Millennium FX Dr Who Sonic Screwdriver

[Michael Bergeron]

Sorry to butt in here, especially as my first post. But that above comparison picture of the prop photos and MFX photos. The MFX colour under flash, looks closer to the actual prop without flash...

I disagree, I used the eye dropper in photoshop to get an approximation of the colour in each photo. I tried to get a spot on each sonic that was best representative of the real colour in those lighting conditions and as you can see the MFX sonic is much closer to the prop with flash than without flash. It's not a perfect match but it's close enough that it looks like lighting is the culprit for the minor difference. Here's my comparison:

mfxreplicas has got a free drink on me as well next time I'm in the UK. Threads like these make the people who try so hard to provide us with these great replicas wonder if it's worth the hassle. Too bad I can't afford one of these because if I could I'd happily buy it off one of the nay-sayers here.

 

[Risu]

I'm glad to see somebody went and did the comparison.

Neill, I'll buy you a drink at Gallifrey One next year. I feel like I need one every time I see one of these threads pop up to the first page anyways.

 

[Organic Mechanic]

My first post as well...

OK, I admit it, I'm here because I'm a nerd in love with lightsabers & sonic screwdrivers.

Funny thing...I'm also a machinist. I'd feel ridiculous paying that much money for the unlicensed repro (it IS unlicensed after all.), and I simply cannot acquire the licensed one.

But boy do I want one.

Might I implore one of you fine craftsmen who happen to own an MFX & a set of calipers to get us one, solid, precise dimension from it? The ruler pictures just aren't precise enough for me. No, I don't have a shop of my own, so I am in no way suggesting that I would produce them, but I don't see me getting one any other way.

 

[TheNickFox]

mfxreplicas has got a free drink on me as well next time I'm in the UK. Threads like these make the people who try so hard to provide us with these great replicas wonder if it's worth the hassle. Too bad I can't afford one of these because if I could I'd happily buy it off one of the nay-sayers here.

Me too! If someone would who is dissatisfied with their MFX Sonic really dislikes it, I'll gladly take it off your hands. No use making me pay for it since if you dislike it that much, just getting rid of it would be payment enough.

And between me, you, and Risu, I don't think Neill will have to buy himself drinks for a very long time...or at least for the beginning of one night (That's as far as 3 beers would get me anyway ).

-Nick

 

[Pastor Jedi]

I found the Valspar Crackle spray paint with a black undercoat and cream color top coat and tried it on a piece of aluminum and then clear coated it and I have to say that it is very close to the color on the MFX version. I'm not good with cameras, but I can see how the lighting greatly affects the tint, not to mention wear and tear from handing it. I could see how it would turn a shade of grey through use too. So I think both MFX and CT are correct!

 

[Vanguard1138]

This may crack open the debate again... I really wasn't certain about the Heritage Gold on the MFX as we only have the one comparison shot, however I did some searching around on the forum and found this image:

Now, This shot looks a lot closer to the images that MFX provided in terms of angle and flash intensity... In my opinion.

Edit -

This looks pretty close in terms of conditions also...

 

[Jamanticus]

I'd feel ridiculous paying that much money for the unlicensed repro (it IS unlicensed after all.)

I have a feeling you'd stop feeling ridiculous right when you saw it in person. The unlicensed version is of the absolute highest quality and worth every penny (imo).

I can see how the lighting greatly affects the tint, not to mention wear and tear from handing it. I could see how it would turn a shade of grey through use too. So I think both MFX and CT are correct!

I'm beginning to think that as well. I'm also beginning to think that what we really need to see are what the gold and cream crackle sonic replicas respectively look like when they're very heavily used. Might yield some informative results.

 

[TheNickFox]

Now, This shot looks a lot closer to the images that MFX provided in terms of angle and flash intensity... In my opinion.

I'm not so sure that shot uses a flash. At that distance, I would have expected a flash to bathe the entire area in light, but the lower left corner is dark...I'd say this was lit with other lights, probably something with a tungsten balance.

That's the other thing to be aware of, different lights have different color temperatures, which cause different cameras, depending on their different white balances, to render the colors differently.

...Did I say "different" enough?

Seriously, can we drop this? We're debating the issue of whether someone who had access to the prop has somehow made a less accurate version than a guy with NO access to the prop. It's really just getting silly!

-Nick

 

[Straker]

I disagree, I used the eye dropper in photoshop to get an approximation of the colour in each photo. I tried to get a spot on each sonic that was best representative of the real colour in those lighting conditions and as you can see the MFX sonic is much closer to the prop with flash than without flash. It's not a perfect match but it's close enough that it looks like lighting is the culprit for the minor difference. Here's my comparison:

I have to admit that the NMR picture is the best evidence yet to a color wash out of the Heritage Gold to make it look gray. However that would mean that all pictures and screen stills and video would have needed to have been over saturated to do that and I'm afraid no reference material of that sort exists thus far. Still though...isn't Heritage Gold a pretty color for the sonic screwdriver grip anyway? IMIRITE?

 

[Straker]

I'm not so sure that shot uses a flash. At that distance, I would have expected a flash to bathe the entire area in light, but the lower left corner is dark...I'd say this was lit with other lights, probably something with a tungsten balance.

That's the other thing to be aware of, different lights have different color temperatures, which cause different cameras, depending on their different white balances, to render the colors differently.

...Did I say "different" enough?

Seriously, can we drop this? We're debating the issue of whether someone who had access to the prop has somehow made a less accurate version than a guy with NO access to the prop. It's really just getting silly!

-Nick

Oh and Nick, I wouldn't say he had NO access to the prop if you don't know how he did have access. I asked and his explanation to me makes perfect sense. No, don't ask me to tell you. XD

 

[DrConstantine]

even though i have protested against the Mfx i must admit that if any one were to sell theirs i would quite interested in purchasing one (cause lets face it even though it has its flaws, it is pretty damn cool).

 

[WarMachine]

This may crack open the debate again... I really wasn't certain about the Heritage Gold on the MFX as we only have the one comparison shot, however I did some searching around on the forum and found this image:

Now, This shot looks a lot closer to the images that MFX provided in terms of angle and flash intensity... In my opinion.

I don't mean to be a jerk but that image is taken from a thread called Sonic Screwdriver Re-paint (which is a cool thread and can be read right HERE). Of course it's going to look the same as the MFX as the same paint was used on the re-painting of it.

EDIT: Scratch this post, I just re-read your post and I realised you didn't mean what I thought you meant haha. That's what I get for not reading posts properly.

 

[TheNickFox]

Oh and Nick, I wouldn't say he had NO access to the prop if you don't know how he did have access. I asked and his explanation to me makes perfect sense. No, don't ask me to tell you. XD

That's the sort of stuff that makes me suspicious; the whole cloak and dagger, under the cover of darkness sort of stuff. Look, if he stole one, say it...if he was an independent contractor on the show, just say that...if he's just blowing hot air he should say THAT, but I'm a big fan of put up or shut up.

And so far he has yet to put up anything but some nice publicity stills and screenshots that I have access too. No doubt he offers a nice product, but Neill has offered his proof, I know where my trust lies.

Business is not built on subversion, it's built on making the customer or potential customers happy...and as a "potential customer" I just am not happy that he has had as much contact with original props as MFX.

Before you say anything about me not understanding how a business works, I own my own natural hair care company right now; Urge Essentials. If we at Urge claimed that our products made your hair grow, we'd have to back that up (I don't claim that BTW) or if we said it came from a rare ancient Egyptian formulation (Once again, I don't claim that) we'd have to provide proof of that too. You can't just make claims and expect them not to be questioned when there exists no semblance of proof.

Look, I used to be a magician and professional illusion designer (I'm a jack of all trades), so I get the whole wanting to keep secrets thing - it was my job to keep secrets for many years. So PM me the secret to his access to the prop and I swear I will not reveal it...Magicians are the best at keeping secrets. If it seems legitimate, I will come back here, as an honest, unbiased third party and say only that, but if it doesn't seem to check out, I will say that. Regardless I will keep his secret. Deal?

This could be a very easy way to set the record straight.

-Nick

 

[Straker]

That's the sort of stuff that makes me suspicious; the whole cloak and dagger, under the cover of darkness sort of stuff. Look, if he stole one, say it...if he was an independent contractor on the show, just say that...if he's just blowing hot air he should say THAT, but I'm a big fan of put up or shut up.

And so far he has yet to put up anything but some nice publicity stills and screenshots that I have access too. No doubt he offers a nice product, but Neill has offered his proof, I know where my trust lies.

Business is not built on subversion, it's built on making the customer or potential customers happy...and as a "potential customer" I just am not happy that he has had as much contact with original props as MFX.

Before you say anything about me not understanding how a business works, I own my own natural hair care company right now; Urge Essentials. If we at Urge claimed that our products made your hair grow, we'd have to back that up (I don't claim that BTW) or if we said it came from a rare ancient Egyptian formulation (Once again, I don't claim that) we'd have to provide proof of that too. You can't just make claims and expect them not to be questioned when there exists no semblance of proof.

Look, I used to be a magician and professional illusion designer (I'm a jack of all trades), so I get the whole wanting to keep secrets thing - it was my job to keep secrets for many years. So PM me the secret to his access to the prop and I swear I will not reveal it...Magicians are the best at keeping secrets. If it seems legitimate, I will come back here, as an honest, unbiased third party and say only that, but if it doesn't seem to check out, I will say that. Regardless I will keep his secret. Deal?

This could be a very easy way to set the record straight.

-Nick

Stole one? HA! Come on man! Use some imagination at least XD Let's just say that other people would get into serious trouble if he told. He got access to something he wasn't supposed to. Someone gave him that access. Someone would get into deep poo if some of the information PAST this that I am saying here was spilled. People who's arms the BBC legal department could reach. CT is safe where he is but that person or persons are not. CT is honorable to protect his source so therefore I must honor that. I asked him personally some year or two or three ago when he was sill working on the prototype in it's earliest stages and he told me on the condition that I not say. Do i have any proof that he is telling the truth? Some. That and his explanation makes perfect sense and I see no real reason to doubt it. His time table matches up well. The fact that he has added detail to the finished piece that another replica company did not place on theirs with their confirmed access to the prop is another reason why I believe him. I'm just saying that you have none of this information, which is fine but seeing as how you do not you can't say that he had no access to a prop himself. It's as if you're saying that absence of proof is proof but that isn't always the case. All I can tell you is that he lived in the UK for quite a number of years (hence his easy use of the English language) and that during that time the modern series was running for a few of the years he lived there. All of this is pretty common knowledge though via his blogs and comment posts but there's enough info in this post to draw a good enough picture for yourself excluding the exact place or person/persons and dates.


BTW I would never assume you knew nothing about running a business. XD I will say that legally a company can make a public claim and as long as it's worded juuust right it doesn't have to be entirely true to be legal. The customers read the statement how they want to read it which is typically the way the company intended them to interpret it. Sort of like a politician.

 

[VortexRunner]

I must admit looking at the actual prop, I do love the frosted hole covering the wires, maybe drilling it incorrectly has actually created something interesting

 

[Risu]

I don't get the point that was being made by the user who posted my sonic repaint photo. Could you please explain your goal in complete sentences?

 

[Vanguard1138]

I don't get the point that was being made by the user who posted my sonic repaint photo. Could you please explain your goal in complete sentences?

I was attempting to find an image of the MFX Screwdriver which is closer in terms of angle and lighting conditions to the images of the original prop that MFX posted, as to me the image of the screwdriver on the stand appears to have much brighter lighting conditions, from more than one source, whereas the original prop was pictured I believe with just a flash and in artificial (office) lighting conditions.

 

[Risu]

Well, I can tell you for a fact that the lighting conditions in the room I took that photo in were nothing like those in Neill's photos. The bulb in here isn't very bright and it's encased in yellow glass.

 

[Michael Bergeron]

The photo on the right in Neill's pics is very obviously taken in daylight lighting (5200k+) probably by a large window or even outside whereas Risu's pic is indoors with tungsten lighting (3600k at best). His pic on the left is indoors with flash much like the pic of the replica on the bottom. I think the pic of the replica sonic is a "close enough" lighting comparison to the left pic of the original to show that it's the same colour.

Lower color temps will be more yellow, higher temps will be more blue.

 

[LeAngeSolitaire]

The photo on the right in Neill's pics is very obviously taken in daylight lighting (5200k+) probably by a large window or even outside whereas Risu's pic is indoors with tungsten lighting (3600k at best). His pic on the left is indoors with flash much like the pic of the replica on the bottom. I think the pic of the replica sonic is a "close enough" lighting comparison to the left pic of the original to show that it's the same colour.

Lower color temps will be more yellow, higher temps will be more blue.

CT has posted a Photoshop analysis of this pic in his blog and he claims the right hand pic was taken under artificial light. I don't know enough about these things to tell whether it's true or not but it appears to say different from what you are saying.