Second Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver

I am impressed with his work if especially as DEC have also used the plastic as you say. Its the plastic cap that really add to the correct look of the peice. It is a wonder why no one has made a quality copy before? I will certainly order one of these at the end of the month. once again may thanks.So, OK... a last pang of uncertainty before I part with my money Are you are 100% certain this is the type use in War Games? Its just that I cannot believe that my late father had one similar in his tool box and I never even bothered with it I just played with the tyer pressure gadge as a sonic Screwdriver. What was my younger self thinking??

Let's be fair here, no one can ever really say that any penlight is 100% the same as the one used in the show, mainly due to the fact that they just didn't keep records like that back then and we only have a few scenes to go by, that said the one Straker and Mooneye found - the Ever Ready - is the best match to those screen caps that I have seen, especially when it comes but the bulb tip screen shots. I also recall one fan on here mentioning that he had asked Frazier Hines what color the end cap of the sonic was and Frazier had said it was blue, so it seems like this penlight matches in that respect as well. Now, I have noted for a while now that the activation button in the War Games screen caps looks silver to me, possibly rounded as well and I seem to recall a member from a flashlight forum mentioning that this body type of penlight was made by a few manufacturers at the time, it was sort of like a K car in that respect. So it's plausible that the one Pat used is identical to the Ever Ready with the exception of that button and it is also plausible that that button looking silver is just a trick of the light. But I'd lean more towards the former to be honest.

All that being said, it seems to match in all but that one detail - at least from what I can see from a couple of screen caps - which is an easily replaced detail as well. And like I said, given that they didn't archive props like they do now, we may never know the truth. No one can say with any certainty what the real one was. Personally, I'm very happy with this one and and I feel DEC copied the Ever Ready perfectly. One day I may swap out the top button to match what I personally see in the screen caps but for now I'm extremely happy with this replica as it is and there just isn't a better match out there for this prop yet.

So long answer longer lol, there is no 100% certainty. It's up to you if you feel it's close enough or the same type. I think it matches all but one detail that I see and others think it matches all. I'm sure others think its not close enough. In the end, the choice is yours. Sorry if that didn't help you decide HA! I tried to be helpful anyway.

Lol! I didn't mean variations in the penlight I meant the actual make‎, but thanks for your thoughts. Personally though I can't really see what you mean about the end being silver. Surely it would shine the same as the main barrel in the reference pictures and Bradley Bear has an original! I've watched that scene again in War Games and Pat is wrapping wire around the end so there could have been something added by the production team to stop the wire slipping? For what it's worth, I certainly remember my dad's being all blue too, not as shiny as the one Bradley Bear has, but this was the end of the 70's so he would have had it a while. He kept it in a wooden tool box with lot of other stuff in the shed, so it was bound to be damaged and fade. Like I said, I just can believe that it's that penlight and he actually had one. Oh for a time machine!

After your post I was prompted to read back to the start of this thread. It really is quite fascinating history of discovery. Great to hear it was members here who‎ discovered the origins & to get confirmation from Jamie himself (page 7) no less, nearly 3 years ago, again from one of the members here.*

As for convincing me to get one? Oh hell yes, why not. At least it will be a reminder of my dad and his dreadful DIY if nothing else ‎

Many thanks for your thoughts, heres hoping the one in Dominators is discovered next ‎

Got my DEC one a couple of days ago as well. A great addition to the collection!

If you get one, just be careful as you unscrew it to put in the batteries - there are two small plastic washers which spring out and go and hide under the sofa!

I've been going over that clip with the Sonic in Dominators to see if it's a torch or handmade prop.m guessing a bit of both. There is a clip the side with a bobble. This looks like one used on the eveready (different type from War Games) & h a dark, poss black cap. However I some shots the barrel looks thicker, as though it's a metal tube. Very odd!

It'd be so awesome sauce if someone designed an Ultimate Classic Sonic set - where the 2nd Doctors Sonic forms the main tube of the Pertwee/Baker/War Doctor Sonic, with pop on accessories that give it the lower spring loaded shaft (pressing the "pen light" shaft into it would depress the activator switch on the pen light bottom),middle slide-on ring and top flat conical hollow...erm topper.
The white pen light could be exchanged for red (or a screw on filter?) for the War Doctor sonic or removed entirely to be replaced by an emitter ring assembly. After all, 4 in "Robot" pretty much used the War Doctor sonic to trigger the hidden mine field (well, minus the black section holding the red light) then screwed/popped in the emitter ring assembly to cut out the bunker lock (or something very like it that has Sonic lance capabilities!). Heck, with alternate bottom shafts you could mix n match to make Pertwees colorful version (with additional slide on barber shop pole and red stripe lined cone top, McGanns brass ring deco version, etc. And of course Wand Co internals so whichever version you choose actually works!
in fact, would just love a Wand Co version of this very customizable device (which they could sell in the Ultimate build you own me n match or as cheaper individual models).

Morelock said:

I've been going over that clip with the Sonic in Dominators to see if it's a torch or handmade prop.m guessing a bit of both. There is a clip the side with a bobble. This looks like one used on the eveready (different type from War Games) & h a dark, poss black cap. However I some shots the barrel looks thicker, as though it's a metal tube. Very odd!

Click to expand...

If you watch the scene over again you can see Troughton remove the front end of the tube, he simple pulls it off rather than twist, then he slots on the handle. Also, take not of the close up shot of the sonic and being used on the wall, the handle is not present in the shot. But yes, we have speculated that this is another penlight with the tip/bulb end removed and also no batteries in place as the tube appears to be hollow. It's a shame we never really got a good look at the front end that Pat pulls off the tube.

Yes, it does make me wonder if what he is pulling off is the 'bulb' end. There were some torches that have a detachable white or red end where the bulb was. However in one scene the 'open end' of the tube looks rather thick. This makes me wonder if there was also a copy made for some reason? It's a real puzzle. And what is that trigger thing? Look like a corner frame off something.

It could just be a thick penlight, an alternate prop - which given the era seems unlikely, or something other than a penlight entirely. At this point we may never know or there may be some lucky discovery again. Best we can do right now is replicate what we can see - meaning the prop sans the tip - and in the case of the handle we'd need to get imaginative to recreate it as we think it may have looked like based on the little we do see of it.

Have a look at the 2nd & 6th picture you posted on page 8. In the 1st picture the circumference of the Sonic ie pen light, is quite thin as seems the norm for all penlights, but in picture 6 the rim is very thick.

This why I think it's possibly a swap to a prop.‎ Though I'm not sure why?

The clip seems to be one of the common ones used by eveready (well I've not seen it on other makes) where the end of the clip has a round ball like finish‎. I also see from those pictures that there seems to be a seam near the clip. I haven't an idea how to highlight the areas with on a picture, so I hope that makes sense?
‎

I have seen the thickness difference and the ball end pocket clip before. It's possible that the thicker tube was meant to be used for a practical effect, perhaps the originally intended for sparks to shoot out but it didn't work on set.

Incurious to see where this desk is that you think you see because I have been specifically looking for a seam to confirm a theory of mine but I so far don't think I see what you see.

Just below the knuckle of Pats thumb is where I can see the line. Can you see it?

This was a low budget show from the 60's. I'm willing to bet that any discrepancy is probably due to multiple penlights being used. Not necessarily on purpose either, but more of a "we need the penlight again", "crap, I don't have it here", "whatever, just grab a penlight".

Keep in mind that as far as props go this was, at the time, a one off so likely not high on their continuity radar.

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Ha ha... if there was a 'like' button on here I'd hit it. Yes totally agree with that comment Micheal

There is a Like button Morelock

And yeah, I agree with Michael as well, which I why I saw we can really only replica what we see the prop as on screen. Sort of an idealized version. And Morelock I do see that line now which is not where I was expecting to see one, still it gives me some more to go by for my current line of thinking.

Ah yeah now I see the like button! thanks for letting me know.

As far as I can work out, these are the facts as I see them...

It's a penlight with a bobble on the clip (so poss eveready) with a dark end cap (poss black), a thread line in the middle of the clip and a bulb end that screws off. That narrows it down a bit surely, especially as we also know the year?

Yeah, pretty much the facts as we've known them aside from the possible thread line which certainly helps.

So, you mentioned you had a few ideas. Did the possible thread on the torch help or has it thrown it all up in the air? What were your thoughts?

The seam line sort of helped and sort of didn't given it's placement. Right now I'm not willing to say what my thoughts are for a few reasons but I will be happy to share anything I find if it turns out that my theory is correct. I'm still doing research on it. Sorry to be vague but with somethings we have to be.

Nope, no worries completely understand. I look forward to hearing it all. Hope the seam hasn't blown it totally out of the water so to speak?