What is the Definitive 9th/10th sonic variant?

[inquisitorprops]

I've been producing Wide Slider kits for a while now, and I’m curious to hear what others consider to be the definitive 9th/10th Doctor's sonic screwdriver variant. Which version of the prop shown in the series is your favorite, and what makes it stand out to you?

Additionally, I’ve been experimenting with different finishes but haven’t yet found a paint job that feels authentic. Does anyone have insights into the specific paints or techniques used on the original props?

 

[TimDRX]

Have ya seen Brian Terranova's pdf on these props? It's comprehensive and has a lot of info on the manufacturing process!

The RTD Era Sonic Screwdrivers November 2021 Edition

Brian Terranova has updated The RTD Era Sonic Screwdriver: A Compiled History. It was March 2019, when I released my first rendition of this Sonic Screwdriver history. There were a few updates that…

www.kasterborous.co.uk

The original paint is Colony Cream Crackle Touch by PlastiKote, but it is sadly not produced anymore, prop makers bought it all up when it was discontinued but I believe even Rubbertoe Replicas has run out of the real stuff and uses an alternate nowadays.

I consider the Wide Slider to be the Ninth Doctor's more than Ten since it was modified some time during Series 1 to add that sliding capability and they hid / repaired the wide slot fairly early into Tennant's run. The modification is also when they prop changed from cream to gray, since they used a different base coat.

Funnily enough, I don't really recall ever seeing them use the slide function on screen until Series 3, that moment where the Doctor slides it up to lock the TARDIS controls during Utopia. I'm sure they must have shown it before that but I've never clocked it lol.

My personal favorite is the Cream Robatto variant from Series 4. The color is reminiscent of the very first Aztec, but it's got the final shape it would have for the rest of the era. It's also the one Eleven would use (and ruin with that weird lube they poured on it as Prisoner Zero's drool!) in The Eleventh Hour, making it feel like a prop that bridges three different Doctors.

 

[DrConstantine]

i'm partial to the series 4 sonic construction, I always seem to miss out on the builds or kits

 

[clekgeggs]

For me, it's the "Cream Robatto" prior to being fitted with the Phillip's head screw below the slider.