Doctor Who TV movie TARDIS console

I've been doing a fair amount of engineering work the last couple of months preparing the screen used tardis console to be a fully interactive display at the Los Angeles Who convention Gallifrey 2012 in February, using a lot of the same bits and pieces I used to add special effects to my screen used Herbie the love Bug VWs and James Bond BMW 7 series replica.

The project has been a group effort between me, the owner (and 10 year special effects veteran) Paul Salamoff, and Who prop\costumer extraordinaire Bob Mitsch.

Bob's very thoroughly writing up our progresson his blog, the first installment covers the tear down and discovery phase:

honorarydoctor - Chameleon Circuit: The TVM TARDIS Console Restoration Log Pt. I

Enjoy!

--Brian

Glad to get this write-up posted!

The most important thing to announce about this is that YES this console WILL BE ON DISPLAY at the 23rd Gallifrey One Convention for it's first public appearance! More details about the con are here: Gallifrey 2012 | Gallifrey One's Network 23

We've just confirmed final details so that fans can come see this fully restored, one-of-a-kind, screen used iconic prop in person at the Marriott LAX in Los Angeles all three days of Gally (Feb. 17th-19th, 2012). Stop by the Cosplay Hall anytime during convention hours to check it out close-up. Special times will be arranged to get your photo professionally taken working the Doctor's TARDIS Console! Hope to see you all there!

Part II next week. (should be 4-5 parts total).

Sample Pics:

Console today- pre-restoration.


Bottom Claw legs that needed bracing/protecting when the Console was moved

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Double Checking the working lights


Restoration begins

Great piece, lots of great photos!

One of the things I loved about the TV movie was the Tardis interior, it was wonderful imho, I am very pleased to see the console is in such safe hands

That's just brilliant that would look fantastic in my house, thats one build I would like to do, do you have a demat circuit.

Part II now up! Bases, Doctor's Bags and Hand Crank galore

honorarydoctor - Chameleon Circuit: The TVM TARDIS Console Restoration Log Pt. II

Part III now up.



honorarydoctor - Chameleon Circuit: The TVM TARDIS Console Restoration Log Pt. III

Come see this prop live at the Gallifrey One Convention Feb 17th-19th in the Fan Room. Free Picture opportunities daily 12-1PM Fri & Sat and 10AM-11Am Sunday. For a small donation, your chance to own a small piece of the console! (limited quantities so first come first served).

Man that thing is cool!

A George Pal look on the design wasn't really inspired but it works very well for this Tardis so why not? While the movie got a lot wrong this console was right. The horizontal surface looks equally useful and dangerous. Handy place to put your cup of tea and also the last place you want to put your cup of tea.

What a lovely thing to do keep up the good work!

Part IV now up! (this week will get dense I promise to aim to get the final two parts up by Thu morning!)



honorarydoctor - Chameleon Circuit: The TVM TARDIS Console Restoration Log Pt. IV

Come see this prop live at the Gallifrey One Convention Feb 17th-19th in the Fan Room. Free Picture opportunities daily 12-1PM Fri & Sat and 10AM-11Am Sunday. For a small donation, your chance to own a small piece of the console! (limited quantities so first come first served).

Part V now up!

honorarydoctor - Chameleon Circuit: The TVM TARDIS Console Restoration Log Pt. V



Come see this prop live at the Gallifrey One Convention Feb 17th-19th in the Fan Room. Free Picture opportunities daily 12-1PM Fri & Sat and 10AM-11Am Sunday. For a small donation, your chance to own a small piece of the console! (limited quantities so first come first served).

Sorry guys. I planned to post the final part of the log tonight or tomorrow morning. Tons of last minute work went into this but I simply don't have the energy and time right now. These two projects plus quadruple the Masquerade load and the usual planning of the Gally panels, Hall, various costumes and typical con stuff has just beat me down.

I promise the conclusions wrap ups early next week along with the full Gally report!

I wish I had seen this thread prior to seeing the console at Gallifrey on Friday!! But having said that, you guys did a beyond amazing restoration on the console. I was absolutely blown away seeing it and being allowed to actually getting a picture with it!! Definitely one of the highlights of my first Gallifrey experience. Thanks guys!

Glad to hear it gaffer! Seems a lot of folks were very happy to see the old girl had survived! I'll have my final entry on the restoration up tomorrow and my Galllifrey Report up soon after!

Glad it's in loving and sharing hands!
Cheers
Will

Who wants to see Paul McGann reunited with this prop for the first time in 16 years?

Who wants to see me showing him the correct way to fiddle with the buttons?

Here you go (1 minute into the overview video):

Doctor Who Gallifrey Convention- 2012 (With Celebrity Interviews) - YouTube

Post the video everywhere you can think of, and if there's enough interest the guys/gals at CRAVE online will edit + post the sequels with the full interviews including more of Paul McGann and the console...


Who wants to see the write-up about this CONSOLE in LA Weekly, which is running rampant across the internet like a virus?

Here you go:

Doctor Who Fans Refurbish TARDIS Console From 1996 Movie for Gallifrey One Convention - Los Angeles Arts - Public Spectacle


Who wants to see hundreds of fans who were able to have professional pictures taken of them with the TARDIS console prop for free, but who donated enough in the TARDIS Tip jar that we were able to donate over $1000 to charity (of the $8000 total for the convention):

Here you go:

Flickr: paulsalamoff's Photostream

--Brian

The final Part VI now finally up:

honorarydoctor - Chameleon Circuit: The TVM TARDIS Console Restoration Log Pt. VI

Interesting... There have been quite a few replica TARDIS consoles built over the years, most of them have impressive build logs over at TARDIS Builders - Index

If your console isn't covered there, I'd enjoy reading about it on its own thread in the replica props section.

Our experience with the Gallifrey staff was the complete polar opposite that you have described with "GalliCon", the team at Gallifrey 2012 were one of the most professional and accommodating groups I've ever dealt with with a screen used prop or vehicle display.

From their handling of logistics, to the courtesy afforded to us from the management down to the caterers, to the impressive charity effort for Students Run LA, to making sure all of the cast/crew of the TV movie could have a chance for a private viewing with the console from their film - the entire Gallifrey One staff were fantastic and I had a great weekend with them at their event.

--Brian

The Gally Staff have been nothing but good and accomodating to me and the cosplayers too. However we've PM'ed about this and I do want to learn more about this console build as I'm always interested in the Baker era stuff and would love to know if it's still around in the SoCal area.

Oh that is just FANTASTIC!!! Love the console and the details!

Would love to one day build the alternate Tom Baker wood console . Never understood why it wasn`t used more ...

So a nice addendum to this project:

Paul (the current owner of the TVM console) hit it off with Philip Segal who produced the Doctor Who TVM in '96. Phil after seeing the conole nicely restored and cared for decided to invite Paul over recently to bequeath some other TVM items for safe keeeping as he was about to move house. Paul received a signed script book, a chess set, an original post/staff from the Eye of Harmony set- the same one used by McGann and Roberts during the final battle! and most importantly - the Doctor's Toolkit Bag! As a bonus a number of the tool props were STILL inside including the *original* TVM SONIC SCREWDRIVER! How cool is that! Paul is over the moon to have these.

There are talks now of bringing the Console back to Galllifrey One in 2013 (With a moving rotor this time) and if it happens, these will certainly be on display as well.

That's a great reward for a labour of love restoring the prop to it's former glory.