TARDIS

The moment has arrived! I've been talking about this TARDIS project for a while now and I've probably annoyed the people around me with my relentless ramblings.

Well, it is done!

(and I'm documenting the journey here to live in cyberspace for the rest of forever)

I started out with a rough draft. 

The proportions are off, as you can see

I first planned on making it from scratch. This meant a lot of wood buying, sawing, hammering and sanding. Basically, a lot of work. I was all for it except that my carpentry skills are limited to rookie school projects (for which my grandmother did most of the work on anyway).

Also, I realised that the top part of my TARDIS was a little different that the real one. This called for a little redesigning. I sketched a new TARDIS.

This one has the proportions of a Dalek, but you get the gist.

I ended up with this. Also, I changed my mind about making it from scratch. I decided to pimp a plain cupboard instead. 'Tis cheaper and requires less woodworking.

Mama and I scoured through quite a few furniture stores before I found the perfect cupboard. It's actually a shoe cabinet but the width is just right for this weird diagonal wall that I want to put it up against. It's also tall and has a bunch of shelves. I did remove the original handles, though; they looked too modern. 

As for the top, I managed to convince the father to make it out of plywood. He did all the work and handed it to me in three piece. I glue 'em together with my brother's help.

I asked my father to make the bottom part open-able (that's not the word I'm looking for)

The next step was to find the right paint. Brother and I tried to spray paint the cupboard but it wouldn't stick to the laminated wood. So I got some oil paint instead. I found this blue that looks pretty darn close to TARDIS blue but it turned out to be paler that I expected. Needless to say, I was disappointed. Mama paid RM33 for that can of paint and I didn't want to waste it. I thought of just buying a small can of brighter blue to make this one better, bluer. When I got to the store, though, I found the right blue. The closest to the bluest blue that I'd ever find here and in short notice, so I just had to get it. It's perfect. (I'll use the other can of paint for something else).

Before painting, I had to glue on some wires to the doors to make the square thingys. I know that makes no sense. You see, the TARDIS doors has four big square indents kinda like windows. The top box is a window and the following three are just there. Since I have no idea how to make indents on wood, I used wires to make the outline for the boxes and windows (fake windows, in my case). 

The squares aren't perfectly straight or in line but I like the effect

It gets better now. PAINTING!

The whole thing was painted TARDIS blue (my TARDIS blue). Then I painted the fake windows white. It was a messy affair. Oil paint is sticky and messy. I had blue spots on my legs and my fingers were completely covered in blue paint. I had lots of fun, though. I even painted the inside walls and the shelves as well. This whole affair required 2 whole bottles of thinner to clean up the mess off the floor and my legs and hands.

I think I have some paint on my hair too. Hmm.

I started work on the POLICE PUBLIC CALL BOX sign on top while waiting for the shelves to dry. It took me a while to get the words centered but I got there in the end. It looks a little comical because the words look obviously hand painted by someone with unsteady hands but I love it.

The word POLICE is slightly larger that the word BOX

Once everything was painted and dried, I proceeded to put the shelves back in. This was a battle. One of the bottom shelves got a little stuck and kind of scraped off the paint inside. I kept trying to force it in before realising that I should try switching it with another shelf. That worked; but then I had to do some repainting over the damage I had done while trying to force in the shelf.

Now we're getting somewhere:)

At this point, I got my brother to fix new door knobs. I found them in the hardware store nearby. I actually wanted a small, plain knob. The store display had a golden coloured plastic knob that fit my idea. I could just paint it silver or blue, even. However, ass luck would have it, they were out of stock. So I went to another hardwarre store and found these silver knobs that fit really well with the whole look. They would look sleek and modern if they were attached to an overall sleek looking cupboard but since they were on a TARDIS replica, they look pretty old fashioned, which is the look I'm going for. It also adds to the whole animated-ness of the structure. 

Brother's cameo

He loves using the drill. Also, do you see that little bit of wire sticking out on the right? It just refuses to stick! I've attempted to glue it on three times but it stays stubbornly unstuck. I've resolved to letting it hang how it wants to. BE FREE WIRE, BE FREE!

Once the knobs were on, brother crowned the cupboard with it's the top tiers and tada.....!

Don't the knobs look amazing!? (That right there, the "?!" is called a  and interrobang)

BUT WAIT! It's not done yet!

There's still the notice on the door. I found an image on Google, printed it and got it laminated. It says,

Just like the one on the show!

I stuck in on with some double sided tape. Hopefully it stays there.

Tada!

F.Y.I, I was going to post this only when it was completed but I'm having trouble containing my excitement! It is almost done. All I need now is to get something for the light on top of the TARDIS. I want to get a candle holder that looks like an old lantern, maybe paint it blue and place it on top. Once in a while, my TARDIS shall be lit :)

Alas, I have not found my crowning glory. So for now, it shall remain bulb-less. I'll post another picture once I find the lantern.

The outside is perfect. It's all done. It looks comical and animated but I love it. It's the words that give it a slightly wonky feel, I think (and the knobs). You might not be able to tell, but the paint job on this is a little messy in parts. I don't mind it, though. I'd like to imagine that my TARDIS has just got back from a little tussle with a Sontaran fleet.

Moving on, or more accurately, in. I always wanted a chalkboard but wall space is a little problematic since I have a big cupboard on one wall, windows in another and posters everywhere else. Therefore, I decided to paint the inside of the TARDIS doors with chalkboard paint. My very own chalkboard door!

I have not done it, though. That's up next on my TARDIS to-do list, right below the lantern. I thought of painting the insides of both doors but maybe I'll just do one first. If I ever run out of chalkboard space, I'll paint the other.

My TARDIS cupboard; not bigger on the inside but it is beautiful and it is mine. :)