Studio Scale Time Lord Space Station (Doctor Who 1986)

[TazMan2000]

The sprue pictures for the Revell Robotech models is almost impossible to find, but there are videos. Check out ones with Thoren. Pay close attention to Thoren's rear end.

These came out in 1984, near the time the MPC AT-AT was released so kits were plentiful.

TazMan2000

 

[PB Props]

The sprue pictures for the Revell Robotech models is almost impossible to find, but there are videos. Check out ones with Thoren. Pay close attention to Thoren's rear end.

These came out in 1984, near the time the MPC AT-AT was released so kits were plentiful.

TazMan2000

Well that search certainly answered a different question that I've had for years. I used to have a robot toy that looked like it was a model kit, but I have no memory of ever building it. It seems to be "Talos." I still haven't found a robot of either range that has underwear or a torso that matches the pictures, but I'll continue looking. Thanks.

 

[joberg]

If worse comes to worse, that robot underwear will have to be scratch build.

 

[PB Props]

If worse comes to worse, that robot underwear will have to be scratch build.

Yeah, I think with some of this it's going to have to be scratch built or even printed, either way, hopefully this project will take off.

 

[PB Props]

Well, it looks like I've identified a fair bit from the central spire structure and once I noticed this, bits of the same kit are all over the rest of the studio model too. I guess that I can tick this off the list of things to ID. What do you think? Obviously there's more to it than this, but it's a start.

 

[joberg]

Well, that's already that That Revell kit is full of great greeblies!!

 

[PB Props]

There's been a little bit of progress on this slow creeper of a project.

To help with it all, a drawing was made to give a general overview of just what we're supposed to be looking at. This makes the whole process of navigating around the model and identifying the various landmarks much, much easier.

This version (above) of the drawing is slightly simplified and I'll add some doodles over it to note where the various kit part elements go in context to the ship as a whole.

And this is an enlarged section representing each individual cast fibre glass panel that makes up the main hull of the studio model.

Further detailed notes will go onto these sketches to really nail what goes where.

While not a huge revelation, identifying the Docking Bay numbers font has been a bit of a relief. Clearly the BBC folks made their own take on this font, so in due course, I'll have to remake their version of it too - but that's a long way off yet.

Currently I'm waiting for the delivery of some kits and a few parts, then I can start to actually make some bits for this project!

Also, I've been speaking with several members of the crew who were originally involved in the making of the television sequence back in 1986, from the designer, to the modellers and the motion control film crew - and they seem quite happy to chip in with pieces of information about how they went about bringing this model to life, so that's quite nice.

 

[joberg]

Yes, it's a great help to have the original film crew at hand to ask for info. Are you going to build one quarter of the "pie" make a mold and pour resin...or are you going to build them one by one?

 

[PB Props]

Yes, it's a great help to have the original film crew at hand to ask for info. Are you going to build one quarter of the "pie" make a mold and pour resin...or are you going to build them one by one?

Yes, it's been quite handy to be able to pick their brains - not all of it is relevant to recreating this, but there has been some interesting tidbits like the motion control fees being greatly reduced as a favour to the designer and so on.

As for moulding it, yes, I'll make a silicone mould of one pie section, then cast it up six times in fibre glass just like they did back in 1986. From there, all the add on parts will be dressed across those casts. If it was good enough for them, then that'll be good enough for me. Besides, I just couldn't face scratch building the pie sections six times - I'm sure I'd still be at it in 2041!

 

[Iskelderon]

Love your dedication to accuracy!
Without the time constraints of a TV production you can probably take the end result even further.

 

[PB Props]

Love your dedication to accuracy!
Without the time constraints of a TV production you can probably take the end result even further.

Thanks, I'm trying to get it as close to the original as possible, but given that there are few decent images of the model and that it no-longer exists in its original state after getting damaged in a fire, getting hands on reference from it now is impossible... especially as it's quite possibly in a landfill somewhere.

One thing that I have noticed is that it's dressed for the camera, so where there are areas of no detailing (because the camera never crossed those regions) I'll take the artistic license route and dress it in keeping with what we know was added to the camera side.

It's still early days yet, but I'm getting there with the information gathering, so that's a start.

 

[joberg]

Thanks, I'm trying to get it as close to the original as possible, but given that there are few decent images of the model and that it no-longer exists in its original state after getting damaged in a fire, getting hands on reference from it now is impossible... especially as it's quite possibly in a landfill somewhere.

One thing that I have noticed is that it's dressed for the camera, so where there are areas of no detailing (because the camera never crossed those regions) I'll take the artistic license route and dress it in keeping with what we know was added to the camera side.

It's still early days yet, but I'm getting there with the information gathering, so that's a start.

Obviously not into the realm of the Stanley Kubrick's way of filming miniatures But saying that; I like the fact that you'll dress the parts/regions of the space station not shown on camera

 

[chazzychaz]

Fellow model makers, I could really do with the help of your collective hive mind on a project that I've been researching for a while, if you'd be so kind.

The model in question is this, a space station built in 1986 for Doctor Who. I think it's a lovely model, but unfortunately the original was badly damaged in a fire and I'd like to try and recreate it, but I'm stuck on the vast amount of kit parts that adorn this piece.
View attachment 1506212

It's very early days on this project, but obviously you have to start somewhere - and part ID seemed to be the obvious place.

I can see there are elements of the MPC At-At kit dotted around it, various Plastruct elements and I'm aware that there are also Gundam pieces (which I know nothing about) but that's pretty much as far as I got for this side of the potential project.

I'll attach some images and with luck, some of you may recognise parts.

View attachment 1506213
View attachment 1506214
View attachment 1506215
View attachment 1506216
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View attachment 1506218

I know this is going to take a long time and will probably be no doubt very expensive, so some certain amount artistic license may have to be taken, but it can't hurt to do as much research as possible now, just so that I can start to plan what course of action should be taken with this.

Anyway, if you can spot anything here, please feel free to educate me.

Thanks!

I am pretty sure the large centralspire is the ship from state of decay, just reused as ppart of a larger model. Or the same parts used to make that older Tom Baker story model.

 

[publiusr]

I remember this from Dr Who mag’. One of the longest motion control shots ever done.

 

[PB Props]

I am pretty sure the large centralspire is the ship from state of decay, just reused as ppart of a larger model. Or the same parts used to make that older Tom Baker story model.

Oddly, a couple of people have said that to me recently, but alas it just isn't so. Good idea though.

The "Ship of State" was, if memory serves, built from a Saturn V and a number of other kits and still survives to this day. The central spire on the model that I'm hoping to start work on is just a bunch of plumbing and structural tubes stuck together with loads of greeblies added to it.

I remember this from Dr Who mag’. One of the longest motion control shots ever done.

Yes, and a camera move that was incredibly complex for its time.

Obviously not into the realm of the Stanley Kubrick's way of filming miniatures But saying that; I like the fact that you'll dress the parts/regions of the space station not shown on camera

Yeah, the extra dressing just allows me a bit of freedom - but in keeping with the rest of the model. You've got to have a bit of fun, right?

 

[PB Props]

You know when you say something, but aren't entirely convinced by it? Well earlier in the thread I mentioned that I'd identified some MPC AT-AT upper legs on this model. Now this was actually "spotted" a few years ago, but having come back to it all recently, then posted the image here where I ID'd them as such... I sat back and looked at them again and was even less convinced than I was before.

So, I spent a couple of days doing some more research. You know the drill, looking at 1000's of pictures when really I should have been doing some stuff around the house. Anyway, turns out that I was right, they are upper legs, just not from an AT-AT. They're from a Gundam Walker robot...

With the kit in hand, I also found a few other bits too... Those in the green box. Small mercies and all that.

Best news of all - I've identified the "Robot Underpants" element that had eluded me up to now as well as the piece that I'd assumed was a chest section from something similar. Again, it's all Gundam stuff. Turns out that the UK was flooded with these cheap kits back in the 1980's, despite no-one having a clue about Gundam or the culture (comics, books, cartoons etc) that goes along with it... to us Brits, they were just robot kits.

Right then. I'm almost there with identifying all the plant on kit elements. Soon I will have to start actually building stuff. I'll admit to you all now, the sheer size of this thing causes me some consternation, so I'll just bury my head in the sand on that score and pretend that it isn't so.

 

[stevielewis]

Great find on the Gundam parts!

 

[publiusr]

The "Ship of State" was, if memory serves, built from a Saturn V and a number of other kits and still survives to this day.

Any photos of that?

 

[PB Props]

Any photos of that?

Here you go:

 

[publiusr]

R-7 on steroids. I like it!