Tag Archives: doctor who

Jul 23 2010

Doctor Who: Silver Nemesis Cyberleader and Cyberman by Character Options

Silver Nemesis was one of the very last episodes of Doctor Who to air before the show got shitcanned by the BBC in 1989. While impressions of its quality varies from fan to fan (The Doctor was up against 16th century time travellers, Cybermen and Neo Nazis!), it did give us the absolute final incarnation of the Cybermen until they were later recreated in 2006 for the modern series. This final version, though based heavily on the model that appeared back in the episode Earthshock and later Attack of the Cybermen, featured a number of key changes, well worthy of a brand new figure… or in this case, two!

The Silver Nemesis Cybermen come in a two-pack, mounted in a blister pack very similar to other recent classic-era figures. The front insert shows a photo of the characters and the back gives a brief synopsis of the episode, along with a timeline of all The Doctors. Actually, the timeline cheats a bit since it doesn’t have Sylvester McCoy retiring as Doctor #7 until his regeneration in the 1996 Fox TV movie. I don’t have much else to say about the packaging, we’ve seen it many times before, and it still works just fine. It is interesting that Character Options is still using the 2005-2009 logo for the Classic figures and have yet to adopt the current one from the Mat Smith era.


The figures represent a standard Cyberman soldier and a Cyberleader. They’re actually the same exact figure, except for the black paint on the Leader’s handlebars. They also both come with the same terrible, terrible weapon, which is basically a hunk of soft rubber that neither one can hold very well. Compared to the amazing detail that went into the Earthshock Cybie’s gun, I’m really not impressed with these accessories. But then the prop used in Silver Nemesis was vastly inferior to the Earthshock one as well.

So what’s different on these guys from the Earthshock figure? The biggest difference is in the body, which is a completely new sculpt. Gone is the chainmail style of the Earthshock Cybie (seen below on the left), and in its place are coils of wires on the arms and legs. The former Cybie’s big ski boots are replaced with smaller boots, but the newer versions have much, much bigger hands. Both figures have a nice level of detail, although the new version includes some wash over the paint, which makes the foil jumpsuit look more textured and realistic.

The cowl that hangs over their shoulders and chests are mostly identical, with the main difference being the black plate in the center of theEarthshock version’s chest. Obviously, the Cybermen got tired of people grinding up gold into these cheesegrater plates and did away with them. There’s also an extra helping of clear tubing that runs into the back of the Silver  Nemesis Cybies. As for the head sculpts, the only major difference there is the weapon or sensor cluster sculpted into the top of their heads and the fact that the chin plate on the older model is more transparent.

The articulation on the Silver Nemesis Cybies adds just two swivel cuts in the thighs that were unfortunately missing from the Earthshockfigure. Otherwise, you get rotating shoulders, swivel cuts in the biceps, wrists, and waist, hinged elbows and knees and universal movement in the hips. The heads do not turn, but then I’m pretty sure they couldn’t turn their heads in the show either. Basically, this is the level of articulation we’ve come to expect from this line of figures, and while ball jointed shoulders would be nice, what’s here isn’t at all bad.

While the overal 80’s Cyberman is still my favorite design, I don’t have a huge preference over the differences here. I will, however, say that the overall quality on my Earthshock Cyberman is a notch above these new guys. The sculpt seems a bit more detailed and crisper, and I think the detail in the body just pops more on the older figure. The new Cybies’ hands are a bit soft and I’ve already expressed my dismay over their reluctance to hold their weapons. Although, I will say that the added tubing on the new figures is very nicely done. In the end, its almost a toss up, but I’ll give the Earthshock figure the nod. I was considering buying a second set of these, but now I think I’ll just invest in two more of theEarthshock figures. Either way, Character Options did an amazing job incorporating every little detail of the differences into these figures.

While previous classic-era two packs have sold for $49.99, these Cybermen were released at only $34.99, which really isn’t that bad. Granted the previous fifty dollar sets all included a version of The Doctor. But considering the Earthshock Cybermen sell for around $15-18 each, this set seems to be priced just right. And army builders will be happy to know that just a few dabs of silver paint can turn your leaders into warriors. Now, all Character Options really needs to do is give us the model from Revenge of the Cybermen and we’ll be all set.

 

May 23 2010

Doctor Who: The 7th Doctor with Electronic TARDIS by Character Options

Last week was busy for Doctor Who collectors, and for many it was also a disappointing one. In one day we were hit with the 7th Doctor & TARDIS set, the 4th Doctor & TARDIS set, and a brand new version of the 1st Doctor from the pilot episode, An Unearthly Child. Besides dealing with the cost, these toys were issued in pretty limited supplies Stateside and as such unless you were lucky enough to pre-order what you wanted, chances are you missed the tiny window in which these remained on e-tailers’ websites. In many ways it was a similar experience to what Masters of the Universe fans face on Matty Collector’s site just about every month, only we Who fans didn’t even have a specific time as to when these would be available for purchase.

I was lucky enough to get a pre-order in for this, the 7th Doctor set, the one I wanted the most, but I would have liked to have picked up theUnearthly Child figure as well and I’ll have to bite the bullet and hunt him down somewhere. The 4th Doctor & TARDIS set is pretty cool, but I just couldn’t justify dropping $100 on two TARDIS sets in one month, so I went with the 7th Doctor, mainly because he’s a new version (albeit just a repaint), whereas the 4th Doctor is the exact same figure I already own.

Let’s get the figure out of the way first.

The 7th Doctor’s early stories were pretty flippant and silly, but as time wore on, they took on a much darker style and his outfit evolved to portray that change. His jacket went from cream to dark brown, his paisely scarf got darker, even his tie got darker. This repainted figure reflects those changes really well and the quality of the paint job is excellent. Unfortunately, CO didn’t take the opportunity to give us a new head sculpt, and while a smiling Sylvester McCoy may have been appropriate in the outfit from his more whimsical days, its pretty out of place in this darker attire. This figure should have definitely been issued with a more serious and somber head sculpt. Apart from that everything is the same as the previous release. He has the same articulation and the same umbrella accessory. Its a great figure, and I think the repaint makes him well worth owning in addition to the previous release.

And now… the TARDIS.

Casual and newer fans of the show may be surprised to learn that the iconic Police Box, the one constant throughout the entire series, wasn’t so constant. Sure, the TARDIS remained a Police Box, but the prop saw a number of variations over the years. You can actually go mad studying the slight (and some not so slight) differences in the TARDIS props. The package says this is supposed to be the TARDIS from the episode The Curse of Fenric, but it actually better matches the one used for the 7th Doctor’s earlier stories, or even the later 6th Doctor stories. Either way, its significantly different than the one used in the 2005 series as its slightly shorter, considerably narrower, has much smaller windows, and the sign on the door is blue instead of white.

One thing you should know about this toy is that it is not just a redesigned version of CO’s previously released Flight Control TARDIS. Its a much simpler and somewhat lesser quality toy with fewer features. There are no interior lights, which actually makes sense, since the windows on the classic TARDISes didn’t have that interior glow like the ones in the current series do. It still has the take off and landing sounds, activated by picking it up or setting it down, and a flashing lamp on top, but there’s no more vortex sound or humming when its at rest. Consider this, a stripped down version of the Flight Control TARDIS.

The doors on this model are designed to work in a similar manner to the Flight Control TARDIS, but they don’t. There is still an opening cubby for the phone, but its bigger on this model, and so that door won’t open in very far at all. The other door is designed to lock in an open position and can be released by pushing a button on the floor. Unfortunately, the door usually won’t stay open at all, instead it just springs closed. I’ve gotten it to stick open a few times, but its not as solid as my other TARDIS.

Probably the most frustrating thing about this TARDIS is that Character Option chose to leave the interior completely unfinished. Open the door and look in and its just an empty box. It would have been easy for them to include an insert of the classic console room to brighten things up.

All things being equal, its a bit tough to justify the $50 price tag on this set. Unfortunately, it had a very limited production run and even fewer than those came Stateside, so if you missed out on the initial offering, you’ll probably have to pay a premium. Some may seriously regret dropping more than fifty bucks on this set once they get it in hand. Don’t get me wrong. There was a time when this set would have been like a dream come true and I probably would have paid double to own it. But since then, Character Options has given us a huge number of fantastic Doctor Who figures and toys and now I’ve come to expect better. It just goes to show how far we’ve come that we can be so discriminating about a set of Doctor Who toys.

May 16 2010

Doctor Who: Cyberman Voice Changer Helmet by Character Options

Quite a few years ago, Hasbro cooked up an affordable toy replica of Darth Vader’s mask, threw some electronics into it and struck gold. Since then, we’ve seen the “voice changer helmet” appear in all sorts of toy lines from Star Wars to Street Racer to Iron Man 2 to Transformers and yes, even Character Options got into the mix with their Doctor Who line of toys. When these things are done right, they can appeal to kids, as well as collectors who don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for a high quality studio style replica. And the Cyberman helmet is certainly done right.

Sadly, I don’t have an in-box photo of the Cyberman helmet, as I’ve had it for quite a while now and the packaging has long since been tossed. It came in an open style package, very similar to Hasbro’s helmets, complete with a try me mode that let you test out the electronics. If you’ve purchased any boxed toy from CO’s Doctor Who line, then you have a pretty good idea about the style of artwork.

The coolest thing about the Cyberman helmet is that the design hasn’t been altered to conform to any toy safety regulations. You know, like the way the visor strips on the Hasbro Clone Trooper helmets are ridiculously large or the eye holes on the Iron Man helmets are massive. As a result, you get a pretty good prop-style replica of the 2005 Series Cyberman and hey, if that means a few kids have to fall down flights of stairs because they can’t see while wearing it, I suppose that’s a fair enough trade off.

The electronics feature the ubiquitous voice changing gimmick as well as a number of pre-recorded phrases and sounds, which can be activated by pressing the somewhat discrete buttons on the left side of his chin. Pressing the buttons also cause the lights in his mouth to light up blue while the sound or voice is firing. The speech is pretty loud and sounds just like the Cybermen in the TV series, and there are quotes from the series as well as some original ones. Here’s what he says:

  • You must be upgraded. Upgrading is compulsory.
  • You wil be deleted. Delete! Delete! Delete!
  • You will be taken for analysis. You will be upgraded or deleted.
  • You will be taken for upgrading.
  • You will become identical. You will become like us.
  • You will become like us or you will be deleted.
  • I am unit five-oblique nine-eight. I am Cyberform. Once I was human.
  • Resistance is illogical. You will be upgraded or you will be deleted.

Of course, the toy is designed primarily as a roleplay item, to be worn as a mask. The helmet is a two-thirds style piece so that you really have to practically get behind it to see that it isn’t a fully enclosed helmet, which really improves the display value. It has an adjustable plastic strap inside so it will fit adults fine, but it looks awkwardly large when worn by kids. If you choose to display it, I highly recommend paying extra for this chrome metal Official Cyberman Helmet Display Stand.

Ok, actually that’s a paper towel holder from Target’s housewares department, but it really does work perfectly as a stand for the helmet and you can pick one up for about seven bucks.

The prices on this helmet vary anywhere between $30 and $50. Its been a while since I priced one so they may be getting harder to find, but for a while there it was often being sold online in the US at less than retail. There’s also a variant Cyber Leader style with black ear pipes, an exposed brain, and all new phrases. I haven’t tracked one of those down yet, mainly because I’m running out of room in my Doctor Who display case, but maybe one day.

 

Apr 17 2010

Doctor Who: The 11th Doctor’s Crash Set by Character Options

I was originally going to post a review of the last Doctor Who episode, “Victory of the Daleks” tonight, but I’m still digesting it, and I’ll probably watch it one more time before I compose my feelings on it, so look for that at some point tomorrow. So, keeping with the spirit of New Who, it was pretty cool that just a few hours before sitting down to watch the episode, I found a box on my stoop containing the new 11th Doctor action figure set from Character Options. So… without further ado… Allons-Y!!! or Geronimo!!! or… let’s just get on with it.

With the return of a new full season of Doctor Who comes all new figures and our friends at CO wasted no time in getting us fans figures of the newest Doctor. Now, the 11th Doctor was already released in newly regenerated form as part of “The End of Time” wave, but I passed on this figure, partly because I’m not big on owning these “regeneration” variants and partly because the figure was one big continuity error as he was wearing the 10th Doctor’s suit, but it wasn’t battered and torn as it should have been. Well, patience prevails as the 11th Doctor Crash set features not only the first definitive figure of the 11th Doc in his new outfit, but a far, far better “regeneration” variant.

There have been some running changes in the packaging of the Doctor Who figures since they first came out, but this is the first time the figures have been released using the Series 5 logo and artwork. I was pretty iffy on this new logo when I first saw it, but its beginning to grow on me, and I’ve got to say it looks very nice on the new package. The orange is replaced by blue, and the bubble and overall card is smaller and less bulky. CO is still using a sealed clamshell package with paper inserts. All in all, not bad.


The head sculpt, which is the same for both figures, is wonderfully done. I was worried here, because while I have yet to see the figure in person, the photos of “The End of Time” 11th Doctor didn’t look so hot, and let’s be honest, Matt Smith is a unique looking individual. I was concerned that his face wasn’t going to translate that well to plastic, but these figures prove that not to be the case. Not only are these the spitting image of Matt Smith, but I also really like how they sculpted his hair, with his bangs sculpted out over his forehead, instead of just molded into the head.

The newly regenerated version of Doctor features him as he was seen throughout most of his premier episode, “The Eleventh Hour. He’s wearing the remnants of his previous incarnation’s suit, minus the jacket. His shirt is half untucked, his sleeves are rolled up a bit and the shirt is sculpted with all sorts of tears and wrinkles. The untucked portion of his shirt is actually sculpted to hang down over his pants, which is a nice extra touch. His tie is sharply painted and pulled down a bit in disarray. Unfortunately, his pants are unscathed, which harkens back to the first 11th Doctor figure. I would have liked to have seen them a bit more properly distressed, but overall the effect of the “Raggety Doctor” is still very well conveyed with this figure. One other thing to note about this regeneration Doctor is that it is notably shorter than the other 11th Doctor figure, I’m guessing due to the reuse of the 10th Doctor’s lower half. Its a bit odd when you stand them next to each other. Let’s just explain it away by saying the newly regenerated 11th Doc was shorter because he wasn’t done cooking.

The other version of The Doctor is what I really wanted out of this set. He’s wearing his sure to be iconic outfit and he looks absolutely smashing. After the rather pedantic look of the 9th and 10th Doctor’s outfits, I’m glad to see a return to something with a little more character. Its not ridiculously outrageous like the Six’s coat or Five’s cricket get-up, but instead it manages to look somewhat classical with just a hint of eccentricity.

The brown tweed jacket is intricately detailed with a stitched cross-thatch pattern sculpted into it and he’s even got the two elbow patches and buttons sculpted on the sleeves. His shirt has red pinstripes, although there are no sign of his suspenders, even if you peek under his jacket flaps. The bowtie is nicely sculpted to give it a 3D look like its a separate piece, which is cool. Yeah, bowties are cool! There’s not much to say about the pants or the boots, but all in all, CO did a fantastic job bringing the 11th Doctor’s outfit ot life in plastic.

Both Doctors have almost the same amount of articulation, and if you’ve been with CO’s Doctor Who figures for a while, you should know what to expect. His head rotates at the neck, both arms rotate at the shoulders, have swivel cuts in the biceps and wrists and hinged elbows. The legs have universal movement at the hips and hinged knees. The one difference between the two is the swivel cuts in the thighs. The 11th Doc in his new outfit has them, while the newly regenerated Doc doesn’t. That’s fine by me, so long as the Doctor in his outfit comes out on top.

I picked up this set for $24.99, which I thought was a really good price, seeing as how some of the Doctor Who figures can go up to $15 a piece if they are more desireable. I’ll make no secret about the fact that I would have much rather had an Amy Pond figure in this set, rather than the newly regenerated Doctor. Its a great figure, to be sure, but I have a feeling that an episode specific set like this might have been our only chance to get Amy in her sexy police woman outfit, and I really, really wanted that figure to be made. Either way CO continues to improve on their sculpts and paint apps. The last bunch of waves have been great, and if this pair is any indication, the future waves for Series 5 will also be excellent.

Now, bring on the new Flight Control TARDIS and a new console room playset, please!!!

Mar 24 2010

Doctor Who: The 7th Doctor and Imperial Dalek by Character Options

Well, it took a while, but we finally have them all. With the release of the 7th Doctor (played by Sylvester McCoy), Character Options has finally given us figures of all the original Doctors from the classic series. In fact, if you toss out Peter Cushing from the old American feature films (which no Who fan considers canon anyway) the only Doctor that has not yet been released is Number 8 (Paul McGann) from the largely unsuccessful 1996 Fox TV film.

Sylvester McCoy had the dubious position of playing The Doctor when the show got shitcanned back in 1988. While his early stories were pretty rough, he really shined in the role and ultimately made it his own. The 7th Doctor went from being a comedic bumbler to one of the craftiest and darkest of all The Doctors. His episodes spanned everything from sharp political commentary to sinister stories that pointed to The Doctor having a dark and mysterious past. Episodes like “The Curse of Fenric,” “Silver Nemesis,” “Ghost Light,” and yes, even “The Greatest Show in the Galaxy” rank among my favorites. Of course, he also had some real stinkers like “Delta and the Bannermen,” which to this day I still find completely unwatchable. But nobody’s perfect… not even Time Lords.

Just like the first three Doctors, the 7th Doctor comes in a two figure blisterpack, bundled with one of his foes: In this case it is a white and gold Imperial Dalek from the episode “Remembrance of the Daleks.” The packaging is identical to the first three Doctors with a personalized insert in the bubble and blurbs about the 7th Doctor and the episode on the back. If I were a MOC collector, I would have much rather the classic Doctors all be carded alone, but considering I ripped this baby open the second I got it, it really doesn’t matter to me.

Before getting on to all the good stuff, let me start out with what I consider to be this figure’s biggest stumbling block… the goofy smile. The head sculpt is actually a very good likeness, but when CO released the 4th Doctor, they gave him two interchangeable heads. One had him grinning his big toothy (and batshit insane) grin while wearing his fedora, the other was a hatless and more serious look. I really, really wish CO had gone the same route with the 7th Doctor. I don’t mind the hat, since he wore it enough, but there really should have been an alternate head if they were going to have him smiling like that. Yeah, I know that during the opening credits, he winks and grins, but the truth is that the 7th Doctor spent most of his time scowling at enemies and administering stern lectures to his companion Ace. I just don’t think the smile fits all that well.

Ok, so that having been said, the rest of the figure is fantastic. CO really nailed his outfit perfectly. He’s got his cream colored jacket and matching hat. The paint apps on his plaid slacks, question mark sweater, pocket hanky and paisley scarf are all excellent. A big part of each Doctor has always been their iconic choice of outfits and the 7th Doctor’s outfit is reproduced here meticulously. His height is also perfect. Sylvester McCoy is a pretty short guy and this figure reflects that pretty well.

The articulation is exactly what we’ve been getting on the previous classic Doctors. He’s got a swivel neck, rotating shoulders, swivel cuts in the biceps, hinged elbows and hinged wrists. His legs have universal joints in the hips, swivel cuts in the thighs and hinged knees. Not bad.

The Doctor comes with one accessory, and this time its actually not a Sonic Screwdriver. No, the 7th Doctor comes with his trusty question-mark handled umbrella, which he not only used to keep the rain off of him, but to zip line down cables, snatch weapons out of enemy hands and all sorts of other clever improvisations. Its molded in soft plastic and fits nicely in his hand.

The Dalek is a repaint and slight remold of the classic Dalek sculpt that CO has been turning out for a while now, but that’s not to say it isn’t a welcome addition. The color scheme here has always been one of my favorites and not only matches the pattern used in “Remembrance of the Daleks” but can also double for the Imperial Daleks seen in the 6th Doctor episode, “Revelation of the Daleks.” Either way I’m always happy to add another variant Dalek to my army. The main difference in the sculpt is in the “ear” lights which are new sculpts for this design. The Dalek has ball jointed blaster and suction arm, a swivel head, and the eye stalk can move up and down.

As with the first three Doctors, this two pack retails for $39.99. Sure, $20 a figure is pretty steep, but if I can pay that much for Matty’s Masters of the Universe Classics, I’ll certainly pay it for figures based on my favorite TV show of all time. Another version of the 7th Doctor, in brown coat and hopefully sans smile, will be released in a few months and bundled with a classic version of the Flight Control TARDIS. I’ve already got mine on pre-order!

Oh yeah, and its just about another week and a half until Series 5 starts. And man, I can’t wait!

Mar 11 2010

Doctor Who: The End of Time, “The Narrator” Figure by Character Options

2009 was a surprisingly great year for Doctor Who figures considering that the show was on hiatus and we only got five specials instead of the regular thirteen episodes. Thankfully, the regular show is coming back this year and with it we’ll be getting a whole slew of new figures from Character Options. But before moving on to the 11th Doctor, CO took one more look backwards.

2010 kicked off with a small wave of four figures based on the two-part special “The End of Time,” unfortunately, the selection of figures left something to be desired. Its a pretty crazy world when we’re getting so many Doctor Who figures that I can afford to be picky, but out of the four figures, there was only one that I really wanted. The three I passed on consisted of yet another 10th Doctor (got enough of those, thank you), the first figure based on the 11th Doctor (cool, but I’ll wait until he’s released in his proper outfit), and The Master. Now, I love The Master but this figure is basically just John Simm with a bad bleach job wearing a hoodie. Pass! In fairness to Character Options, “The End of Time” didn’t exactly introduce a lot of desireable characters for action figure fodder, although Wilfred would have been a welcome addition, as would a few more Time Lords.

So anyway, the one figure I couldn’t resist was the Time Lord President, played by Timothy Dalton. There’s still a lot of speculation about who this character actually was. He was originally billed only as “The Narrator,” and that’s how his name appears on the figure’s packaging. I’m guessing this was done to prevent spoilers, but since the figures came out after the episodes aired, it didn’t seem necessary. He was also referred to once by The Doctor as Rassilon in the episode, and working out how the continuity of that could be possible makes my brain hurt. But those are debates better left for the dark recesses of nerd forums and since I refuse to call him The Narrator, Rassilon is good enough for me.

I certainly didn’t expect new packaging on this one-off series of four figures, but that’s exactly what we got. Its still a sealed clamshell, but almost everything else is different. This should be the last time we’ll see this Doctor Who logo, but apart from that the insert is completely new. It has a cool hologram style reflective finish that shows half of the 10th Doctor’s face on one side of the figure and half of Rassilon’s on the other. You can also make out bits of the TARDIS interior among the backdrop. The back panel shows the four figures in this series. The presentation here is so nice, I almost felt bad about tearing this baby open to get to my figure. Then again, if I was a MOC collector, I’d be kind of pissed that the name on the card is “The Narrator.”

First off, CO did a marvelous job on the likeness of Timothy Dalton as well as replicating his majestic Time Lord garb. Even without the trademark cowl often seen on members of Gallifreyan High Council, this figure is obviously a Time Lord through and through. I did think it interesting that the round seal on his chest isn’t recognizable as the Seal of Rassilon, but rather a new and different Time Lord symbol. His robes are nicely sculpted and feature gold leaf decorations around the trim. His clothes underneath are all black. About my only complaint is a little paint slop along his hairline.

Also worth noting is the sculpted gauntlet on Rassilon’s left hand. The very thing he used to obliterate an uppity Time Lady for speaking out of turn. This artifact was one of the many things that still gnaw at me about that episode. Its never been seen or mentioned before in almost 50 years of the show’s history, so what the hell was it? I suppose since there was a Sash of Rassilon and Key of Rassilon and Headpiece of Rassilon, why not a Gauntlet of Rassilon. Either way, its nicely represented on the figure.

Because Rassilon is a robed figure, CO could have easily skimped on his articulation, but instead they really decked him out. How much of it is actually useable is another story. His head rotates, his arms rotate at the shoulder, his elbows are hinged and he has swivel cuts in his biceps and his wrists. His upper legs are jointed, his knees are hinged and there are swivel cuts at the top of his boots. Basically, most of the articulation below his waist is hampered by his cloak.

Rassilon only comes with one accessory, his staff. The shaft is very thin, but he can hold it in his left hand quite well and the sculpting on the head is quite nice.

All in all, I’d say this figure makes up for the fact that I didn’t want any of the others. He looks great and at least now I have someone to keep my Time Lord figure company. On the downside, he didn’t come cheap. While you could easily get the complete set of four figures for around $55-60, Rassilon here cost me $20 all by himself. It seems I’m not alone in only wanting him out of the lot, so naturally he sells for the most. Granted, I’ve had to pay $20 for single Doctor Who figure before, but those were Classic Doctors and not figures from the current series. Still, this is fucking Timothy Dalton… playing Lord Rassilon… how the hell could I not by this figure.

 

Feb 21 2010

Doctor Who: 12-inch RC Dalek by Character Options

Dalek toys have been around since almost as long as the Doctor Who series itself. Yeah, it took decades for the longest running sci-fi show to get a respectable line of action figures, but all that while, the Daleks had their own good thing going, riding the gravy train of mass merchandising madness. Granted nearly all of this great swag was confined to Great Britain, and it was inconsistant at best with its share of really crappy toys. I know of the Dalek toy history exclusively from research and photos. I’ve never been lucky enough to own one until CO came along, unless you count the little loose Dapol Dalek I’ve had for a while. Either way, the wait was well worth it. Character Options is now turning out quality Daleks as well as all sorts of great Doctor Who toys and figures and this 12″ RC Dalek is just one of my many dreams that CO has made come true.

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Now, I will freely admit, the 12″ RC Dalek is not the ultimate in Dalek toys. No, there’s actually an 18″ motion sensor Dalek out there that probably trumps this toy in its awesomeness, but that’s ok. There’s time enough to track that one down too. Right now I’m here to bask in the glory of this guy.

I love CO’s packaging on these bigger toys, because its so in-your-face huge. Even if I wanted to display this toy in the box, there’s no way I could, it wouldn’t fit on any of my display shelves, but then even out of the box, the Dalek itself barely does. Besides being huge, the box is blindingly bright with its yellow-orange firey motif that I suppose is meant to simulate some kind of temporal vortex energy that could burn your face off. There’s lots of photos of both the toy and clips from the series, and some good blurbs. Its almost a shame to tear this box apart to get to my Dalek… almost.

Unlike the 12″ RC Davros, the Dalek isn’t actually screwed down to the packing so you won’t actually need tools to get it out. There are a shitload of twisty ties, though, but after a lot of twisting, shredding and mauling, I was left with a Dalek in front of me and about three pounds of wrecked cardboard at my feet. Getting the Dalek out for the first time was an awesome event indeed. I carefully inspected it to find that there were no quality control issues, no paint slop, nothing to gripe about. This guy was perfect. Few people outside of Whovians have ever even heard of Character Options, but Hasbro sure could take a lesson from them in terms of overall product quality.

Keep in mind that when we say 12″ Dalek, this is not a 1:6 scale Dalek, its actually bigger then that. Since a Dalek is a bit shorter than your average person, this Dalek will be out of place with any of the 1:6 scale Who figures you may already own. My 1:6 scale Cyberman looks scrawny in comparison. That may disappoint some, but I’m happier to have the bigger Dalek as a stand alone piece, even if it can’t interact with my other 12″ Doctor Who figures.

This version is the generic every day soldier Dalek. I say that beause its surprising how long it took me to find one. E-tailers seemed to all be offering the Supreme Dalek or the Imperial Guard Dalek or Dalek Thay, but all I wanted was a regular one. Its obviously based off the current series modern Dalek design, which I love because its so close to the original designs, only with lots more detail and the modern coppery gold color scheme looks great.

Without its electronics, the Dalek doesn’t do a whole lot. You aren’t supposed to turn his head or eye stalk because its hooked into the RC mechanics and you might fuck it up. Seriously, it says so right in the booklet. His sucker and blaster arms are on ball joints, though, and can be moved about. I was a little disappointed the sucker arm doesn’t extend, on a toy of this size, it really should have had a telescoping arm. You can, however, rotate his midsection independently of his head and skirt so that he can shoot at things behind him. This gimmick was first showcased in the episode “Dalek” but was never seen again.

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In “Try Me” mode, you can press one of the Dalek’s sensor globes and his eye will light up and he will speak one of his phrases while his “ear” lights light up with each syllable. Its fantastically done and very realistic. This is the mode I leave him in most often because i can get a quick threat out of him while walking by the display case, and it doesn’t drain his batteries too badly. My only gripe is that when he says Exterminate and it makes the sound of his blaster firing, his “ears” shouldn’t light up in synch with the blaster noise, only when he’s speaking. Minor gripe? You betcha, but that’s how awesome this toy is. Here’s a complete list of his quotes:

  • Multiple spectrum scanning now engaged!
  • Hault or you will be exterminated!
  • We are the supreme beings!
  • Seek, Locate, Annihilate!
  • Obey The Daleks! No other warning will be given!
  • You are an enemy of the Daleks.
  • Exterminate!!! [Blaster Fire Sound]

The remote control feature is actually pretty great. The control unit is almost identical to the Davros one, only its copper colored and has a different sticker in the middle with the Dalek’s phrases. It has a standard two-lever control system, and it works just like driving a tank. Throw both forward or back to move the Dalek in those directions. Mix it up to turn him around. Even though I hardly ever use the remote control features for my 12″ Davros, the Dalek is just more fun and I’m not sure why. When he’s on full On mode, his eye stays lit all the time and when you roll him forward or backward, his head rotates from side to side and his eye raises and lowers as if he’s searching for fools to exterminate. Oh yeah, don’t stare directly at his eye light, its bright as all fuck and it might burn your retinas. Seriously, it hurts!

I think the average MSRP for this guy on initial offering was $69.99. When he was first released he went for closer to $100 in the US by scalpers and importers, but now his price has cooled off a bit. I was able to get one for $39.99 and I was certainly plenty happy with that. Of course, he required me to reshuffle all my Doctor Who figure shelves to make room, but it was well worth it.

Feb 20 2010

Doctor Who Figures, Classics Wave 2, Part 3

I saved the best for last in this final part of my look at the second wave of Doctor Who Classics figures The pair we’re looking at today are no doubt fan favorites and awesome army builders to add to your collection. These are also the only two figures in the wave that are not tied to Fourth Doctor stories. The Ice Warrior hardly needs any introduction, although since they haven’t been seen in Doctor Who since the early 70s, maybe they do. Only encountered by the Second and Third Doctors, they were at least mentioned in the recent Tenth Doctor episode, “The Waters of Mars.” The Cyberman is the last one we need to complete the major changes in the Mondan race throughout the series. This model first appeared in the Fifth Doctor episode, “Earthshock” and was used with minor changes throughout the rest of the classic series. It is without a doubt my favorite of all the Cyberman designs and one of my Top Five Who figures released thus far. Let’s check these bad boys out…

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The Ice Warrior is a fantastic recreation of the monster from the series, although as such he’s bound to look a little primitive to newcomers to the series. Reptillian, slow moving, and not to bright, the Ice Warriors were the fighters, while the Ice Lords were the thinkers. The sculpt here is really faithful to the old costume. The bulbous, turtoise armor is spot on, with tons of fine detailing to the sculpt, and I love the retro look of his simple claws. The only real flaw in this sculpt is that the head seems like it should sit lower into his shell than it does. Nonetheless, he looks fantastic standing next to my Second Doctor figure.
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Articulation on the Ice Warrior is pretty good, although there are some things about his design that hamper it. The head rotates, there are ball joints in the shoulders, hinged elbows and his claws swivel. From the waist down things get a bit more restricted. He has good joints in his upper legs, but the rubbery lower part of his shell make these all but useless. He maintains a permanent wide stance and can only move each leg a small amount forward and back. He does have swivel cuts in his thighs and ankles and his knees are hinged. I’m not blaiming Character Options for the articulation in the legs, its clearly there, but it’s just at odds with the design
Fair enough. Besides, Ice Warriors aren’t exactly ninjas, they lumber around like robots.
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The Cyberman is in a word, awesome. Granted, I’m a bit biased, since this remains my favorite Cyberman design of them all, but the fact of the matter is that this is one of Character Options best sculpts and it is so accurate its downright freaky. The use of the clear plastic for his chest plate and chin guard is really cool, as is the fact that his entire chest and shoulder assembly is molded as a separate piece. But what really makes this figure shine is the perfect head sculpt and the crazy amount of work that went into the detail of the suit. Every wire and hose and patch of chainmail has been recreated with painstaking care. Simply amazing.
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The Cyberman is missing some of the usual articulation found on the current CO releases, but a lot of this has to do with the character’s design. The head does not move, but then it didn’t in the show either. His shoulders swivel, and while I would have preferred ball joints, CO doesn’t tend to use them very often in the shoulders. Either way, I think the omission of ball joints in the shoulder is really the figure’s only flaw. There are swivel cuts in the biceps and wrists and hinged elbows. He can swivel at the waist, his upper legs move both up and down and laterally, his knees are hingd and he has swivel cuts at his boots. He is missing the swivel cuts in his upper legs. The articulation in this figure is by no means bad, its just a bit lacking when compared to some others in the line.
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The Cyberman comes with his gun accessory, which looks to be a pretty accurate sculpt. The gun features a shoulder strap, which works so long as you tuck it in under his shoulder armor. He can also hold the gun quite well in one hand or both.
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It’s hard to put into words how cool it is to have such great figures of these two iconic Doctor Who baddies. I would love to pick up at least one more Ice Warrior and two more of these Cybies, but I doubt that’s going to be possible. They sold out crazy fast and the only way I was able to get these, was because I ordered the entire assortment. I suspect these are going to be two figures that sell for a lot on the resale circuits because everyone is going to want to army build them, particularly the Cyberman. Maybe we’ll get lucky and CO will do some minor retooling to the Cybermen and release “Attack of the Cyberman” and “Silver Nemesis” versions. As for the Ice Warrior, he won’t be truly complete until we get an Ice Lord to stand by his side!
Feb 19 2010

Doctor Who Figures, Classics Wave 2, Part 2

As promised, I’m back to check out the next two figures from Classics Wave 2 and these guys have a couple things in common. They are both villains from the Fourth Doctor’s (Tom Baker) era and they are both evil Time Lords with regeneration problems. Morbius from “The Brain of Morbius” was a Time Lord criminal who, unable to regenerate, kept his brain alive on a planet while harvesting alien body parts to build himself a new body. It was a complete rip off of loving tribute to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and when I first saw it as a kid it scared the shit out of me. To this day it’s still one of my favorite Doctor Who stories. The Master is from “The Deadly Aassassin,” aother favorite of mine, and it features The Doctor’s greatest enemy as he existed between his Roger Delgado and Anthony Ainley incarnations. Both are interesting choices from landmark episodes and both figures, as we’ll see, are fantastic.

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The Master is a good news, bad news kind of figure. The good news is that the sculpting is superb. The bad news is that because he’s wearing a robe he has some seriously limited articulation. Fortunately, in this case the good outweighs the bad by a long shot. CO put a ridiculous amount of detail in The Master’s tattered black robes. There are patches where it looks charred and threadbare and you can see its all tattered at the edges. It really is an uncanny match for the costume used in the show. The head sculpt is equally impressive, showing off what is essentially a decaying zombie face, complete with The Masters two fried-egg eyes and the sickening glossy sheen. I don’t know why, but I find it unbelievably cool to get action figures based on retro sci-fi costumes and make up.

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I mentioned the limited articulation, and in fairness to CO, this figure is actually articulated quite well, its just that the robes prevent you from using much of it. The arms rotate at the shoulders, have hinged elbows and swivel cuts in the wrists. The neck is immobilized by the hood and you can move his legs around as much as the cloak will allow, but there’s no point. So, basically this figure suffers from teepee syndrome. Technically, CO could have left the legs off completely and unless you picked up the figure and looked at him from the bottom, you’d never know it. In this case the articulation doesn’t bother me. The Master in this incarnation was a withered wreck of a man, so he doesn’t need to be busting out any dynamic action poses.

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The Master comes with two accessories: A staser gun and the Sash of Rassilon. The Sash is a separate piece, although I’m not sure it can be easily removed so its probably more a part of his outfit than a bonafide accessory. It looks just like it did in the episodes “The Deadly Assassin” and “Invasion of Time” and its cool to own such an important artifact of Time Lord history in the 5″ scale. The staser is a pretty simple little black gun, which he can hold in either hand.

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Next up is Morbius. If you never saw “The Brain of Morbius,” this guy is going to be a pretty wacky looking figure. As mentioned above, he’s supposed to be pieced together from a bunch of different alien bodies with his goldfish-bowl brain support system tacked on for a head. Yeah, he’s ridiculous, but he’s amazingly accurate to the monster from the show, and once again he scared the shit out of me the first time I saw the episode as a kid. This figure was also rumored for a while to be a BAF in this wave, but we got him complete and carded instead.

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The head is really well done on this figure. Its a clear sphere displaying Morbius’ brain with all kinds of wires coming out of it and two eye stalks protruding from the front. The body is full of sculpted detail from fur to stapled and sutured scars and disgusting patches of exposed muscle. His left hand is the only thing humanoid about him, an appenge stolen from poor Condo. His right arm is a giant claw that features articulation, so you can use it to grab your Tom Baker figure by the throat. Early pictures of this figure really didn’t do it justice and I’m just beside myself with glee to actually own an action figure of the terrible Morbius!

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So, that’s four down and two more to go. Next time we look at what are probably two of the most popular figures in this wave and both of them are “army builders.” Its an Ice Warrior and 80’s era Cyberman and both are figures that have been on my wish list ever since I was a small child… and no Dapol’s versions don’t count!