Classic sonic screwdriver from Rubbertoe

Prydonian

Prydonian

Active Member
So, now that this is about to be released, who's going to immediately clone the proportions and make them for less than £350?

Eesh, that sounded more mercenary than I meant it to. It was supposed to be sort of light-hearted and tongue-in-cheek. I'm not a bad person.
 
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Bad form.

The fan made prop community exists in its current form because licensors and license holders allow it to be so.

Don't poke the bear. It has lawyers and the law on its side.
 
Sorry... I know what you mean. I feel like it's a bit of a grey area on this one, but I may just think that because I know and respect most of the guys making the official one. My perspective on it may be inappropriately informal. I take your point. And I wasn't implying the actual casting of someone's work, just voicing the understanding that once the measurements are in the wild the multitudes who've been producing them for years will inevitably adjust theirs accordingly. I suppose there are times when being candid isn't called for. I tend to err on the side of bluntness. I genuinely didn't mean to say something appalling, though it looks that way even to me. I just can't help wondering...
 
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Re: Classic sonic screwdriver from Rubbertoe: inappropriate question

To be honest, for the classic sonic screwdrivers he doesn't have access to the real props (they are lost) so it won't be any more accurate than the well researched props you can get from people on the forums. It will be officially licensed, but that doesn't automatically make it perfect. I'm sure he'll do a lot of research and do a great prop, but so have other people. My fear is that now that there will be an officially licensed one they will crack down on the unlicensed ones.

What I'm saying is, moral questions aside, there may not be any value to reverse engineering his. I'm sure they'll be brilliant, but it will be interesting to see the threads picking it apart with screen capture examples. I'm not questioning his skill or attention to detail, but not having the prop to take measurements from puts him in the same boat as the rest of the makers.
 
Re: Classic sonic screwdriver from Rubbertoe: inappropriate question

I'm sure it will be picked apart regardless which if constructive and provable that's cool and I'm as interested in seeing that as anyone but the pictured pictured prototype is not the absolute final so hopefully sooner than later the final adjustments get shown.
 
Re: Classic sonic screwdriver from Rubbertoe: inappropriate question

No real need to measure one. The magnet on the emitter is a found part the you can get in a hardware store. you can fairly easily model that in solid works and scale the rest (and get really close) from that using screen caps. This looks to be really well done. I seriously doubt these will have trouble selling out. The fans buying this one are getting it because it is a rubber toe prop, I don't think the fan builds (although as good) will be any threat.
Damn it, I have a bunch of this version but it is going to be hard not to order one. :facepalm

The research write up is really well done.
Interesting info, I always thought the white was painted on and wearing off the aluminum ring instead of the other way around.
 
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Re: Classic sonic screwdriver from Rubbertoe: inappropriate question

phez said:
No real need to measure one. The magnet on the emitter is a found part the you can get in a hardware store. you can fairly easily model that in solid works and scale the rest (and get really close) from that using screen caps. This looks to be really well done. I seriously doubt these will have trouble selling out. The fans buying this one are getting it because it is a rubber toe prop, I don't think the fan builds (although as good) will be any threat.
Damn it, I have a bunch of this version but it is going to be hard not to order one. :facepalm

The research write up is really well done.
Interesting info, I always thought the halo part was made of copper and the white was painted on and wearing off the aluminum ring instead of the other way around.
Click to expand...

I've seen it posited in a build thread by Bluebox303 that the white wear on the activation ring was chrome tape degrading from handling... I was surprised that while the Rubbertoe research write-up did mention the wear, they didn't give an explanation of why the ring became white as it wore... chrome tape is about the only thing I can think of that makes sense.
 
Re: Classic sonic screwdriver from Rubbertoe: inappropriate question

The halo does look brass from a couple of those screen caps. Is it like a white plastic ring that they put tape over (maybe it allowed the shaft to be rotated like in the Thunderbird's episode) and it was peeling off? If it is just solid aluminum with white paint over it and then shiny tape over that why not just strip the paint if you want it shiny?

I got out my classic sonic collection and compared against the screen caps. The Rubbertoe version is without doubt a more accurate version than any of the ones I have so far.
 
Re: Classic sonic screwdriver from Rubbertoe: inappropriate question

I like the look of it and I also like the fact that it has the extending emitter, I've only even seen that on one replica that I'm aware of. Even though I already have a couple of 4's sonics I'm seriously thinking of getting this one.
 
Re: Classic sonic screwdriver from Rubbertoe: inappropriate question

I can see one thing that seems not quite right - maybe this is a detail that varied with the different repair jobs of the prop, but check out the spacing between the lowest grip groove and the lower body - the RT version has that set equal to the width of the grip rings, while the screencap from "Genesis of the Daleks" shows that segment to be at least twice as wide as a grip ring:

COMPARE.jpg


If theirs is constructed like the Bluebox303 replicas, a simple correction would be to cut the central shaft just a bit longer, but if the plunger has a flange on the end to set the maximum protrusion that would be a bit more difficult.

I couldn't find any other screencaps that show this area clearly for the 4th Doctor's version that the RT is meant to be, but the width in the Genesis screencap is consistent with other views of the 3rd Doctor's sonic (before the changes that made the neck stick out further for the Baker version).
 
Re: Classic sonic screwdriver from Rubbertoe: inappropriate question

The detail you pictured above and a few others are going to be corrected for the final production run. The photos you see on the Rubbertoe site are of the prototype.
 
Re: Classic sonic screwdriver from Rubbertoe: inappropriate question

Terrasolo said:
The detail you pictured above and a few others are going to be corrected for the final production run. The photos you see on the Rubbertoe site are of the prototype.
Click to expand...

Cool! Were you involved in the research? Or if there is another thread talking about it I'd love to read more.
 
Yep as Terrasolo said this one's covered as well as a couple of others but if there are any other glaring details...you never know! :) I will say as well "simply" measuring from older non hd screencaps isn't quite as simple lol...lot of squinting.

Correction01.png
 
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Fantastic to see fellow RPF members on the research team! I am really excited about this release.

Theoretically, I just made my deposit payment :) The 4th Doctor Sonic is a prop I've coveted nearly all my life. I've gone through three fan made replicas hoping to get as close as possible to a definitive replica and ended up feeling let down. I will be glad to call this one "done" at last (at least until the original surfaces, lol).

Please feel free to share any additional information you are permitted :D

Cheers,

Dave
 
I got a chance to take a look at my reference materials and sold-works model and found a few things that are off (Not cutting on it at all
just want make it as accurate as possible). You may already have this corrected. I think the slider may need a bit of adjustment.

Research Process:
I scaled and directly traced all of the parts in sold-works
from the screen caps. I cross referenced as many screen caps as I could to try to minimize
distortions.

This is the same wire-frame laid over each image.

1) RubberToe (Prototype)
2) Pertwee (Not sure which episode)
3) Baker (Genesis of the Daleks)
4) Baker (City of Death)
5) Pertwee) Carnival of Monsters)
6) Solid-works Model

Rubbertoe.PNGpertwee1.PNGGensisOfTheDaleks.PNGCityOfDeath.PNGCarnivalOfMonsters.PNGSlidemodel.PNG
 
Yeah the space between the rings/how high the upper body sits out of the lower is supposed to be adjusted for, think that was the first and most noticeable. Small things mostly but I think everyone is all for trying to get the most accurate possible so it's good to point them out!

Not the most recent I think but one of many I had handy.

PertweeOverlay.jpg
 
Thank you for adding feedback, gents! One area of the prop that I have to point out is the radius of the "shoulder" -- that black part at the top which the emitter ring attaches to (or whatever we're calling these parts). The photo that Skippy2k posted in post #18 shows an excellent profile of the part. There's a good view in the comparison that E Williams post #11 illustrates as well.

I bring this up because it's one of those details that bugs the daylights out of me, in my opinion a lot of replicas have gotten the radius wrong, and I think it needs to be tweaked on the RT prototype as well (I have no doubt it's on your punch list).

My apologies but I wouldn't sleep at night if I had an opportunity to mention this and didn't. :lol

Dave
 
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