Cosplay Sky - season 13 Frock Coat

I’ve recently been looking over the Fourth Doctor costumes on offer from Baron Boutique. This month I thought I’d start to have a look at the options from Cosplay Sky.

Based in China, Cosplay Sky has been making costumes for over five years and specialise in a lot of Anime and genre films and tv shows. Their style can be very angular with broad lapels and flared skirts.

Ecru Brown Long Trench Coat Suit

Price as of Feb 2013 - $189.99

This coat is a replica of the tweed Frock Coat Tom Baker first wore in The Android Invasion.

My first point of review is always the fabric for a coat, and from the looks of the photos, they have used a wool tweed material not unlike the Donegal on Matt Smith’s series five jacket.

Although not a screen accurate match for this coat, it certainly goes someway to reflect the drape and feel of the original coat.

The collar looks to be made from velvet rather than the thunder-cord corduroy on the screen worn coat, but it is in the right area for colour so not so bad.

The buttons on the front are a bit out of position, being in two vertical lines, rather than diverging at the top.
The choice of buttons isn’t too bad, though the cuff ones should have been a lot smaller - they look very clunky and draw the eye too much.

The cuffs themselves are oversized and misinterpreted. They have been done like the cuffs on the Sixth Doctor Frock Coat, but should be flush with the surface of the sleeve.

The elbow patches on the sleeves look very large and almost take up half the length of the arm!

The back of the coat seems to be lacking the princess seams and the buttons are too widely spaced.
The back split is dead centre, which isn’t right, as it should under and overlap.

The large pockets on the back of the coat are placed way too high and far too close to the centre. Quite how you would reach to put anything in them is beyond me.

Lengthwise the coat looks to be about right, with a decent flare to the skirt, though the lower back could have been more nipped to emphasis this.

The lining is a pale silverish blue, which actually isn’t far off the correct colour.

All in all this isn’t such a bad coat. I’m surprised as to how it looks, compared to some other the other coats Cosplay Sky offer, which I shall be reviewing over the coming months.

Check back each month for a new review.

Four Frock Coat - Bob Mitsch is THE DOCTOR!

A little while back I took some photos of me wearing my recently finished Four Frock Coat.

It’s great fun to mess around wearing a costume like this - makes you feel the part.

But when it comes to Tom Baker costume photoshoots, Bob Mitsch is the Master - or should I say Doctor - at it!

Photo © Deverill Weekes www.deverillweekes.com

Let’s face it, it was only a matter of time before he wanted one of these coats, and now I’ve made him one, he’s bee having fun getting his photo taken - posing like a a good un!

Photo © Deverill Weekes www.deverillweekes.com

He’s still getting his costume together, and by Gallifrey One next month will have the waistcoat, better trousers and the all important episode specific brooch!

I can’t wait to see how he looks when it’s all done.

Photo © Deverill Weekes www.deverillweekes.com

Baron Boutique - season 12 corduroy jacket

Last month I gave the low down and my opinon on the Fourth Doctor coats on offer on eBay.

I had a lot of comments about the reviews, so I thought I’d take a look at some other options out there.

This month, Baron Boutique’s season 12 corduroy jacket.

Baron Boutique are based in Nepal, and have been selling a wide variety of garments since 1998, of which their replica film and tv costumes are only a part.

At present Baron offer a number of Doctor Who related clothes, of which there are two Fourth Doctor costumes.

Fourth Corduroy Coat

Price as of Jan 2013 - $299

This corduroy jacket is a copy of Tom’s first costume from series 12.

Straight off the colour - which is too bright and garish compared to the screen worn jacket - is way off.

From the swatch it appears to be the right sort of corduroy fabric, though I cannot confirm this definitively.

It’s a great shame they are using the correct fabric, but not the correct colour. A little more work could have lead them to the right shade of red.

Corduroy is traditionally made from cotton, so takes well to dyeing. I am not sure what they have used for the elbow patches or pocket trim, but if they are synthetics it would be theoretically possible to over-dye the jacket to a better colour, but great care should be taken if this is attempted.

So, ignoring the shortcomings of the colour, let’s look at the structural details on the jacket itself.

The jacket has large patch-pockets, with an inverted box-pleat up the centre, edged at the top with a brown trim, possibly leather. A flap above the pocket is closed with a leather football button.
This has been very competently replicated here, though the buttons are too dark.

The sleeves have charcoal leather elbow patches, but light brown suede ones have been used here.
My impression is the sleeves are too narrow and trim. They look a lot looser on Tom.

On the original jacket there is a curious flapped pocket on the forearm close to the cuff.
I have not established what this pocket is for, but the jacket is based on a shooting jacket, so could be an ammunition pocket or the like.

The Baron jacket has a token flap on the sleeve, but it looks twice the depth of the original and has no pocket underneath.

The back of the jacket is okay, but I feel the inverted pleats are are little skimped compared to the original jacket.

The collar and lapels are pretty standard, and cut well on the Baron jacket.

Overall it’s a pretty good effort, though personally I feel it lacks the bagginess and character of Tom’s jacket. Baron’s work tends to be very crisply cut and slimly fitted - which is a bonus for anyone seeking a Tennant Suit, but on this occasion it goes against the finished appearance.

If a better colour fabric was used, or it could be over-dyed, it would look ten times better. Asking for a looser fit, or simply giving measurements with a couple of extra inches here and there would help to.

Where machine washing a jacket such as this would ruin the shape, on this it might be an idea to slacken off its tight line.

As a casual jacket it would be fun to wear.

I might even have a go myself at some point. I’ve seen some period Edwardian patterns in my cutter’s guides.

Pocket props - TARDIS Tuner

Today I wanted to share with you a little eBay purchase I’ve made recently, which is a throwback to the 1970s and my childhood.

I’ve been looking around for a couple of props to pull from the excessively large pockets in my Tom Baker coat while attending conventions and events. I need something amusing, trivial and retro - and preferably something Fourth Doctor appropriate.

I can remember reading Doctor Who Weekly from its very first issue in 1979.

Two enduring memories are the Mr Bellamy adverts which hogged the colour back cover, depriving us of another precious colour photopage; and the comic-strip style advert for the TARDIS Tuner.

Made by Shortman Trading, The TARDIS Tuner was a Doctor Who branded toy which seem to be perpetually pushed in Doctor Who Weekly.

Essential just a medium-band radio in a chunky black plastic casing with a circuit that makes a series of lights flash and sounds beeps and bops, it looks way more exciting than it actually is.

It bears no relationship to anything seen on screen and stands alone from anything Who-related at the time.

According to the advert the Tuner boasts:

• Mind blowing volume control


• Built in radio receiver,
  picks up radio 1, 2 & 3


• ‘Laser light control switch’


• Constant flashing laser lights


• Radio tuner for crystal clear reception


• Time warp bleeper control switch


• Tough moulded matt-black casing stands up to the heaviest landings


• Sliding door for battery supplies

A working mint condition Tuner in its box with instruction leaflet can command around £100, often more.

But for what I wanted one for, an unboxed not mint, but working, I paid a fair price for it.

Ironically I never owned one in the 1970s - though not for want of desiring one - it was just outside of my financial grasp at the time, so getting one now is like a childhood dream come true!

I’m looking forward to the right moment to whip it out! Wink, Wink ;)

Replica 4th Doctor costumes on eBay

This past year I’ve spent a lot of time working on screen accurate replicas of the Tom Baker season 16 Frock Coat, as well as preparing to make a proper replica of the Romana Pink Frock Coat as seen in Destiny Of The Daleks.

I’m by no means the first or last person to have a go at either of these costumes, and if you cast around there are alternative cheaper options out there.

So I thought it timely to take a look at what can be bought for a more modest budget.

 At first glance these coats look pretty good, but at closer inspection there are a few shortfalls worth noting if you are looking for something more screen accurate.

Ecru brown long trench coat

Having worked on this coat extensively this year, I can immediately see a number of serious shortcomings in the cut of this coat. Some are quite picky, but others are more obvious.

• One of the outer pockets is missing! The lower left-hand pocket has been omitted

• The lower pockets have been confused, and large flap-less pockets are added at the back

• The waistline pocket is too big and crashes the buttons. It should be close, but not that close. The buttons could be moved, and should be in a slight diagonal line, converging at the bottom

• The piping around the edges of the lapels and pocket flaps are not the right colour. It needs to be a real dark brown (almost black) rather than a mik chocolate colour

• The buttons on the back are set too far apart, and the back vent is exactly central, where it should overlap and be off centre

Midnight - fancy dress competition portraits

As part of the Midnight convention I entered the fancy dress competition.
I wasn’t aiming to win - the fun of taking part was enough.

As part of of the judging, a portrait photographer took all our pictures.

I really liked the picture Marco, the photographer, took of me.
Here the picture, and the rest of the entries.

Portrait © www.marcopereira.co.uk

I’ve tried to fill in as many names as possible, but I have gaps.
If you are one of the uncredited entries or know who they are -
let me know.

Portraits © www.marcopereira.co.uk

Tenth Doctor (Cherry Koivula); Tenth Doctor; Tenth Doctor and Rose; Tenth Doctor (Richard Ashton) and Rose (Tors Webster); Dinner Lady Rose (Kirstin Richardson)

Portraits © www.marcopereira.co.uk

Silence; Cyber Shade (Scott Richard Mason); Ood and Captain Jack; Sycorax (Lydia Matts); Jade (Rhiannon Walker)

Midnight - the many shades of cosplay

Midnight, like many conventions, was a great place to catch up with old friends, or meet face to face for the first time with people you know online.

One cosplayer I was pleased to see again was Jimmy Mann, who I had made a shirt for a few years back.

I’ve seen him at a few events now, including LFCC in July and Nor Con in September.

I like his style of cosplaying. Rather than spend months seeking out the right jacket, the right trousers, the right shirt - he blocks in the costume with anything that’s about, adapting and literally butchering where necessary!

That gets him out there cosplaying, before upgrading each garment as the opportunity arrises.

His Fourth Doctor costume is a great example. A stumbling block for the series 12-look is often the knitted diamond-checked cardigan. Jimmy found a plain brown one and PAINTED the design on.

Up close it looks ropy - but in all his photos and from a distance it looks GREAT and has gained many admirers.
Later he’ll upgrade if possible, but for now he has a great costume.

This weekend I caught up with Jimmy again to find he was already doing the new Matt Smith look with purple frock coat - though this isn’t a frock coat (its a coat that used to be his ten coat - now cut to length) and it didn’t start out purple (a quick once round a machine dye put that right). But again it looks great in his photos.

But the one thing I am not a cosplay-nazi. There is nothing wrong with cutting a few corners and getting a quick result, though I freely admit I’m of the opposite end of the spectrum and will research and perfect my patterns and fabrics until I am absolutely satisfied with the result.

My own Fourth Doctor costume, and soon to be seen Sixth are testament to that.
So it’s nice to get the chance to show them off once in a while and get some new photos wearing them.

It just so happened one of the official photographers for the event, Ciaran Brown, was a client of mine who’s shirt has been recognised at random American sic-fi conventions where even Doctor Who isn’t the main fan draw.

So it didn’t take much persuading for him to take a few decent shots on his professional camera, larking about with K-9!

These are my favourite pics from the ones Ciaran took for me.

Thanks to Ciaran Brown for taking the photos and letting me share them through my blog
Thanks also to Thomas Seymour for letting me take the reins of his superb K-9!

The full story of my time at Midnight,
can be read here

Midnight - here I come!

Midnight - first night

Midnight - guest group photocall

Midnight - costumes and cosplay

Midnight - the many shades of cosplay

Midnight - photocall

Midnight - fancy dress competition portraits

Midnight - nearing the end

Midnight - guest group photocall

I attended the Midnight convention this weekend, which marked the first appearance of Billie Piper, alongside David Tennant who has now appeared a few events.

The way I see it there are two very distinct tracks to follow: the main hall events, with interviews and Q&A sessions; or the photoshoots and autographs.
It’s very much an either or situation, as the queuing needed to get your photos and autographs was prohibitive to seeing much of the main hall events, and all this despite having a gold pass for the weekend.

Saturday morning was the better of the two days, as I pretty effortlessly got my photocalls with monster playing cast members Barnaby Edwards (lead Dalek operator); Dan Starkey (who has played almost every lead Sontaran in the new series); and Annette Badland (notable for being a Slitheen in series one and now a supporting role in Wizards vs Aliens).

This was followed by the Torchwood stars Eve Myles and Gareth David Lloyd.

Both groups were happy to play along with my high jinx with jelly babies, though Gareth was the only one reluctant to join in. Eve soon put that right.

I wore my Ten outfit for the David and Billie photo, so donned my Fourth Doctor costume for these other shots.

The full story of my time at Midnight,
can be read here

Midnight - here I come!

Midnight - first night

Midnight - guest group photocall

Midnight - costumes and cosplay

Midnight - the many shades of cosplay

Midnight - photocall

Midnight - fancy dress competition portraits

Midnight - nearing the end

Bonhams auction - 12th December 2012

It’s nearly December, and that means yet another Bonhams Entertainment Memorabilia sale.

As usual Doctor Who gets a look in, with a range of eras represented, including a stunningly colourful poster for the second Peter Cushing Dalek film, Daleks Invasion Earth 2150AD.

But the main items on offer cover the now finished spin-off series, Torchwood and Sarah Jane Adventures. Since both these series had the bulk of their runs alongside the Tennant era, I have listed them in my Coat blog.

Here is the only item from the Tom Baker era.

Bonhams sale 1793
(12th December 2012)
Entertainment Memorabilia

As usual I have separated the items by Doctor era, and you can see the rest of the items here:

Lots 154
1st Doctor (1963-1966)

Lots 143
3rd Doctor (1970-1974)

Lots 154a
Seventh Doctor (1987-1989)

Lots 155 - 156
Ninth Doctor (2005)

Lots 157 - 184
Tenth Doctor (2005-2010)

Lots 185 − 191
Eleventh Doctor (2010-2013)

Here are just the lots relating to the Fourth Doctor era

Lot 144
Doctor Who/Tom Baker: The Robots of Death, 1977 An S.V.7 costume, comprising: a jacket, with quilted silver lamé sleeves, and plain cotton body, inscribed in black ink inside 'Miles Fothergill' ; a pair of three quarter length quilted silver lamé trousers, inscribed 'M.F.', together with a helmet, believed to be latter of coloured fibreglass, accompanied by a certificate of authenticity
Estimate: £2,000 - 3,000
Sold for £2,500

Footnotes
Ex. Bonhams, BBC Doctor Who Auction, May 1991.
Miles Fothergill played S.V.7 in the episode and appeared as various characters in a number of Doctor Who stories.

Original 4th Doctor items - on eBay!

Over the past couple of weeks there has been a small flurry of original Doctor Who Props and costumes for sale on eBay. It’s been like a mini Bonhams auction!

Here’s what’s been on offer for Fourth Doctor fans.

Robots Of Death
Robot Mask

SOLD FOR £900

This prop may well have been used as a ‘stunt’ mask in the classic 1977 Doctor Who story Robots of Death but I have been able to confirm this. I believe it was made to be blown up during the course of the story but, whatever its origins, it is a magnificent display piece in excellent condition. It is made from thick fibreglass and has been primed then sprayed green, although this hasn’t been finished off and the back section remains grey.

Androids Of Tara (and Battlefield)
Knight’s Helmet

SOLD FOR £625

This is a Knight’s Helmet from the classic 1978 Doctor Who story, Androids of Tara. It was later brought out of mothballs and utilised in the 1989 Sylvester McCoy tale Battlefield. This is two props for the price of one folks! It’s made of fibreglass with a leather chin strap, bolted visor and horsehair detail. It has aged remarkably well, with no scuffs or scratches except some faint track marks where the visor has been lifted up and down. Don’t miss this chance to own an authentic piece of Doctor Who history!

Shada
Ancient and Worshipful Law of Gallifrey Book

SOLD FOR £920

This is an original prop from the legendary uncompleted Doctor Who adventure, Shada from 1979. It is the infamous Ancient and Worshipful Law of Gallifrey, the book around which the entire story revolves. This really is a unique piece of Doctor Who folklore – not only is in pivotal to the story, it is from a story which has achieved cult status owing to it never being finished!
The prop is a perfect bound leather book filled with cartridge paper pages. Most are blank but a section at the front and a dozen or so in the centre contain Gallifreyan text. This gives the illusion that every page is written on when the book is flicked through on camera.

In response to several people asking about the authenticity of this item, I acquired it from the private collection of Ian Levine, Doctor Who Programme Consultant in the 80s and 90s, who acquired it from the Production Office.

There were also eBay listings
relating to other Doctors

3rd Doctor Costumes on eBay!

5th Doctor Costumes on eBay!

6th Doctor Costumes on eBay!

7th Doctor Costumes on eBay!

Fourth Doctor Cuff boots

One part of my Tom Baker Costume that’s been gathering compliments are my boots!

A lot of people commented on they at NorCon a couple of weeks back, and several readers have remarked on them to me as well.

They are closely based on a pair of boots occasionally worn by Tom Baker during season 16 and 17.

There aren’t that many good shots showing them, as photographs are often cropped off, of the scarf covers the boots.

The two shots I used as reference were from The Armageddon Factor (see right) and Destiny Of The Daleks (see below).

So where did I get them from?
The same boot makers that make Matt Smith’s footwear!

When I was there collecting some boots for a client, I took the chance to show them the photos above and ask if they could make them for me. The answer was a big yes!

They are custom-made to my foot sizing, and are SO comfortable to wear, I can’t tell you!

The guys did such a great job matching what I showed them, and they seemed to instinctively fill in the details they couldn’t quite make out in the photos.
I wondered if they got the design over the ankle right, but checking a close-up in Destiny Of The Daleks put my mind to rest!

I’m so pleased with these boots – they really make the outfit!