Which console would be the best to start with?

[timey-wimey]

I was wondering, which console would be better for a first project? I was looking at the Five Doctors console, the 9th/10th Doctors' console, and the Lodger console. Thank you for your time!

[kiwidoc]

Jeepers, big question!   Each has their own challenges but I'd suggest that The Lodger console is the simpler in several ways and requires a lot less detail.   Someone else here started a Lodger build i'm sure, have a look around.

[timey-wimey]

Thanks! 

[galacticprobe]

...The Lodger console is the simpler in several ways and requires a lot less detail.   Someone else here started a Lodger build i'm sure, have a look around.

Found it: http://tardisbuilders.com/index.php?topic=2298.0. It's rocket's take on the alien (Silence?) console seen in "The Lodger" and again in "Day of the Moon".

Timey-wimey, take a browse through the http://tardisbuilders.com/index.php?board=7.0 for a few ideas. You don't necessarily have to build a replica of one of the consoles seen on-screen; you can build your own take on one of the consoles' themes, like rocket did, and also type55tardis (http://tardisbuilders.com/index.php?topic=2714.0), and even 13drwho's console (http://tardisbuilders.com/index.php?topic=3397.0).

Depending on your building skills (and budget), you could draw inspiration from builds like these (just to name a few), take a few aspects from several console from the series (Classic and New) and build your own rendition. If nothing else, do what a few of our members have done and build a console or two from cardboard box panels just to get the feel of how much room you have to work with and what will be involved with making and installing the controls. (Sort of how a seamstress testing out a newly-designed pattern uses inexpensive muslin to get the fit right before moving on to the more expensive fabrics to make an actual garment.) A few people have even liked their cardboard creations so much that they've kept them!

At the very least, testing things out in cardboard will leave you with patterns to follow for the panels, plinth parts, controls, etc., that you can use to mark things out in wood. (Cardboard is easier to cut and trim than wood is, and is far less expensive. Then once you've got the cardboard bits just right, just lay each piece down on a sheet of wood, transfer those lines into the wood and cut away!)

But as kiwidoc said, the console from "The Lodger" is the simplest as far as how it's made, so that could be a good starting point for you.

Dino.

[DoctorWho8]

Season 15-20 console structure is my suggestion.
Bill "the Doctor" Rudloff

[13drwho]

There is only one right answer, the one you're most passionate about. They are all difficult in their own way, so you need to pick one that you are obsessed enough about to push through the hard parts. I chose an original console with a 4th Doctor style. My reason was I wanted to have elements of them all.

Do the one you love most, even if it's original or an amalgamation.

[warped in storage]

I'd say that the easiest console to build would be the "Junk Console", from "The Doctor's Wife" episode.

[timey-wimey]

I think I might do a custom one with a bright green time rotor, and lots of the '80s style buttons and knobs.

[galacticprobe]

That sounds like it would be a very interesting console to see! Sounds like you've got a good idea going there.

Dino.

[13drwho]

That sounds cool. The time rotor was green in the 3rd Doctor era. The good thing about the classic consoles is that they are all nice strait lines. With the exception of the latest one the new series consoles are curvy which seems like it would be harder to do. They also have clear backlit panels which require a lot of work. Don't underestimate the flaws you can hide with grey paint.

I look forward to seeing your progress. I'm always glad to see more TARDIS consoles!!!

[timey-wimey]

Me too! I am thinking that if I decide to make a console from the newer series, it would be a pseudo-11th Doctor's 1st console, except for I would change it to fit my tastes. I started a cereal-box TARDIS yesterday. The only problem with this is that I will need to eat a lot of cereal to finish it.