Doctor Who Action Figure Review: The Curator Set - 5" Collector Series

A new review! I take a look at the Curator set featuring the Curator and Gallifrey Falls No More painting!

Dalek Patrol Ship and Pilot PRE-ORDER

New from the 3.75" range, the Dalek Patrol Ship and Pilot set as revealed at London Toy Fair earlier this year. Based on the ships seen in The Day of the Doctor, the set retails at £19.99 and is available to pre-order from Forbidden Planet via the adlinks to the right.

Exterminate! Exterminate! EXTERMINATE! This highly detailed deluxe Dalek battle vehicle features a real working cannon; lock onto your target press the button and fire! Also includes pop-off armoured flight panels and an exclusive 3.75-inch Dalek action figure.

In the midst of the Time War, the Daleks surround the planet Gallifrey with their saucer ships and battle hardened Patrol Ships pummelling the surface.

The War Doctor – an hitherto-unknown “hidden” incarnation of the Doctor, decides to trigger an ancient weapon of mass destruction called “The Moment”, which will destroy both the Time Lord and the Dalek races completely.

The Eleventh Doctor advises of plans to place Gallifrey in stasis and hide it outside of regular time and space. As the Daleks surround the planet ready to obliterate it, the three Doctors reveal they have recruited their past selves, and as well as a future incarnation, the planet is dematerialised to safety as the Daleks annihilate themselves in their own crossfire.

Time of the Doctor and Ace PRE-ORDER

The two eagerly awaited sets are now available to pre-order from Forbidden Planet International!

The Time of the Doctor set is £29.99 and Ace is £19.99. Both figures are due to ship September 30th.

Follow the adlinks to FPI above or to the right to order now!

1:6 Scale First Doctor Commemorative Edition Figure Pre-Order - Big Chief Studios UPDATED

After months of sneak peeks and blurry behind the scenes images, Big Chief Studios' 1:6 scale First Doctor has finally goes up for pre-order this week, and what a figure it is!

Yesterday Big Chief released the full images and specifications for the figure, which features an impressive likeness of the late great William Hartnell, capturing his Doctor's sternness but also his mischievous streak with almost a twinkle in his eye. While some fans were unsure about the likeness, the monochrome images that Big Chief have released really prove that there should be no question that this is William Hartnell. The costume has been carefully recreated, and is an incredible match to the clothes worn by Hartnell in his early seasons.

The figure boasts a range of accessories and extra costume parts, namely his cloak, hat and scarf as worn in An Unearthly Child. Outside of the extra costume parts the Doctor includes his monocle, spectacles (which slip neatly under the hair around his ears), pocket watch, his walking stick as obtained in Marco Polo, his pipe as briefly seen in An Unearthly Child, several Keys of Marinus from the serial of the same name, and finally the taranium core of the Dalek's Time Destructor as seen in The Daleks' Master Plan. 

I was delighted to be asked by the chaps at Big Chief to source reference images to help in the construction of this figure, finding publicity photos and screencaps that showed off the smaller details. When you're dealing with a character that is 50 years old barely any props or costume pieces have survived, therefore only DVD screencaps and production photos can be used. It's especially tricky when hardly any colour images exist from that era! So if you're an uber geek like I am, you'll have a good idea where to look for certain pictures, for instance I knew that in The War Machines (episode 3 if I remember rightly) the Doctor takes out his pocket watch and replaces it in his waistcoat. Getting the DVD and screencapping this moment, which was on screen for mere seconds, allowed the Big Chief team to get a better look at how the ribbon attached to the end of his pocket watch and how it sat in his waistcoat pocket. I was also able to find some similar matches of authentic pocket watch ribbons that were also provided a better idea of how this worked. Other images from The Edge of Destruction gave a clearer look at Hartnell's leather shoe covers and a fuzzy colour image from Marco Polo and a publicity picture from The Gunfighters was able to show where exactly the buttons sit on Hartnell's frock coat.

Even more exciting was being asked to compile some ideas and reference photos for extra accessories! Unlike other Doctors, the first Doctor didn't really carry around a great deal other than occasionally his cane, which had already been sorted by Big Chief. So I flicked through every episode to see what wasn't mundane and could make an interesting accessory. It gives me great pleasure to see the Dalek's Time Destructor Core, the keys of Marinus and his spectacles were taken from my list and added to the figure! It was a pleasure to be able to pass on my nerdy knowledge for such a cool piece of merchandise, and seeing my name on the box is going to bring a grin to this fan's face for many years to come!

Finally the figure comes with a range of different hands that feature Hartnell's rings, a light up display stand featuring the number one written in Gallifreyan text, and a card backdrop that has yet to be revealed.

The figure is limited to only 500 pieces worldwide at £189.99, and is due to ship towards the end of the year. Click here to pre-order your figure now.

Stay tuned for a full review once the figure is available!

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! 

Toys R Us Flash Sale - Doctor/Dalek packs reduced to £12.99

For those of you have been unable to pick up Toys R Us' exclusive Doctor/Dalek packs, you can now purchase them at a reduced price of £12.99. However, the only sets still available are the First, Fourth and Eleventh Doctors. It seems that the highly sought after Eighth and Third Doctor sets are gone for good, unless you're lucky enough to find them at your local store.

Spend over £29.99 and get free delivery.

The War Doctor figure no more?

Lot's of reports going around that the War (Other) Doctor figure is all but sold out from online retailers with no more to be produced! According to The Doctor Who Site FPI are out of online stock and FP.com is now completely sold out. A range of US retailers are also sold out.

With no more of these sets being produced (for now at least), the best place to look would be your local Forbidden Planet to see if they still have any more of this chappy on the shelves. It's that or ebay, and I'm sure their prices will be mad!

Get them before they're gone!

Doctor Who Action Figure Review: The Other Doctor (The War Doctor)

The Other Doctor is here! A fantastic figure! Check out the review below!

Big Chief Studios' 4th and 10th Doctor figures arriving!

For those who pre-ordered a 4th Doctor and 10th Doctor from Big Chief Studios, your orders should be arriving with you very soon! Some people have already received theirs, and from the pictures coming in so far the 10th Doctor looks amazing. Very cool indeed, especially stood with Doctors 4 and 11!

Don't forget that you can still pre-order a standard Limited Edition 4th Doctor from Big Chief's website.

              

Doctor Who: The Other Doctor action figure

STOP THE PRESS! Forbidden Planet have just revealed a new 5" figure! Yes! 5"! The figure is of John Hurt's secret incarnation as seen in The Name of the Doctor and The Day of the Doctor! The figure comes with his Sonic Screwdriver, the Moment, and... an alternate 8th Doctor head! Yes! A new McGann head! Why it's coming with him we can only wonder, but perhaps this is as close as we'll get to a figure of the 8th Doctor in his new clothes!

You can pre-order now for £14.99 by following the ad link on the right!

A review will be coming! Don't you worry!

Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor/The Night of the Doctor - Review

My opinions on both The Day of the Doctor and The Night of the Doctor!

Doctor Who Action Figure Review: 4th Doctor 1:6 Scale Limited Edition - Big Chief Studios

The wait is over! The figure is here! So grab a bag of Jelly Babies, wrap your scarf around you, and join me as I look in detail at this excellent figure!

Doctor Who AFA 8th Doctor Season 3: Rebirth - Part Two

Happy 50th anniversary! The big day is finally here! To celebrate, here is the final episode of Rebirth!

Enjoy the day! Enjoy The Day of the Doctor! I'll be here with a round-up of what Johnny and I got up to at Excel and some other bits and pieces over the next few days!

'The Night of the Doctor' - Thoughts and Feelings

Before we get down to the nitty gritty of this article, I must apologise that this is not a video. Now I am sure I will get around to making a video at some point, but at the moment my editing software is being reserved for animation work only. It has also come to my attention that I don't write enough articles for this blog anymore, so it might as well change this evening!

The rumours were running rampant. Everyone wanted to believe a video like this was coming, but 'wanted' is the operative word. Would they really get Paul McGann back to play the Doctor? After seventeen years? For a short? Doubtful. I wanted to believe too, but there was so much doubt kicking around Gallfreybase and the rest of the web that I finally decided "Nah. No chance". Then the synopsis for the special was released:

The Bringer of Darkness, the Oncoming Storm, the Doctor, the Warrior - A Time Lord! The 50th Anniversary features Matt Smith, David Tennant and a mysterious incarnation played by John Hurt. Only one appears in the mini episode, The Night of the Doctor. But which?

It was that 'But which?' that suddenly got me thinking about the possibilities of McGann. Could they be toying with us? Do they want us to think it's Hurt or Tennant or Smith, only to go "Ta da!" right in our faces? I wanted to believe so, but of course I had more doubt than anything else.

I screamed. Honestly. I yelped like a child on Christmas morning who got that present he always wanted. I was so hysterical that my mother wondered what the Hell was happening and told me to "Calm down! For God's sake, Matt! You'll give yourself a heart attack!" She couldn't understand the gravity of the situation. He was back. After 17 years, the Doctor that was supposed to be my Doctor (I was four when the TV Movie came out, and I can clearly remember watching it to this day) was back. Not on audio, but as a proper moving image as he always should have been.

He's back! And it's... yeah, you guys know the drill.

So was it any good? Well, yes! It was marvelous! It was the greatest 'What if?' we could have ever hoped to get! The Doctor’s first line: “I’m a Doctor. But probably not the one you were expecting” suitably channels George Lazenby at the start of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (“This never happened to the other fella”). The opening of the piece was cleverly set-up to make us think that this woman, Cass, whose ship was about to crash land, could be the Doctor’s future companion. It was also like McGann had never left. Just another day for the 8^th Doctor during his tenure… the one we didn’t get. But it made us believe, just for that moment, that this is what we could have had. Seeing McGann in his new gear (more on that later) zipping about the place just felt right, and it would have made the wilderness years, well, a lot less of a wilderness!

But Cass is quick to turn on the Doctor. We’re treated to some delightful morsels about the Time War. The Doctor is a refugee; he wants no part in it. Makes sense. Cass however, seems terrified of him simply because he is a Time Lord, no better than a Dalek. Blimey, what have the Time Lords been up to? Clearly whatever the Time Lords and the Daleks are doing is devastating the universe on such an immeasurable scale that every species is feeling it. So she locks herself away and the ship goes kaboom! Doctor number 8 is killed on impact! Poor bugger. He’s only just come back and he’s practically dead before he hits the ground. But wait! Where have they landed? Karn! Jumping Jehoshaphat! And the Sisters of the Flame! Bugger me! It’s all going on in this story!

The Sisterhood’s new leader, Ohila (not to be confused with Ohica) tells the Doctor he’s been revived and only has four minutes to live, in which time he can choose a special version of their Elixir of Life that will make him regenerate into whatever body he needs for the current war situation. Why are they helping him? They know he’s the only fellow in the universe with the gonads big enough for ending the Time War, a war which not only threatens Karn but the entire universe (the Time Lord’s master plan was to wipe out everything as mentioned in The End of Time). Seeing as Karn is pretty much down the road from Gallifrey, relatively speaking, you can't blame them for not wanting a massive battlefield on their doorstep!

Faced with Cass’ corpse, the knowledge that the universe thinks he and his kind are a bunch of total shitheads, and that he’s got mere moments before he’s a goner, the Doctor chooses to become a warrior. No one wants his help anymore. The universe has ostracised him… much like the BBC had during the wilderness years, but perhaps I’m reading into that a bit too much. So he wishes to continue helping, but in a new way. We’re treated to a nice pun about John Hurt and then the Doctor rattles off some names… “Charley, C’rizz, Lucie, Tamsin, Molly…” Bugger me sideways! Moff’s only gone and confirmed the canonicity of Big Finish! It really is all happening in this episode! Stupendous news! But oh Lord, I have so many stories to catch-up on! Bloody hell, that’s going to be hard work! Who’d have thought a couple of seconds of dialogue would increase the sales of so much merchandise?

So the Doctor downs the Sisterhood’s homebrew, and he’s gone… replaced with John Hurt... a young John Hurt from I, Claudius no less, lending to Moffat’s words that this new incarnation has been kicking around for some time when we meet him in The Day of the Doctor. So he goes off to kick some arse!

Looking like his old self again

And that was it. The 8^th Doctor was gone as soon as he returned. Will he pop up in The Day of the Doctor? I’d like to think so. After all, it doesn’t make sense to let that nice new costume go to waste. And it was shot in the last two days of the shooting block for The Day of the Doctor, so who’s to say he didn’t record scenes with Hurt and co. before hand? Speaking of costume, how cool was that? A nice throwback to the TV Movie outfit but with a bit more edge. I approve wholeheartedly! Now I just want the toy… in 5” scale! Also, note the Sonic Screwdriver is exactly the same as the one in the Movie too. No Weta Workshop prop to be found here, which makes me come to one conclusion: the leather jacket/jeans/satchel job is not canon. Now before someone bites my head off crying “But it’s on the cover of Dark Eyes! It’s been established as canon!” let us think about the actual story rather than flimsy box art. Where in the audio adventure is it explained that the Doctor changes his clothes for what he is wearing on the box? Nowhere. Nick Briggs noted that the sounds used of the 8^th Doctor moving features the sound of leather squeaking, but I’ve listened through that story twice and I cannot hear it for the life of me. In fact, the only reference to his costume I can recall is when they mention his poor velvet coat is covered in cack. Nothing is said about him getting a new Sonic Screwdriver or a satchel either. It makes more sense that if he was going to change his clothes he’d choose a similar wardrobe as seen in this short. Honestly, I prefer this. Three consecutive incarnations in leather? One was more than enough. Let the Doctors have their own individual style, please.

So overall I loved it. Every second. Not just McGann’s return, it was all brilliant. None of this wishy-washy crap we usually get for a mini-sode. This could have easily have been on TV. Which is the reason why this is so bitter sweet. It should have been on TV. It gave us a sense of what we didn’t get. Now I love the fact that Big Finish is canon, that’s amazing, but listening to the 8^th Doctor’s adventures isn’t the same as watching him in this story. By now you’ve probably seen the petitions to make mini-seasons with the 8^th Doctor to help fill in those blanks for us. I can only hope that the BBC wake up and smell the coffee and go “Good grief, what a jolly good idea! Think of all of that extra money we could make?” It doesn’t need to be long, but come on; McGann would do it in a heartbeat! We’d bite their hands off for it… 

So with this and the missing episode recovery, we're doing well for the 50th.

9/10

4th Doctor 1:6 Scale Figure - Shipping Reminder

If you're still on the fence about pre-ordering a fourth Doctor from Big Chief Studios, or if you are planning on ordering and you want him in time for Christmas then you must submit your order by Saturday the 30th November! Otherwise you'll have to wait until the second shipment in January.

You can order the figure from Big Chief here: http://www.bigchiefstudios.co.uk/site/fourth-doctor-limited-edition.php

Exclusive 50th Anniversary Celebration collectibles from Big Chief Studios

It's been a busy old week for Big Chief Studios with the announcements that their first Dynamix statue and their 1:6 10th and 4th Doctors are about to hit the UK, but today saw the announcement of a set of exclusives for the 50th Anniversary Celebration event at Excel in London next weekend! 

First up is an exclusive 10th Doctor in his Day of the Doctor outfit, with dark shirt and floral tie, limited to 100 pieces! So if you missed out on the original version here's your chance to nab another! There will be 25 pieces available on each day over the three (22nd-24th) for £179.99. I must say it looks like a stunning figure and Tennant's portrait is amazing! I'd love to own one, and I'm not even keen on the 10th Doctor! 

Any left over stock will go on sale on Big Chief's website (found in the links section on the right) as they explain: 

Any figures remaining unsold from each date will automatically be added to the next days total available to purchase.

To allow fans and collectors who are unable to attend the event a chance to own this ultra-limited figure we are reserving 25 pieces for sale exclusively via our official website. Please note however, that this figure will not be sold in the usual way. We will be setting up a special sign-up page for customers to enter for a chance to have their name randomly drawn out. Those 25 lucky customers will then be contacted to make their payment and their figure will be shipped out to them in time for the holidays. Note you will not yet be able to register your details, so kindly refrain from emailing us and look out for further details to be posted both here and on our official Facebook page.

On top of this, they will also be selling an exclusive version of their Dynamix art statue at the event! This version of the 10th Doctor comes in his brown suit, with an interchangeable head that features his 3D glasses! You can also swap the heads between the standard version too. The figure will also include two exclusive art prints, while stocks last. The figurine is limited to 500 pieces worldwide at £59.99, and will be available to order on the website after the convention. 

And if that's not all, Big Chief are launching a set of art prints at the event that will also be available on their website. 

Renowned artist Alice X. Zhang further extends the popular series that began with “The Roar of Our Stars”. Featuring breathtaking portraits of the 9th Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) entitled “The Parting of the Ways”, the 10th Doctor (David Tennant) entitled “The Turn of the Universe” and the mysterious Doctor character as portrayed by the esteemed actor John Hurt entitled “The Lonely God”.

Big Chief Studios' 1:6 Scale 10th and 4th Doctor Figures shipping in December!

The wait is nearly over! The highly anticipated releases from Big Chief will be here in the next few weeks! They've even supplied some pictures of the 'classic series' style packaging, which looks fantastic!

If you're off to the Celebration at Excell next week, you will also be able to pick up a 4th Doctor early (while stocks last of course). It should also be worth noting that if you want your 4th Doctor in time for Christmas then order now, otherwise you'll have to wait for the next shipment coming in January!

A review of the 4th Doctor is to come! Once he's in my "grubby protuberances!"

Night of the Doctor online in 15 minutes?!?!

Well BBC iPlayer seems to think so, as does DWM's Tom Spilsbury!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p01lhhv4/Doctor_Who_Mini_Episode_The_Night_Of_The_Doctor/

More news as it comes!

Doctor Who Magazine Issue 467 - 50th Anniversary Issue

Wow, this is rather special! The folks at DWM have put together a massive bumper issue of their magazine to celebrate the show's 50th birthday! The issue is released 14/11/2013. Check out all of the stuff it comes with:


To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, Doctor Who Magazine 467 is the biggest issue ever, at 116 packed pages! It also comes complete with a very special 1960s-themed mini issue, which imagines how DWM might have celebrated the series’ first anniversary. PLUS! There’s also a set of 12 amazing art cards, featuring all 12 Doctors, and NINE free audio downloads of Doctor Who stories!

ALSO INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

Matt Smith and David Tennant – two Doctors interviewed together!
The Day of the Doctor – a preview of the 50th Anniversary Special, with exclusive new photographs!
Jenna Coleman (Clara Oswald) interviewed!
An Adventure in Space and Time – huge behind-the-scenes feature!
A fascinating feature on Anthony Coburn – Doctor Who’s greatest unsung hero!
An Unearthly Child – the draft scripts of Doctor Who’s very first episode revealed!
The Watcher’s Guide to Anniversaries!
The Five Doctors – a fascinating guide to Doctor Who’s 20th anniversary adventure!
Mary Peach – the guest star of The Enemy of the World reacts to the story’s recent recovery!
Production Notes – showrunner Steven Moffat is joined by someone from his past…
John Smith and the Common Men – a special anniversary comic strip!
The Time Team watch Last of the Time Lords and Time Crash!
The Watcher’s 50th Anniversary Quiz!
Competitions, puzzles, and much more!

Doctor Who: The Vault - Treasures from the First 50 Years - Hardback and Digital Download

This very special book celebrating 50 years of Doctor Who is now available both in physical hardback and for digital download on Mac and iOS devices. From what I've seen of the book it does look rather lovely. I think I'll have to invest at some point! You can order from the BBC Shop via the ad link on the right.

Retail: £29.99
Digital: £14.99

The Vault is an unforgettable journey through 50 years of Doctor Who, via carefully selected photos, props, costume designs, memos, letters, script pages and more. Select and enlarge any image, and delve deeper into a number of products featured in its pages: sample chapters from books, pages from the first issue of Doctor Who Magazine, and clips from audio releases THE DEAD SHOES, THE PESCATONS and GENESIS OF THE DALEKS.

This is the full and official story of Doctor Who, from the first pre-production memos in 1963 to the most recent props created for the 2013 series, including interviews with key contributors and scores of prop photos, design sketches and behind the scenes stills from every decade of the show’s production. Taking you year by year through the world’s longest running science fiction series, Marcus Hearn explores the show’s groundbreaking innovations as well as its impact on popular culture through books and comics, magazines and toys, merchandise and ephemera.