Doctor Who - Key to Time Clear plastic mockup build

While there is a thread about a fantastic replica for the Key to Time segments being done here
http://www.therpf.com/f13/doctor-who-key-time-full-3d-cube-crystal-clear-acrylic-updated-148357/
and the Key to Time tracer I build here:
http://www.therpf.com/f11/doctor-who-key-time-tracer-build-175694/

I’ve decided to make the OTHER Key to Time. This is the one done as the hands-on prop of the assembled Key to Time.



As you can see it’s basically the assembled KTT pieces' edges represented as clear triangles inside an acrylic cube.



The pieces inside mimic the “seams” where the parts fit together.




Thanks to Dalex and others for a paper mockup to give me the approximate parts. With those I could get the general parts layout. Here’s the assembled paper version which was the model I used for the interior layout.





We all seem to agree on the KTT being 6”size. First I purchased a 6” clear cube from online and some acrylic sheets from a hardware store for a total of about $25. I also grabbed a cheap plastic acrylic cutter to cut the acrylic sheet.

Now, I need to make sure I have the interior shapes worked out.

I grabbed some cardboard and made a 6” mockup box.



I then used the paper cube mockup to determine the “angles” inside.

It may look a mess on parts, but it's MUCH simpler than it looks - it's only 2 triangle shapes (one with 10 copies, the other with 3 copies) and 4 other larger shapes.

The 2 largest shapes on the bottom will be a bear. They are large, must perfectly fit and must be done first since it's on the bottom.



I then numbered each cardboard "part" to keep it all organized.



And here's what the full cardboard version looks like assembled.



I love how dumpy it looks. It's even lower budget than the original doctor who prop LOL.

But now I have a template to start cutting up acrylic sheet for parts.

Curious to see how this goes!

As am I! Great start.

CENTER SPINE

I had some leftover 5/8” acrylic tubing leftover from the Key to Timer tracer build a few months ago.

I measured out one 6” piece and four 3” pieces. Together they assemble into the X-Y-Z axis “spine” which will hold all the pieces. I used masking tape to prevent scratching and scuffing while cutting, then used my dremel to cut a concave edge on the 4 shorter pieces to glue them onto the 6” center pole.



I used acrylic glue on the tubes which left a few ugly grey spots. The center spine will be mostly obscured by the many parts, so I'm not too worried about that, but the other parts' glue will need to be as clear as possible.




I can see that this proper acrylic glue won’t work as it will leave too many grey discolored areas on the seams. I considered epoxy, but that tends to be yellowish or turn yellow over time, so I’m a little leery about that also. After all, the whole thing is clear with many seams so there’s no way to hide any major problems.

I decided on using clear acrylic caulk, which should work. The adhesive doesn't have to be super strong (it's not a fish tank which is what this acrylic glue is usually used for) as the parts will be housed inside the cube between the spine and the walls.

The sides are 1/8“ thick so I shortened the 6” center pole by that amount. The center pole will also house the tracer which will slide through it and rest in the center of the cube.



I'll need to drill one hole into a cube side panel to fit the tracer in. I will cut a panel to fit into the open face of the cube and drill a hole in that panel. that way if I mess up I can make another. I don't want to chance drilling the cube wall itself. Also, the pics of the original prop look like all 5 sides of the original prop are solid. Only the 6th side had an actual hole drilled to house the tracer.

LOWER PARTS
The two big parts on the bottom were a real bear. They are the largest parts and have the several exact angles. I had to re-cut replacements half a dozen times to get just the right angles which matched the other piece's angles. Very fussy since they have to fit together. And they have to be even. And the seams have to match exactly with no gaps. And as they are in the bottom they fit first, and all other follow after that. Very tough.

Those two big parts took nearly a week of fiddling to get them just right.



Here's a rough fit of the first 4 parts, just taped onto the spine for fitting.



The rest of the parts are basically triangles which I can whip out and sand to shape fairly easily. My next step is to experiment with the clear caulk to see if it will work in place of proper acrylic glue

This is brilliant! I may have to try this someday! Im very interested to see how it turns out

Also very interested in seeing how this works. This is the style of prop building I like to see!

On an unrelated note... DANG the original Romana was hot.

Great start, cant wait to see how it turns out.

Short update today. I'm about to go on holiday for 2 weeks so last update for a while.

Glued together a few pieces with the clear caulk. It's rubbery and can be wiped off with a little effort after drying. The seams need a bit of work, but the glue is NOT permanent and can be rubbed off and reapplied. It's just like caulking a sink. It will also fill the seams with clear nicely, so I think this will work.



It's strong enough to hold the parts together on the spine inside the cube and that's all I need.



The image looks very scratched - it isn't, it's just bits of sanded acrylic sheet sparkling in the pic and some tape to prevent scratches. It should clean up and be very clear.

Quick update. I've added a few more parts



The caulk is NOT cement, just rubbery adhesive. It's strong enough to hold it together, but it's held in place firmly by the interior edges in the box.



You will see fingerprints, smears and uneven seam lines on the box. Once it's all assembled (I have about 6 more triangles to add) I'll clean up the seam lines etc.



Some observations. The caulk I'm using takes a while to dry and dries clear. Smears are cleaned with simple mineral spirits, which don't affect the acrylic.

INTERIOR DONE
Ok, interior is all finished, here are a few pics.

I spent an hour using mineral spirits to remove fingerprints, dust, smeared caulk etc from the parts and box. It works perfectly and doesn’t affect the acrylic.

All the sections exactly mimic the segments which make up the KTT.



The caulk is strong enough to hold it together, even outside the box.



The pics still show a few specks of dust (from the sanding etc) in there. I will wash it out more thoroughly later.

FINISHING UP

I cut a square lid, then lined up and cut a hole for the tracer. Again, the original Perspex prop seems not to have had any holes except for the one on top for the tracer.



This top panel fits snugly but I will not glue it. It can be removed in case I want to access the interior. I notice that any dust inside is very visible.

TO SUM UP

I wish I had a way to properly cut acrylic sheet to be razor sharp, it would look much better. I don’t have a table saw. I’d also be able to use proper acrylic glue instead of caulk, since the edges would be completely flat and would adhere properly. Finally, I’d be able to DUPLICATE IT.



If I were able to duplicate the parts, I really consider marketing this. It is VERY easy to assemble, don’t let the pictures fool you. While the parts look complex, it’s only about 20 parts.



There are about 10 copies of one triangle, 3 of another, 2 of a third, one rectangle and only large triangle. Except for the last 2 parts, the rest are copies of a master.



Assembly would take minutes if the parts had completely flat edges because acrylic glue would dry in minutes.

I'll do a proper clean up and post a few more pics later.

That looks GREAT! :thumbsup

This is crazy good! I'd buy if you ever did a run! Awesome work!