The Revenge of the fastest ever Invasion of The Cybermen

I previously posted on the subject of the speed build I’d had to do to create two Cybermen over the space (and time) of a weekend for the Project: Fifty fan film celebrating 50 years of Doctor Who. Unfortunately the pace of the build prevented progress pictures of it and the shooting schedule was so tight we were literally dressed, shoot and undressed within an hour so there was no opportunity to get pictures for ourselves.  Luckily though one of the producers had their iPhone handy that night and was able to snap some behind the scenes images…

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An Adventure in just about Time and not enough Space – Episode Fifteen

Filming day 2
So like everything else with this build putting it together took three times as long as anticipated, but they managed to shoot on the Saturday. I visited set early on the Sunday to collect it again partially to see it lit and get some footage and photos of my own as this would be the only time the full thing was assembled (albeit there’s another studio session in two weeks).

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While sitting on the couch in the corner of the studio watching them film I glanced over at the console and, in my fatigued state, found myself thinking it was quite impressive really and wondering what was happening to it after filming.
Then it dawned on me I had really built the thing, not someone else; it’d be coming home again after this and it would present me with one last problem: where to store the bugger!

An Adventure in just about Time and not enough Space – Episode Fourteen

Deadline + 21 days
After the filled and repainted panel being left to dry overnight, some of the morning is spent completing the changes to Panel 4.
Unbelievably by lunchtime, six weeks after taking on this folly it’s actually finished, bar screwing it all together on set.

Just as a bookend to the diagram of the original console, the revamped layout look like this:

Now I apparently can start on manufacture of the broken Cyberman head which is also required for the same filming session!

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An Adventure in just about Time and not enough Space – Episode Thirteen

Deadline + 20 days
At the beginning of the week I bought some red plastic material to fill the gaps between the chunks beading being used for the central column detailing so another Five Doctors homage has squeezed in last-minute.

Having noticed on the way past a shop shelf that some bronzing makeup compacts were the correct shape and size for the lights at either side of Panel 5, I’m able to meet the producer partway on the changes he wanted. I mask off the top to spray black and the underside to spray silver and cut some more of my red plastic to colour the light. With some of the spare wood inserted into the erroneous hole, some filler, glue and ice-lolly sticks to fill the void, I can be rid of the PC fan grill and still have enough room to mount another cabinet light underneath them both.

The top off an emergency fuel cap makes a more accurate replacement for the knob on top of the main power lever on this panel too…

Unfortunately disaster strikes while cutting a 70mm hole for the Navigation trackball; the blades on the hole cutter slip position and cut a large diameter groove across the face of Panel 4. The left hand side of it needs to be filled, sanded and repainted before the modifications to it can be complete.

An Adventure in just about Time and not enough Space – Episode Twelve

Deadline + 19 days
My Rubbertoes order arrives in the post alongside some Scrabble tiles. I’ve decided to fill some of the space on Panel 1 with some Mike Kelt-style fake buttons. Yay! Baker-C and McCoy make it onto the homage build!

From Rubbertoes I’ve ordered one of their round balls with the symbols on it which were used for the top of Rassilons staff/inkwell in EOT and, colour aside, appears to be the same trackball type control from the latest console which will fit neatly on the Navigation panel. This frees up the coloured domes and that container top from the bottom left corner of the same panel which can be moved elsewhere to fill in the gaps I see.

Finally I use some old PC keyboard buttons to once again homage the Five Doctors console and hide a personal Easter Egg on Panel 2.

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