the lighting affecting a wooden console) but it just gave me an idea of this red, chunky metal console. However the controls may not stand out as much. I did also consider green given the name but I'm unsure how this might affect any photos done using my green screen.

[Andrew Harvey]

Hello again Jade,
  One thing I always think is worth bearing in mind is the Tardis is a product of a distant advanced civilization, and therefore, you can have all sorts of things on a console which dont do anything at all except look good! I always remember seeing the new Console when it was Peter Davison as Doctor Who and thinking there were far too many buttons and it looked too 'man-made' or 'Earth Tech' The Tom Baker one was always my favourite, especially the Planet of Evil one. and as we only got to see it briefly occasionally it was hard to pin down in ones minds eye. but having said that I love the first one too, And that does have a lot of the 'man-made' on it! still, it is good to have a jumble of things from different 'times' past and future....Otherwise it can become 'uniform' and boring.

  A trick in painting miniature faces (and portraiture too for that matter) is to outline the eyes with a darker shade of what ever colour you are using for the face. Women do it with eye liner all the time. It pulls the observers eye into that area. A picture in a pale frame will often go unnoticed. But put one in a dark frame and it leaps out to the eye. So all in all, the red could still be a good colour to show off all the details you add. Magicians, butlers (and The Master) all wear black so you notice the face and hands more...
  Silver against red works well.

  Doctor Who is forever blowing things up on his console and I am sure that 'evolving over time' is a great thing to do. ( I have several models and pictures which I am forever tweaking to get right, then starting again or adding and removing elements....)(Did someone say elephants?)
  I know nothing what-so-ever about using green screen, although I would love to have a go, but I imagine that using a different shade of green to that of the screen would work alright. Think of all the scenery they do in films where they have trees and grass etc against a green screen...

  I hope these thoughts may be of some use or inspiration!
  All the best,
    Andrew

[Volpone]

If I ever get around to building a console, I want to do it like a computer component rack and have panels and modules that can be inserted and held in place with those little thumb-screws.  That way I can upgrade and reconfigure--and it should look kind of neat too.  (Of course if I do ever get around to building one it is also just as likely that I'll look at it and decide thumb-screws look stupid or are a pain in the butt.) 

[Andrew Harvey]

If I ever get around to building a console, I want to do it like a computer component rack and have panels and modules that can be inserted and held in place with those little thumb-screws.  That way I can upgrade and reconfigure--and it should look kind of neat too.  (Of course if I do ever get around to building one it is also just as likely that I'll look at it and decide thumb-screws look stupid or are a pain in the butt.) 

  A sort of 'Modular' console. That's a good idea. I do a similar thing with some of the diorama scenery I make so that it can be used for lots of different pictures.

[Jade]

If I ever get around to building a console, I want to do it like a computer component rack and have panels and modules that can be inserted and held in place with those little thumb-screws.  That way I can upgrade and reconfigure--and it should look kind of neat too.  (Of course if I do ever get around to building one it is also just as likely that I'll look at it and decide thumb-screws look stupid or are a pain in the butt.) 

My plan is to make the console so i can easily be taken apart. That way I can replace panels if I want to.

[Jade]

So have started to put the base together. It's looking rather rough at the moment, and I have a few adjustments to do but hopefully will work out. I've also realised a problem with how I was going to do the top part, so I need to rethink a couple of things.



On a plus side, by accident, a colleague knocked a 110mm triple branch piece off a top shelf resulting in it being damaged so managed to take two of the end pieces off before binning it. Hopefully I can use them to make some meters like the ones on the first console.

[Jade]

So, after a few setbacks involving hole saws and drills I haven't had chance to do my meters yet. I've gone as far as I can with the base until I've worked out how to do the top of it and get the materials.

So in the meantime, finished off a little project involving a iPad that I found a couple of years ago.



The iPad plays a short video of a computer graphic so at least it's a moving screen. It'll probably go on my Dianostic panel.

By a happy accident I originally sprayed the frame Crome, so had to respray it black.



I had been trying to decide whether to do the instruments on the console Crome or black and against the colour of the console I think the black stands out better. Now i can at least get on a spray my cam link.

[Jade]

So, after a while got some progress made.



In fact, five of the pieces I had sanded, painted and fixed within two days. Then it took me almost two weeks to be able to get the last one done. But at last, now it's starting to look a bit more like a console to me.

Th next step is to put an inner section around, probably using the same size wood I've used on the outer and close the gap in the middle a bit. Then constructing a flat surface onto which will then hide much of how out of shape the bottom is.

[Andrew Harvey]

Looking good! There are some interesting details on the upright just out of sight; what have you got going on there?
  It occurs to me you might need a larger room!
  Right on,
   Andrew