Countdown to Christmas

It just about says it all for 2023, really – one of the few projects I actually did complete during the year, I put away for December and then totally forget to post. Here we have a rebuild of the 2003 Countdown set, in what I hope you’ll agree is a significant improvement on my last attempt from way back in 2016.

And what’s more, this one’s done up all nice and camp for Christmas… 2007. At that time, the show was hosted by Des O’Connor and Carol Vorderman, both blissfully unaware that they were soon to be effectively booted out (along with the set, as it happens) for cheaper models.

It was late March and into April when I made this, so you can forgive the memory lapse. But yes, with the exception of the clock, everything was modelled from scratch, working with dozens of reference pictures and clips. The overall scale looks much better than the last attempt, though perhaps the “wall” behind the letters board should be slightly longer. That’ll be covered in the 2030 attempt, I suppose.

Something I did quite enjoy was working with the reflective star stencils dotted all over the place, and not just for the camp. Setting the reflection channel to a spectrum of colour with a strength over 100% worked quite well, with different appearances from different angles. Still a satisfying feature of 3D modelling for me.

Even the big ole clock itself, mentioned previously, has been tweaked a fair amount beyond the festive decoration. The biggest improvement? Probably going to the trouble of varying each bulb’s brightness so that some are dimmer than others. A relic from the show’s inception in 1982, I believe it used incandescent bulbs, hence individual segments wearing out was often noticeable. Thanks to one Adam Beach, fellow Countdown Set Enthusiast, for the suggestion.

And here’s the clock running, showing off the set from multiple camera angles. As if you need telling, the clock is ticking, the countdown to Christmas almost over…

Bring it On

At last! The snowy landscape drawing I’ve been envisioning (and ultimately sidelining) for many Christmases has emerged. And it was completed in good time. What’s going on?

It has been a tough year, probably one of the toughest in fact, which has left me feeling drained and uninspired; I’ve created almost nothing, which in itself is a bit scary as that has always been an outlet. Maybe it’s time for a new hobby?

With all that said, I’m actually looking forward to Christmas this year, so that may be why the card finally materialised. A lot of people put their decorations up extra early, so I’m probably not alone in my mindset. There is still joy to be had, so let’s grab it when we can, then on New Year’s Eve we can give 2023 the middle finger, knowing it can and will never return.

Merry Christmas and best wishes to you all, whatever you’re doing, whatever you’re celebrating.