Doctor Who's Expanded Universe in Action Figures

Doctor Who's expanded universe is something of an untapped area for the 5" action figure line. At the time of writing there are only three figures in the line from this expanded, non-screen, universe. Firstly there's the Real Time sixth Doctor from the audio play/BBCi webcast of the same name, and the 8th Doctor in his comic book colours along with Dalek Alpha from the comic, Children of the Revolution. All three figures are repaints, which is nice and cost effective for Character Options/Underground Toys. So I'm going to discuss what else we could get from the 'expanded universe' using the same formula. Repaints and minor tweaks to existing sculpts. No new figures, so don't expect to see Charlie, Lucy, Viyrans, The Flood Cybermen or any other monster/companion that would need an entirely new sculpt. Ain't gonna happen! So let's begin...

Sword of Orion

A nice and easy two-pack/three-pack using existing parts. If we refer to the comic panels featured in Doctor Who Magazine, the 8th Doctor is depicted in an orange spacesuit. Why not release the 8th Doctor in the orange spacesuit worn by the 10th Doctor from The Impossible Planet/Satan Pit? Remove some of the decals, or change them for something else, and we have a new and interesting 8th Doctor variant. 

Next we have the Cybermen, depicted on the cover and in DWM as being The Invasion models. Re-releasing this particular Cyber-variant would certainly please army builders, but again looking to DWM we have a Cyber Leader, something not featured in The Invasion. A quick repaint of black and blue, and we have a new variant for our Cyber armies.

Terror Firma

Another easy one. Re-release the TVM 8th Doctor with a 60s Dalek (which I'd be happy to have some more of) and then package it with the Emperor Davros from Remembrance of the Daleks, repainted in a silver and blue livery. Now according to the cover art this version of Davros has a few extra bits, alluding to the Emperor Dalek seen in Evil of the Daleks. I doubt a couple of strips of plastic glued to an existing mould would break the bank, and if not, well the repaint would be fun. I'm sure a re-imagined version of this Davros would be appreciated by all those collectors who missed out on the original release. 

The Juggernauts

More Daleks! This would make for a fun set, a re-release Mechanoid (yes, please!), an Imperial Dalek re-release (yes, please!) and a tweaked Revelation of the Daleks Davros. Simply repaint the chair in white and gold and give him a robotic hand. If they wanted to be really cheap about it, remove the robot hand off the New Series Davros, paint it gold and stick it on the classic Davros. Not exactly to the cover, but it would work. 

Blood of the Daleks

No pictures for this one, but apparently the Supreme Dalek is described as being crimson and gold, and that sounds like a very nice colour scheme for a figure. Re-released with the TVM 8th Doctor, or better still, give us Lucie! 

Emperor Dalek, Supreme Dalek and Renegade Special Weapons - Comics

Yeah, I know I said there'd be no 100% new tools, but come on, how cool is this guy? Definitely needs an action figure. Now I believe this version reappeared in later McCoy strips alongside a purple and gold Supreme Dalek. I cannot find any pictures of the damned thing, but people have done customs. Metallic purple with gold hemispheres, and he looks great! Alongside that is the renegade Dalek equivalent of Special Weapons Dalek (sorry, can't find a colour reference), so we can assume its a grungy SW Dalek in a renegade grey and black livery. 

Dalek Time Controller

Oh alright, another Dalek that would need some tooling. A new neck bin/shoulder section, but otherwise not too different. Having become such a prominent figure in the 8th Doctor audio adventures, this fascinating Dalek is a must. 

Doctor Variants 

Well a Big Finish 6th Doctor is a must, and no I do not mean Real Time, I mean dark blue, with all the patterns still on the coat. Why this version? Well the bloody thing was planned for release in the 2nd Eleven Doctors set that never materialised. Such a pity. 

With this it's worth noting the 8th Doctor as depicted in the pages of DWM, representing the Doctor's appearance in Invaders of Mars and Seasons of Fear. In the former, 8 is depicted wearing a feodra, and in the latter, he's shown to be waering the 5th Doctor's panama hat. Surely these tweaks would be possible? After all, it's just altering the head. 

Repackage

A nice way to get those older figures out there in new ways. Should we ever see the release of a 70s Silurian, packaged with the 6th Doctor would make an easy Bloodtide pack. Repaint the Silurian in a different deco would make for even greater value. That, or give us a Two Doctors 6th Doctor!

Other candidates come in the form of Ice Warriors, who could be packaged in a range of shades of green and with a variety of Doctors from Red Dawn to Deimos. Stick a repainted Krynoid with an 8th Doctor and we have a Hothouse set. The same can be said for Sontarans, Cybermen, and any other classic monster that has made an appearance in Big Finish. A slight tweak, a new shade of paint, and a new set awaits the toy shelves!

Any ideas for other possible repaints? Let me know in the comments! 

Dark Eyes 2 - Out Now!

Today sees the release of the sequel to the award winning Dark Eyes, starring Paul McGann as the 8th Doctor.

Doctor Who: Dark Eyes 2 continues the adventures of the Eighth Doctor, played once more by Paul McGann, as he fights the good fight past, present and future against a host of deadly enemies.

When the Doctor defeated the Dalek Time Controller and its Time Lord ally, the timelines shifted and events changed... but the danger is far from over. And new threats to the continued safety of the universe are emerging.

Molly O'Sullivan carried on with her life as a nursing assistant in World War One. She probably thought she would never see the Doctor in his 'Tardy-box' again...

From the Dalek occupied planet Nixyce VII through Earth's history and to the very edge of the universe, the Doctor's footprints across eternity are being tracked by foes old and new. But when did it all begin and when will it end? Living his life through the complexities of time travel, the Doctor can never be quite sure if he's experiencing his life in the most helpful order. The only certainty appears to be the advance of the powers of evil and the oncoming threat of a fight to the death against forces that would destroy everything the Doctor holds dear.

The 8th Doctor returns to Big FInish! Three new seasons of Dark Eyes announced

Doctor Who audio drama producers Big Finish have announced three new seasons of Dark Eyes, continuing the adventures of the Eighth Doctor and Molly.

Available to pre-order now, Dark Eyes 2, 3 and 4 will be released over the course of a year, from February 2014 to February 2015, and will star Paul McGann as the Doctor and Ruth Bradley as Molly O’Sullivan.

Following on from last year's hugely popular four-episode Dark Eyes boxset, Dark Eyes 2 continues the story with the return of companion Molly O'Sullivan, the ever-malevolent Daleks and a host of other characters new and old, both helping and hindering the Doctor.

Dark Eyes can be preordered from the Big Finish website now.

Exciting news indeed! I'll be honest, I wasn't quite as keen on Dark Eyes compared to the final season with Lucie Miller, but it was very good nevertheless. I look forward to seeing what these new adventures have in store, and hopefully they'll mix it up a bit with something other than the Daleks!

What are your thoughts on these new seasons? Sound off in the comments section below!

Doctor Who: The Light at the End - Standard and Limited Edition Covers Revealed

Big Finish have updated their website by including new images of the covers of their upcoming 50th Anniversary story, The Light at the End, starring Tom Baker, Peter Davison, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy and Paul McGann as the fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth Doctors. It's obviously a rather monumental accomplishment having all of the remaining classic Doctors in one story, along with Geoffrey Beevers reprising his role as the Master and a variety of past Doctor Who names staring in this special tale.

Both versions are available to order in both physical and digital formats from Big Finish. Standard Edition is £14.99 while the Limited Edition is £40.00

Synopsis

November 23rd 1963 proves to be a significant day in the lives of all eight Doctors…

It's the day that Bob Dovie's life is ripped apart…

It's also a day that sets in motion a catastrophic chain of events which forces the first eight incarnations of the Doctor to fight for their very existence. As a mysterious, insidious chaos unfolds within the TARDIS, the barriers of time break apart…

From suburban England through war-torn alien landscapes and into a deadly, artificial dimension, all these Doctors and their companions must struggle against the power of an unfathomable, alien technology.

From the very beginning, it is clear that the Master is somehow involved. By the end, for the Doctors, there may only be darkness.

Limited Collectors Edition Contents

This is a five-disc limited Special Edition in deluxe premium packaging, which includes a stunning array of professional photos of the cast.

Discs 1 and 2 – The Light at the End

Disc 3 – The Making of The Light at the End (70 minute documentary)

Disc 4 – This is Doctor Who at Big Finish (70 minute documentary)

Disc 5 – Doctor Who – The Companion Chronicles: The Revenants performed by William Russell as Ian

The Light at the End!

Now here's something to make a Doctor Who fan smile, and if you're not smiling then don't show your face around these parts until you do. Here's a brilliant image from the cover of this months Doctor Who Magazine, featuring the five surviving classic Doctors who are all set to appear in Big Finish's audio production The Light at the End, to celebrate 50 years of our favourite show. It's remarkable to see them all together, let alone know that they'll be acting alongside each other. After all, we know that Tom Baker's involvement in Doctor Who related productions have been rocky since he left the show in 1980.

Now lets just wait for someone to kindly photoshop their old costumes on, and we can soak in what we hope to see in The Day of the Doctor. Seriously, who cares if they're a bit large around the middle and with a bit less hair on top, shove them in their costumes and they'd dazzle us as much as they did back in their heyday.

Doctor Who: The Light at the End - Vinyl Edition (Big Finish)

More info has been released regarding Big Finish's highly anticipated 50th Anniversary story 'The Light at the End', which reunites all of the surviving classic Doctors, a plethora of companions and the return of the Master as portrayed by Geoffrey Beevers.

To highlight the special nature of this release, a special vinyl edition is being released limited to 500 numbered copies. The four-disc set, containing the adventure and a making of documentary, will be presented in a four-way gatefold sleeve, with rigid slipcase and an exclusive 30cm x 30cm lenticular image, The specifications are as follows:

Discs 1, 2 and 3 – The Light at the End
Disc 4 – The Making of The Light at the End (approx 40-minute documentary exclusive to this release)
All discs on heavy 180g vinyl
Limited and numbered to 500
Includes an exclusive 30cm x 30cm lenticular image.
Four-way gatefold sleeve
Rigid slipcase

Written and Directed by: Nicholas Briggs

The story is released in the anniversary month of November from Big Finish.

November 23rd 1963 proves to be a significant day in the lives of all eight Doctors…

It’s the day that Bob Dovie’s life is ripped apart…

It’s also a day that sets in motion a catastrophic chain of events which forces the first eight incarnations of the Doctor to fight for their very existence. As a mysterious, insidious chaos unfolds within the TARDIS, the barriers of time break apart…

From suburban England through war-torn alien landscapes and into a deadly, artificial dimension, all these Doctors and their companions must struggle against the power of an unfathomable, alien technology.

From the very beginning, it is clear that the Master is somehow involved. By the end, for the Doctors, there may only be darkness.

Listen to the trailer here: