3d Printed Doctor Who Props by Doctor Octoroc (building & finishing thread)

[Doctor Octoroc]

Ok, I figure I would show what I have done with my 8th Doctor Sonic.

All you guys and your pennywhistles are looking good, but I decided not to start on that one yet. (if you don't get the reference, then you need to send me your screwdrivers for failure to know your 8th Doctor)

Here is my painted up 8th Doctor Sonic.
https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-...AAAAAB3M/wF_r4ylNcOw/s800/20130916_192052.jpg

Now I hear you all saying, "but TND, that Sonic is sooooooooo boring!!!!"

BUT I SAY NAY!!!!!

Can your sonic do this?????
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-...AAAAAB3U/IpFM-OeT6Wg/s800/20130916_192026.jpg

That's right, collapsible, spring loaded goodness.

Seriously, this was a fun project for today. Now I need to paint the 9th A and the 8th Alt in the next few weeks, but I am still in the planning stages for those. Thanks again to Doc Octoroc for making this run happen. Now you guys and your 8th alts, hurry up and finish so I can steal how you are detailing yours!!!

Great detail on the grip, and awesome that you made it spring loaded!!! I struggled with a solid design to make the classic sonics retract/extend as they should but you found a way with the static kit! I'm sure I'm not the only one who is curious how you did it

 

[TickTockMan]

Truthfully, I'm not totally sure yet, but mostly likely no more than an inch long in most cases. I'm pretty sure the speaker, sound chip, and LED should all fit inside the top 'winged' section - albeit snugly. I imagine those wires are going to have to be annoyingly short...or thin. Alternatively I can also see how either the speaker or the sound chip (probably the speaker is easiest, if I remember the sizes right) could fit inside the handle (in front of the switch), and the other in the collar of the winged section.

Would still end up with annoyingly short wires - pain for assembly...but then there's probably enough space where the wires to the LED are running (into the bulb) to put a little extra length in and make assembly easier. Hope that made sense. I'm very tired! :wacko

When I get my replacement electronics I'll try to be of more help!

I love seeing everyone's progress! This is a fun project, and kinda feels like a group build in many ways.

The Next Doctor, very clever with the springiness! I don't see that nearly often enough with the usual 8th Sonic!

Looking over the circuit, I see what you mean...this doesn't look like an easy task, and as it's been literally a decade and a half since I picked up a soldering iron, I need to be super-careful...I may be able to cheat a bit on the LED wire, as I'm using a slightly smaller blue LED than what the Doc supplied (which may end up in one of my CO sonics or a custom sonic idea I'm also kicking around--I'm essentially challenging myself to build a sonic from dollar-store parts and found items, with a budget of $5 total...), which will easily fit through the hole at the top of the winged section Other obligations are going to take me away from this and some other projects for a little bit, but I definitely will be following yours with interest and will try to be back in the loop as soon as I can!

And The Next Doctor, that 8th Sonic of yours is truly a thing of beauty!

 

[Doctor Octoroc]

Out of curiosity, has anyone that ordered the River Song sonic done anything with it yet? That's the one prop out of the whole group I hadn't got to painting in my own tests. I'm curious how others do it and how they turn out! It'd be real awesome to see someone utilize the neural relay section on the electronics end. This part was originally modeled directly into the body, but as a last minute decision I decided to print it in the FUD to allow folks to actually make it light up like the emitter lens. It would be great to see those light up in sequence like they do on the actual prop!!!

And as a tip to people finishing the alternate 8th sonic (or any other sonic with a dirty finish), I highly recommend a dry brushing or rub 'n buff procedure using a dark color base first, then a lighter top coat. This way you can get darker paint into the details and the second coat won't get into the same details, leaving them darker (almost as if outlined), and the details will really pop! Apologies to anyone who's already past this point and could have used the info. It was info I intended to include in the first post and was overwhelmed with other info at the time. Hopefully this helps others in the future!

 

[Arch27]

Did you ever post that painting template for the spiral on the 3rd Doctor's sonic?

 

[Cadeian]

Small update on my electronics progress!

I received the sound/light module for the DIY Sonic kit - and it had a defective sound chip! one of the sonic noises is messed up, and would drive me crazy if I put into my Alt 8th.

Nonetheless I've been able to learn some things that I think could help others:

1) Customer service at Character Options is awesome. I wrote them with my problem last night, by this morning an e-mail was waiting for me to tell that a replacement was on the way, no charge. Whew!

and 2) I think the DIY electronics will actually fit into the Alt 8th Sonic better than the other CO donor options! The reason being that the circuit board/sound chip in the DIY kit is actually rectangular, as opposed to circular, and the components on the board look to be laid out in such a way as to make fitting and arranging the connecting elements (switch, LED, batteries, speaker) MUCH easier in the Alt 8th.

and as a bonus there are 10 total 'sonic' noises/light patterns on this circuit board that are gonna give this sonic a little something extra!

Shipping is a bit excessive, but the price for the component itself is perfect! I definitely recommend anyone working on one of these sonic kits to pick up a set of these electronics. The link I used is up thread somewhere...

Now I play the waiting game...again...

How's everyone else doing on their builds this week?

 

[Doctor Octoroc]

Did you ever post that painting template for the spiral on the 3rd Doctor's sonic?

I just added the link to the first post, but here is the link to the PDF file. It includes all masking templates (labeled accordingly).

http://www.doctoroctoroc.com/misc/decals.pdf

You can print that out on adhesive paper and cut them out to apply as you see fit. You can also reference the assembly guide for each (linked at the bottom of the first post of the original INT thread) to see where the decals go on each prop. I only did masking decals for the 3rd, 9th Aztec, 9th, 10th and River Song models as they have the most intricate details that require masking.

 

[TickTockMan]

Small update on my electronics progress!

I received the sound/light module for the DIY Sonic kit - and it had a defective sound chip! one of the sonic noises is messed up, and would drive me crazy if I put into my Alt 8th.

Nonetheless I've been able to learn some things that I think could help others:

1) Customer service at Character Options is awesome. I wrote them with my problem last night, by this morning an e-mail was waiting for me to tell that a replacement was on the way, no charge. Whew!

and 2) I think this DIY electronics will actually fit into the Alt 8th Sonic better than the other CO donor options! The reason being that the circuit board/sound chip in the DIY kit is actually rectangular, as opposed to circular, and the components on the board look to be laid out in such a way as to make fitting and arranging the connecting elements (switch, LED, batteries, speaker) MUCH easier in the Alt 8th.

and as a bonus there are 10 total 'sonic' noises/light patterns on this circuit board that are gonna give this sonic a little something extra!

Shipping is a bit excessive, but the price for the component itself is perfect! I definitely recommend anyone working on one of these sonic kits to pick up a set of this electronics. The link I used is up thread somewhere...

Now I play the waiting game...again...

How's everyone else doing on their builds this week?

That DIY core is awfully tempting, but I just don't have the funds to pay for THAT much shipping, so I'll make do with what I have...still, I look forward to seeing what yours can do once you have it finished!

 

[TickTockMan]

Well, it turned out that my weekend plans were completely wiped out, so I spent today finishing my Alt 8th Sonic instead! Here's a photo of the finished product, after shoehorning in the electronics, a little more weathering work, and a final clear coat:



And here's a photo of it lit up:



I ended up putting the electronics chip in the tube section above the switch--Cadeian's not kidding, it's an INSANELY tight fit--and the speaker in the winged section. I extended the LED (I ended up using the one that came with the kit) out to the middle of the emitter bulb to light it more uniformly. I had a devil of a time with the switch button and cover for some reason...it ended up very slightly askew (not really noticeable in the photo), but it's all in keeping with the "dirty, beat-up" look of the piece. All in all, this was a very fun build, and very educational for me on the subject of 3D printed items...I have a feeling that I'll be getting something from Doc Octoroc's next run of sonics! I can't wait to see what everyone else does with theirs!

 

[TimeyWhimyStuff]

Well, it turned out that my weekend plans were completely wiped out, so I spent today finishing my Alt 8th Sonic instead! Here's a photo of the finished product, after shoehorning in the electronics, a little more weathering work, and a final clear coat:

View attachment 234725

And here's a photo of it lit up:

View attachment 234711

I ended up putting the electronics chip in the tube section above the switch--Cadeian's not kidding, it's an INSANELY tight fit--and the speaker in the winged section. I extended the LED (I ended up using the one that came with the kit) out to the middle of the emitter bulb to light it more uniformly. I had a devil of a time with the switch button and cover for some reason...it ended up very slightly askew (not really noticeable in the photo), but it's all in keeping with the "dirty, beat-up" look of the piece. All in all, this was a very fun build, and very educational for me on the subject of 3D printed items...I have a feeling that I'll be getting something from Doc Octoroc's next run of sonics! I can't wait to see what everyone else does with theirs!

That looks great!

 

[Doctor Octoroc]

Awesome job TickTock!!! That's exactly what I like to see with these kits. Can't wait to see more!

 

[TickTockMan]

Awesome job TickTock!!! That's exactly what I like to see with these kits. Can't wait to see more!

Thanks, everyone! It means a lot coming from you, Doc! Here's a little more info about McGann's prop that might be helpful or just interesting...the whole story's here: Darren's World of Entertainment: Paul McGann gets a new Sonic screwdriver

At some point McGann's first alt Sonic was stolen while he was traveling (you have to be pretty cold to steal from the Doctor like that...), and so the folks at Weta built him a new one and Nicholas Briggs surprised him with it at a con earlier this year. Now, here's a pic of McGann demonstrating his Sonic in 2010:



And here's one of him happily showing off his new sonic earlier this year:



In the first picture the tail end seems a little different (could just be the camera angle or how he's holding it, though), but note also that the whole emitter bulb lights up...for the 2013 reissue, it looks like just the forward part of the bulb lights up, as if perhaps there were electronics (an LED housing or something) in its back half. I just found it interesting, but it gives a couple of options when it comes to setting up the lighting...

 

[ponchopanda]

Am I the oly one that likes Doctor O's paint scheme on the alt 8 than the real one?

 

[Cadeian]

That looks FANTASTIC, TickTock! Nice work on the paint. way to get those electronics in! Would love to 'take a peek under the hood' if you have any pics. Nice work, hope mine turns out half as good!

After this project, i'm definitely in for a 2nd run from DocOck! These are great little kits!

 

[Bluebox303]

Is there an estimated date for the 2nd run?

 

[TickTockMan]

That looks FANTASTIC, TickTock! Nice work on the paint. way to get those electronics in! Would love to 'take a peek under the hood' if you have any pics. Nice work, hope mine turns out half as good!

After this project, i'm definitely in for a 2nd run from DocOck! These are great little kits!

Thanks! Sadly, I didn't think to take any pics of the electronics side of the build...there was so much trial-and-error going on there that it just never entered my mind to document it. Essentially, I extended the battery wires, got the switch more or less in place and then anchored it in very carefully with a dab of hot glue (not recommended, by the way...if I'd had some epoxy I'd have used it instead--hot glue's way too messy and imprecise for such tight spaces), then slid in the electronics card above the switch. The LED was pretty straightforward, but I kind of curled the speaker wire around to get it to fit in the winged section, and still had quite a time keeping it from peeking out when closing up the top. I didn't bother with any kind of terminals for the batteries at this point...I just scotch-taped three LR41s together into a little pack and then electrical-taped the wires to the ends and it works just fine--just don't forget to NOT glue the bottom piece--friction holds it in place well enough, it seems. I've heard of some people using little neodymium magnets as terminals for DIY builds (two on each end, with the wires sandwiched in between), and I may try that at some point, but right now I'm just happy it's DONE!

I will definitely be getting more kits if there's a second run...I'm playing with the idea of painting an alt 8th in more sinister colors and using a red LED...

 

[Doctor Octoroc]

I will definitely be getting more kits if there's a second run...I'm playing with the idea of painting an alt 8th in more sinister colors and using a red LED...

John Hurt's sonic, perhaps? Hehehe...also, did you find the housing for the push switch to be optimal? I'm not sure how they rig tactile buttons in the real deal, but I figured having it ready to house the common switch would be best, although having it a few inches into the shaft makes it a pain to get to - I just shoved mine in there with a flat head screwdriver and it hasn't budged since. I think you and The Next Doctor are the first two to finish one of these kits and they both turned out fantastic!!!

Can't wait to see more...still no one working on a River Song sonic?

No estimated date for the second run, still feeling out things and getting feedback from members from the first run. So far mostly good stuff, so thanks for that!!!

 

[TickTockMan]

Am I the oly one that likes Doctor O's paint scheme on the alt 8 than the real one?

I'd say I hold it in equal esteem to the original prop's paint scheme...it's just as effective in bringing out the detail and is actually even grittier-looking. If I get another alt 8th kit (very likely), there's definitely a few different things I want to try...

 

[TickTockMan]

John Hurt's sonic, perhaps? Hehehe...also, did you find the housing for the push switch to be optimal? I'm not sure how they rig tactile buttons in the real deal, but I figured having it ready to house the common switch would be best, although having it a few inches into the shaft makes it a pain to get to - I just shoved mine in there with a flat head screwdriver and it hasn't budged since. I think you and The Next Doctor are the first two to finish one of these kits and they both turned out fantastic!!!

Can't wait to see more...still no one working on a River Song sonic?

No estimated date for the second run, still feeling out things and getting feedback from members from the first run. So far mostly good stuff, so thanks for that!!!

Yeah, that was the direction I was thinking...even if the Hurt Doctor's sonic ends up being an entirely different design, I just think that the alt 8th would definitely work with a more sinister color scheme...perhaps a gunmetal body, with dark mahogany grips and, as I said, a bright red LED...

I really don't think you could have done much better with the push switch housing--as I used one of the original small switches from the CO sonic, there was a lot of wiggle room, so I had to use something to anchor it in place (hot glue, although epoxy I think would be better, as I noted above...), but had I went with a normal-sized switch it would have been perfect, so I'm not complaining. Really, the only problem I had with any of the WSF parts fitting was, strangely enough, the trigger ring...I just couldn't get that little bugger to sit straight, but finally I got it close enough, and I figure if it's a little off, this is supposed to be an old, beat-up screwdriver so it can't help but add to the charm. And I'm with you--I can't wait to see more finished kits!!

 

[Doctor Octoroc]

Yeah, that was the direction I was thinking...even if the Hurt Doctor's sonic ends up being an entirely different design, I just think that the alt 8th would definitely work with a more sinister color scheme...perhaps a gunmetal body, with dark mahogany grips and, as I said, a bright red LED...

I really don't think you could have done much better with the push switch housing--as I used one of the original small switches from the CO sonic, there was a lot of wiggle room, so I had to use something to anchor it in place (hot glue, although epoxy I think would be better, as I noted above...), but had I went with a normal-sized switch it would have been perfect, so I'm not complaining. Really, the only problem I had with any of the WSF parts fitting was, strangely enough, the trigger ring...I just couldn't get that little bugger to sit straight, but finally I got it close enough, and I figure if it's a little off, this is supposed to be an old, beat-up screwdriver so it can't help but add to the charm. And I'm with you--I can't wait to see more finished kits!!

That ring might be one of those parts that is better to assemble then paint - not sure if you went that route or decided to paint up those pieces before attaching them to the body, but with my test assembly of one of the sonics, it fit snug with a good push.

But these parts are designed to fit directly against each other with no tolerance for space, so snug should be the going fit on small-to-medium sized pieces like that trigger ring. Small pieces usually require a bit of sanding (I mean really small, like the knob on the 9th/10th sonics that fits the slider into the copper tube) and larger pieces can fit loosely sometimes and require glue. Really, with a .01mm margin of tolerance in the printing process, it's hard to get it perfect, but I figure better a bit too much than too little!

 

[TickTockMan]

That ring might be one of those parts that is better to assemble then paint - not sure if you went that route or decided to paint up those pieces before attaching them to the body, but with my test assembly of one of the sonics, it fit snug with a good push.

But these parts are designed to fit directly against each other with no tolerance for space, so snug should be the going fit on small-to-medium sized pieces like that trigger ring. Small pieces usually require a bit of sanding (I mean really small, like the knob on the 9th/10th sonics that fits the slider into the copper tube) and larger pieces can fit loosely sometimes and require glue. Really, with a .01mm margin of tolerance in the printing process, it's hard to get it perfect, but I figure better a bit too much than too little!

I painted it, then glued it, and then took it back off and fought with it till it fit, and ended up re-painting it. I ended using a little too much glue at the top and there was a little residue there, but I just gave it a wash of patina color and now it looks like some kind of corrosion buildup from use...weathering can definitely cover a multitude of sins...