The Riversong Project

Hi everyone! If you're on this page, you're probably looking for more information regarding the *spoilers* Riversong Project. Well, welcome. You're at the right spot. So let's get into it? I'm super excited to tackle this project! I'm looking to bring to life an affordable Riversong's Future Sonic Screwdriver to the community. This project is being built with passion and a wish to get something high quality produced at half of the cost of some existing replicas. 

The start.

Initially, this project began with an idea by a friend who adores Riversong as a character. As I shared my obsession of sonic screwdrivers with said friend, she demanded I make her Riversong's sonic screwdriver. After a bit of back and forth, I agreed but told her it would take time due to my availability. This was supposed to be done in resin, with working lights and sound, and would somewhat act as a toy. Slow progress was made at the beginning, but left to the side as I tackled other things. I own the largest Discord community for people who share the same passion as I do for sonic screwdrivers, and within said community I got to meet a ton of great people. One of them being, Inquisitor Props. Incredible guy! Has done some great working selling over on Etsy with his V1 run. We talked, and decided to partner up and we're currently working as a team to get this project on the road! I also managed to dig the dearest Collingwood Replicas out from his grave, and he got on board with letting us use his Riversong model as a base. He made a wonderful replica of it already almost a decade ago. This group collaboration has been very exciting, because there are so many talented and willing people in this community that it warms my heart to see there are so many passionate people who exist working on things like these! 

 

What will this project be exactly?

This will be a replica of the beautiful Riversong sonic screwdriver. There have been a few iterations of the prop made (with ties to Nick Robatto, the prop maker for Doctor Who), however way you want to see it. There were 2 original props used for the show, with the QMX replicas being produced for "mass market" but were cancelled with only a few being shipped out. Lastly, the Rubbertoe Replicas run which is currently set to be shipped out this Spring 2025. 

Our replica will be an amalgamation of the 3! We have a ton of reference photos on the original prop, the QMX's and we're getting a ton of content on Nick Robatto's current Riversong run. What's beautiful is that we saved a lot of time modelling the design from scratch since I'm using Collingwood Replica's model as a base. As we went on with the development project, we've made changes to the model as we see fit to prepare it for CNC'ing and fabrication. As well as dimensional changes to make the replica more accurate. 

We are not competing with anyone, nor do we want to claim this will be the end all be all of the Riversong sonic screwdriver. I leave that for the most experienced and talented people at Rubbertoe Replicas and Little Shop Props, who are currently tackling 250 of these bad boys. They're doing some amazing work, and I cannot wait to own one myself. Our replica will be something that can be a little more affordable to those who cannot own a Rubbertoe Replica edition, something that they can still be proud of to own. We're working hard to make it accurate enough, while also machining these with the same materials as the original. This replica will be built with brass, aluminum and delrin, all of these being the main original materials used on the original props. 

How many will be made?

Great question! We're not sure on the final numbers, but we're definitely making 20 of these minimum. This number can be extended depending on the interest out there. The more, the merrier! We want those in the community to be able to get one if they're interested. Once we finalize the run number and get them made, there will be no more of these in the future. So if you're interested, please fill out the form at the bottom of this page so we can take you into account. 

Well, what will be the price?

This might be a better question you want answered, surely? Well, we're doing our very best to make this as affordable as possible. It's not easy, considering this is my first big project outside of smaller pieces and tinkering, a lot of effort is being put in to bring this to life. But, we're reminded of the goal which is to make this affordable. Machining the main parts in brass (which is what we want) is not cheap. So we're in contact with several shops that can get this done for us and we're negotiating prices. If we get our desired price point, these completed prop replicas will be $400, and if things become a little complicated with the shops on pricing, then these will be $600. We share this range to the public so those have an opportunity to save up. I love getting a heads up on pricing, as I'm sure many do too. 

How will payments be handled?

We'll be doing deposits! We don't want people to burden themselves paying the full cost up front. So, we'll be introducing the 2 payment method like many other sonic screwdriver prop makers do. To confirm your spot in the run, you'll pay a deposit consisting of half of the cost of the sonic in full. This will allow us to proceed with the construction of your edition number by confirming your spot. Once the run is completed and all sonic screwdrivers are ready to be shipped, you'll get the final invoice consisting of the remaining half of the sonic. Your sonic screwdriver will not ship until the final invoice is paid. Your deposit is non-refundable, but we will allow you to transfer your spot to a different person in the community with your permission assuming you're dropping out of the run. 

What's the timeline looking like?

We're making some awesome progress recently! Pictures are posted on my Discord community server which you can join by clicking here. It's currently March at the time of writing this, and we expect to get a full metal prototype made around May. This will be after we finalize measurement changes, and accuracy details. 

Once we have a full metal prototype to showcase to the community, we will open up deposits for those who wish to pre-order and secure your spot. 

If everything goes well, we would like to get the parts made during Summer of 2025, and possibly completed by November 2025. These dates are subject to change based on many factors, potential shop delays, etc. Everything will be posted on this site, and on our Discord server! 

 

What will be included in the final package?

We'll be packing it to the brim with goodies! You'll be greeted with the following items:

  • Wooden Presentation Box
  • Sonic Screwdriver
  • Display Stand
  • Extra Emitters (Blue, Red, and White to pay homage to the toy)
  • Care Instructions
  • Artwork made by local artists
  • Limited Edition Plaque
  • Our custom Riversong Spoilers sticker
  • Thank you letter

 

Credits.

Thank you to the following people who have assisted in some way during the project, little or big, a contribution is a contribution. 

  • InquisitorProps
  • James Sutton, Little Shop Props
  • Collingwood Replicas
  • D ( drewmvillarreal via Discord)
  • Clek Geggs (clekgeggs via Discord)

I'm beyond excited to finish this run, and I'm having a blast getting there. The journey has been incredible, from talking to like minded individuals, and figuring out what works, trial and errors in prototyping the sonic, and so much more. It's been a blast. We're hoping you enjoy the final product! Thank you to InquisitorProps who is my partner in this project who has handled a great deal of this, and put a lot of time and effort into this project, has been an absolute lad to work with. 

Interest Form

https://forms.gle/HyqrYievZ6C8t4PGA