The Doctor Who action figure of the 13th Doctor in her burgundy shirt and with bum-bag, was released in March 2020 as part of a 4 figure wave of new figures from the 13th Doctor's era. She was released on a blister card along with 3 other single packed figures of the Recon Dalek, Graham O'Brien and Judoon Captain.
Packaging 3/5
The 2020 single figures comes with new packaging, albeit using the same design principles and colours as the more recent B&M releases. We have a shaped blister card with the new series Doctor Who logo atop. The backing for the figure is the grey lined artwork of the TARDIS and this wraps around the right hand of the blister.
The character name is also wrapped inside the blister at the base of the figure and names the figure as The Thirteenth Doctor There is no episode sub heading, instead the sub heading is "Action Figure (5.5"/14cm Scale"). In the bottom corner of the blister there is a red insert which details accessories included with the figure. For the Doctor this states "with bag and sonic screwdriver accessories". The bag refers to her bum-bag, which did not appear on the first release of this figure - but it is a bit confusing listing it as an accessory when it can't be removed.
The back of the card carries no bio's or story details or text of any kind. Instead we get a checklist of the other releases in the wave via images of each of them - and a look at the 13th Doctor TARDIS that has been released at the same time.
There are two 13th Doctor images on the card back. The one that was released is shown in front of the TARDIS, while one in a lighter blue shirt sits with the other figures from the wave. In actual fact the red shirt is the general release - the blue shirt version is not part of this wave, or included in the TARDIS set?
Paint & Sculpt 4/5
The figure carries a good resemblance to Jodie Whittaker, but remains consistent with the rest of the Who line - basic face sculpts and painting. The paint applied to the eyes and lips is neat and crisp and the hair is now a darker blonde with some darker roots painted in. The earings are there in her left ear, but not quite as brightly painted as the earlier release.
The costume with the red shirt and bumbag was only briefly seen on screen, at the end of Arachnids in the UK (the same episode the Graham O'Brien figures is based on). The proportions of the figure are good with the colours crisp and bright. The stripes on the top are distinct and the long coat is well painted too with the blue collar and very intricate lines of green, yellow and red either side of the buttons. I sadly did manage to get a huge glue spot on one side of my coat which I can't remove.
The bumbag is an individual piece, in a softer plastic that wraps the figures waist. It cannot be removed.
This is a re-use figure for the Thirteenth Doctor which was originally released in January 2019. The colours have been updated and the bumbag added around her waist, which does actually go someway to disguise the waist joint the older figure carries.
Accessories 3/5
The Doctor has her Sonic Screwdriver accessory, another direct re-use from the 2019 release. It is cast in a soft silver plastic with blobs of gold colour in more or less the right places. It is shaped to fit in the Doctor's right hand - but due to the hand shaping it can't really be "pointed" just held out.
Articulation 3/5
In line with the rest of the long running 5.5 inch Doctor Who line, The Doctor has the basic level of articulation as has been the norm for a number of years with 14 points of articulation in total - although she loses the thigh swivel we see on a lot of other figures.
Head : neck swivel
Body : waist swivel
Arms : peg shoulder, bicep swivel, single elbow joint, wrist swivel
Legs : T-Joint hip, single joint knee
The joints are quite basic, and "of an era" with exposed pins and swivels that move the whole arm out of line when turned. It does mean that this Doctor still fits in with any Doctor Who collection without looking out of place.
There is some level of movement in the arms for gesturing and posing. The legs can't kneel or sit due to the cut of the coat, but some slightly wider stances are possible. The Doctor Who figures do not use ankle rockers and the stability of the figure is great with the feet cast flat to the floor for balance.
Summary
The 2020 version of the 13th Doctor, with her burgundy shirt and bum-bag, is a pretty simple tweak from the previous years version - and this is nothing new for the range. How many times did we see that 10th Doctor David Tennant sculpt with varying shirts and suits? The figure carries a good likeness, while retaining the feel of the figures - so she doesn't look out of place alongside figures from 2006.
I would have liked a hand shaped to more "point" her sonic screwdriver. And the packaging would be more collector friendly if we could have seen Character hold the Window Box design they started a few years back during the 12th Doctor era.
I score the new Thirteenth Doctor action figure a 3 out of 5.
About Me : As a child of the 70's and 80's I grew up in a golden age for action figures and in my youth bought and sold myself through collections of Star Wars, G.I. Joe (Action Force) and M.A.S.K. while also dabbling in He-Man, Transformers and Ghostbusters. Roll forward and I am now reliving that Youth with the action figures of today and am a collector and fan of the larger 6-8 inch figures from my favourite movie and TV licences - including the ones mentioned above, but also the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Doctor Who and the Aliens. I launched The Mephitsu Archives in 2015 with a view of creating a UK focused site or these figures where fans can pick up the latest action figure news, read reviews and get information on where to buy their figures and what is currently on store shelves. I hope I am delivering that to you guys...
action figures, reviews, review, articulation, doctor who, dr who, the doctor, 13th doctor. jodie whittaker, character toys, character options