Slider Slot Width

The slider slot on the original prop was 10mm wide and was that way not by design, but because of functional problems that necessitated it having to be put in.

The show used several props, both extending and static, that meant that the ugly wide slider slot didn't matter as it was never seen on screen and could be hidden by replacing the prop during closeups with a static prop that had no slot. The fans would never know that the sonic screwdriver was missing a 6th of its circumference!

During the development of this replica we made several conscious decisions to reengineer and redesign certain aspects of the original props from both functional and aesthestic reasons yet still remain visually faithful to the original props.

Our replica is 100% dimensionally identical  to the originals as we have had access to the props and created a full digital replica which we have used to CNC lathe our version. Once we examined the prop, several problems became apparent in the design.

We have consciously not produced a 100% replica because of various reasons:

• The original props were made from resin and were shoddily made and designed. The fragility of these props were well documented.
• There were several versions of the shooting prop both extending and static, in various states of extension each with various unqiue characteristics
• The fanboys will cry foul if we produced a 100% accurate resin replica of a piece of crap prop that fell to bits every other day because of shoddy design. If you want that, we'll make you one but don't whinge when it disintegrates in your hands.

What we have tried to do therefore is produce the prop that the programme makes would have made if they had the time and budget. Our replica averages out the differences between the various original props, engineers out the problems of the original props and tidies up some of the more haphazard features such as the slider button whilst still remaining dimensionally and visually faithful to them.