Doctor Who Experience – Restoration of a Tardis | Last updated: February 22nd, 2011
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The Restoration of a Tardis
Anyone visiting The Doctor Who Experience will see the 4th Doctors Tardis in all its glory – but it didn’t always look like that. In the words and pictures of the restorer Mark Barton Hill (free lance prop artist and FAN) here’s how it was done.
“The story is like this, My good Friend Andrew Beech asked me to carry out the work as he was impressed with a replacement lamp and door sign I made for the Tardis he owns, so I spent 3 months collecting and playing with suitable blue paints, researching, watching DVD’s and developing techniques of distressing and weathering.
I then collected the prop from The Doctor Who studios in Wales, brought it to Olympia and started to work on it there in situ every day for two weeks in January. It was in a dreadful state of disrepair, covered in a thick layer of dust, no base plinth, wrong signage, no door pull sign, broken windows and no Lamp!”
Below: The Tardis being wheeled in Olympia and the start of the restoration work…
“I washed it, sanded it, and then painstakingly re-built the base plinth and started painted it layer by layer, staring with quite a light shade of blue and
gradually getting darker with a wipe on, wipe off technique using about 5 different blues and finished with a black wash – just to get that season 18 feel.”
On its Way: The various stages of restoration…
“I replaced some of the windows with replicas I made myself and made a new lamp and signage, which are all hand painted. I used stories such as ‘The Leisure Hive’ and Warrior’s Gate’ as colour pallet reference.”
The Tardis Restored: The Tardis as seen in the exhibition and Mark with his finished work (image courtesy of Rii Schroer)…
Mark also assembled the console room wall panels, made ALL the 40 roundels and painted it and lit it. he was also responsible for the sound effects too!
In progress: The walls of the fifth Doctors Tardis…
The finished product: Mark steps inside the fifth Doctor Tardis with the finished walls in the background (image courtesy of Rii Schroer)…
The Doctor Who Experience: Tickets for the show in London are on sale now via www.doctorwhoexperience.com. You can also keep up to date via the Doctor Who Experience Twitter page.
And finally: many of you will have already the Video of Peter Davison’s spectacular arrival at Gallifrey 22 but if you haven’t then towards the end it features both the props shown above!
Other places of interest…
Longleat Exhibition – fascinating site on the history and exhibits of Longleat.
Police Boxes – A history of the police box and Tardis.
The Tardis – our own comprehensive section on the Doctors Type 40.
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14 Responses to :
Doctor Who Experience – Restoration of a Tardis
Posted by: rob flowers June 1st, 2013
Well Done Mark!!!! It’s great to see you bring your passion and dreams to life! I’m sure your work will make many people smile.
Posted by: Mr. Dalek March 15th, 2011
I went to the Doctor Who Experience. In amazing condition, I couldn’t believe I was right next to the 4th Doctor’s real Tardis!
I also saw the exclusive merchandise…pfft.
There were only huge black T-shirts with a crack in time on.
Boring!
Posted by: booboo March 15th, 2011
There were only huge black T-shirts with a crack in time on.
Boring!
Yes some missed opportunities here, where are the mugs, t shirts, pens and souvenir’s with Doctor Who experience themes and logo’s on them ? Lots of people would be buying them
Posted by: Bill “the Doctor” February 26th, 2011
Great to see the old girl brought back to her former glory. The TARDIS Builders are happy to have helped with the research.
Posted by: crazy guy February 25th, 2011
cool the experiance will be great
Posted by: doctor 24/7 February 25th, 2011
i was there today a spoke to him
Posted by: booboo February 25th, 2011
yes he told us he was working there, shop better stocked? any sign of the exclusive merchandise
Posted by: Ray February 23rd, 2011
Great work, cant wait to get there in April and see it all
Posted by: Hector Sadler February 23rd, 2011
That is interesting. I got 2 3 TARDIS. 1 moneybox & other 2 the shakey toy.
Posted by: Bob February 22nd, 2011
Really interesting. I saw it there and thought it looked great with Melkur next to it, the whole exhibition was fantastic
Posted by: Paul Ashe February 22nd, 2011
Wow amazing. absolutly amazing atotal work of love. Those fusion Tardis roundals are a work of art.
Posted by: Mark Grimshaw February 22nd, 2011
Glad you like it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted by: David February 22nd, 2011
Fantastic job there, I’m going in March so will see it then
Posted by: Mr Pond February 22nd, 2011
Really shows the level of work that went into restoring these props, great images.