4th Doctor cosplay

[galacticprobe]

3) Your reference pictures are better than anything I can find.

I may be having a "dense" moment again, but I'm having trouble locating the reference pic for the gun. But going on the description, if this is a flintlock, that chain could be for the pick and brush used to keep the touch hole in the powder tray clear. After so many shots, the carbon from the igniting powder would build up (much like it does on your car's spark plugs), and the touch hole from the powder tray to the barrel breech would get blocked. If that happened when you fired, only the powder in the tray would go off and you'd end up with the "flash" without the "bang". So most flintlocks had a stiff "pick" attached to them with a small chain and the shooter would use the pick to poke and scrape loose the built-up carbon, and then the brush at the other end of the pick to brush the loose grit away. (Think of it as a short, thick hat pin with a tiny dust brush at the other end rather than the pinhead.)

4) At a guess, this would be the ramrod, for pushing the load and wadding down the barrel.

That's exactly what it's for, whether for a flintlock or a percussion cap. The ramrod is stored in small loops under the gun's barrel, with the loops being part of the brass bands that hold the barrel to the stock. The stock would also have a groove cut into it to complete the round shape the ramrod slides into (the brass "loops" make the bottom half of the round "slot", and the groove in the stock makes the top half, so looking down the ramrod's storage it would look like a round hole where the ramrod slides into... if you can visualize that).

I hope this is helpful.

Dino.

[tony farrell]

Do these pictures help with size, design, ornamentation, etc?








T

[russellsuthern]

Thanks guys!

I think between you all, we got all the answers

Tony, those pictures are awesome! Especially the first two, which really show that the gun is quite a bit more ornate than I thought it was.

I'm going to have a lot of fun putting all that ornate gold decoration on my gun!

Thanks all.

Russ

[Volpone]

Well from those pictures, now I'm stumped by the chain.  It looks like the last, b&w photo has the most information, but I just can't make it out at the resolution it is.  The gun is definitely supposed to be percussion, not flintlock.  So you fit a little explosive cap onto a nipple that leads to the bore.  The hammer drops on the cap and sets it off--like a toy cap gun--only the flash from the cap lights the actual gunpowder charge. 

I keep coming back to some kind of safety--you could hook the chain behind the trigger and around the front of the trigger guard to keep you from accidentally pulling the trigger maybe, but that seems unlikely. In that last picture, it almost looks like there's a chain coming up where the hammer is.  But maybe that's just a trick of the light of some other item of The Doctor's clothing and not part of the gun. 

My final guess is...some kind of carrying aid?  The gun would likely be heavy and doesn't have a sling.  I wonder if it would be a way to hang it from a hook on a belt so it would be at the ready while relieving some of the weight from your arms.  This seems unlikely too. 

I dunno.  I guess you'd still need a pick to clean out the flash hole for a percussion blackpowder gun too.  So maybe Dino has the best guess. 

[russellsuthern]

I'm wondering if the prop was a real antique gun they found in the props dept, or something they mocked up?

Either way, they might have added extra "bling", like the chain, to make it more ornate.

So we might get bits on the piece that are not authentic, but look good.

After all, the vast majority of the viewing audience are not going to know.

The more I look at the pics, the more I think my gun is waaay to long, so I think I'm going to chop the end off...


Thanks all for your interest & input.

Russell

[russellsuthern]

Hi all,

Well, I have finished my waistcoat.

Looking at the reference pics I think I have made my flowers a bit too small & packed them together a bit too closely & the accuracy of design ain't that great either!



However, as none of my costume is 100% accurate, I'm not going to loose any sleep over it.

After all, it's the overall effect that matters & as long as it's recognizable I'll be happy.

It doesn't look too bad with the jacket over the top.

Thanks for looking in.

Regards,

Russell

[Rassilons Rod]

It looks awesome!

[Davros Skaro]

T

Looking at these two photos, "the flaring/conning" on the end isn't part of the original gun.
1. the metal is too thin,
2. you can see a join at the base of "the flaring/conning" piece,
so it looks like it has had bits added to the rifle to make it look bigger than it actually is.

Hope this helps.

Chris.

[russellsuthern]

Chris,
I think you are absolutely right.

I think they cobbled together some bits to make the gun look very long & impressive.

The end result is very nice. Ornate & antique looking.

Mine was definitely too long so I chopped the end off.

You have to squint a bit to see the flared tip, as it is a clear plastic cup.

It'll look more prominent once I have painted it up.  




Cheers all,

Russell

[russellsuthern]

Well, It's all going on!

I have finished constructing Greel's mask, so It's ready for painting.

Of course I had to try it on...

 

 

It's quite weird, but as soon as I put it on I felt an overwhelming urge to shred people's flesh....

Worrying....


Cheers,

Russ

[Volpone]

You're quite mad, you know.  Your poor, dear wife...  The wig may have been where you crossed over, but now that you're almost ready to use a green screen to re-enact the first half of the Tom Baker era... 

Although I eagerly await K-9.   

[russellsuthern]

Volpone,

You are absolutely right.

The wig was the point when I finally completely descended into insanity.

It was like those pivotal moments in history that the Doctor keeps talking about (a bit like "Turn Left")

It could have gone either way, but I chose to go wig & it all plummeted down hill from there.

As for K-9, it was one build that I was never too interested in, although I loved the creation on telly.

However, he is such a big part of many of the upcoming stories I'm doing, I can't really get around it.

I know that once I start, I will get completely obsessed with it, just like all my builds, even the small ones.

(Did I ever think I was going to lose sleep over something a little as a Trionic Lattice?!)

Oh well, keeps me off the streets


Best regards,


Russell

[russellsuthern]

Hi all,
I have been busy building props for my "Talons" pics.

My gun is coming on.
I built a stand to rest it on so I can paint it.
Brown & black acrylic for the main body, gold acrylic for the metal bits. I could have used the gold spray which would have given a smoother finish, but I think the acrylic gives a richer finish & I think the brush marks won't show from a distance.






Here's some close ups.
The handle:



The middle:



The business end:



Just need to varnish the whole thing & add the chain to the hammer & she's finished!

Cheers all,

Russell

[russellsuthern]

Next up, I finished the mask.

First up I painted it grey & added detailing using black & white paint:

 

Then I varnished it-  now it looks like leather!

   

Happy days.

Thanks

Russell

[russellsuthern]

Tom uses a nice cane walking stick affair. These are a bit tricky to find. The charity shops are full of regular walking sticks with the C shaped handle, but this style is usually found only in antiques shops & are a bit more pricey, so I decided to make my own.

I found an old snooker cue someone had thrown out & trimmed it to size.
I painted it brown & gold.
The knob on the upper end I made from some washers glued together & a plastic water bottle lid stuck to the top.

The picture shows the masking tape still attached:




Just need to varnish this one & It's done.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Trionic lattice next:
I started with an old used up sellotape roll. To this I glued two disks of card.

Then I painted it green.
I tried to lay the paint on quite thick to give it a 3D effect.




It's a bit untidy, but I didn't really want to spend too much time on this one.
It's only in a couple of shots & only at a distance, so I think It'll be fine.

So this little lot is drying at the moment, then they will need varnishing.

Nearly there!

Thanks for looking.

Regards,

Russell