Showoff thread, Sonicscrewdriver Redux!

RogueScout

Well-Known Member
With all this talk of Sonic Screwdrivers lately, I figured it was time to let the cat out of the bag; after all itÂ’s been a year since I revamped this and aside from a few select people, I have yet to share it with anyone.

Five years a go I offered a few sonic screwdrivers here on the board but I was always discontented with one particular thing about the prop, sound. A couple of years later Greatwazoo42 had his Jeff Parks version refitted by Hyperdyne with a soundboard and as they sayÂ… the quest began. After conversing in great detail with both Hyperdyne and with GW42 I went back to the drawing board on my previous build and asked myself how I can incorporate the sound board into what I already built. Well that was back in spring of 2004, one year later and after many frustrating hours of work, mistakes, rework, redesign, experimenting and teaching myself new metal working techniques I finally arrived at a milestoneÂ… I built The Tom Baker Sonic Screwdriver with sound.

Externally she is the same prop I produced back in 2001 but the internals are 1000% different. A few other details are: Platinum electrical contacts, an all aluminum anodized control rod which also houses the electronics, exterior parts are titanium and aside from the hidden port for the sound she is sealed tight like a maglight (waterproof) and the control slide moves like butter thus eliminating/correcting some of the scratching that occurred with the original design. I have hand fabricated all the parts from scratch, nothing was pre-excising or purchased other than HyperdyneÂ’s sound system.

I have spent five years now perfecting this prop and I donÂ’t see any reason to go any further. I believe I have done with this prop what many people only dreamt of and those who have had the chance to hold mine or GW42s will agree itÂ’s a work of art. So without any further adieu I present to you, the Tom Baker Sonic Screwdriver with sound. BTW, this is not a for sale thread or an interest thread, I am not doing anymore refits and there are none for sale, sorry. The man hours alone that go into one of these would make the price well beyond affordability of most of the membership here.

Thanks for looking and Enjoy.

P.S. I apologize for the crappy photos and video, when I get home tonight ill post new pics. These are only temporary. I can machine just about anything you throw at me but god forbid I have to take a photo of it when its complete.

Sonic01.jpg


sonic02.jpg


Sonic03acopy.jpg



Here is a photo with the slide fully compressed.


Sonic05.jpg



And here is one with her in her cradle with the cover off.

case03b.jpg



Here is a link to the video, keep in mind its not the gratest but im sure ill will get the point across. Keep it on the lowest reolution setting when you watching. I shot this with my Razr and like the photos it really isn't the greatest quality. :(

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_j6QV84CUg

and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHlBBv6-6k0

P.S Did I mention its also SCREEN ACCURATE??? Hehe... I'll let GW42 explain.
 
"...like butter..." That's a very accurate statement. The parts need no lubricant at all but slide without any resistance. The sound is exceptional and the detail work is perfection. Even a friend I made some time ago commented on how superior it was to any BBC prop he ever worked with:

SylvRonSS1.jpg


Sylvester McCoy (pictured above) is holding my Roguescout version and I'm holding my Parks version. Comparing the two is like comparing a stunt version versus a hero prop built for close ups. Both have sound but Roguescout's build is superior in every way. I've got a decent collection of props from Doctor Who, Star Trek and Star Wars. This and one of my Ricahrd Coyle phasers are the only props I have that feel real...as if they do what they're supposed to do in the story. This Sonic Screwdriver feels like a genuine tool that you'd expect to find in the Craftsman display on Gallifrey. Half the time I play with it I half expect to take a screw loose or fix a circuit board with it. It's that well done.


As for the afforementioned screen accuracy... :) The above picture isn't the only time Sylvester McCoy made use of Roguescout's perfect sonic screwdriver. We did a fan film with Sylvester and Lisa Bowerman (aka Benny Somerfield) and Frazier Hines (aka Jamie McCrimmon) and the prop was used in the film. You can see a real player teaser of the film here.


I used my scanner and made a desktop image of this, the most perfect sonic screwdriver replica ever made, along with a few other Doctor Who items in my collection. Once again - it fails to capture the perfection of the prop and mine has a white band on the thumbring which was present more towards the time Peter Davison used the prop than when Tom Baker did but that's what I wanted. I also had Roguescout black in the spaces between the control rings to bring them out a bit more. All in all this has become the centerpiece of my collection, especially since the sound system has been added.

I feel very privileged to be one of the rare few who has one of these and I applaud Rob for all the hard work and thinking and investment that went into making this prop come to life so well. The pictures really don't do it justice.

Rating this prop from one to ten...this one goes up to 11. Bravisimo, Roguescout. Bravisimo.
 
I too have seen it in person. These pictures just do it justice. It's like a piece of jewelry. I keep telling him to bring it to one of the local prop parties, but he wonÂ’t take it out of his house. I canÂ’t say I blame him.
 
Originally posted by SWFreak@Mar 17 2006, 11:32 AM
I too have seen it in person. These pictures just do it justice. It's like a piece of jewelry. I keep telling him to bring it to one of the local prop parties, but he wonÂ’t take it out of his house. I canÂ’t say I blame him.
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I'm loathe to take mine out either for fear of loosing it. Usually I just hide in a dark corner of my props room hunched over it stroking it going "precious....myyyy precioussss..." for a while. :D

When I took it with me on the flight to the cruise where I spent a week with Sylvester it showed up on X-Ray at the airport. Security took it out and went from person to person until finally they handed it to the desk sergant. The guy handing it to the sergant says "It looks like a ratchet..."

The desk sergant was quiet for a while as he examined the hell out of it and then looks at me and grins and says "Naw...it's a screwdriver. A sonic screwdriver." he then, finally looks at me and the bullets I'm sweating and says "Nice replica, Doctor." We both laughed and I told him I was flying out to do a Doctor Who fan film with Sylvester McCoy. He played with the sonic screwdriver for a few more minutes before, reluctantly, giving it back.

Amazing where you'll find fans of the show. It really is my most favorite prop in my collection.
 
Ron,
I still have the post card you had signed by Sylvester thanking me for the use of the sonic screwdriver during filming. IÂ’ll try and get it scanned if anyone is interested in seeing it.


Phase,
Thanks for the kind words, ill try to post better pics this evening.


Rob
 
Wow, that is fabulous. I was wondering what ever happened to that project. :)

I can attest to the difficulty of adding sound. Man, what a pain. After installing wazoo's I swore never to do another one. :lol

Again that's a beaut, congrats on finishing it up.
 
Thanks for the compliments guys, The electronic package was quite the challenge and fully put my maching skills to the test, but in the end, as you can see, it did finally happen. Given the fact that there are over 50 individually machined parts to specific tolerances and my endless persuit of perfection, im very, very happy with the results. Plus I get to be the first to brag about putting one in this style of SS.

Hype,
I know you had issues fitting the Parks version but if you could see what had to happen for this little fellow I'm 99.9% sure you would gladly do a 100 of the other ones if given the choice. BTW, did I mention changing the battery is just like changing it on a maglight? You dont even need to tkae it apart to change it.

Rob
 
Originally posted by RogueScout@Mar 20 2006, 05:40 PM
Hype,
    I know you had issues fitting the Parks version but if you could see what had to happen for this little fellow I'm 99.9% sure you would gladly do a 100 of the other ones if given the choice.  BTW, did I mention changing the battery is just like changing it on a maglight?  You dont even need to tkae it apart to change it.

Rob
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Yeah I have no doubt that your install was something of a reckoning. :) I know room was super tight and all in your model - the Parks one was enough to make a sane person start hearing voices.

At any rate, sounds like you nailed it. Dang, even a sweet battery holder too? I would love to see that... Congrats.
 
Thanks Hype. When I did the redessgn for the electronics kit I wanted it to be like no Sonic Scredriver produced thus far. I really did want it to look feel and funciton like a real tool or what the SS would have possibly been like coming out of box, brand new. Kinda like a brand new piece of precision equipment.

Rob



edited for grammar
 
OK, now those pictures start to do the prop justice. Still, it's much cooler in person. Rob, this is an absolute masterpiece.

Hyperdyne - I'm sorry I put you through so much getting the sound system mounted in the first one but zoinks is it worth it.

I'm planning on commisioning a friend of mine to do a small chest similar to the box holding the Black Scrolls of Rassilon from the story "The Five Doctors" for my sonic screwdriver collection. Roguescout's version will be the centerpiece no matter where I place it in the display chest. I really can't begin to say enough of how flat out perfect it is and thanks to the collaberation of Roguescout and Hyperdyne the sound of the prop is perfect....as is the pull down action...as is the appearance...as is the ease of replacing batteries.

Once again: BRAVISIMO...

For those of you that haven't seen the movies linked above yet the crowning glory of the prop is the fact that it is pull down activate for the sound system just like it appeared to be in the original show and with some practice I can now modulate the sound so it sounds a bit more like multiple sound effects. This is a very impressive prop. Very, very impressive.
 
Amazing ....simply amazing.
:thumbsup :thumbsup :thumbsup :thumbsup :thumbsup
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Man, this thing is good on battery life. I still havn't had to replace the battery despite fairly regular playing with. No signs of bleed over when the unit isn't used either. Rob - totally amazing.
 
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