Doctor Who Sonic Screwdrivers in the works from Rubbertoe Replicas

By John Freeman on October 28, 2014 • ( 1 )

Rubbertoe Replicas has announced it is to release limited edition, officially licensed replicas of the Eleventh and Twelfth Doctor’s Sonic Screwdriver, based on the prop from the show.

The replicas, due to ship in late November 2014, are based on the props created by Rubbertoe’s master prop maker, Nick Robatto, for the Doctor Who show itself, crafted from over eighty components and from a wide variety of materials including copper, brass, aluminium, leather and resin, with the white resin section being cast from the original prop made in 2009.

Nick has been responsible for personally making on screen versions of every sonic screwdriver that has been featured on the show since its re-launch in 2004. The Eleventh Doctor’s sonic has altered very little cosmetically since its first appearance in the hands of Matt Smith in 2009, it has had a few alterations for the better since Nick (in the time honoured TV prop-making tradition) was first handed a drawing of concept artist Dan Walker’s design and was told he had a week to make it!

The sonic screwdriver replicas are made in South Wales (as are all Rubbertoe products) in the company’s workshops, a stone’s throw from the BBC Studios in Roath Lock, Cardiff, where Doctor Who is filmed. Rubbertoe have been prop makers for the show since 2004 and have been responsible for making many of the new and exciting props for the latest series, not least a shiny new sonic for the shiny (ish) new Doctor.

The metal pieces for the replicas are precision cut by CNC, and all the rest of the parts are hand made and assembled in the Rubbertoe workshops. The sonic also features a working LED light made in exactly the same way as the screen used prop.

The Eleventh and Twelfth Doctor’s Sonic – priced at over £650, so not a cheap Christmas present, then! – comes with its own custom made stand with a numbered plaque signed by Nick Robatto, and a beautiful wooden presentation box.

• For more info and to pre-order visit www.rubbertoereplicas.com/#!pre-order-sonic/cdp4

Note that as this is an exact prop replica the sonic does not feature sound as standard (as we all know, in the land of TV prop sounds are added in post production). However, if sound is something you desperately desire in your sonic, please contact us and we can incorporate this for an extra cost of £140. (Another reason for omitting sound as standard was to prevent the cost of the sonic from becoming prohibitively high).

• To read a more in depth account of the history and evolution of the 11th Doctor’s Sonic, click here

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies” for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.