How to Build a Tardis Photobooth in 24 Hours!

So about a month ago, my sister wanted a Tardis photo booth for her graduation open house. I said that would be really hard to make, but maybe we could make one out of cardboard. We didn't really talk about it till about a week before the open house. We thought maybe we could make one out of wood at this point (I have absolutely no idea why we thought this, but hey, I like Tardisis, Tardisis are good!). So we got the supplies and started building. Pictures are limited because of this being such a fast build. The build took us parts of 3 days but the build time was about 24 hours.

Step 1: The Supplies/tools

The only tool type thing I got a picture of was the glue I used for the police public call box signs. I thought it would look kind of Ood-I mean odd (haha Doctor Who pun, you'll be seeing a lot of those from me) to not have a picture of anything. I am not giving amounts or measurements because our Tardis is on the short and fat side. Anyway here's the stuff:

Supplies:

glue

2x4's

2x6's

plywood sheets

Tardis blue paint

white paint

black paint

some sort of Tardis looking lamp

paper

lots of printer ink

lots of different spray paint

masonite wood sheets

screws

angle brackets

Tools:

drill with hole drilling bits

table saw

hand-held saw

circle saw

paint brushes

painters tape

ruler

sonic screwdriver :)

Step 2: The Inner Walls

For the inner walls I thought one way to make the Tardis look bigger on the inside was to spray paint a space scene. Of course there are many other ways to make it look bigger on the inside, I just thought this would look the most "spacey-wacey'. I heard that one way is to use "mirror paper". This was all I could do that day. The only problem we had was we had to cut the walls down the next day in order for the Tardis to fit in the basement after the party.

Step 3: Drilling Holes

We needed to drill holes in the walls in order to make sure that they would not create any cracks in space and time when we screwed into them. Each hole was about a foot apart.

Step 4: The Corner Pieces

The corner pieces consist of a 2x4 and a 2x4 cut in half. Then screwed together about every foot.

Step 5: Putting the Corner Pieces on the Walls

Next we screwed the walls onto corner pieces. When putting them on make sure to raise the wall up about a centimeter from the bottom so that the weight of the Tardis is not resting on the walls. Sorry I didn't get any pictures of the photo booth opening side, they were exterminated, but there is a picture in the next step.

Step 6: Adding the Top and Bottom Frames

The top frame is made of 2x4's and the bottom 2x6's. We also stuck in 2x4's in the top and bottom (sorry no pictures). Of course this did not only look good but it also made it less "wibbly-wobbly".

Step 7: Tardis Lamp

That was all we could do for that day on the building, so I got working on the lamp. The lamp is just a solar powered garden lamp painted blue. Solar power so it does not need a battery.

Step 8: The Front Signs

I printed both of these of the internet. I got the seal from here and the pull to open sign here. After that I put it in a page protector, cut it to size, and used spray adhesive to stick it on the plastic and the Tardis.

Step 9: The Frames and Middle Strip on the Front

We used the same wood that was used for the walls for these (we cut it into strips). We attached them with glue and held it on for a few minutes. This part took us a lot of "timely-wimely" (ok, these are starting to get weird...). There is an extra strip on the middle of the front.

Step 10: The Roof

We stacked plywood on top of 2x4's laid down and then onto 2x6's standing up. The third layer was a 2x6 square laid down with a hole drilled in it on top to hold the lamp. After that I spray painted the ceiling by using a trashcan for the cover.

Step 11: The Desk

I did not get any pictures of the desk being installed, But like almost everything else, I did a spray paint space scene on it. That marks the end of this building day!

Step 12: Painting

I hope you all know how to paint! No real tips for this... I did however try to make it look like something old not new, but still blue. :)

Step 13: Windows

For the windows we made the patterns with painters tape, painted, then removed the tape--simple as that.

Step 14: Putting the Roof On

After sliding the roof on, we soniced it on with anglebrackets . This was the last thing we did that day.

Step 15: Adding the Police Public Call Box Signs

Today is the day of the party!!! We only have a few hours to finish! The first thing I did today was print the signs off the internet (sorry no link). Then I used spray adhesive to stick them together and stick them on the Tardis. After that I took glue and spread it on the signs to make a gloss look.

Step 16: Party!

After finishing and setting the Tardis up in the backyard (about two hours before the party) it was time to party! For the photo booth camera, we used an iPad with a photo booth app. We bought glasses and costume stuff for the props. Everyone had a great time using it! Pretty soon we are going to bring it to another open house for another "whovien". After that we are going to keep it in our basement as a computer room (that's why it's so short). Hope you liked this Instructible! Please comment and ask questions for more details!

Participated in the
Glue Contest

Participated in the
squeeze more awesome out of summer contest

Participated in the
Epilog Challenge VI

Be the First to Share

Recommendations

Hewkii & Macku Dolls-BIONICLE MNOG Inspired Plush Toys. by ArtistanistaHandmade in Sewing

12 1.3K

Copper and Steel Viking Helmet by joleothetall in Metalworking

145 15K

Light-up Crosswalk Sign Costume by jared531 in Costumes & Cosplay

28 4.8K

Crochet Knitting Clock ⏰ by Lina Maria in Knitting & Crochet

42 12K

Make It Bridge
For the Home Contest
Game Design: Student Design Challenge

11 Comments

Roux40

Question 1 year ago on Introduction

This is amazing and my fiance and I are going to try to replicate this for our wedding next year!! Maybe I missed it but I dont see quantities or measurements for the lumber needed. If you could point me in the right direction I would appreciate it!

kiwihaunt

5 years ago

This is brilliant! Love the concept and idea behind this especially the inside decal. Most other Tardis designs forget about the BIGGER on the inside part of the build... you would make Nardole proud!!