Roswell Mileometer

[Cardinal Hordriss]

I've got a blank CD, the wheel spacer, a box of stuff to cobble together the centre...

What type of clutch plate is it under the spacer?

[Cardinal Hordriss]

Sorry to bump my own thread but I should have said in the first post -

Dear TARDIS Builders... or anyone who knows about car parts... please would you offer advice/assistance in the identification/acquisition of the necessary parts to build this prop.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I am diagnosed with a brand of loopy which means I'm not allowed to drive so I've never bothered to learn much about cars beyond the pretty colours. With that in mind this may not have been the build for me but the spacer arrives later today so I'm committed (insert joke here).

I did a search on eBay for clutch plates, narrowing the results as much as I could and doing this thing where I don't blink and just hit the scroll down button, barely made a dent in the huge number of results it listed and still didn't find one that looked like the thing used for the prop.

It may turn out it isn't a clutch plate at all lol.

Laugh hard, run fast... help CH build his prop.

[galacticprobe]

CH, from what I can see of that "clutch plate", it could be either this one, Aluminium Anodised Detailed Flange, or this one, Anodised green flange #2, both from Bob's Bits.

Here are the images of each:

Aluminium Anodised Detailed Flange (could be painted to match the prop's color)


Anodised green flange #2 (if this is the color of the prop's)

The first one above is listed on Bob's Bits site as "Buy/Risk Value: £30.00" - which I guess means if you want to risk buying it, it would cost you £30.00.

The second one above is listed as "Buy/Risk Value: £50.00 each" - and like I said above about the first one's cost.

If the price isn't bad and you can afford one, my suggestion is to make a trip to Bob's Bits and have a rummage. Take a print out of these images and show him what you're after and maybe he can lead you right to where they are. I say this - and others can probably concur - because Bob's Bits is very extremely lacking when it comes to answering e-mails. I'd e-mailed him about a small bezel, only £5, to ask how to purchase one and what shipping to the States would be. A week went by with no reply. With AOL acting flaky at times, I sent another e-mail, apologizing for any repeat and explained that once in a while AOL drops an e-mail I sent, so I wanted to make sure he'd gotten the one I'd sent (which was included with the second e-mail).

This time I waited and a month went by with no answer. So I e-mailed him yet again... and again another month later... and, you guessed it, again the following month. I never received a reply. So I don't think he gives a care about e-mails and transactions done via e-mail, or he doesn't give a care about someone outside of the UK who wants to buy something from him, though I've heard from people in Canada and the UK who have said the same thing: e-mails never answered. So if you want anything from Bob's Bits, you'll have to go there in person if you want any sort of response from him. (Hell of a way to run a business, though; but my guess is he gets so much business from the film and TV industry that he honestly doesn't give a rat's bum about the average Joe unless that average Joe walks into his building (which wouldn't do me any good now as that bezel I was interested in was eventually sold - actually all of them were sold as he had I think it said five on hand - so I'm SOL and will have to build my own from scratch; at least I downloaded the enlarged image from his site so I have good details to go by).

Anyway, those look like the "clutch plates" under the wheel spacer on that prop. What that disc below the clutch plate is, I can't say; I can't see enough of it, but it looks solid - almost like a larger version of the CD.

Good luck with this build. Now you've got me itching to see how it turns out!

Dino.

[Cardinal Hordriss]

Thank you!!!!!!!!!

[Cardinal Hordriss]

A start has been made -

Here you see undercoated the pieces that will form the core. Just stuff out of my bits box, a plastic lid, plastic pipe connector and a surround from a travel clock. The dome is from an old toy.





This is the wheel spacer backed with a CD. The disk had to be cut up as the spacer is quite a bit larger than a CD.



Who knew you could run out of silver spray paint? I there's always some in the cupboard... maybe the cupboard is broken.

Oh and I've ordered that part from Bob's Bits.

[galacticprobe]

A start has been made -

And a great start it is, too!

The disk had to be cut up as the spacer is quite a bit larger than a CD.

Wow! You did a magnificent job with that! I remember when I was in the military all of the "classified" CDs we had to destroy when updated ones came out. We tried sandpaper and scratching things like no one's business, but they all were still readable! So we decided to try cutting them. Scissors were right out as the CDs were too thick, so we went with sheet metal cutters. Standing over a rubbish bin, starting to apply pressure to the cutters' handles... and without warning the CD just disappeared and the sound of shattering glass filled the shop. A few bits made it into the bin, but most of that CD ended up scattered around the shop like shrapnel. It took us days to find all of the tiny bits. (After that one we cut the rest of the CDs while they were wrapped inside a trash bag!)

So how did you manage to cut your CD without it shattering?

Who knew you could run out of silver spray paint? I there's always some in the cupboard... maybe the cupboard is broken.

Have you ever tried to build a (kids' sized) walk-in Jupiter 2 from the 1960 TV series 'Lost In Space' from dozens of cardboard boxes scavenged from the local grocery store? I did when I was a kid - upper deck only; it was all that empty room in the house I grew up in had space for. Just enough headroom for a 5- or 6-year-old kid to make use of. Tons of masking tape. My aunt even helped me with the spray painting. Ran out after three cans, but at least the important parts got covered (the viewport and door sides; the rest mainly was facing the walls and would never be seen... plus I think we killed every bug in the house - and maybe even a few brain cells - with those paint fumes!).

Wish I'd had someone take photos of that one now. It only lasted a few weeks before my other aunt decided to use that room for storage and went in there while I was at school and tore everything apart. One of many childhood dreams destroyed.

Oh and I've ordered that part from Bob's Bits.

Great! Let us know how long it takes to get to you. Which one did you order: the dark one or the green one? Just personal curiosity; since I can't get a good idea of the color of the prop from the photo I can't tell if the green one is spot on, or if it needs to be painted another color, which would make the first "clutch plate" the one to slap paint on.

Dino.

[Cardinal Hordriss]

Thanks Galacticprobe.

I used scissors to cut the disc. I was worried it would crack and shatter but it worked just fine. I'll be finding glittery bits from the edges for the rest of my life but beyond that I think perhaps discs are made from a more flexible plastic than I expected.

I went for the darker coloured bit from Bob. To my eye it was closer to the colouring of the original and more justifiable price-wise. I'm waiting to hear back at the moment after starting the order process yesterday but I'll keep you updated.

[Cardinal Hordriss]

It turns out I did have some silver paint but it was in the wrong place lol.





You may have noticed that despite hunting for the original parts there are already elements that are hugely inaccurate. The need for original parts is because I would struggle to make them from scratch but otherwise I'm not a stickler for screen accuracy, as long as it looks could and is built well, nice and sturdy, I'm happy.

Also, I previously forgot to give credit to BioDoctor900 for the idea of using a CD as the backing for the wheel spacer, I'm not sure if that's what they used on the original but I got the idea from seeing his version of the prop so thanks for that.

I'm still going through the order process with Bob's Bits and I've also bought an MDF circle to be the back piece. As for what will be on the back I suppose I get to make that up.

[The14thDr]

This is coming along brilliantly!

[Cardinal Hordriss]

Thanks, good to know.

[Cardinal Hordriss]

The next substantive update might not be for a day or two. The MDF circle has arrived, very nicely cut but now it turns out I'm out of primer lol.

Quick recommendation, Halfords paint, coats beautifully, dries quickly, a bit more expensive than Wilko's but doesn't ruin you props by blobbing up.

[Cardinal Hordriss]

Change of plan, I decided I could work on the back of the prop.

I wanted it to be fairly flat to make displaying the finished piece a bit easier. I decided to use one of other wheel spacers I have and a something from my bits box. I backed it with matt black card and a brass coloured thingy because I reasoned this will be where it fits into the rest off the ship and so wouldn't be all shiny and awesome. Also I don't want to cut up another disc, too much glittery stuff. The MDF disc, as you an see, still needs a finished undercoat but that will have to wait now.

[russellsuthern]

That looks very nice,

Very neat & tidy.

Good work!

Russell

[Cardinal Hordriss]

Thanks. I'm sure I'll find a way to cock it up before the end.

[galacticprobe]

I'm sure I'll find a way to cock it up before the end.

Positive thoughts, CH; positive thoughts! You don't want this to end up being one of those "self-fulfilling prophecies, do you? (You're going to do just fine.)

Dino.