Little Shop Newsletter - Issue 053

Introduction

Hello All!

Well, welcome to what is, a Sunday edition of the weekly newsletter, and a bumper edition at that.

It has been one hell of a week. Josh M and Kasim spent the week at the shop working on a number of orders, and got a lot done, so lets get into this jam packed newsletter shall we?

Grey Aztecs

Starting as we did last week, the work on the Grey Aztecs continued. Kasim did the final bit of electronics prep and fitting, ready for the Series 1-2 orders to go out into the world this week. However due to the hectic nature of this week, they weren't fitted in time to head out, but they will be fitted over the weekend and into early next week.

Tri Slider Aztecs - Original Run

With work wrapping up on the Grey Aztecs, attention is beginning to turn to the Tri Slider final assembly.

This week, the electronics sections and slider plates were tapped, ready for the slider plate screws to be fitted. We also got the Tin Decal Vinyl sorted and that arrived on friday. This Vinyl is far easier to attach so should speed up the packing process a lot!

We hope to start having these go out in the next few weeks!

Original MK1 Manipulators

The Original MK1 Manipulator face plates were painted and clear coated this week. Once the Grey Aztecs are out and complete, Kas will be getting these stitched up and sent out!

McCoy/McGann Tools

All sound boards are now fitted in the McCoy/McGann Tools!

That is all the Prop Only - Sound and Collectors Edition - Sound orders fitted!

All that is left to do on these is the finishing touches, they need to have their springs added and a few final screws, as well as the gold tape detailing and the weathering.

All Prop Only - Sound orders will go out next week.

Josh H has also completed a batch of 10 collectors edition stands, which means we can start packing up the Collectors Edition orders as well!

1:6th Scale Bronze NSDs

Kas has been getting the molds for the NSD orders sorted this week, with new masters for the main body section printed and molded. We have been slowly working on getting these molds right, with a few teething issues at the start due to the complexity of the shape, but believe we are on the right track now.

We look forward to bringing you more updates as we can!

Power Cells

This week the power cells were primed and crackle painted. All that is left to do on them are the clear sections and the electronics. We will be doing those over the next week and a bit!

Crystal McGann Tools

Whilst working on a new project, we had the chance to really dial in our laser cutting settings for wood. Owing to this, Kas was able to laser cut all of the wood for the Crystal McGann Tools. This will be receiving some sanding in the coming weeks ready to be fitted onto the Crystal McGann Tools themselves.

Big Finish Live Show - The Stuff of Legend

As mentioned in last week's newsletter, some of our team were lucky enough to be helping out with the Big Finish Live Stage Recording of "The Stuff of Legend"

The TARDIS Console Room

James went down to London on Friday to help Mark Barton-Hill load up the TARDIS Console Set for the performances. Mark had originally built the set for the Doctor Who Experience, and from there, it was used during the new scenes filmed with Tom Baker for the 2017 Shada release.

The Get In - Saturday Morning

Josh M then joined Mark and James bright and early on the Saturday morning for the Get In.

Working as a team, with the help of Jason Haigh-Ellery, to assemble the TARDIS set. Plus bringing the Longleat Silver Dalek on stage and helping position everything as dictated by the stage plan.

It all came together in time for the dress/tech rehearsal that was happening later that morning.

Props and Photos

We also supplied props to be used in the publicity surrounding the event and for future Big Finish promotional material. This included the usual sorts of things: Sonic Screwdrivers, TARDIS Keys, a TCE (which we'll get onto in a moment), and some more obscure items such as an iron fire poker.

However, things took an interesting turn when James was asked to take on the impromptu roles of videographer and photographer on Saturday as he had brought along his camera. Initially, he was only capturing some footage for the BBC Doctor Who account, but he was later asked to also take proper photos on Sunday too.

Dan from our team arrived early on Sunday to watch the 14:30 showing. Instead of waiting, he decided to help James and assisted with the first shoot of the day.

For the later Sunday shoot, Josh M arrived and brought his camera along as a backup option and assisted James in getting the remaining photos sorted of the cast members and production team. This backup camera was needed as James's camera had decided it didn't fancy doing what it's designed to do... It sure knows when to pick its moments. We later diagnosed that the battery had developed a fault, causing the photos not to process properly, but luckily we got what we needed in the end.

If you follow the main BBC Doctor Who account, you likely have already seen some of the results.

The Get Out

After the final performance on Sunday, James and Josh stayed behind with Mark B-H to do the Get Out. Conveniently, Matthew from our team had also attended the final performance and volunteered to give us a hand, along with Oliver and their friend Finn. We thank them for giving up their evening to help!

(Plus there's "The Curator's TARDIS" of Instagram fame Photobombing in the background, as he had supplied the Police Box for the performances)

The MacQueen Master - TCE

As mentioned earlier, we had been asked to supply a TCE. This prop was an entirely new build for this show and its promotional shoots. Designed by Daniel Howard, James Sutton and Marley John, this TCE was made to mimic the silhouette of the Classic Anthony Ainley TCE, while being more modernised.

There were also elements and nods to other Big Finish props, with the MacQueen TCE designed to fit nicely alongside the Dark Eyes Sonic Screwdriver. Naturally with it being a Big Finish Master prop, we also included elements of the Jacobi War Master Laser Screwdriver as well.

The main detail pieces of the prop were made of Tough Resin, which were printed and painted by Josh Martin. The Crystal sections were printed and finished by Kasim Bhatti, and it was all sent down for James and Dan to fit.

The Internals of the prop were made of turned metal, with an LED and sliding activation switch on the handle.

It truly was a team effort and we are delighted with the results. It was fantastic to see it being used in photoshoots, with Alex MacQueen himself.