The Greenlords custom TARDIS console and control room

[Greenlord]

thank you dino, and yes, 'reverse engineering'! as soon as I realised that each post would be posted on top of the last, i thought it best to make things flow smoothly.
admittedly started off interesting as i had to write everything bottom to top....

More good news, my mother decide she wanted a hat stand for our hallway -And guess which one she likes?
I'M GETTING A TARDIS HAT STAND!!! which i will be allowed to borrow during filming...  i am so happy, it may come on friday... i'll send a pick when it does.



The Greenlord

[Greenlord]

very pleased with the look so far... this is just the embellishments laid out, they're not attached or finished yet...

Spent a few hours today on embellishing my console. i've used packaging foam to build the triangles and pieces around the base. Glorious!

[galacticprobe]

You're in my head! Well, at least a little. One of my scribbles has my "Identity Crisis" console looking a little like this - at least the top part of it. (Not the column, just the from the bottom of the rim to the top of the console proper - minus the Gallifreyan writing. Still wondering what to do there.)

Even if this is just the test fitting stage, do you have any closer photos to post? This is such an interesting concept that I think a few of us would love to see it in more detail. She's looking great! Keep going!

Dino.

[The14thDr]

Wow! I love the Gallifreyan writing around the rim. Do you have any plans s or blueprints for the control layouts? Looking forward to more updates.

[Greenlord]

Why thank-you very much! i'll post some close up pictures and plans soon. although i know where i want many major controls, and a couple of others, i don't know for sure how the rest of the controls will be laid out, however, i do have a control plan.

I'm now three perspex panels, several controls, a time rotor, 9 internal walls, 3 doors, a false ceiling, a floor and most of the electrics away from being finished!   so quite a way to go   but buildings fun though and i don't want to rush it.

I'll also post a pic of how i want it to look eventually too.  

oh, and my handstand...

The Greenlord  

[Greenlord]

right, okay, so. it's been about a year and a half since i last updated , so i wouldn't be surprised if most people assumed i stopped building or something, so i'm sorry about that, but i'm very happy to say i haven't.  

for the past year and a half i have been super busy with exams, starting college and end of year shows and so have simply never found the time to update. however, i now i have a year and a half's worth of updates to post! my TARDIS has come quite along way since February 2015, but i'm gonna start by going back in time a little to a shot of each panel from very near the beginning. i'll probably be posting it in several updates over the next few hours....


And, the Mechanical Panel.




The Fabrications Panel:




The Communications panel:




The Diagnostic Panel:




The Navigations Panel:




The Helm:





those of you who know Matts original TARDIS well will recognise this panel layout, but it is to be adjusted as i add "responsibilities" to each panel such as power levels....

[Greenlord]

Right, now jumping a little ahead now to what my console looked like in march 2015:

You'll see i've cut circular holes in the white foam on the console underneath...






now, i know i just posted panel by panel photo's but i know realise these are brighter and clearer, so here they are....  at this stage i only acquired perspex for 3 panels, two from my mum and one from my brothers work...

The Helm: (unfortunately the two pieces my mum gave me were quite thin, and have both fractured and cracked when being attached... one the helm   )



Navigation: no perspex yet, but note my homemade helmic regulator on the right. from what i've been able to tell, and from discussions on here, the helmet regulator seems to be a time/space forward/back override, hence two levers for time and space, each able to move backwards or forwards.



Diagnostics: here you see i've been mucking about with behind the panels odds and ends... and my beautiful old mac book... ancient buts still operational, and i wanted to use it for the TARDIS because of its awesome swivel action...





Communications: added a modern office phone, but its big and bulky and looks a little tacky for a TARDIS...   also see the old fashioned fire alarm i acquired standing in as my distress signal send/recieve control.



fabrications: 4 central led switches... potentially to operate the 4 ends of a dematerialise circuit? which i plan on building at some point... obvious to see my home built 2010 style fabrication levers on the right (built a long time ago...)



and mechanical panel: again no perspex...   not really worth posting as nothings changed...

then, a stroke of luck! after a trip with my class staying on a farm i dug out some perspex in a out building and was allowed to keep it! 4 pieces and of excellent size and thickness... obviously i immediately cut them to size and stuck them on...

here and update pic of my navigations panel: those silver twin levers on the perspex will me my time and space coordinate locking levers, with mixed inspiration from the classic and 2013 consoles... the silver switches between them came from an old JCB digger... you'll also not the keyboard and of course, my custom atom accelerator...  



also, heres a pic of my updated diagnostics and communications panels: i've changed the phone but am still unhappy with it...
I've added 4 JCB digger gauges/dials, and hinges so that the panel can lift up...



oh, and i was naturally very excited when my hatstand arrived...

[Greenlord]

Now, here i started to get quite excited. in September 2015 i started construction my coral structure. i'd been through all sorts of designs, mostly resembling the 2010 ones, and finally settled on one. in my eyes these were what was going to change "shed" into "TARDIS". may shed is square, as has a double slanted roof. its just not a TARDIS. i wanted it symmetrical, and BASED ON SIX LIKE A TARDIS!!! to achieve this they had to comply with the confines of the shed, so each coral structure looks the same and fits the shed and converts 4 to 6.

here a pic of the first one in its early stages:



it took ages to work out the angles for the first ones, for it to taper correctly at the top towards the time rotor, and to get the curves right.

anyway, i then made 4 more of these in the same way.



after fitting those, i cut six holes in each. now you start to see the resemblance they take to the 2010 structures. i'm basing the coral roundels on the 2010 ones to, using clear piping and led strips for the lighting.



heres one near the back wall: in this pic you can see how i've had to shape it to the shed...



just to be sure it's clear, my walls are in the shape of a dodecagon, so there are 12 sides, every other one will be a coral structure, whilst the others house doors, shelves, seating and whatever other decorations i fancy...


CONSTRUCTING A DOOR:

there will be 2 symmetrical doors in my TARDIS leading to "corridors and rooms beyond" (not literally unfortunately...) their elongated hexagonal shape is based on Smiths 2013 doors from "Journey to the centre of the TARDIS" (i really wasn't fond of the corridors/dorrs seen in "the Doctors wife", they looked un-homely and not fitting with the console room...) anyway, heres the 1st one in construction:



you may also notice those two white columns either side of the coral structure -these are inspired by Capaldi's updated interior, with the lights inside the the support beams. When finished they'll be stuffed with bubble wrap and led strip lights that can change colour...   anyway, back to the door... originally the top half was the same length as the bottom half, but this looked silly, so i revised it to have the two points of the hexagon level with my elbows...



although they look a little coffin shaped, they look much better. i used think white card to create smoother edges, and make the door fit the slanting shed roof. gosh, all the materials packed in the corner...

another shot of the helm, this time to show off my beautiful new handbrake -also from an old JCB digger- i don't know what it's original purpose was, but it makes a fantastic TARDIS handbrake... it looks beautifully hold and feels great to pull...
after fixing it in place i also added a cable to it to give it extra stiffness... had to sacrifice the zig-zag plotter, but it was worth it...




this photo shows nicely how the (5 of 6) coral structures come together at the top. i'm planning on painting the spaces inbetween them black for a feeling of space, with wires and cables running up to the time rotor. you can also see the overhead unit i've constructed...



a view from outside:



everything coming together...



glimpse of my hatstand...



and a close up of the overhead unit which accepted the time rotor into the ceiling... now heres the time to mention that my TARDIS also has high sentimental value. i'm constantly incorporating memories into my console -parts from my one of my brothers drum kit, tractor parts from my oldest brothers beloved tractor... air controls from our old cars and parts from my childhood TARDIS build etc.

when i was about 8, i had the tenth doctors TARDIS console room playlet, and used to spend ages playing with it, and naturally through where and tear bits broke. i've not played with it for years, however, its highly sentimental, and i couldn't throw it away, so instead it now crowns my TARDIS time rotor as the overhead unit...



i used the base and added the white plate sections which also connects to the classic series... it has resemblance to the huge overhead hexagonal unit from the Hartnell/Troughton era (i forget the name... call myself a fan...)

now, for my birthday my bro bought me some red christmas lights for the console interior (the console lighting won't be red, it'll actually be more like Matts original, but there will be red too) and so naturally, i got over excited and snapped far too many pictures of the TARDIS with different kinds of lighting... and nearly got smoked out again by my excited younger brother... anyway, here they are...

from outside:



brighter lighting:



REEED. This is a good time to point out my playing around with my dads old childhood microscope... really want to have some kind of clamp that can hold things in place while they're being scanned in the centre of the diagnostics panel.



No lights. sick TARDIS. #Cloisterbell



low light...



I"M REGENERATING!!!!!!!!



in this one you can see i've been mucking about with the technical buzz behind the panels... for this i have secured white panels several inches underneath the perspex ones for all the cool circuitry and technology underneath...



After this i have one more update to make. i felt this whole update coming for ages, and the final push came when my little brother said "lets clear out you're TARDIS this morning and i was like okay, and we did, and then he was like now you have no excuse, TAKE PICTURES AND GO UPDATE TARDIS BUILDERS!!!

[BioDoctor900]

This is certainty coming along well and I really like the look of it, I can feel the Matt Smith vibe from it and I look forward to seeing more progress

Keep up the good work

BioDoctor900

[Greenlord]

thank you biodoctor900! much appreciated i would have replied much sooner had i not been adding reams to my update! and still have a little more to come! 

[Greenlord]

So here it is!!! last leg of the huge update! this takes it right up to present day, and i will do my best from now on to update on a regular basis, and spend more time on this creativity saturated forum! for the past year and a half i only seem to have had tie to "drop in" on builds seeing how they're going but not provide encouragement or ideas... hopefully that changes now.

Anyway, lets start with my early stages fabrication dispenser!



this is the shiny new fabrications panel (as i mentioned before, it was constructed from thin perspex and fractured, so has been replaced...) also, the twin levers on it before were... well... pathetic.


snap of my lovely custom built TARDIS mini sofa! i cut up one of our old sofa's and a bed and created this... one of my brothers was highly fond of that sofa, and so is very pleased... also note my car battery power supply in the bottom right corner, and above the sofa the display shelf i'm creating...



also build my other door, which mirrors the other one...



another shot of the sofa, this time focusing on the display shelf, now fitting the ceiling nicely...



shot of the mechanical panel i finally started... the huge cog in the centre is off of a Fendt tractor, a tiny chip in one of the teeth and it's useless, so my brother gave it to me  . the double chrome light switches on the right are my door locking switches. on the left you may notice the circular assembly -this is the beginnings of my Smith/Capaldi style handbrake lever (though what it'll do on my TARDIS i don't know yet as i already have a beautiful handbrake...) you may notice the whole panel is very much like the 2013 onwards console, and indeed i plane to put mechanical elements such as cogs and belts behind the circle of perspex...



not much has changed with the helm -except i removed this irritating mini toggle switches. personally, i love toggle switches, they are great, hugely satisfying to flick but the mini ones irritate me greatly unless they are on a small device... i just think why aren't you bigger though?
instead, at the top of the panel i have the gear levers of a 50 year old Fordson Super Dexter tractor. one of my brothers pride and joys currently under restoration...



Don't think much has changed with the navigations panel, but just incase here it is in its most up to date form...



the diagnostics panel now has that silver ring with an extra layer of perspex... a later picture will reveal what that's for...



communications hasn't changed much either... just playing about with some dial from an almost retro audio board... their will be a plasma globe installed in the lower right corner of the panel acting as the telepathic circuits direct link...



once again we see my fabricational dispenser, made from a large bearing from, would you believe it another tractor. also see the 6 sliders in the bottom centre. the two red ones are for shields. oh yeah, the fabrications panel is now also in charge of power...



just a general shot of the coral structures and door... because why not...

unnamed-53.jpg

now, although this is has been here for ages, i've not really posted a good picture of the underside of the diagnostics panel. its a sort of updated fluid link incorporating cooling systems, though i'm going to build a classic fluid link as well. you can also see the fluid pump passes right through the console.



TARDIS sofa all clean and spic and span...



another shot of the shelf, this time revealing its true purpose. this shelf will be used to display the sonic screwdrivers of the first 13 doctors (including the war doctor) as this represents the natural lifespan of a Timelord.



sneak peeks seen in some photographs, but revealed properly on here, the TARDIS chair. it made up of an old computer chair and ride on lawn mower seat. sidetone its really, really comfortable. backrest and height adjustable...



this show shows the only corner missing a coral structure. as well as this, i'm going to add a desk with a screen and a blackboard. i really want to move the door so it's central, but i'll probe need my brothers help and i still owe him for the shed... you also get a glimpse of the mess i made outside whilst clearing out -somehow i fitted many times what you glimpse in that pic into my shed... coughTARDIScough. the clear out was so thorough i even hoovered...



the hexagon with the overhead unit...



the lighter wood in the picture below is a support beam, and although they're irritating i'm disguising them with wood with circular holes in it.



View of the back wall. This is actually laminated flooring panels. the above section is to be a large hexagonal sort of circuit structure incorporating roundels... at the top of the image you can see the other support beam "passing through" this panel. eventually, in the far future i'll add a back panel full of led toggle switches and panel switches and duck bell switches because i luuuuv switches. SWITCHES!!! yum.



another outside shot. in this you can see the large hexagon i've constructed round the overhead unit, another step in disguising the shediness...



this is the widest shot i can get of the room with the camera i was using. its taken from the only corner missing a coral structure... and my work desk i'll be building at some point.



what is it with this guy and posing repetitive pictures!? i hear you ask, well, yes, its another pic of the diagnostics panel, but here is revealed the use of the metal ring. way better than any kind of clamp, a broken snare drum stand! i can loosen and tighten the legs of the stand to hold large and small objects to be scanned. it's also hollow, so i'm going to insert a blue led as the scan light...



and here's a close up of it holding a vile of some chemical...




Now for some reference close ups...


close up of Eccleston/Tennant demat style lever... i am aware that the lever is on the wrong side, but there not much i can do due to the position of the two buttons...



close up of my custom atom accelerator... its larger, and consists of a small silver ball surrounded by a larger clear one.



another closer shot of the fabricational dispenser:



My fabrications lever... may have to be replaced despite its sentimental value... its just so scruffy... thoughts?



start of 2013 handbrake style lever... the lights will come on as the lever passes over them in the style of the 2010 demote lever, from red, over amber to what will be green.



drum pedal (like the 2010 console) would you believe it off my brothers drum kit...



Gallifreyan text scrawled over perspex... 2010 console again... this will be done on all 6 panels eventually.



this is a car wing mirror. originally my handbrake, it now sits below my console as my siege lever (very different from, but with the same function as the one seen in "Flatline")



and throw in a nice shot up the navigations panel for good luck:



BACK WALL ROUNDELS:

this is my roundel template (excuse the half eaten chocolate croissant was doing this over breakfast...)



and cut out... appear to have finished my croissant



section one folded and drying...



second section folded, glued on and drying... didn't have any clamps cause am low tech, so i just used pegs...



fitting a couple of them into my back panel...
i discover they looked great bothe ways round, so have decided that three of the six will be.



close up... can see the thin wood strip details i creating... just need to come up with a colour scheme...



and thats it for now. please feel free to tell me what you think, and give any ideas. its quite far along, i know, but theres a long way to go yet... what will i do next? i guess whatever i feel like. that's usually how it works. but whatever it is, i'll find time to post it on here.

cheers,

the Greenlord

[galacticprobe]

Good suffering Jehoshaphat, Greenlord!   Send me into sensory overload, why don't you?! (Oh... wait... you just did! ) That was one hell of an update! Amazing! The console, walls, everything! (Do you want to pop over and redecorate my house for me?)

This one certainly gets some serious

from me! Well done!

Dino.

[Greenlord]

Cheers Dino    took up most of my afternoon and evening to collect, organise and post the pics, your senses are safe for now!  XD
Just send me you time/space coordinates and i'll be round for redocorating 5 minutes ago...   

[russellsuthern]

Wow!!

You have put a TON of work on this & it really shows!
It looks fantastic & I'm very jealous!!

Can't wait to see your continued progress.

Russell

[Greenlord]

Thanks Russell,  appreciate the recognition, (not everyone can see the work gone into some things) i'll try keep the updates flowing