Tomorrow is “Doctor Who Day” at our library, which means a swarm of tween and teen Whovians will be descending on our library. So I thought I’d create a TARDIS for the kids to pose and take pictures with.The process of making the TARDIS is actually pretty simple. It just takes a lot of time and patience. And a lot of paint.

Supplies:

– cardboard boxes

– wood glue

– paint (both spray and traditional)

– paper and tape

Step 1: Build the TARDIS

I highly recommend getting a large refrigerator box. However, since one wasn’t available, we had to use various boxes from U-Haul. We tried to get boxes that were approximately the same width (though the lengths were a little off). We’ll be hiding the “ugly” side in a corner where no one will see those uneven edges. 🙂

If you’re using multiple boxes like I did, simply stack them on top of each other. Then adhere them using the wood glue.

Note: You may want to use some books or other heavy objects to press the boxes together until the wood glue dries.

Step 2: Tape off sections

Using scrap paper that I cut to size, I taped of the sections of the TARDIS that I knew weren’t going to be blue: the windows, signs, etc. By covering these sections, it protected them from the spray paint so that it would be easier to paint them another color later.

Step 3: Spray paint

This one’s pretty self explanatory. 🙂

Step 4: Paint your additional sections

After removing the paper, I painted the remaining large sections: the windows, the signs, etc. Make sure to take your time here. Multiple coats might be required to get the colors right.

 

Step 5: The Finishing Touches

After the base coats were completed, we added the final details: the bars on the windows, the words on the signs, etc. We even painted a styrofoam cup to look like the lantern on the original police box. We then glued the cup to the top of the boxes and presto! Insta-TARDIS!

 

If you have any questions, feel free to drop me a line! The “Doctor Who Day” post will be up soon! Till then, hang tight Whovians. 🙂