Doctor Who: Time Agent's Vortex Manipulator *SPOILER*

Off the top of my head I can't even think of any sounds the thing makes. That's definitely a possibility for an upgrade though.
 
I'm pretty sure the sanding all depends on the way in which it's cast. For instance powdering the mold, percentage of powder, etc. If done right it should only require a light buffing with some steel wool.

Yep, dust the molds and buff, no sanding as such required.
 
yay, rpf is back up!

to clarify:
3d printing is what I'm going to do to get this modeled cad part into a real physical part that I can hold in my hand. It will be smooth, not require sanding, and will be made of a plastic type material, build with a laser. I'll be referring to this as the master from now on, since I will be only printing one of these.

My next step is to make a silicon mold from the master. Into that mold, I can pour clear or colored resin to make physical copies.

Alternatively, I can mix nickel-silver powder color into the resin and brush that on the mold before I fill it with resin so it will look like metal. Simply buffing that will make it shine some, and seem like metal. That is cold casting.

CNC is far too expensive unless we're making several hundred.

Risu- I see the slant you're talking about, and i'll fix it. should i put a hole in the part under where that leather strap goes across, so a LED can go through? i'm not sure how to do it for the slanted part since... its shining through but still solid. people will need to find their own LEDs little screen to put in there or something.

I've scaled the part properly, based on the circular button being 16mm in diameter.

overall dimensions:
vortexdims.JPG


I'm not sure of pricing so I'm not going to make a guess. it depends on the amount of material I use, since the metal powder is expensive. I can offer both a black or transparent resin, and also a cold casted part option.

I am concerned about the space for the electronics. this part is not very thick, so if i leave the chamber behind it, it will be even thinner and the resin could snap.
 
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vortex5.JPG

added the center hold for the led, and slanted the wedge box as risu recommended. i want to order this part before friday 5pm, so lets keep the comments flowing so i can keep adjusting. i may make that wedge box face a hole all the way through, so people can cut a plastic screen and fit it there, with a LED behind it.
 
It makes some slight beeping noises when the buttons are pressed well atleast when Matt Smith has it

I guess the Fuzzzzzz electrical sound (when he disappears and reappears) could be added too.

This is coming along very nicely. I haven't had any luck with finding the right buckle yet though.
 
Looks great, I think the wedge part should have a hole through it.

What happens to the size if you drop the button down to 15 mm? The 16 mm measurement I gave included the recessed border around the button, but your model and it looks like the prop itself have a smaller gap between the button and the rest of the VM. The raised part of the button should only be about 15 mm. I don't have Barrowman sized wrists, and that scale would be way too large to wear.
 
well, it'll be 15/16ths of the size... just multiply the numbers by 15/16 or... 0.9375, so about 94% of the size

71 mm long instead of 76
 
Who's doing the wristband, and can I get one? And can it fit my iPhone, which is of the same length but more squared corners? Because that would be ace.
 
I'm still not sure if I'll be offering wristbands, but I'm considering it. However, I really don't think an iphone would even come close to fitting. I don't have one on hand to measure though.

That smaller size sounds much better. That puts it at about 2.75 inches long and 1.5 inches wide.
 
Wow...can't believe the progress on this thread already..... :) That's amazing work Zenix, your model looks great!!! I'd definetely would be up for one of these, on a run, depending on the price.

Apologies but I haven't had the chance to dig out those pics yet of my wriststrap, will sort that asap...

I've just been looking at the 'toy' version I have......why oh why did they not make it that slightly more larger!!! Grrrrr
 
The toy fits fine on my wrist, the thing that bugs me about it is the huge manipulator, the thing is 1/2" thick at least.
 
I can't wait to see this thing come to life. I'll be working on my own sculpt of the manipulator when I have time, but seeing how this progresses will definitely help me stay motivated.

Thankfully though, without the pressure of having to make a VM now, I can focus on more important things...like replicating Van Gogh-inspired paintings. :p

Good luck guys, I'll be down to help in any way I can. I can't wait to see how this turns out!

-Nick
 
I'm still not sure if I'll be offering wristbands, but I'm considering it. However, I really don't think an iphone would even come close to fitting. I don't have one on hand to measure though.

Ooof; you're right; I just quickly held my phone up to the specs and it looked about right. But I just threw a ruler on it and it's 4 1/2" x 2 7/16" x 7/16" so it looks like I'm off to find a local garment leatherworker.
 
The toy fits fine on my wrist, the thing that bugs me about it is the huge manipulator, the thing is 1/2" thick at least.

04022009798.jpg


Yeh, same here...fits fine but just bugs me the slight undersize to the whole thing, as well as the thickness of the computer.....could they not have made it slimmer, even with the battery compartment?? So close but yet so far....
 
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Apologies but I haven't had the chance to dig out those pics yet of my wriststrap, will sort that asap...

Here's a quick couple of pics of the prototype I was working on a while back....like I mentioned earlier, unfortunately I couldn't get the same type of leather/colour but still was happy with the first attempt....but I still crave more!! :lol Oh, the computer was a piece of mdf but didn't take to the paint in the end, so what you see now is just a quick abs insert I was working on at the time but it gives you the idea...

I so would love a really accurate version of this device.....it's such a great prop...one of my favs!!!

vortex1.jpg

vortex2.jpg
 
Not bad. I'd love to see a closer shot of the inside of your cover flap and hear how it's assembled. Even if its not the same as the original it might give me some ideas.
 
vortexdims2.JPG


does anyone know the THICKNESS of the circular button?

I'm planning on printing this part today or tomorrow so we can get the ball rolling.

vortex6.JPG

hole through angled box added.
 
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