Time Monster Console Room

[d33j r093r5]

Hey Dino, thanks for the images and the links. The seam is glaringly obvious once you're looking for it. Mine will only have a seam around the top and, hopefully, it won't be too visible. 

steve757, I'm not going to worry about LED's or such for the console; for THIS console anyway, maybe on the next, MkIV Console I'm working on. I'm going to stick with finishing the Rotor and the frosted wall backing and then move on...  Also, good luck with the 2013 build, I look forward to seeing it. Post up the link to it when you get started on the build diary... 

[d33j r093r5]

What do you call it when you type a lot of stuff into a forum, with some picture links, have to go away to attend to something else, but you REMEMBER to save the draft before you leave the room, however your Internet connection drops out while it's saving, and so doesn't save it? I'm going to call it rotten luck and move on...  

To summarise, the last week to 2 weeks has been mostly uneventful week in terms of my TARDIS build. Mostly I've been collecting bits or waiting for them to arrive. I collected my 40mm OD Acrylic Tube along with some 2mm Acylic offcut and 0.25mm clear PVC sheet from a local supplier. The PVC sheet was 1000mm x 700mm, but only cost about $3. I was warned it had a slightly bluish tint, but you can barely notice it. The 2mm Acrylic was about 200 x 250mm, and was only a couple of dollars as well. The Tube was about $30 by comparison, and 2m long. I'll have lots to spare! But it's good, for when I make my next console. *smacks face repeatedly*...

Obligatory pics...












I cut a rough piece from the tube with a hack-saw...







... it occurred to me that I was holding a Time-Rotor for a TARDIS in my hand once I got to this stage. It was an exciting moment, so I HAD to pop it into the console. And then take a picture of it...    After that, I cut it closer and more accurately with a dremel tool and cutting disc, then sanded it to finished size...






I had a REALLY good idea about cutting out the discs that would form the cover of the Rotor. 44mm and 41mm diameter Hole-saws have internal diameters of a little over 40mm and 36mm respectively. They would fit (almost) the diameters of the tube...



... backtracking a little, I had what SEEMED like a really good idea about cutting out the discs that would form the cover of the Rotor. Unfortunately, there was no way to hold the drill steady enough  to get a good bite on the plastic and cut a clean piece out of it. Nor was there a way to amply clamp it. I even attempted using a drill press. All I did was badly scratch sections of the plastic...   The good bit of news is the place I used to work will cut the pieces I need out for me using a water-cutter. I'll need to sand the edges back afterwards as it leaves a frosted-glass-like appearance on the edge, but that won't be an issue. Just need to wait to get them back now...

My EL Wire arrived from the U.S. a few days ago, along with the inverters required to help power them...







... and just today the coloured acrylic tubes arrived from the U.K. ...



... and I think they look absolutely smashing! They're going to do the job very nicely I think...


So, having pretty much all the bits, I started printing again:





This is the main Mount that the tubes will be slotted into. It also forms part of the main base of the Rotor. The holes in the bottom are to allow the EL Wire to be pushed through.


I've also found the motor I will be using to drive the Rotor. It's basically a clock motor and gearbox. Almost no torque (which is fine), but it's tiny, and the revs are very low, which is what's needed...



I know it looks big, but that's just the housing, the motor inside is quite petite. Once I dismantle the housing I'll post pics.

That's it for the moment. Will update again soon.

D.

[galacticprobe]

Hey Dino, thanks for the images and the links. The seam is glaringly obvious once you're looking for it. Mine will only have a seam around the top and, hopefully, it won't be too visible.  

You're quite welcome, D. That side seam was more visible in the Pertwee era: not sure why. Sometimes it wasn't all that visible, either: again not sure why. I guess it was just what they used to bolt the two halves together at the time - a dark strip of metal, a light one, or sometimes even a strip of clear perspex.

If you wanted to have a seam on your model, you could always paint it on; that shouldn't be too much trouble with some masking tape to block off the width of the join, and then running a line of paint between the strips of tape to create that "false" seam. Or you could even use a bit of that pin-striping tape for detailing cars. At the scale you're working with, that pin-striping tape would be great as it comes in different colors and widths, so you could pick the one that fits your scale the best, in the right shade of grey/silver like in that "Time Monster" image.

It's a couple of ideas to think about. I guess it all depends on how screen accurate you're striving for, or if you're looking for a more "professional" approach - as in if 'Doctor Who' had the budget back then to get a proper, one-piece perspex rotor cover extruded. Either way, I hope I've helped a little.

Dino.

[d33j r093r5]

Thanks Dino, everything you add is helpful!  The more info I have the better I can potentially make the model.

[d33j r093r5]

From doing little to nothing on this for almost 2 weeks, the last 18-20 hours have been VERY productive... Lets start with the printed bits...







... The Base of the Time Rotor. The Mount and clear Acrylic Tube sit directly on top of this. Holes in the bottom for the El Wire, and there are rings and edges printed on there for locating everything...







... This is the top of the of the Rotor. It inserts into the coloured Acrylic Tubes and helps locate and centralise everything. It's also the termination point for the El Wire.







... All the pieces currently available, with 4 pieces of green and red acrylic tube cut to length. All that's missing are the pieces that make up the Cover for the entire Rotor...





... Acrylic tubes mounted in the... errr... mount   ...







... with the top and base...





... and inside the upside down, plastic, transparent "Laundry Basket"... I don't know, just something that Jon Culshaw said once   ...











... and finally, at home inside the console!  


Ok, so, this is essentially the homeward slope for the console. Now, just to light it and motorise it...  

D.

[galacticprobe]

That looks really nice! (Can the rotor cover still come off? I'm only asking because I noticed one little detail with the black base of the rotor... the very top surface of it, where the colored tubes attach, was actually mirrored on the real prop. This can be replicated with some silver paint depending on how accurate you want to be with it. In all honesty, though, I don't think anyone will notice that bit is black unless you point it out to them, so if you're happy with the way it is, then that's all that matters because it looks amazing!)

Dino.

[d33j r093r5]

One of the things I designed into this console is that nothing needs to actually be glued or fixed permanently in place; it all more or less slots and slides together. I have the option to glue it all after I've finished assembling if I choose, but once that's done my options become rather limited. So, yes, currently everything can still come apart, quite easily too. Again, I hadn't noticed the reflective surface on the original console mount. I know that glass and mirrors are used frequently in design work to give the illusion of space or depth. My guess is that would have been the case for the lighted column in the centre, effectively doubling the light distance, and increasing the brightness overall. It particularly would have mattered in close up shots of the column. I'm of 2 minds about it for my model. Firstly, it WOULD add an extra depth perspective for the column, but I wonder if at this scale it wouldn't just look a bit tacky...? That, and almost ALL the views of this console will be from above because of the scale. You'd always have a direct reflection of the column and/or the sky/ceiling. Maybe that's a good thing?...

Just so we're on the same page, I'm thinking about something ACTUALLY reflective, not just silver paint. Silver paint might actually work a treat...! It would certainly be the easiest to do, I have the silver paint marker which I could use.... hmmmm... I'll get back to you on this...  Thanks yet again Dino!   

[d33j r093r5]

I've been trying for a few days to get 3 usable bits of EL Wire for the Column of the Time Rotor. In theory it's relatively easy to strip back EL Wire to expose the bits you need to make a connection. In theory. Fact is, unless you have tools SPECIFICALLY for stripping back the various layers, it's actually quite difficult. Relatively speaking of course...



... this is an image I borrowed from a site called I-don't-remember-where-I-got-it from   It's pretty rough, but it shows pretty accurately what EL Wire looks like up close. And it also shows what you need to expose in order to connect it. Stripping off the plastic sheath takes a little finesse, but I'm very used to stripping back the sheath on CAT5 cable to expose the wires on those. The tricky bits are that phosphor coating and the fine conductors (called "Angel-Wires"... for good reason! They're finer than the finest hairs on your wrist! Assuming of course that you're not particularly hairy   ...) Almost inevitably, those Angel-Wires would trim off, even when being extraordinarily careful. And the phosphor coating, which should strip off with the finest setting on a set of cable strippers, doesn't strip off so easily. You end up pulling the whole interior inside the plastic sheath out further than you want it. Finally I used a razor blade to scrape it off, rather than strip it back. And I only finally managed to save the Angel-Wires by making small incisions in the sheath, then pulling it over the top to expose the interior. However, what the diagram does NOT show, is that there is ANOTHER, thinner plastic sheath inside the larger... ARRRRRGGGHHHH...!!!!

After much trimming and cursing, I finally got a few usable bits of EL Wire. Good thing too, I almost went through the whole loop!...



3 bits, plus a spare. Now, to connecting...

Again, after much cursing, burnt fingers and a few shocks (the EL Wire runs on AC, through an Inverter. I know HOW it works, but I'm no electrician...) I put it aside and decided to tackle it fresh at a later time...

Pottered around for a few days, avoiding returning to my little Electrical problem as I couldn't think my way around it. A couple of days ago, I decided to tackle the frosted wall-backings. It was something I planned to do from the start, and there was really nothing stopping me so... besides, I was getting bored!

I started by disassembling a wall section, the Main Door Wall to start with, laying it flat on the plastic material I was using for the backing, and traced around it. That makes it sound really simple and painless. It wasn't! Mainly because the back-side of my walls are smooth from the glass printer-bed, and the plastic material for the frosted backing has a very low friction coefficient. Oh, it FEELS kind of rough to the touch, but lean on it with a smooth object and it slips and slides all over the place! I'm thinking that the surface profile, up close, probably looks like a cross section of those foot-massaging sandles; a large surface with not really much gripping surface area. So trace in this case is a very relative term. Rough outline would be better, but that still doesn't do justice to the mess I made!

Anyway, once done "tracing" I used scissors to carefully go around the edge... Mmmm, yeah, we'll leave it at that...  

After I had the piece, I thought about it a little better, and decided that what I REALLY wanted was a separate piece for each individual piece of a section of wall. Doing whole sections of wall in one piece meant that, if I ever wanted to disassemble the wall, I'd have a hell of a time removing it from the backing, especially as I planned to glue them... I'll come back to that...

I used my fine marker to carefully mark where the joins would be (see above   ) and then attacked it with the scissors again. Despite my best efforts, it actually worked rather well! I also needed to put glue in spots where there wouldn't be backing visible through the roundels, so I used the marker again to highlight position I would put the glue, again while it was against the back of the wall sections. I wasn't using anything special for glue either, just a school glue-stick I borrowed from my son. I figure it wasn't going to see any stresses, it could be easily removed if necessary, it was easily applied without making a mess etc etc... cut a long story short, it actually worked rather well...



... the fully assembled wall, with the backing attached. hose hexagonal black lines mark where I was to put the glue. Kind of apt for the TARDIS, and perhaps another idea for a future build... hmmmm... this is the back, so you can't see it from the front... I'll come back to THAT...






... images showing where the joins between sections are. Means I can pull the wall apart and put it back together again with reasonable impunity   ...



... anyway, you get the idea...

As this was the Main Door Wall, I turned my attention next to the Main Doors. I figured that there HAD to be an easier way than to trace the outside again. Should I glue it down first? No, that'll make it harder afterwards!...

It's moments like this when serendipity strikes and everything falls into place just nicely. I had a brainwave: what if I blu-tacked it down first? It'll be easy to remove afterwards, and it won't slip! Great! So I applied a small amount to a few strategic spots. It held brilliantly. Funnily enough, it was holding a lot flatter to the surface than I had anticipated too! Maybe I should just blu-tack them to the walls. If I'm doing that why remove them after at all....... BINGO! I grabbed my Stanley knife instead of the marker pen and, with the door blu-tacked to the plastic sheet, trace-cut around the contours. Worked like a charm! 2 birds with one stone (not that I'd ever do that), a lot neater job than the first attempt (I'd even go as far to say as almost perfect!) and saved a lot of time, energy and material to boot!. Also makes removing the backing easier, if it ever comes to that... Winning!...




... the doors from the front...



... and the rear. Those dark spots are the blu-tack... obviously...



... close-up of the edges, as trace-cut with the Stanley knife. Very neat! No need for tracing, no ugly black marker lines... I'm stoked with this result. You can also see how flat the backing is sitting to the door as well, which I didn't expect to have from using blu-tack...



... the finished wall and doors. Also a good shot showing the effect of the frosted plastic as well in letting diffused light through, but not the background detail, which is what I was aiming for...


So, to take you through the steps:



1) Wall section and plastic backing.




2) Apply blu-tack strategically around the back of the wall section. Don't need a lot, and only apply thinly.




3) Press the wall section down onto the plastic backing. Push fairly firmly to squish the blu-tack almost flat and to get a good adhesion. Also, wiggle it slightly as you're squishing; helps grab a bigger surface area of both faces to the blu-tack. Once you;re sure of a tight grip, get a Stanley knife (or whatever equivalent you use in your country. In Australia we call them Stanley's, but I'm sure I've heard a variety of names for them like Safety Knife, of Box-Cutter Knife etc.) and trace the contour with it, pressing hard enough to pierce the plastic, as close to the wall as possible. I didn't have anything professional to lean on when doing this, so I used a large art-pad as my cutting board! When you turn it over, you should see something like this:



...you can see the cut edge on the far left. Trust me, it's a lot closer to the edge than it looks...



... you see what I mean...




4) The finished piece! Ta-dah!   ...





... just what the Doctor ordered... well... one of his fans at any rate...




... two finished sections...




... looks good... ummm, I might need proper backing and lighting now...   maybe I'll save that for a later project...




... or, maybe not! Just the right light and camera angle...




... all done. Pity about the yellow walls. Will have to find this room a new home to get the proper effect...


Anyway, now to re-dress the electrics... ugh... Will get back to you with an update once I have one...

D.

[tony farrell]

It's amazing how effective those translucent backings look - and such a simple way of achieving it!

Good luck with the electrics!

T

[d33j r093r5]

Thanks Tony, I'm really happy with the way it's turned out too. Actually, a lot of things I'm attempting on this build seem to have just fallen into place quite nicely; in all honesty I was expecting a much steeper learning curve. Much of what I've done I've never attempted before, and did precious little research to boot, the wall backings being a prime example. I almost feel I can't take credit for it it was such a crazy simple solution in the end. Either way, I'm glad it worked, and I hope it helps others with their builds in the future.

D.

[galacticprobe]

Bloody hell, D.! When you post an update, you really post an update! I have to agree with Tony on this. Amazing job! Having to work with that EL wire sounds a lot like what we had to go through when working with fibre optic cables when I was in the military - which is why I never worked with fiber optic cables; I left that to the guys that were gluttons for punishment.

Your diffusing idea for the roundels' backing/lighting is genius, and economical, and even has some texture like I think the originals had. Brilliant! All you need to solve your roundel lighting issue is some white foam board to stand behind the walls you've built, and then some of those small white LED strips to run between the walls and foam board, and VOILA! White light roundels! It's how they lit the 2005 console room set, and probably similar to how they lit the original "Time Monster" set; only for "Time Monster" they probably just shone spot lights on the backs of the walls, with no white backing behind the spots. With a white foam board behind your walls it will reflect the white LEDs and give you some nice bright roundels lights. Or you could use any color LEDs, like if you want to use yellow or red to simulate low or emergency power.

I love this build and watching it grow (and coming from someone that never liked this version of the console room is really saying something about your modelling abilities and attention to detail!).

Bravo! (And I hope we'll see more of your work once you've finished off this build. Oh, and I'd say find another figure of Jon Pertwee and paint his jacket burgundy to really complete the look.)

Dino.

[d33j r093r5]

Lol Dino, I do tend to update in spurts, don't I? And thanks again for the kind words, I am glad everyone is enjoying the build as much as I am in making it. The light-box/thingy/concept/idea could take a variety of shapes and all work as well as each other. I tend towards the lazy, easy assemble/disassemble approach, so when I have a simple idea for how to do it without too much effort, I probably will!     some good ideas there there from you Dino, I might try one of those...

I did consider getting another Jon and painting his jacket as you suggest. I don't know though, I tend to be a stickler for the way those figures come out of the box! Nothing wrong with doing custom jobbies on them, have seen some INCREDIBLE work by some people more talented than I. It's a toss-up for me I guess, I'm kind of on the fence about it. At the moment I'm not feeling an overwhelming urge to do it, but that may change.

I AM probably making more of a mountain out of the EL Wire thingy than I should. I don't think it's as complex as fibre-optics, but I could be wrong about that. It's supposed to be simple, even for non-sparkies like me. I guess I just don't have a lot of talent in that area. My brother is the electronics engineer, I'm seriously considering letting him do it for me, it'll take him all of 10-20 minutes if I know life. It's one of those things where I was hoping to finish the whole thing on my own without help. Might just have to stand on my pride and ask...  

Thanks again everyone for all the nice things you keep saying, and the positive encouragement. It makes me want to do more...! So, yes Dino, I'm fairly certain you will see more of my work

D.

[galacticprobe]

Lol Dino, I do tend to update in spurts, don't I? And thanks again for the kind words,

You're more than welcome, D. And whether in spurts or in short updates, all is welcome.

I am glad everyone is enjoying the build as much as I am in making it. The light-box/thingy/concept/idea could take a variety of shapes and all work as well as each other. I tend towards the lazy, easy assemble/disassemble approach, so when I have a simple idea for how to do it without too much effort, I probably will!     some good ideas there there from you Dino, I might try one of those...

Now I can't wait to see which method works for you. Well, maybe I can wait - a little - until the next update.

I did consider getting another Jon and painting his jacket as you suggest. I don't know though, I tend to be a stickler for the way those figures come out of the box! Nothing wrong with doing custom jobbies on them, have seen some INCREDIBLE work by some people more talented than I. It's a toss-up for me I guess, I'm kind of on the fence about it. At the moment I'm not feeling an overwhelming urge to do it, but that may change.

I know what you mean. Years back when I got my son the ST: TNG Worf figure he'd been wanting, all we could find was the gold uniform version, and he really liked the Season 1 red uniform Worf. So I was tempted to get another and paint it, but had that same feeling about changing something out of the box. Thankfully as I pulled another gold Worf off the rack, behind it - waaaaay in the back - was a red uniform Worf! (Judging from the dust on the package it had been there for a while. Lucked out on that one.) Maybe one day you'll stumble across a burgundy jacket Pertwee.

I AM probably making more of a mountain out of the EL Wire thingy than I should. I don't think it's as complex as fibre-optics, but I could be wrong about that.

Probably not, but from the looks and what you described, it sounds pretty close. Although, you're not splicing the sections together, which is nice. Splicing fiber optics takes a microscope and a special alignment tool. If you're off more than 1/8th of a millimeter, your signals won't get through. (And that's why I left it to those gluttons for punishment!)

It's supposed to be simple, even for non-sparkies like me.

Actually, in military (at least Nautical like I was) speak, "Sparkies" were Radiomen. (That's why on the old Irwin Allen TV series 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea', they always called the radio operator "Sparks".) Electronics Techs, like me, are called "Twidgets" or "Squirrels" because we're always "twidgeting" on something to tweak the alignment, of climbing the mast to get at the radar or other antennas up there. (Personally, I always preferred "Twidget".)

I guess I just don't have a lot of talent in that area. My brother is the electronics engineer, I'm seriously considering letting him do it for me, it'll take him all of 10-20 minutes if I know life. It's one of those things where I was hoping to finish the whole thing on my own without help. Might just have to stand on my pride and ask...  

Remember, Grasshopper, there is no shame in asking for help when one is reaching beyond one's capabilities or abilities, and there is another nearby with the experience to handle the task.

Thanks again everyone for all the nice things you keep saying, and the positive encouragement. It makes me want to do more...! So, yes Dino, I'm fairly certain you will see more of my work

I'm already looking forward to it!

Dino.

[d33j r093r5]

I think I've heard of radio-men being referred to as "Sparkies" before, but in everyday Aussie slang, it refers to an electrician, or anyone foolhardy enough to play with anything that can zap you!  

Actually, I remembered that I do have a Jon Pertwee in a red jacket...



... although, he's not in the 5" range, and would look a bit small and lost in this console room. I have a few figures from the old Dapol range, started collecting them just before CO announced they would be producing Classic Who figures. I got hold of a Delgado Master, this Pertwee and an Ace. I stopped after that, didn't feel the need to continue as I was more interested in the 5" stuff, which was of such high quality and detail, and I only grabbed the Dapol stuff to round out the collection... aaaaaaanyway...

Might be a while before the next update... things have kind of stagnated as I've done all I can for the moment. My brother has agreed to help me out, but it's going to be a couple of weeks before that happens. Maybe I'll get bored and try again before then...

D.

[galacticprobe]

I think I've heard of radio-men being referred to as "Sparkies" before, but in everyday Aussie slang, it refers to an electrician, or anyone foolhardy enough to play with anything that can zap you!  

Yup... that would be me. I've taken so many hits during my 31 years as an electronics tech (2 in civilian life, 29 in the military) that I'm practically a walking battery! (Remember that scene in "Down Periscope" when Commander Dodge comments on his electrician as they're getting their sub ready: "That boy's absorbed a lot of voltage." Well, I might have been in electronics rather than an electrician, but a lot of people I worked with used to compare me to him!)

Actually, I remembered that I do have a Jon Pertwee in a red jacket...

.. although, he's not in the 5" range, and would look a bit small and lost in this console room.

For photographic purposes, if you placed him just right, with the camera's focus set to "Infinity", from the right angle you could make him look like he's the right size. I remember reading somewhere that when the "Doctor Who Devious" was starting their production, they didn't have a full-size console, so they used a small one, but filmed things in such a way that it made the console look full-sized. (They finally got a full-sized console, but sadly never finished their production. What they did finish is I believe part of the 2nd Doctor story "The War Games" DVD as one of the Special Features.)

I have a few figures from the old Dapol range, started collecting them just before CO announced they would be producing Classic Who figures. I got hold of a Delgado Master, this Pertwee and an Ace. I stopped after that, didn't feel the need to continue as I was more interested in the 5" stuff, which was of such high quality and detail, and I only grabbed the Dapol stuff to round out the collection...

Ah... the old Dapol! I think the only thing I ever got from them was a white Dalek with gold hemis and trim - which I've still got sealed in the original package. Not that I'm one of those "Must... keep... mint in box... condition... or die"; I just never got around to opening it. Military life got in the way, and with all of the moves I even forgot that I had that Dalek until I unearthed it a few years ago. I just figured why bother opening it now? I've got an acid bubble bath Blue New Kitchen Aide Paradigm Dalek to play with! (Seriously, don't use that stuff for a bubble bath!)

aaaaaaanyway...

Might be a while before the next update... things have kind of stagnated as I've done all I can for the moment. My brother has agreed to help me out, but it's going to be a couple of weeks before that happens. Maybe I'll get bored and try again before then...

Well, we all know how life gets in the way, and we never pressure anyone to make updates sooner than they're ready or able to. We'll be here when you're ready.

Dino.