New Doctor Who Stuff

NDWS is taking a break...

2006-10-31T02:15:00.000-08:00

...for about a week, while I write my article: 'The real story behind the Doctor Who toy line'. Back next week, when I'll restore all the previous posts, and give everyone some food for thought.

Doctor Who Cassandra Action Figure Review

2006-03-31T13:29:00.000-08:00

Cassandra has had mixed reactions since arriving in UK stores a week ago. Some fans just can't see the point of this figure. Other people - like me - think it's great that CO made such an untypical action figure - it has a certain 'what the f*** is that?' quality to it when you see it on a shelf which adds interest to the range as a whole. It's just weird. You've never owned anything like it. And it does, of course, represent one of RTD's greatest creations - the arid ('moisturise me') last human who has turned herself into something inhuman, surgically removing her weaknesses and becoming - literally - shallow and one-dimensional in the process. Anyway, enough of the undergraduate media studies essay, what's the figure like?
In the packet, or against an opaque surface, Cassandra looks pretty much 'okay'. She comes with wheels, but you'll only play with her if you're a strange child or a disturbed adult. There are also three robot spiders included as accessories. These are exactly the same as the two that were included with the Moxx figure. If you have that, you now have five robot spiders, which is more than enough. Trust me, you'll never need more than five plastic robot spiders, no matter what. If you look hard at the figure you can see veins. Some fans have been disappointed with these. Presumably they live in windowless houses, because if you put Cassandra on a window sill...
...this happens. Yes, this figure does have a special action feature - it's translucent. Putting it against a light source reveals some magnificent, big, throbbing veins. Don't tell Russell T. Davies, or he won't be able to concentrate on writing Series 3. It looks great. In the next picture she's saying to the 9th Doctor...

'...is that a Sonic Screwdriver in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me?'

And here we have a still from 'New Earth'. Spoiler alert! Rose pretends to be possessed so she can cop off with the 10th Doctor. Hmm, I must try that one the next time I get my face slapped - 'oh sorry, I didn't really want to kiss you, I was possessed by an alien.' You can see Cassandra in the background getting all moist...urised. And having lowered the tone this far, it's definitely time to go. COMING SOON: Doctor Who does Kung Fu!

Doctor Who 'Long Coat' Doctor Review

2006-03-17T14:51:00.000-08:00

Everyone likes the 10th Doctor's long brown coat, and everyone likes the action figure based on that version of his outfit. That said, I hope use of the long coat will be sparing in the new series. One of the great things about the 9th Doctor's outfit is that it was contemporary, and the ONLY Doctor costume, other than Tom Baker's, not to look like period fancy dress. While the 10th Doctor's outfit is nothing if not contemporary, I get uneasy seeing the coat - let's hope the Doctor only wears it to keep out the cold, and not to look self-consciously eccentric. Besides, I'd like to see as much of his gorgeous, geek-chic pinstripe suit as possible.

I thought the Regeneration Set sculpt was pretty good, but this is better - a more serious, dramatic face that really captures David Tennant's pensive, jaw-setting, 'no second chances' expression. The paint jobs are generally good too, only on some of the figures I've examined the sideburns are much thicker than on others. Quick, call it a rare variation and stick it on eBay for a vast sum! This is another fine figure in the new range, with limited but adequate articulation, no annoying gimmicky action features, no pointless accessories (only the Sonic Screwdriver, which we love) and a GREAT sculpt. The great thing about this line is how fast its progressing. Hasbro have been making Star Wars figures for thirty years and still produce duds. The awful Rose Tyler pack-in figure that came with the R/C Daleks was only six months ago, but has since been both replaced (with a new paint job) and surpassed by all the new figures. CO have obviously made a real commitment to produce a quality action figure line. That's quite impressive when you consider that good sculpts and articulation cost plenty of money, set against the fact that any old rubbish with the Doctor Who logo on it would have sold a ton this summer.

Here's the Doctor and his faithful robotic companion - no, Matthew Waterhouse isn't coming back as Adric, it's K9 of course! The long coat Doctor figure stands well, although the articulation at the thighs is a bit redundant - yes, you can make the Doctor look like someone who's standing on two horses, but what's the point of that? It would have been far more useful to put ball-joints on the shoulders. But...but...the figure still looks great. So what's happening in this picture? Are The Doctor and K9 about to face off against intergalactic evil together?

Ah, no. Down boy! Good boy! Fetch!

Meanwhile, on a South London council estate...

Rose: Oh mum, he's left me. He said there was an alien invasion in Margate he had to deal with, but I know he's got someone else.
Jackie: You don't know that, love.
Rose: No?
Jackie: No, he probably just got bored of you.

9th: You mean to say you've split up with Rose? You must be mad! Do you mind if I ask her out?
10th: Er - not at all.

A short time later...

10th: I know I dumped you, but now that my mate fancies you I find you attractive again.
Rose: Do you really mean that?
10th: Of course.
Rose: Oh Doctor, that's so sweet.
10th: Right, I'm off out for the weekend. See you on Sunday night.

Some pints later...

9th: I can't believe it, she blew me out.
10th: Companions, eh? Do you remember that Leela who carried a knife?
9th: Yeah, what a psycho. Cor, look at that gorgeous blonde!
But the 9th Doctor is wearing his Gallifreyan beer goggles, for the gorgeous blonde actually looks like...

...this.

The next morning...

9th: So then we went back to my TARDIS and... (makes dematerialisation noise). But I left while it was still dark.
10th: Ahem, just as well.
9th: Love 'em and leave 'em, eh? Do you know, pulling that bird last night has really given me my self-respect back.
10th: If that's what you want to believe mate, then I'm happy for you.

Jackie: Rose! Have you seen my pink Nike's?
Sycorax: Bow to the power of the Sycorax!

Coming soon, the Sycorax review. MU HA HA HA!

Doctor Who M&S Easter Eggs Review

2006-03-11T12:46:00.000-08:00

There's nothing particularly special about the new Doctor Who easter eggs, which are exclusive to UK retailer Marks & Spencer, except for the fact that they exist at all. You see these on the shelves and you suddenly remember that Doctor Who is BACK! And that people who would have laughed at Doctor Who fans five years are buying them! Which is a pretty, er, special feeling. As you will know, there are two - one in the shape of a Dalek that retails at £2.99, and one in the shape of the Tardis that retails at £3.99.

The Dalek egg is the least special, although if you have too much time on your hands you can pretend its the Emperor Dalek. Here we see it about to eggsterminate the 9th Doctor.

As the 9th Doctor begins to regenerate, images of friends and enemies flash before him, rather like at the end of 'Logopolis'. Moxx of Balhoon...

...the Slitheen...

...and of course, a Dalek. Actually, these are 'caramel filled discs' with cool wrappers that come with each egg. There are four to a Dalek egg, and six to a TARDIS egg. Apparently, a foil-wrapped disc is also available with a TARDIS image on it, but it wasn't inside either of my eggs.

The TARDIS Easter Egg is the best value. While it's as flimsy as the Dalek egg (Dalegg?) the exterior slides up to reveal another box inside, surrounding the egg, and with a neat photo of the TARDIS control room on all four sides. I don't know why it's cool, but it is. Here we see that the 10th Doctor and Rose have landed in the second dimension, and the TARDIS has turned into paper!

Rose wanders into the heart of the TARDIS, where she accidentally swallows the time vortex.

The Doctor tells Rose that the entire universe will now be subject to Temporal Disintegration unless he snogs her right now.
ROSE: Temporal Disintegration? You so just made that up.
THE DOCTOR: Oh, so you're a Time Lord now are you?
ROSE: Er, no, but...
THE DOCTOR: Then pucker up, sweetie.

Afterwards, Rose wants to talk about feelings and stuff.
THE DOCTOR: Er, yeah, no problem, I'll call you, right?

Coming soon, the long coat Doctor figure review!

Doctor Who Slitheen Figure Review

2006-03-08T08:08:00.000-08:00

What's not to like about the Slitheen figure? It's a big chunky alien monster with articulated knees, elbows and head, and ball joints at the thighs and shoulders. Aside from being well-articulated it's a perfect sculpt and paint job. It doesn't come with any accessories because it doesn't really need any. Kids and collectors will love it. I've promised a review, but I've nothing more to say about it. So, on with the silly pictures!

Here we see Rose, just after the Doctor - a powerful Time Lord armed with a sonic screwdriver - has wandered off and left the unarmed human teenager to explore a dark corridor on her own. Behind her we see an alien monster getting ready to attack her. There's a surprise.

A vile, repulsive monster with an insatiable thirst for power and disgusting designs on Billie Piper. But that's enough about Chris Evans - here's the Slitheen about to strike. Interestingly, on the Slitheen homeworld big hands are actually an indicator of 'small everything else', one reason why Slitheen football teams rarely take communal baths.

Nightmare on Elm Street Part Seven-And-A-Half! Actually, the Slitheen is really saying, "What do you mean, you think you left the oven on? Can't you remember?"

Give us a kiss! This darkened spaceship corridor is actually a mantlepiece in a spare bedroom with woodchip wallpaper. But you'd never guess. That's what set designers do - they take ordinary locations and turn them into fantastic otherworldly environments. Note the CGI Slitheen, a special effect which gives the viewer the impression they are watching a special effect.

The Slitheen gets his hands on Rose Tyler. Lucky, lucky Slitheen. In the corner of the picture you can see K9, the plucky robot dog, who has just offered to hold Rose's coat. K9 is saying heroically, 'Blimey, he's big. Er, you start without me, I'll be back in a minute.'

But here comes the 9th Doctor to save the day!

Sadly not, but at least now we know why the Slitheen fart so much. It's all that chocolate they eat! Coming soon - the Marks & Spencer Doctor Who Easter Eggs Review...

Doctor Who Rose & K9 Figures Review

2006-03-05T14:50:00.000-08:00

The rarest of all the Doctor Who action figures released by Character Options in Wave 1 of their new range is Rose & K9. Now, who wouldn't want an action figure of Billy Piper? I mean, Rose Tyler? Yet this set has been short-packed in Wave 1 (the full case assortment is 5 The Doctor long coat figures; 2 each of Slitheen, Sycorax and brown suit Doctor; and just one of Rose and K9). The result is that Doctor Who fans across the UK have been desperate to get their hands on Billy Piper. I mean, Rose Tyler. Let's hope Character Options repeat this figure in one of the subsequent Waves and poor Rose doesn't get short-packed again (ooh-er missus). Doctor Who figures are supposedly 'boys toys' and the theory is that small boys won't want to play with an action figure of Billy Piper. I think you'd have trouble preventing a small boy from wanting to play with a Billy Piper action figure, but that's just my opinion.

So if you do find one, what will it be like? Well, if you're looking for a flexible version of Billy Piper that you can manipulate easily into a variety of interesting positions - and let's face it, who isn't - then you may be disappointed by one half of this release. (Did I say Billy Piper? I meant...) If you're looking for a robot dog with a nifty removable access panel and 'Pull Back and Go' motion, then this is DEFINITELY your thing. In fact, the Rose Tyler figure isn't at all bad. It's a bright, colourful, vibrant figure that stands up well, and looks great on a shelf (especially next to the predominantly black Eccleston and Tennant figures from the Regeneration Set). The figure's clothes have been nicely sculpted and painted, with some impressive attention to detail, particularly in the zip on her top, whose teeth are all visible. You'll want to examine this zip closely. It can be found in the area of Rose Tyler's chest. As I said, you'll want to examine this zip closely.

One rather frightening aspect of the Rose figure is that she comes with removable hair. This produces a result not unlike an Auton, and which is certainly more terrifying than any Doctor Who monster I've ever seen. But then, you've always got the option (and I suggest you take it) of never removing her hair. After all, you might lose it, and then you'll be left with a hideous plastic homunculus that will whisper to you in your darkest dreams.

The least attractive aspect of the figure is its articulation. In fact, this particular Rose is a game old girl who's been around the track the few times. I'm sorry, I'll start that sentence again. This particular Rose is the same as the one included with some of the R/C Dalek battle packs last year; however, the sculpt and paint job has allegedly been improved. The articulation is still terrible though; Rose's legs move, but not her knees, her arms are articulated (but hard to move) and her elbows are articulated - yet they're not designed to move up and down, but AROUND. This means you can force her hands behind her back, or raise them in a kind of 'guard up' boxing pose, but do very little else with them. Well, nothing, actually. As for her head, you can move it from side to side, but only after you've removed her hair. This would appear to be a design fault, unless it's actually a reference to one of next season's storylines (no, its a design fault!). The poor articulation stems from the fact that the figure was originally sculpted without articulation, and her few joints were added later. Doubtless this will be rectified in the next Rose figure we see (the articulation in all the new figures is already a vast improvement from those produced last year). As for the sculpt, it has reportedly been improved, and it is an extremely good likeness, especially bearing in mind that female faces are notoriously difficult to sculpt. However, the paint job is very variable. On some figures the paint has been applied too thickly, making Rose's face look like a caricature. Also, the brown paint indicating the roots of her hair is generally applied with a trowel, meaning that often she looks more like a brunette than a blonde. I prefer the blonde ones (I'm a gentleman). Ideally you'd have a shelf of these to pick from, but at one to a box that'll never happen.

If I sound like I'm being extremely critical of this figure, I'm not - I'm just pointing out deficiencies that stem from its history rather than any lack of effort on CO's part. We know we're going to get better Rose figures in future. And besides, who wouldn't want THIS on their mantlepiece - the 9th Doctor and Rose, facing off against the monster from the Woodchip Wastes!

Besides, you get K9, and he is BRILLIANT. Not sure whether he's another figure or just the best accessory of all time, but he's great. And there's a kind of 'saturday teatime in the late seventies' aura about him. For a start, it's a great sculpt, and the removable access panel shows innards that definitely indicate some sculptor has gone 'the extra mile'. They could have made the access panel just click on and off, but you actually remove it by pressing down on the keypad on K9's back - this makes it fly off very satisfyingly. As for the 'Pull Back and Go' motion, this is only half successful; that is to say, I've done the 'pull back' part of it a hundred times today, but I'm yet to see K9 actually 'go'. Still, good effort, and what a shame some kind of 'pull back and go' mechanism couldn't have been part of the Rose figure...(oh, behave).

All in all, good value and a great set of toys, and although we know better things are coming, this'll do for now. I mean, the Regeneration Set 10th Doctor figure can do the splits - I'm sure I'm not alone in thinking that a similar feature would add value to the next Rose figure.

The 10th Doctor figure can also do handstands, but now he's just showing off. Don't forget to check out my review of the Argos Regeneration Set; all comments and suggestions warmly received, apart from the anatomically impossible ones. Coming soon: the newdoctorwhostuff Slitheen review.

BEHIND YOU!

Doctor Who Argos Regeneration Set Review

2006-03-02T14:34:00.000-08:00

One of the best things about the new series of Doctor Who - apart from the scripts, acting, special effects, and, er, just about everything - is the terrific new range of toys from Character Options. The 5" figure Doctor Who figure range (yes, finally, a Doctor Who figures range!!!) seems to have caused the most excitement and began debuting in UK specialist sci-fi stores last month. The figures reach mainstream toy shops and supermarkets in March and April - or at least, most of the range will, but not the now legendary Regeneration set. This is a UK store exclusive for Argos, and while the numbers are not as limited as the store exclusive tag might suggest, the first lot of Regeneration Sets came and went in about five seconds. No telling at present how long it'll be around, given that it makes commercial sense to concentrate on the new Doctor as the new series approaches (April 15th?).

As you'll probably know the Regeneration Set features a resculpt/ repaint of the Christopher Eccleston figure first issued with the R/C Dalek battle pack last year (incidentally these have suddenly reappeared recently in UK TRU's - grab 'em while you can). It comes with figure of David Tennant as the 10th Doctor, in the same outfit. The Eccleston figure was originally designed to have no articulation at all, but to be a kind of many statue of the Doctor pointing his sonic screwdriver to his right in a dynamic pose (the lack of articulation is apparent from early publicity shots of the figure). When the decision was taken to produce a 5" figure line articulationw as added to the figures shoulders, elbows and neck.

Does the limited articulation matter? NO! We're easily pleased at the moment after so many toyless (and Wholess) years. The original sculpt was a reasonably good likeness of Eccleston that caught some of the intense, feral, committed quality in his portrayal of The Doctor. The original figure came with a sonic screwdriver, and his pullover was red; the pullover on the Regeneration Set figure has been painted black, as it was in the last story of the season, 'The Parting Of The Ways'. The Regeneration set figure differs and improves on the original in several ways. First, something about the sculpt has changed; the face is slightly longer. The paint job is more subtle, particularly on the eyes. Another problem that has been fixed is the angle of the head on the original figure; it tilted awkwardly when facing forwards (a result of articulation being added at a late stage). The angle of the legs has been left untouched, meaning that the options for posing the figure are limited. The paint and/or materials used on the new figure mean the surface is matt; much of the previous figure, except for the jacket, was shiny. One change that doesn't improve the figure is that the leather jacket on the original had brown highlights on the sleeves to indicate dirt or wear; the new one doesn't. And finally, the sonic screwdriver is slightly different; while the sculpt is the same (and it's still very bendy!) one end of it has been painted black. All in all, a nice update to a nice figure.
Does it improve on the original? Yeeeeessss... it does, but in my opinion the original has caught the 9th Doctor's intense quality slightly better in the photo the newer figure is on the right. Doesn't it have a calmer expression than the older one, seen on the left? On the other hand, the new one has a smoother paint job and improved sculpt. If possible get both, but don't get hung up about it; either one will give you a good Eccleston figure to put on your Who shelf.

The David Tennant 10th Doctor figure immediately demonstrates how seriously CO has taken the task of creating an action figure line. While the original Eccleston figure may have been an afterthought, as a pack in for the Dalek set, the Tennant figure has improved articulation, at the knees, elbows and even thighs (you can make the figure do the splits!). The leather jacket seems to be the same sculpt, but the jumper underneath has been resculpted. As with the Ecclestone figure there are no holes in the feet, which would have been useful - the figures can stand up, and actually stand unaided better than most action figures, but could still have done with holes in the heels, so they could be placed on stands. Anyway, the figure stands up better than The Doctor did for most of 'The Christmas Invasion!' The head sculpt is superb, and while it would have been nice to see one that more accurately reflected the Doctor's fractious state after his Regeneration, this would have been extremely expensive to do. Some people say that the heads of the figures are interchangeable - I don't know, I haven't wanted to yank their heads off, and find out that the heads ARE removable, but only once! Anyone who wants to swap the heads should use the 'boil and pop' method, and since I'm not an expert on this, I'll leave you to find expert advice via google. One thing's for sure, if you do swap their heads you'll end up with a better articulated figure of Eccleston, and Tennant figure that can be posed to look like he's staggering.

To Open or not to Open? Well, I open everything, without exception, and these look great out of the packet. Besides, you can't play with them before they're open! But they do look good carded - the packaging seems to have been put together with real care and affection for the fanbase. The cards are identical for every wave of figures (except that the Regeneration set has a different Character Options serial number from wave 1, 01899, presumably to ensure that retailers other than Argos can't order it by accident). The front of the card features a very nice, ghostly blue shiny photo of the TARDIS materialising, or travelling through the vortex, or just shining in a ghostly blue, shiny TARDIS way. A little card insert in the bubble identifies the character.

But as for the bubble...! If one thing really marks this line out as having been produced by fans, or at least, people who want to reach fans, it's the bubble. Yes, as the photo shows, they've taken the trouble to make it TARDIS shaped. Because it contains two figures, this is one of the larger bubbles, the other sizes vary. Incidentally, you may have noticed from some of the photo's that the figures appear to have materialised on the Planet Mantelpiece, in the Woodchip Wastes. Yes, I am aware of my study's interior design shortcomings, and the problem is being worked on (you should have seen the Superman wallpaper that was in one of the bedrooms when we moved in). One problem is that all the cards without exception come with a great big Argos sticker with a serial number and the legend 'Boy's Toys' (not pictured). Well, apart from the sexism of the sticker, it's hell to remove, although it can be done without damaging the card. You'll need a lot of patience and long fingernails. And here's a warning - if you reserve the item from an Argos store it will come with a reservation ticket taped to the bubble with red tape. Take this off straight away - if you leave it even for two days it's murder to remove, and leaves a red residue. Luckily I left it on a set that I was planning to give to someone who doesn't care about card bubble condition, but if you do, you'll freak when you try pulling it off. Bad Argos! Oh, and of course, you won't be able to pick these yourself, they'll come from the warehouse out the back. If you're lucky they'll arrive minty as mint - if not, the card will look like a team of Saturday boys has played football with it. Caveat Emptor, but if you've driven fifty miles to buy the last one in East Anglia you'll probably buy it anyway.

To wrap up, this is an excellent start to the new line, (Wave 1 is pictured on the cardback) and had it not been produced as an exclusive, probably wouldn't have been produced at all. Kudos to Argos for picking it up, and especially to Character Options for investing so much time, money, but above all, CARE in the line. It shows.

Coming soon - the super-rare 'Rose & K9' review with more pics...