If you own either of the Sontaran boxed sets, you’ll have an idea of the size of this set. The window style box is similar in design, but it incorporates the new retro deco and logo that we’ve been seeing on the recent Classics releases. I love the new look, as the use of the 2005 logo on the Classics toys never felt right to me. CO has been making it a practice to include printed stills from the episode sets as inserts to create a little display diorama in the box. They’ve slowly been getting more elaborate, and this one is really impressive with some 3D elements that include a table to support the accessories, and an open door to serve as a cardback for the Leela figure. What’s more, everything is secured in a way that you can easily get everything out without mangling the insert. On the downside, if you’re a mint-in-box collector, the adult Fendahleen completely obscures the skull and the embryo Fendahleen accessoreies in the backdrop.

Let’s start with Leela. Oh my. I spent decades wishing for a Leela figure and now I have three of them. It’s such a great time to be a Doctor Who fan! Some may cry foul at having to get yet another variant of the sexy warrior of the Sevateem, but I’m getting pretty full up on 4th Doctor figures, so I’m glad CO went with Leela instead. Granted, this version isn’t as new as the last one, it does feature some new sculpting and, as far as I’m concerned, it does represent the best Leela figure to date. From the neck down, this is the exact same figure we got in the “Invasion of Time” set. The head, however, is a new sculpt with her hair up, which finally gives us a Leela with workable neck articulation. I should also note that from a Quality Control standpoint, this figure is perfect. The paint is crisp and sharp, the joints are tight. It’s a far cry from the sloppy first release that felt more like a custom. As always, Leela comes with her little knife and a working sheath to store it in.

Since this is a reuse of the last Leela’s body, you get the exact same points of articulation. I’ll refrain from ticking them all off again, but suffice it to say it means you get the new awesome ball joints in the shoulders, and the same not-so-awesome ball joints in the hips. The hip joints feel a little tighter this time around, which means Leela’s legs don’t constantly pop off in my hand, but they’ll still come off if you play around with her long enough.

The adult Fendahleen is pretty damn big and dominates the set. If you haven’t seen the episode, it’s basically a giant worm that looks like something out of HP Lovecraft’s Cthulu mythos. As with some of the other set pieces CO has put out like the Master’s TARDIS and the Sontaran spaceships, the Fendahleen is rotocast, making it more of a statue than anything else, but given what it is, the figure lends itself well to this type of toy. That having been said, the sculpt and paintwork are both excellent. I tend to expect sculpting to be somewhat softer on rotocast statues, but this one is packed with textured detail and uses some additonal plastic pieces to add the cobra-like hood and the tendrils that spill out of the mouth. There is even a wee bit of articulation in the tail, as it will swivel on a cut joint.

The accessories include the skull and stand and an adorable little embryo Fendahleen. The amount of detail CO worked into the tiny skull is just ridiculous. It’s cast in an orange translucent plastic, but partially washed over with a grey paint spray. The result is a nice light piping effect if you hold it up to the light. They even carved the pentagram into the top of it. Amazing. The embryo Fendahleen is a tiny copy of the bigger version and represents my only real gripe with this set. Considering the price tag, would it have killed CO to throw three or four of these tiny Fendahleen in here? Maybe they’re planning a carded 20 pack like they did with the Cybermats and Adipose. Go ahead, CO, I’d buy it.

The set retails for about fifty bucks. If you willingly shelled out the fifty bucks for either (or both) of the Sontaran sets, than I think you’ll probably be happy with the value here. True, you got two figures in those sets, whereas here you just get Leela. But the rotocast Fendahleen’s sculpt and paintwork is a lot more impressive than the Sontaran ship and while I don’t want to knock CO’s willingness to give us a toy Sontaran spaceship, I think the Fendahleen is a much better display piece. It may not be a bargain, but I’m really thrilled with this set and it’s obvious that CO put a lot of love and care into it, from the packaging right down to the sculpt and paintwork. I suppose I could bitch about having to buy three Leela figures before getting one that I am totally satisfied with, but honestly, I probably would have bought all three variants anyway.