I had a good time with the saber contest and I thought this would be fun to. I have not watched Dr. Who since the Tom Baker days(Altho the new stuff is the Que) so coming up with an non cannon screwdriver should be easy. But not really, because I have seen pics of them here. I have tried to get away from the color and look as much as possible and still have it be "right" looking. I had gone thru my junk yard with out any inspiration, so I wandered the hardware store, also without inspiration. I did have a drawing but nothing really worked with it. I picked up some bits and then they spent two weeks sitting on the shop table. I finally started today, hoping that once I got going I would get into a groove. I started with just delabeling the parts and that really got me in to the mood. I spent three hours, grinding, filing, and sanding. I managed to get 60-70% percent done. And I am pretty sure about how all but 5% of the rest is going to go together.
Keeping it not busy really is tough. It is so small you just want to doo-dad it up for more visual impact.
Don't feel like the lone ranger. My main entry was to be and might still be a future sonic idea that was leaning heavily on the sort of idea of the stills from the new series, but now that I've seen really detailed images of that my 80% finished entry looks really plain in comparison. But on the other hand it's going to have a multifunction feature hiding a refillable ink pen that will satisfy me on a day to day basis.
This isn't just design. It's fabrication. If it was a sketch of a new sonic, that's easy. Me and Illustrator and Photoshop, sky's the limit. Actually prowling the hardware store, the hobby shop and other places looking for that one piece that you have in your brain you'll spend fruitless hours and fend off countless sales people asking "Can I help you find something?"
"Yes I'm looking for a flanging sort of thing to be the emitter on a Sonic Screwdriver", will only lead to those worried looks that maybe they need to call security.
I've already taken a trip to Radio Shack who have those little mini-momentary switches back in the bins like say the 9/10 screen sonic has to actuate the lights as well as bags of LEDs. Easy-peasy. Now try to find a way to make it have sound, not necessary for the contest, but heck I want it to have sound for me. Not so easy apparently. And all the parts; tubes, rods, flanges, various brickabrack, aggh! I have enough stuff for eleventeen Sonics now spread across a 4'x8' banquet table that is my work bench, enough dust, plastic shaving, bits of wire to choke my shop vac and I still don't have one that I want to say. "Hey y'all, look at this!"
I'm starting to wonder if I have what it takes. Or if I'll have enough time. Well, at least it keeps me off the streets...