is there a Doctor in the house?

Well,this is the highlight of my life at this moment a program would normally NEVER watch,but as it is Doctor No 6 Collin Baker had to show my stripes
Having met Collin several times over the years i can say he is one of the nicest polite charming men you can ever wish to meet, just a decent bloke 
and this showed in the program
The program consists of celebs going into the Australian gold coast jungle now as there is a lack of most or anything dangerous as it is a controlled atmosphere they bring in all manner of creatures crabs spiders rats etc (none dangerous but will give you a nip as Collin found out)
so they have to sing for there supper or work for it 
so they have to do tasks getting covered in all manner of nastiness to get stars that equal meals
Collins last chance trial against  Eric Bristow was telling as he got more big stars meals for camp than small stars to save himself

He had done what he went in to do and you can tell he was fed up missed his family, his wife Marrion who came across as delightful as him and his daughters, of which there are many and boy has he lost weight a lot of weight im sure he feels great for it as well, well done keep it off

And when i say what he went in to do boy did he, recognition and profile raised weight loss and have some fun
 being seriously over weight and now some 60 years of age his trials were to what he could physically do , so limited , but what he did was pure entertainment his chained to Rosemary (who due to size /age couldent do much) and rapper act had me howling with laughter then to do piece to camera and how he came across very posh, Kids cringing im sure 

I was amazed at his record beating speed joke telling and how just downright nice he is
a  brilliant  person shared a coffee with him a great bloke ,and considering how badly he was treated by a vengeful Mr Grade and the BBC, His enthusiasm for the show is simply surprising
I hope there is more clips to surface somewhere as id like to see more that he did 

Ashley Roberts wow i am in love with her so down to earth natural not LA or Diva at all grounded real person very impressed very American with her dog wearing fashion etc but what a nice person and not bad on the eyes ,love her personality to…honest

so Drs 6 and 7 (Sylv 7 appearing as roturghast in the up coming hobbit) are about to get a bit more recognition and surge of interest good for them 
 frankly other than Tom who else could be a wizard (Tom dosent want to be 18 months in New Zeland) but going off a interview if he had maybe been him and not Christopher Lee ,interesting

So what else of interest ah well this has come up for auction and as a nice tie in coincidentally  to old Collin 
here he is as the Doctor, no really that is him

MK 2 Prop is identifiable by the lock being at the bottom of the handle

Lot No: 147 – Doctor Who: A ‘Tardis’ panel (1987) Phone panel up for auction

 Now more 1986 ,When this was made for the season ,is it real is it fake ?
Well spoke to a wise ancient man (sorry mate ) The main man when  comes to the old box and he and  i talked
its real alright

there is NO screw holes for handle (Mid 80s never was a handle )and the font all hand done all sign writer job and frankly gorgeous if little wobbly if hold ruler up against top of letters the type face the missing san serrifs
info from auction 

According to information from the vendor, this was supplied by the BBC to CAL, the company that animated the ‘Doctor Who’ title sequence for the 24th Series in 1987. Oliver Elms, the BBC graphics designer who story-boarded the sequence, sent the Tardis panel to CAL to be used as part of the design process. From the livery and typeface, this is a 1980s-style door sign.

 Question answered of what happened to this phone panel,  (*only seen in season 18 /19 this style otherwise for some reason was split in two italic and plain font like a Ariel type, later copied for new series )  it vanished ,now we know why ,where and how
12 months on form trial and the old panel was back for McCoys first story and  on the MK2 and being older dirty and more worn kinda stood out

one year later and the old phone panel is back on the mk2 prop

god alone knows why they needed it but cal had it given them for use in new sequence titles certainly didn’t use it and was very basic graphics they colored in black for some strange reason even with this reference ,go figure

( mid 80s bit Peter  / Collin the phone panel not used so no handle) there  came a new box back to old all italic font as per Met Police Box for phone panel reason for new box original 80 model was worn to death cracked chipped warped had its day so cue new box,used a lot  on off with its predecessor  to 89 and now in permanent display in the Dr Who exhibition made to look like the Mk1 for some reason ????

As having spoke to Sophie Aldred recently she informed me these 2 boxes ended up interchangeable so roof from MK1 got stuck n Mk2 doors got swapped etc
,same mold you see tho trimmed differently so different fit see same mold lots of differences between the two, so this is panel it started with in “Trial of a Timelord” September 1986 brilliant opening sequence best model work ever seen and only on par with Star Trek DS9 some 10 years later 
New info comes up all the time 
for more information look no further than this tomb of work 
http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/~trekker/policeboxes/tv3.html

EDIT

 So the New Zeland Premiere of “the Hobbit ” has happened ,looking forward to this i liked LOTR Movies read the books as a kid a student and should do again Hobbit is a nice easy book to get into simple and strait forward not a three tomb mega story but nice all the same
BRIEF  synopsis
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey follows title character Bilbo Baggins, who is swept into an epic quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor, which was long ago conquered by the dragon Smaug. Approached out of the blue by the wizard Gandalf the Grey, Bilbo finds himself joining a company of thirteen dwarves led by the legendary warrior Thorin Oakenshield. Although their goal lies to the East and the wastelands of the Lonely Mountain, first they must escape the goblin tunnels, where Bilbo meets the creature that will change his life forever… Gollum. Here, alone with Gollum, on the shores of an underground lake, the unassuming Bilbo Baggins not only discovers depths ofguile and courage that surprise even him, he also gains possession of Gollum’s “precious” …a simple, gold ring that is tied to the fate of all Middle-earth in ways Bilbo cannot begin to know.
 

I remember Radagast from the books. He’s one of the five Istari(Wizards) and is supposed to be the one thats down with nature, kind of like Middle Earth’s Dr Doolittle and totaly in tune with his surroundings etc
. He is mentioned twice, and appears literally once in the actual story as he passes Gandalf on the road. So I assume that if this is accurate that the role has been significantly beefed up.But the films do differ to the books in this has to be a film story a narrative that can be told in allotted time and serve dramatically,plus use bits cut from LOTR the stuff that came up in the notes in the 60s etc

And person chosen for this role is Percy Smith aka Sylvester Mccoy, having met talked to him several times over the years i can think of only tom and him that make perfect wizards naturally eccentric and fun personality im sure he will be brilliant in the role ,pleased he is doing this Mr Jackson is a big fan of his and WHO so like tom said its the fans now employing you And Dr Who does have a big following in the colonies 
2 Doctors in the southern hemisphere

 so good luck to him hope this is a career boost and sure be riding the success of the films for the next 3 years as there released “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” will be released in the U.S. on December 14, 2012, with the second film, “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” releasing December 13, 2013, and the third film, “The Hobbit: There and Back Again” slated for July 18, 2014.
It couldent happen to a nicer person,  
and docent he look dapper on the red carpet 

Ride on Time

well as you know Doc ain’t only one with a Time capsule 
Msters is also a type 40 Drs MK1 his MK 6 or something ,think monks is MK4  and obviously the Rani has the most advanced capsuale that was a gorgeous  and perfect interior and console
Masters interior basically same console room as Drs redressed obsidian black and grey dark evil as its owner ,personally like idea of five drs console for his more advanced time machine compared to the doctors being all levers and dials

So i have the Master and dogs chew toy that CO Made aka computer bank TARDIS
Not good enough nor is it iconic enough to me i want that which i remember,the Grand farther clock 
This i remember from deadly assassin ,cant recall what he used in 80s i do know there was a Greek column thingy  but honestly remember him in McCoys time cant remember what he had think some stories was nothing

so i wanted the Grandfather clock (Time piece time machine….get it ?) this is so simple
Take one dolls house grandfather clock wood ,take varnish from house paint, go pound shop get some Halloween cobwebs and uhu glue and set to it ,reference pic in hand or on monitor

The Master and his TARDIS

and just for you dear reader is a list of the form his TARDIS has took.off the W.W.W so don’t shoot the messenger, like i said personally i know a clock and Greek column

horsebox /white cube, Default form?/ spaceship Thunderbird 3 looking thing /A computer bank /grandfather clock/ and thats just the 70’s

Melkur i dont get think it is a timelord ship of some sort certainly bigger inside inside is the Grandfather clock new look /a police box (really taking the mickey this one)/a column/ a big fireplace / concord  / iron maiden / three-sided column/ beach hut and a Queen Victoria statue thats the 80s
 not seen again in new who personally thought the Grandfather clock in his study of Mr Saxon that was it 
amazing when a chameleon circuit works ,the Doctors has  been a sedan chair a statue a cupboard organ and of course Police Box 
So pick one whatever works for you, for me it is the Grandfather clock it might look out of place on ceti alpha five but works on earth where he likes to control manipulate and work
might make a column one day who knows space /money depending .certainly not buying the pack with another regen fifth dr thats a waste of money,
And capable of making my own terms depending

Back to the 80s

Well been a while ,been busy time what with the Mrs going to have to go home for her Fathers Funeral and me having interviews to no avail then having flu
so had a tidy out and found a large biscuit tin of essentially crap, remembered it was bits of old train sets and models (sevens Dalek parts and fasa citadel to)
It is not madness but stuff i added for use of improving and building things like models and modding (modifying or as i like to say improving ,why else you think im doing it ?) stuff 

So in a flash of total insanity i decided i would address a issue i had been having
Classic Doctor Who console,where is it Co ??
13 scale for there toy range which is huge and for me perfect as i dont live in a TARDIS so space is at a premium and if it is gonna get big i have to be very selective (damn you cod stakes) 

So vowing a oath to spend not one penny and use all this crap up i made a console 

and now here’s dilemma not that simple you know 

Ok lightening fast potted history theres the 60s console roughly 63 70 (inferno yes that is the 60s console also ambassadors of death) MK1 ,
then pertwee got his own i suspect it was all new base top time rotor mechanics etc  and 70%ish of 60s controls laid out same way new bits added and lots of stripes giving it a air of futuristic yet not that different look
 from above  it looked a bit like a circuit board of some sort MK 2 ,
then for some unknown reason noting wrong with pertwee prop other than still green they take it all apart new panels all new parts
  obviously base is reused this i think is original piece from pertwee to peter there’s some changes to panels just , maybe a exact copy but see no reason to change it the 60s stem looked thinner to me, also interior column time rotor tho stripped simplified for tom /peter is obviously pertwees in 74 you can make out some of the green pertwee gels still in it, tho this got new mechanics for peter as it was being manually operated the mechanism was so broken by this point
 ,why change pertwees ?, i would love to know seen 2 stories in 74 then shelved for yet another all together redesign MK3 then, 
so onto wood tiny bureau type MK  4 ( done as the console room set was difficult to put up and took a lot of studio space and couldn’t be taken down until story filming end )and susspect newbury like his box prop designed this as tv working prop in mind the fact its small tiny row of buttons no column nothing to break simple

 now gets weird ,in comes ( in invisible enemy ) the old previous MK 3,(various reasons wood variant  is dropped,tho looked stunning revamped for McCoy and McGann)  this time repainted and bits broken off so now grey not off white (what pertwees should of been) new design room of columns grp roundels huge scanner screen etc and this is how it stayed from 77 to 83 
just with to use my mates parlance , cosmetic tart overs , and even more broken off and then bits added like a printer as per script for one panel then along came 82 and peter ,this prop is messed around due to transmission order being different to broadcast this console gos back and forth between changes on a story basis most notable the computer panel from tom big screen flat to peter angled monitor BBC micro computer
then 83 this is half past dead even though it has been cleaned up finally for peter (also used in the 2 Drs story 86 by the second Dr to represent a older console more akin to his and once again messed around with new bits added and parts moved about ) ,and changed colour to a lighter grey and new bits added broken stuff removed, and in comes the GRP Five DRs console MK  5, how appropriate 

 

so you got a box of crap ” what you gona do “?


i opted for peters variant of the MK 3
why?, simple its bust its broken repainted with a badgers tail falling apart simple eh ? not a lot to do, and how can you go wrong ?,this is the Brachaki refit prop of the console world nigh on 9 years old at this point you cant get it wrong and simple to do as it is simple controls geometric shapes etc
WRONG !!!!!!!!

Be easier to do toms s 18 not a lot on there, all broken parts at this point
this had tons added ,looks to me like they did  in 74 in 83 it got a refit ,albeit on a far cheaper smaller scale and involving paint rather than new parts ,this was finally taken away all broke parts removed and new bits added with what was lying around the workshop,new parts were added as per script like the new radar green thing near door lever and the tangerine etc rest just tarted up, there’s two original 70s panels right up to the end ,it is if you know your consoles and TARDIS  a real history on here dating right back to the  60s if you look, what i like  is this and the fact its so strange looking and i like the cheapness 

a prop workshop either on drugs or overly fond of liquid lunches going off the colors and suspect parts stuck on this console ,now rather randomly ,look at buttons hap hazard say the least and retina destroying color scheme,yes it was the 80s but woa how do you come up with that palette?,oh see above

It was UBER fiddly a nightmare of proportions i can not begin to describe for i do not have the words 
it is so rich in detail ,texture, layers,etc and changed so little 

 EG in season 18 2 BIG changes in its history happened namely one the console got a secret compartment under a row of buttons and lights above the door lever big red one ( Levers being only surviving 60s parts)  ,this used a new mechanism to allow it to extend ( I think it was used a couple of more times in 5th drs time) this had a huge triangle sticking out of the base which was covered  cover fell of got lost so ended up big gaping hole in console base for rest of its time.
And the printer panel was added then left to look odd and frankly crap with a couple of random plastic shapes stuck there
and the computer panel became practical 
these changes is only really significant change since 77 or 74 as first seen before more fragile clear perspex parts came off 

 

1974 to 1983

1974

1977

1983

I have three faves Pertwees, five drs console  and key to time variant  ,or had ,this now replaces key to time 
i am loving this console its richness and a fore mentioned texture and detail and frankly mad crazy colors,it rocks it is very 80s so took this as my brief and went for the whole graphic design and feel screaming 80s design console 
banged it out no TLC or even much care more dodgy looking happier ill be it was not a perfect prop and in fantasy a very very broken down old control console (A fact mentioned several times by 4th and fifth Drs)  from a old broken time machine  

my highly sophisticated state of the art gluing machine

Slowly it is getting there,and because in no way is this a challenge enough being a alchemist turning nothing to something and dealing with buttons at 1mm or gluing myself to such a small set of parts, loosing more parts than i can count and having no measurements what soever so making this all add hock oh and blessed be the doctor who technical manual I will be lighting it as well ,kind of so thats all for part two

i think its in scale

i also as add on got one of those talk daleks ,nice to army build expensive so all others on future present lists but well worth to fatten the ranks the talking bit is nice but fan done or by some bloke on the staff failing to understand the BBC product licensed and not used actual voice clips,how cool would that have been?, bizarre and one missed opportunity 
I got from one of my top stories a Death to variant,science corps Daleks love that finish 
Character Options are still making it up as they go along surely they now how to use google ? so colour paint schemes are way off this Death to variant has a silver gun which NEVER appeared on said prop ,having spoke to head honcho he is convinced mr dewer he is correct and like wise with grey Planet of the Daleks Grey variant with grey appendages and dull grey finish not gun metal 
ah well customising to the rescue

Dalek science corps welcomes you

dalek plant mutation success

Scale model Tardis 2

I remember drawing colouring in this box many times, i liked how it was blue and dirty “Like my bike” 
Now a cynical Adult i see it as the best prop ever ,Details abound from 3 step roof to steps above the doors to the quadrants on the posts etc  , colours (Even when almost black with filth) , shape size geometry ,being GRP Fiberglass so easy to transport , its look  in general and profile  its the business s far as a TARDIS in the guise of a Police Box go’s


so you can guess i wanted /want one 
then here comes CO and half attempt then i got stuck in 

I went for less TARDIS on TV and more prop so even did the S18 19 back doors also seen in ghost light 

She is generic based on look of S18/19 &  S25 /26 overall look of the TARDIS  as this is basically what she did look like with moments in between of extreme dirt or overly bright flat finishes so with a decade of looks i chose something just TARDIS with the flat small lamp

construction and begining

so now my kit has been take apart and i have added details like the top of the wall devide going above the sign boxes and now added a new lamp and shorter base for the lamp and shorter base for the box 
Next i added detail to simulate 22o angle on the panels and windows and sanded all moulded texture off 
I also then took to the lintels (Police box signs) and extended them the correct length after measuring and marking them out adding some plasticard to the length for support and backing and then this was filled in and using tools for detail shaped the frame
i then liberally covered it in model filler like squadron putty and with a technique i leaned added thinners to allow it to run sooth and into cracks this was sanded several times then all imperfections dealt with until end result was a flat smooth grp (fiberglass) looking box 


i base coat with Halfords grey primer ,sanded it and resprayed several times with windows and phone  panel masked off (i wanted to retain current sign as was manufactured and was relatively accurate for the box i was doing also liked the look of it ) 

preshadeing 

pre-shade the entire box in black. Generally, I would apply my base paint right to plastic. However, this step is a means of making the tone of the surface colour uniform all-over. I used Tamiya Black TS14 out of an aerosol can. It is important to paint lightly and make certain to reach all of the little nooks and crannies. Let it dry and repeat with another light coat of same and essentially, you are left with a kit which has been completely obliterated with thin layers of black paint and not one bit of the grey primer is showing through. 

Once this had completely dried, I painted in Dulux wild water thinned down with water and done with a almost dry brush  each layer was applied lightly, once the previous coat had dried. 

This essentially produces a definitive blue colour on flat surfaces whilst leaving corners and shadows with an almost black dark blue tone. 

This is the result of less base paint reaching those hard to get areas, and is a very desirable effect. Hence, the pre-shade of black paint with blue applied, on top, in light coats created a visual tonal contrast between highlights and shadows. When this was completely dry, I turned my attention to  ‘filter’ techniques described in several  Military Modelling articles. 

I covered select areas in thinners (testors) to break the surface tension  and then set about painting it (very diluted in thinners.) Humbrol enamel matt blue 26  making sure to evenly cover the entire kit. Once the filter had dried, it left a nice overall darker tone to the surface ready for weathering 

Pin Wash 

After dry brushing entire model in my chosen shade of wild water prussian blue and white i decided to start to pin wash the lighter Tardis colour
It’s another thing i read on various military and scale modelling web sites and forums this addressed a issue i had of not wanting to spoil my kit by drowning it n a wet wash all over but get the shadows and dirt in there that i wanted

essentially a games workshop acrylic black and flat earth brown mixed and thinned with water restricting this to all of the nooks and crannies and seam lines with an ’00’ brush. 
The kit was beginning to take on a nice weathered look. In fact, the filter combined with the pin wash  greatly enhanced the look of the finish and dry brush on top finished it off nicely

 I then took my acrylic art paint set in tubes and I re-applied yet another pin wash around some of the locks handles and  bolts with Burnt Sienna mixed with water to further accentuate the details

I let this dry for about two days in a dust-free  box for a few days as it was very wet that cold feel thats damp and takes ages to dry

and then did nothing for longer than i planned and xmas came went and got on with life and now im back at the kit again 

and researching again (see never stops) and came across on the modelling forums a man gos by the name of scale model medic and a video on you tube and watched his techniques and one really struck me 

Buff Dust Treatment 

I now decided to turn my attention to creating a dusty look on the Box from being in those dark dusty corners of prop storage, and left in dusty locations and warehouses/ deserts fields /quarys/road sides etc .

This was a return to art school and lots of chalk charcoal and pastels and the death of a lot brushes  

 

for now enjoy this informative video