'Timelord Emergency Messaging System' Doctor Who Season 6: 'The Doctor's Wife'

[Kris Lyssara]

The company is in China, but I'm looking for a distributor that will sell less that 500 at one time.

The repilca can be made with the 4 inch baseball cube, a 3 inch golfball cube(sprayed with white frost paint) and one of those novelty balls that light up when you bounce then.

The whole thing should cost less then $30 US... About the same as the official toy, but a whole lot better looking.

Link? I may be able to get my hands on some if I know what exactly I'm looking for. I have a few friends who own two different sports collectible stores.

 

[E Williams]

Just watched this episode last night so I'm resurrecting this thread

So I found something along the right lines - search for a "coach lucite & leather photo cube"

Obviously not the same basis, as it's not a perfect cube, the sides are chamfered on only two edges, and they used something else as the core:

But maybe a good start?

 

[Jack T Chance]

Here's a question: Anyone happen to have an extra Character Options Gallifreyan Variant they're looking to sell? :confused

I saw it in the comic shop I go to one time, but passed it up because his price was a lot higher than what these can usually be found for online... only now, they're getting very scarce online, too. I should have grabbed it when I had the chance. :facepalm

 

[Gibbtall]

I know CT is now banned, but does anyone know what he used for the inner cube? I've had ideas for a Jedi Holocron with a very similar look.

 

[Jack T Chance]

I know CT is now banned, but does anyone know what he used for the inner cube? I've had ideas for a Jedi Holocron with a very similar look.

White styrene with custom electronics on the inside.

Depending on how big you want the Holocron to be, you could always just buy a Character Options "Time Lord Psychic Container" and remove the clear outer cube, then build up off of the inner cube. :thumbsup

But if you go that route, please, for the love of Gord, do it with the standard "Ourobouros" version. The Gallifreyan Variants are hard enough to find as it is!

 

[E Williams]

The fact that they had so many identically detailed props (you can see the magnets in all of them) in the cabinet in the episode says to me that they're made from an off-the-shelf base, and I think I found the original item.

cubico 3x3 photo cube at Paperchase

Unfortunately, shipping to the US is $30. Ouch. Only place I have found them online is directly from Paperchase or through their Amazon UK store. I think it's the one, but stiff cost to be wrong. I wonder if any of our UK members have seen one of these photo cubes up close?

 

[Whovian]

The fact that they had so many identically detailed props (you can see the magnets in all of them) in the cabinet in the episode says to me that they're made from an off-the-shelf base, and I think I found the original item.

cubico 3x3 photo cube at Paperchase

Unfortunately, shipping to the US is $30. Ouch. Only place I have found them online is directly from Paperchase or through their Amazon UK store. I think it's the one, but stiff cost to be wrong. I wonder if any of our UK members have seen one of these photo cubes up close?

looks right to me. Will start searching for a supplier here, as I'm sure you already are...lol.

 

[Organic Mechanic]

looks right to me. Will start searchign for a supplier here, as I'm sure you already are...lol.

Me three! :thumbsup

 

[Gibbtall]

Unfortunately, shipping to the US is $30. Ouch. Only place I have found them online is directly from Paperchase or through their Amazon UK store. I think it's the one, but stiff cost to be wrong. I wonder if any of our UK members have seen one of these photo cubes up close?

Fantastic find! That looks to be the exact thing they used. As for shipping to America/Canada, maybe you could set up an interest thread? The shipping is £20 for the order, no matter the quantity, certainly it would be cheaper to split £20 10 ways, then ship locally, then £20 per person.

 

[Jack T Chance]

The fact that they had so many identically detailed props (you can see the magnets in all of them) in the cabinet in the episode says to me that they're made from an off-the-shelf base, and I think I found the original item.

cubico 3x3 photo cube at Paperchase

Unfortunately, shipping to the US is $30. Ouch. Only place I have found them online is directly from Paperchase or through their Amazon UK store. I think it's the one, but stiff cost to be wrong. I wonder if any of our UK members have seen one of these photo cubes up close?

I'll do some more research on my own, but the size seems wrong. 3" cubed sounds right for the INNER CUBE, not the outer one. It has been my understanding that the outer cubes were completely custom-made out of custom-cut acrylic/plexiglass/whatever, but again, I'll do more research into the original prop, as there is some info here and there on the interwebz. :thumbsup

Also, just looking at the pics from the episode, the outer cubes in the episode are VERY thick. This photo cube, the acrylic/whatever looks a little thinner than what was used in the show. Look at the corners of the outer cube, that's where you can see the thickness really well.

 

[Whovian]

Fantastic find! That looks to be the exact thing they used. As for shipping to America/Canada, maybe you could set up an interest thread? The shipping is £20 for the order, no matter the quantity, certainly it would be cheaper to split £20 10 ways, then ship locally, then £20 per person.

totally in.

 

[Whovian]

I'll do some more research on my own, but the size seems wrong. 3" cubed sounds right for the INNER CUBE, not the outer one. It has been my understanding that the outer cubes were completely custom-made out of custom-cut acrylic/plexiglass/whatever, but again, I'll do more research into the original prop, as there is some info here and there on the interwebz. :thumbsup

Also, just looking at the pics from the episode, the outer cubes in the episode are VERY thick. This photo cube, the acrylic/whatever looks a little thinner than what was used in the show. Look at the corners of the outer cube, that's where you can see the thickness really well.

I disagree, respectfully of course.

I just held my hand in the same position as the OP pic, and had my son measure.... 3 inches. As for the thickness of the outer cubes, they look spot on to me.

 

[Jack T Chance]

I disagree, respectfully of course.

I just held my hand in the same position as the OP pic, and had my son measure.... 3 inches. As for the thickness of the outer cubes, they look spot on to me.

I would say 3"/8 cm on a side is roughly the size of the Character Options toy version, and that one DEFINITELY looks and feels undersized to me when I handle it. I could be wrong, of course. That's why I'm doing further research. What looks like 4-5" on screen COULD be 3-3½" in reality. So, I'm looking into it to find out.

IF this is what the Beeb's prop-makers actually used, the question then becomes, how do you get the symbol on the "face" so it looks good, and how do you put in the mounting points that hold the inner cube in position?

 

[Jack T Chance]

Okay, went back through some info elsewhere on the web that I had read around the time the episode came out... the original prop measures 4 inches or more on a side and WAS custom built. Looks like the prop-makers COPIED the design of this photo cube, but scaled it up to suit their needs... unless there was, at the time, a 4" version of the photo cube that was then modified for use on the props. But there were reports from people close to the production staff that the outer cubes were custom built, so that's what I'm going by.

So, IF you order these and build your props using them, they will be undersized, just like the Character Options toy replica.

 

[Whovian]

I would say 3"/8 cm on a side is roughly the size of the Character Options toy version, and that one DEFINITELY looks and feels undersized to me when I handle it. I could be wrong, of course. That's why I'm doing further research. What looks like 4-5" on screen COULD be 3-3½" in reality. So, I'm looking into it to find out.

IF this is what the Beeb's prop-makers actually used, the question then becomes, how do you get the symbol on the "face" so it looks good, and how do you put in the mounting points that hold the inner cube in position?

I would think they silk screened it, or something similar. As for the mounting points, I'd need a cube in my hands to 'play' with. (EDIT) looking at the OP, maybe little clear plastic points or nibs or cones of some kind... maybe crazy glued in place?

Oh, BTW... emailed Paperchase asking if they have a US distributor.

 

[E Williams]

I was wondering about the size too. I also held a ruler up to my hand, trying to match the positioning in that first picture. 3" seemed plausible especially since the hand in the photo is female and a bit smaller than mine. But maybe it's bigger. Gotta re-watch that part of the episode.

 

[Whovian]

well, I think we've got a good starting place, anyway. I may just get one anyway, regardless of the shipping, just to 'play' with.

 

[E Williams]

The mounting points... Did they take a countersink bit to the center of each face? Not sure what they filled it with that protrudes inside.

Also... Again, assuming it's this photo frame... It looks like they didn't use the inner cube from the photo frame- you can't see mating magnets on the inside. So that might mean the outer pieces are glued/welded together along their mating edges to keep shape.

 

[E Williams]

Okay, went back through some info elsewhere on the web that I had read around the time the episode came out... the original prop measures 4 inches or more on a side and WAS custom built. Looks like the prop-makers COPIED the design of this photo cube, but scaled it up to suit their needs... unless there was, at the time, a 4" version of the photo cube that was then modified for use on the props. But there were reports from people close to the production staff that the outer cubes were custom built, so that's what I'm going by.

So, IF you order these and build your props using them, they will be undersized, just like the Character Options toy replica.

Whoops, missed this post. Well, phooey. Thanks for the info

 

[Organic Mechanic]

OK, the CO version is 3 3/4" per side.

While Ms. Gillan is a couple of inches taller than me, she'd need MONSTROUS paws to grab a cube a full 1/4" lager than this like she did in the screencap.

4" seems a bit large IMO.