Regeneration by Andrew Skilleter - Doctor Who Art Prints

Just announced by Who Dares Publishing is the second in their series of Doctor Who based art prints this time featuring the classic VHS artwork of Andrew Skilleter based on the classic regeneration stories from Doctor Who, including the unused artwork for The Tenth Planet VHS. The set also includes reproductions of the original concept sketches produced by Andrew Skilleter.

There will be two editions available - the standard Collectors Edition and the signed Artists Edition.

Pictures and additional info below!

Doctor Who: The Andrew Skilleter Target Art Calendar 2017

I take a look at The Andrew Skilleter Target Art Calendar 2017! A new Doctor Who calendar showcasing Andrew Skilleter's work on the Target novelisations.

Special thanks to Who Dares Publishing for sharing this product with me. You can find out more about them at the links below.

Who Dares Website: http://www.who-dares.co.uk/
Who Dares Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/whodarespublishing/
Who Dares Twitter: https://twitter.com/WhoDaresPublish

Andrew Skilleter, Target Art Calendar 2017

Who Dares publishing is back! Fondly remembered for their Doctor Who books in the 1980's with such classics as David Banks' Cybermen book, the publishing group is back with a new item - the Andrew Skilleter Target Art Calendar 2017.

The A3 calendar features twelve pieces of art produced by Andrew Skilleter for the Target range of Doctor Who novelisations and is a great opportunity to get a better look at the fantastic artwork produced for a much loved range of books.

The calendar is £19.95 with £4.50 shipping the UK and £8 for overseas. The first 50 calendars sold will be signed by the artist himself.

Head over to Who Dares publishing's Facebook page for a chance to win a signed calendar and stay tuned for a review coming soon!

New Classic Doctor Who Action Figures from B&M Stores?

According to WHONA we may not have too long to wait before the next selection of classic Doctor Who figures. The supplier explains that a new Third Doctor three-pack will be released as a B&M exclusive in the UK and via Underground Toys in the US, all under the new Collector Range banner.

Although the set features no brand new figures, it does feature two new repaints. Firstly is the Third Doctor from Invasion of the Dinosaurs, which was originally planned for release in the canceled 11 Doctors Boxset Two. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear to have the Doctor's cloak as the original leaked prototype did, but it does mark the third time this sculpt is 100% accurate to the costume it's portraying.

Secondly we have a new Jo Grant, based on her appearance in The Time Monster. This also add credit to a previous remark made by actress Katy Manning that three figures of her character would be released. The last figure in the set is the Master, as portrayed by Roger Delgado, which is a straight re-release.

Current suggestions are that the set will appear in May/June, so keep your eyes open. Hopefully this will be the first of three sets as in the past B&M have issued three figure sets at a time. If this set also follows the same B&M tradition of being around £12.99 - £15, that will be quite a bargain, especially for those who missed out on previous releases.

More updates to come!

See the Toys “R” Us exclusive Doctor Who 5.5 inch collector’s series

Exclusive toy range launches and includes a never before seen Eighth Doctor Figure!

Toys “R” Us has linked up with Character Options to bring to Doctor Who fans young and old a very special collector’s series of figures that will be available only in Toys “R” Us Stores in the UK . The new collection of 11 Figures has launched and will be displayed in brand new resealable packaging that allows the figures to be enjoyed out of pack while also storable in pristine condition.
The new 5inch figure series has been created in response to the great demand from Doctor Who fans who are eager to see the return of the highly details larger format. It will include:

* Clara Oswald (played By Jenna Coleman) – the most recent time travelling companion of The Doctor
* Rose Tyler (played By Billie Piper) with K9
* Amy Pond (played by Karen Gillan) in her famed police outfit
* Three separate Eleventh Doctor figures (played by Matt Smith): One in purple Jacket , another donning a cowboy hat as in Doctor Who - A Christmas Carol, and finally a classically posed Eleventh Doctor with a his ubiquitous Sonic device
* Four versions of the current and Twelfth Doctor (played by Peter Capaldi) are also part of the line-up. Known for being a rather dapper Time Lord, there is a choice of figure in White, Black,
Purple or Polka Dot shirt.
* And last but definitely not least a brand new Eighth Doctor figure (played by Paul McGann) and as seen in the episode Night of The Doctor. The Eighth Doctor has never before been seen in the 5 inch figure format and so this piece it bound to whip up a storm with fans.


What’s more, to add variety to this stunning Collector’s series, four 3.75 inch Wave 4 figures will also be available.

Al Dewar, Product Development Director, Character Options commented: “This collector’s series is really special. The fans have been requesting a return to the 5.5 inch format for a long time and in producing this collection I feel we have brought to them exactly what they have been demanding. The most exciting part for me however, is the creation of the Eighth Doctor figure, which is often seen as the missing piece for the true Doctor Who collector.”

Mike Coogan, Marketing & eCommerce Director, Toy “R” Us further commented: “Toy “R” Us has a particular affinity with the Doctor Who fan and each year we like to bring to them something that they could not get anywhere else. This new series is exceptional and I believe one of the most comprehensive collector’s series to date - It will be an instant hit with all collectors.

Doctor Who Action Figure Review: Dalek with Mutant Scoop - 3.75"

"Daleks conquer and destroy!" An extra, unscheduled, review courtesy of the very kind Chris Clark! Chris was awfully generous in sending over this new Dalek variant from the 3.75" range! Enjoy the video!

Click here to order! 

Don't forget that the 8th Doctor returns tomorrow morning at 9 in The Gates of Elysium, which also features Chris' amazing CGI work!

Power to the People: Could voting be the future of the 5" Classic Doctor Who figures?

Now this is a mixture of both old and current (or should that be possible future?) news that has caused a great deal of discussion on Twitter. I have posted and commented on said news on the Facebook page, but otherwise I have had little to say.

Lately there has been something of a drop in the production of Classic Doctor Who figures in the 5" line. As a line pretty much limited to the likes of Underground Toys and Forbidden Planet, we had gone from a period of several two-packs and box sets per year, almost bi-monthly, to one or two single figures per year. This winding down did seem to set alarm bells ringing. The suddenly, on the evening that Murder on the Orient Express aired, we were asked by Al Dewar on Twitter to vote for the next Classic figure. The choices were incredibly tantalising:

• Jamie
• Silurian (Doctor Who and the Silurians)
• Sarah Jane Smith
• Tegan
• The Master (Anthony Ainley in velvet costume) 

Not an easy choice to make by any means (I went for Silurian) and Jamie was definitely hogging the limelight. But why this sudden 'vote'? According to Mr Dewar, plans were being discussed to make the Classic line a limited edition collectors line, similar to Hasbro's Star Wars: Black Series. The idea would be that two to three figures would be produced per year at around £19.99 each and fans would vote for what figure would be produced. Considering we pay the same amount from Forbidden Planet, that's not bad, especially if it was limited to only 2-3 per year. By doing this, it would allow figures that fans have demanded get the opportunity of being made. There would be no ties to variants, so don't expect one Jamie being the release of three variants featuring different coloured neck ties or anything like that. This is what would make them so limited, original sculpts that once they're gone they're gone.

Now this is all hypothetical. Nothing is set in stone until there is a formal announcement (if ever), but it's always fun to speculate. Should this go ahead, and I'm sure we're all crossing our fingers that it does, it will be a very bold move on Character Option's part. The concept of making the figures web store exclusives that is very much placed in the consumer's hands is not something that you would expect from a company like Character. Our very own White Guardian, Jonathon Carley, and I, had discussed the idea of Classic figures moving to online exclusives in the past. We contemplated the possibility of a figure per month, some being repaints/re-tweaked variants, that people would subscribe to for a year. This was based on the techniques employed by Mattel's Matty Collector site and their Masters of the Universe Classics, DC Universe Signature Series lines, as well as Hasbro's own collector site. However, Mattel is a huge global toy company with franchises under the DC Comics banner that greatly overwhelm the Doctor Who's global status. Similarly, Masters of the Universe may not be the franchise giant of DC or, arguably, Doctor Who, but while the fan numbers may be small, the franchise is based on the action figures and therefore you can assume that 90% of the Masters fans across the planet will pick up the figures in some capacity. Unfortunately, the same can't be said of Doctor Who fans. They may outnumber the He-Man fans, but not all of them invest such great amounts of time and money into it's respective toy line. 

The very fact that the Classic figures don't have the same collector weight behind them as the other franchises I have listed is a cause for concern. We have no idea how many numbers of people are need to commit to buy these proposed figures in order to make them viable. These collector sites work akin to Kickstarter - if they don't get the numbers/money that means we don't get the product. I have seen toy lines meet their end because there was not enough numbers, and it's really disappointing for the fans who are desperate to keep a line going. Sadly, that's the way these things go. Alongside this, we have the fact that Character Options is not a collector brand. Doctor Who is really the only action figure range they have produced that appeals to the collector, but at their core they are still kids toys (yeah, sorry about that). If you look at Character's website, it is a mass of children's products like Peppa Pig and not the sort of place you would imagine finding a page of collector specific figures where we have to vote for what comes next. For collectors to know what's going on this will need to be advertised on every site, forum and in every sci-fi magazine across the land. Unfortunately, even Doctor Who Magazine rarely gives time to the figures, something that doesn't help the casual buyer who doesn't keep their ear to the ground 24/7. 

So lets forget all of the concerns for the moment and lets focus on 'what if it all goes ahead'. The option to have original figures with new sculpts is a tantalising one. That's not to assume that they won't stop sharing old parts, why not if you can get away with it? But this would mean we will see the figures Underground/FPI weren't interested in. For instance, 1960s and 1980s Doctor Who have always been considered a black hole for the figures. The concern from those in retail was that no one remembered the fuzzy old black and white stories and everyone was trying very hard to forget the brightly coloured 80s stories. This isn't the case for the fans and collectors who have been clamouring for more monsters and companions from those respective eras. It's no wonder that Jamie and Tegan are the first of the five figures being proposed in this initial vote-off. Even Ainley's Master didn't get a proper release in his trademark costume on the basis that he wasn't liked/known by the general public, unlike Delgado who remains the archetypal Master for many. This will be a massive opportunity to see these often sought after figures made a reality. 

Currently the proposed number is 2-3 figures per year. Not many, but I assume that, should it become a major success, we could see more. Mattel's Masters of the Universe Classics was originally planned as three two-packs per year, which was abandoned in favour for a figure per month way before the figures were up for pre-order. I am not expecting the same from this, but it would be lovely to get a new monster/companion every month in the post. One of the things that helped Mattel was their later inclusion of a subscription, where fans would pay $20 in advance to commit to the full 12 months of standard figures and beasts and receive an exclusive subscription only figure. This would be a great idea for those, like me, who want everything. It would also ensure that those voting actually did buy the figure. There's no use in having 500 people vote and only 100 actually buy the thing, so steps must be planned in order to make your vote lock you in as committed to buy. I have also seen people worry about whether they will be able to purchase multiple figures, especially for army builders like Silurians, Cybermen etc. I'm sure this would be a possibility, after all they're not going to turn down figures being sold.

If this new system does come into play and if it does become a success, then perhaps this could mean we might see some larger items? Again, using Matty Collector as an example, they had no expectations of producing larger items like beasts, vehicles and, ultimately, playsets. Now we have a ton of them and a massive Castle Grayskull. If this was to happen with the Doctor Who line, could we see additional TARDISes? After all, we do know that additional Police Boxes were sculpted. Could Bessie ever get made? Again, it's been sculpted and is gathering dust in a cupboard somewhere. Perhaps we may even see some sort of console room? The possibilities are endless, but it all depends on if it happens and if it is a success.

I welcome this new idea with welcome arms. If it means the Classics, as we know and love them, can continue, then you've got my vote! I'll give you £40 for two Silurians now! I'm sure the new series 5" figures will probably be limited to the likes of Underground Toys, but at least we'll be getting the best of both somehow.

Not quite the end, and the moment hasn't been prepared for.

Diamond Classics Regenerated 4th Doctor from 'Planet of the Spiders' and Holographic 10th Doctor from 'Blink'

Some interesting additions from across the pond, it seems that the previously exclusive 4th and 10th Doctor figures are getting a US release. Recently Underground Toys has been repackaging older figures in the 'Classics' packaging, and these appear to be the latest additions.

What's interesting is that the 4th Doctor appears to have the standard head, rather than the unique version featured in the Time Capsule set. However, early prototype images of the UK release featured the standard head before being altered. Therefore, it is currently unclear as to which head the figure will feature until we get in-package pictures.

Similarly, the holographic 10th Doctor also features an altered deco with dark 'phasing' lines running horizontally across his body.

It is unlikely that these figures will be released in the UK, and as such you'll be looking at hefty import fees for these chaps.

Doctor Who 1:4 Radio Control Classic K9 Mark II

Having previously been teased on Twitter, the new Mk II version of the 1:4 scale K-9 has been revealed. Exclusive to Toys R Us, it features new phrases recorded by John Leeson, and comes in the classic series colour.

Much like the previous release, K-9 features an extending nose blaster, motorised ear movement and a removable access panel.

Currently the only detractor is the whopping great price of £69.99!

Robert Harrop Doctor Who Figurines - Paint Samples

After months of WIP pictures, Robert Harrop have finally released images of the paint samples of their upcoming Doctor Who figurines. Details such as the scale and the prices have yet to be revealed, but at present the figures are as follows:

Commander Linx the Sontaran from the 1973 episode ‘The Time Warrior’. Sculpted by Mike Rogers.

A Cyberman from the 1975 episode ‘The Revenge of the Cybermen’. Sculpted by Simon Boden.

A Silurian from the 1970 episode ‘The Silurians’. Sculpted by Mike Rogers.

and finally The Ice Warrior ‘Varga’ from the 1968 episode ‘The Ice Warriors’.

Seventh Doctor Umbrella - Pre-Order

The BBC shop now have the Seventh Doctor's umbrella up for pre-order! Due at the start of December, this is a must have for any cosplayers out there!

You can pre-order from the BBC shop

Doctor Who Action Figure Review: K-9 Light and Sound Figurine

A new K-9 figure for the 5" range? It certainly looks that way! Check out the video to find out just how close a match this is to the classic K-9 of old!

You can order yours today from Amazon by following the adlink on the right!

New Doctor Who action figure reviews to come!

In my last review of the Doctor Who 5" range (Ace from Silver Nemesis) I ended by saying that my next review would be the upcoming 'Time of the Doctor Set'. However, previously unplanned and unscheduled reviews will begin as of Monday, starting with the K-9 Light and Sound Figurine from Running Press.

After that I will be reviewing figures and sets from... the 3.75" range. Yes, I did it, I caved. All will be explained in my reviews, but for now expect reviews of the following:

• Wave Three - Twelfth Doctor
• Dalek Patrol Ship and Pilot
• Hide Time Zone Playset

Of course, once 'The Time of the Doctor Set' arrives I shall be reviewing that. 

So there's a lot more reviews coming than I originally anticipated, but that's not bad for you lot waiting for the next set of 8th Doctor animations! So there'll be plenty of new content on the channel over the next few months, especially as I start collecting some of the other figures in the 3.75" line. I've resided myself to cherry picking, none of this chasing variants crap. I had enough of that with the 5" line!

The question I must pose to you, faithful viewer, is would you like me to review the first wave of the 3.75" line? 

New 7th Doctor Umbrella Replica from AbbyShot

7th Doctor cosplayers are in for a treat as AbbyShot have announced a new replica of the Doctor's famous question mark umbrella.

The description on the site reads:

The Seventh Doctor's Umbrella can save your life!

Most people think umbrellas are for shielding them from the elements, such as rain or sun or snow. Yet an umbrella can just as easily save you from a fate such as slipping off a sheer ice cliff. A more mundane, yet handy tool is the umbrella when used to measure objects.

You can do both of these tasks (although I wouldn’t suggest you try the former) with your new Seventh Doctor’s Umbrella, AbbyShot’s latest addition to their officially licensed Doctor Who Collection.

Precise measurements were taken and various elements were put together to get the most representative version of this umbrella. It’s made of metal, with solid fiber glass ribs, customized iconic handle with matching tip and black polyester fabric, all of which give it strength while still keeping one dry and passersby safe.

More than just a hat stand decoration, the Seventh Doctor’s Umbrella will be a great addition to any household!

The umbrella is $34.99 pre-order and is available here.

A classic K-9 alternative for the 5" line?

Many collectors of the 5" classic Doctor Who range were, unsurprisingly, annoyed that the release of K-9 with the season 18 Fourth Doctor was not repainted in the classic grey colour. Why was this simple change not implemented? Who knows! But for those of you who are still miffed that you don't have an accurate version of the robotic pup on your shelves, well there could be an alternative... 

Part of a new model/book series, a light-up talking version of K-9 has been released in the classic colours and in scale with the 5" figures. The head appears to be a tad larger, probably to account for the light-up eyes, but otherwise it seems to be almost exactly the same as the 5" K-9 figure. 

Doctor Who Action Figure Review: Ace from 'Silver Nemesis'

A new Classic series release! Ace, from 'Silver Nemesis'! How well does she hold up against the original release? Find out below!

Where to next for the 5" range of Doctor Who Figures?

I've been collecting different ranges of figures for over 15 years and never has there been an action figure line that has kept you on the edge of your seat as much as Character Option's 5" scale Doctor Who line. It seems like every few months someone will say something cryptic that would suggest it's lights out for range, and yet some new items will be leaked or released on Forbidden Planet that appears to say there's still some juice in those light bulbs.

The 5" Classic figures have been running on life support for several years. After two full waves at retail, the mini Cyberman wave and a few collector sets, the only thing that has kept us going is Underground Toys and Forbidden Planet's scattered releases of single figures and collector sets. This has gone from almost once a month/every two-three months, to a set or two every quarter. Probably even less than that. Looking at the main 5" inch range, we seem to have been living on variants and re-releases per wave. A sign of the times where the reuse of existing molds and parts are the only viable option to keep the costs down. The figures had gone from £6.99 to £10.99 by the time the series 6 figures were released, and with less desirable characters hitting the shelves people stopped buying and refused to pay the asking price for a repaint of what they already had. According to a recent tweet by Al Dewar, there was a 70% drop in people buying the range before the decision was made to reboot the line in 3.75" scale.

Earlier this year it looked like the bucket could have been well and truly kicked. After the 50th Anniversary saw all 11 Doctors, each with a Dalek, released in 5" scale at Toys R Us, and a variety of classic sets released (or at least intended for release) through Forbidden Planet, things seemed to be on the up! However it all started getting gloomy when news came out that there were no classic figures planned for 2014 and that if we got anything it would be towards the end of the year. Yikes. The planned 11th Doctor in Victorian outfit from The Snowmen and the 2nd Doctor in fur coat from The Five Doctors, complete with diorama background, were axed by the powers that be. It seemed like the nail was being steadily hammered into the coffin.

Something strange happened when John Hurt's War Doctor was announced in the 5" range. This release broke the established rules. This wasn't classic, this was from an episode that just aired and we were told that new series characters would now go straight into the new scale. It was also a 100% newly tooled figure that has only had this one release to date, so unless they re-release him down the line this is going to be something of a first. Bring on July 2014 and another new series figure is announced in the 5" scale, the 11th Doctor in his series 7 outfit with a plethora of accessories and the 12th Doctor's head, which seems to be upscaled from the 3.75" release. Towards the end of that month we're shown a 5" Clara (well, Oswin), which we were told would never happen and lo and behold, the cancelled 11th Doctor in Victorian clothes makes it's way to release as well. We've been been informed that Oswin has been made in such a way that other Clara variants are possible. Oh, and a variant of Ace in her more commonly seen ponytail and rolled up sleeves is due for release as well.

With these recent, and incredibly popular, new releases in mind, does this mean that new series Doctor Who figures are the future of the 5" range with the odd classic figure/set thrown into the mix? It seems odd that Character would be trying to push the smaller scale forward while releasing 5" figures that are far superior in terms of sculpts and detail. However, if a solitary figure with accessories can be as much as £29.99 then that competition is going to be limited. The children, for whom the 3.75" range is marketed to, aren't likely to get their parents spending that sort of money on a toy, so perhaps the competition isn't really there. If the 3.75" sculpts are being upscaled, which certainly appears to be the case with the Capaldi and Clara heads, then perhaps monsters like the Ice Warriors, Zygons and Cybermen will creep their way into the 5" scale? This has been deemed unlikely by Mr Dewar, but then we were told we'd never see Clara, a series 7 11th Doctor and any Classic companions in the 5" scale, so forgive me if I don't take these words as gospel. Collectors would snap those three up at lightning speed, so Underground would be daft not to commission them. If we also keep in mind that the Victorian version of the 11th Doctor was planned as a Toys R Us exclusive for late 2013/early 2014, then perhaps our fur coated 2nd Doctor is just around the corner? I live in hope.

I gave up collecting the new series figures back in 2010, but if these new exclusives means that the classics can continue, then I'm happy to take part. The Time of the Doctor set was a must buy with all it's bells and whistles, and I loved that costume in the show. The last variant of the 11th Doctor I bought was that hideous orange striped version from the Christmas Carol set, so this is long overdue. Clara and any of the monsters are also must haves and I'm sure we'll see a 5" Capaldi... Eventually. I'm still rooting for my classics, and I hope that we still have plenty of goodies to come before it's time to see the end of that line... Even if it means one release per year.

Doctor Who Exclusive - The Time of the Doctor 11th & 12th Figure

Doctor Who Exclusive - Ace from Silver Nemesis Figure

Doctor Who - The Impossible Set 11th Doctor and Clara

New Argos Catalogue - Doctor Who Figures in stock

The new Argos catalogue has been released across stores, allowing us to get a better glimpse of the upcoming 12th Doctor figure (pictured above). To confuse matters, the image of a prototype has also been doing the rounds (pictured below) which will not be released in stores.This is unsurprising given the unnatural way the coat hangs. 

Early prototype - Not being Released

At the moment only the recently announced Wave 3A has hit Argos stores with no news of the 12th Doctor being found as of yet. If you don't fancy taking a lucky dip with Argos, you can always pre-order the figures via the links below. 

10th Doctor

Amy Pond

Classic Dalek

Asylum Dalek

New Sonic Screwdrivers revealed

Just announced from Forbidden Planet, two new versions of the Ninth and Third Doctor's Sonic Screwdrivers.

The Ninth Doctor's now features a more accurate hilt while the Third Doctor's features a slightly altered paint job, specifically the metallic red emitter, as well as boasting accurate sound effects.

Each Sonic Screwdriver is £9.99 and is available to pre-order from Forbidden Planet and Forbidden Planet International by following the adlinks to the right of this page. Expected 24th August.

New 5" Doctor Who Figures on the way!

Lots of new figures announced from both the classic and present series of Doctor Who, and all in the original 5" scale!

First up we have a very exciting figure from Matt Smith's final story, The Time of the Doctor. The Eleventh Doctor in his costume as worn throughout series 7 has finally turned up in the 5" range! The figure comes with three interchangeable heads, standard 11th Doctor, aged 11th Doctor and more importantly, Peter Capaldi/12th Doctor head! Does this mean a 5" 12th Doctor figure is a possibility? Let's hope so! The figure also includes the Doctor's walking stick, Sonic Screwdriver and Handles (can we have the rest of the Cyberman body to go with it please?)!

The figure comes packaged in a special TARDIS themed window box. Is this the 2014 SDCC exclusive? Perhaps. Nothing on FPI yet, but I'm sure it won't be long before a pre-order arrives.

Next we have Ace from Silver Nemesis. It's the standard figure as seen in the single release from last year, complete with jacket and alternate arms. However, her shirt has been repainted to look as it does in the story and she also comes with her boombox  and “Ace” framed portrait. Not really a figure to get too excited about, but a nice release for those who may have missed the original. 

Finally, a set of various battered Daleks from Asylum of the Daleks is also due for release. Repaints with a dirty wash and 'reject' stamps painted on them. This is probably the B & M set that has been talked about for quite some time. 

More info as it comes!