Making The Time Tunnel

Two American scientists are lost in the swirling maze of past and future ages, during the first experiments on America's greatest and most secret project, the Time Tunnel. Tony Newman and Doug Phillips now tumble helplessly toward a new fantastic adventure, somewhere along the infinite corridors of time. 

The Time Tunnel is possibly my favourite show of all time. And - with possible games of 7TV2 in mind - I've wanted to build my own Time Tunnel for quite some time. It's only been with lockdown that I've had the opportunity to make it happen. The results were much better than I had initially expected. Here are some shots.

A view down the Time Tunnel

The Time Tunnel platform

Scientists go through final checks

Project Tic-Toc is ready to go

I've written this article to give a bit more information on how the model was put together, for those who might be interested, and perhaps even make one of their own. Unfortunately, because I didn't think ahead, I only have a few images of the model in progress, so you'll have to use a bit of imagination, and I'll try to explain things as best I can in hindsight.

As is my approach, I started with some conceptual sketch of what I was thinking about doing, and the model developed further as it was put together.

The design was informed by stills from the series, mock-ups that others have put together, and shots of the actual set.

Here are a couple of photos of the model in prep.

 Initially, with a view to possibly using some of the component parts separately, perhaps in different games, I set out to build the Tunnel as a series of modular components as follows:

- Platform from which the Time Tunnel leads

- The Time Tunnel itself

- Main controls

- Data banks

- Secondary consoles

- Visualising apparatus

The Platform

The Time Tunnel, as first seen in Rendezvous with Yesterday

This shot (from Episode 1: Rendezvous with Yesterday) shows the internal structure of the complex in which the Time Tunnel has been built, as well as the arrangement of consoles and data banks on the platform attached to the tunnel entrance. This is a good starting-point, but doesn't need to be too strictly followed as the set did actually change significantly and shrink quite a bit as the series progressed, because of changes in filming locations and the need to use a smaller sound stage.

My design of the Time Tunnel set was going to be limited to the platform and the Tunnel entrance. The whole underground complex is 800 floors and there's not much more to go on about the layout other than the shot above; I don't have the time of the budget (let alone enough cardboard and MDF) to attempt the whole complex.

My platform was made more rectangular than the one above for practicality in setting data banks and consoles to either side and using figures. Also I suspect later episodes of the series used a more rectangular set anyway.

The platform then, has three key features:

- It's free-standing with only one connection (a short bridge at the side) to the rest of the complex

- It connects at one end to the Time Tunnel

- It has the project Tic-Toc logo (the black and yellow stylised hourglass) in the centre.

The platform

The platform itself is made from a piece of 3mm MDF cut to shape and edged with strips of foamboard, glued in place. A small gap was left at one end where the Time Tunnel would join. The whole was sealed with PVA, then painted in a suitable grey acrylic. The logo was printed to size an glued on, sealed in place with more PVA. (This general approach happens on most of the rest of the Tunnel components as you will see).

The Time Tunnel

This is (of course) the main component of the whole thing, and required a little thought.

The actual physical length of the Time Tunnel in the TV series is never stated but from the image above it's clearly intended to be very long. The classic view down the Tunnel gives the impression that it might be infinite; to achieve this, the series clearly used some cunning visual tricks and as you can see from the shot below the actual Tunnel model is sensibly quite short.

The set of the Time Tunnel

What this shot also shows is that rather than being a tube with black and white rings, the Tunnel was actually a series of white rings separated by gaps. I used both of these principles in putting my model together.

My Time Tunnel model started life as a cardboard tube about 10cm in diameter that originally contained Chinchilla dust (a marvellous modelling material readily and cheaply available from all good pet shops). I cut concentric rings from this that went about 80-90% of the way around the tube. I actually made a template from a beer can to put around the tube to ensure the rings were cut straight, evenly, and to the same width. Even using a very sharp modelling knife there were a lot of rough edges to trim after cutting, which took time but was worth it.

This cardboard Tunnel was glued to a strip of balsa wood attached to a length of MDF, so that it would fit smoothly into the gap left in the edge of the platform, and a ramp was added to the front. I know, the original doesn't have a ramp, but while this does make it a bit Stargate-like this makes it sit nicely flush with the platform and will probably work better with figures.

I built up the rear of the Tunnel with more balsa and added three progressively smaller rings to give the impression of perspective from the front.

The Tunnel

Side view of the Tunnel

The Tunnel was completed by sealing with PVA, painting in grey, then masking off the bottom and spray painting the rings (a slightly-greyish) white, which were touched up by hand later. I added a paper printout of concentric rings to the end to create the same visual effect as the TV series, shown quite nicely in the first photo of this article.

Visualising Apparatus

The bizarre are largely unexplained (sensibly, that is) ability of the controllers to view what is happening on the other side of the Tunnel is governed by two bracket-like magnifier things that can be moved in and out of the sides of the front of the Tunnel as and when required. They're shown very nicely in the picture below.

View of the visualising apparatus

The Time Tunnel visualiser shows an extract from The Purple Mask (1955) when observing during Episode 10: Reign of Terror

My visualiser apparatus isn't exactly the same as those above but hopefully gives the right general impression. I constructed mine as two separate free-standing pylons. Each bracket is made of cardboard (offcut from the cardboard tube) attached using two pins (cut to length) to a piece of kebab stick itself attached to a small MDF base. The small circular bumps added to the surface of each bracket are made from Milliput. Some care was needed to make sure both pylons were the same, and the correct, height to sit opposite each other between the rings of the Tunnel, and that they would stand on the platform base correctly.

Visualiser apparatus pylons

After sealing with PVA, this apparatus was painted grey, black and nearly-white in places as appropriate

Data Banks

Data banks at the rear of the Time Tunnel set

The computer banks used on the set of the Time Tunnel series may have looked particularly effective because they were actually decommissioned US Air Force computer memory modules. Mine are made from balsa wood attached to a mounting board base, painted grey, to which was attached a print out of something fairly similar (if a little out of focus) to the original memory modules. I made three of them, to use along with a couple of Crooked Dice Figurebitz Databanks.

Databanks

Main Console and Secondary Consoles

View of the main console

My main console comprises three units, all made of balsa and plastic card attached to a single mounting board base. I filled gaps with Milliput, sealed the whole and painted in grey, using a lighter grey for the desktop and console faces. I added printouts of computer screens and keyboards, and sealed these in place with PVA.

The side consoles are only really apparent in early episodes of the Time Tunnel - see the first set image above - as they are largely on the side opposite the data banks. This was in most cases where the film crew stood. Mine were made in the same way as the units for the main console but were individually based. I made four of them altogether.

Consoles

All component parts were spray varnished with Testor's Dullcote.

You can download my ready-to-print graphics used in this project here.

I've really enjoyed making this model, and I really appreciate everyone's comments on the photos on Facebook! Now all I need is to devise some rules to use this in 7TV2, and to get hold of some models for the Tunnel operators, technicians and guards - and of course Tony and Doug. Please do let me know if you have any good ideas!

The Time Tunnel operators, with technicians in the background

General Heywood Kirk with two Time Tunnel guards