The second batch of the Character Options Doctor Who sets, exclusive to B&M Stores, landed on shelves just ahead of Christmas 2021. This Autumn/Winter series featured three new 3-packs, 2 further History of the Daleks set, and this pack of The First Doctor and TARDIS from the very beginning of the show and An Unearthly Child in 1963. Out of all the sets, this TARDIS and Doctor combination was seemingly the hardest to find either due to low production numbers, or a high scalping rate with sets on eBay now for upwards of £60. I managed to secure a single set for my son, and never saw the pack ever again to add it to my collection. He has kindly allowed me to open and review his set for the website.
The packaging is the same wrapped window box as seen on other TARDIS releases with the window extending to both side panels to give a good view of the figure, TARDIS, and the diorama backdrop within. The set is named on the front along with the year of broadcast for An Unearthly Child. And as usual for the B&M sets, a gold foil Limited Edition sticker is attached to the box window.
The rear of the box is turned over to an image of the set alongside another of the extensive write-ups that the Character team includes on many of their releases. It starts with working its way through the plot of An Unearthly Child and then a wider piece on the TARDIS prop used in 1963 including the origin of the TARDIS appearance as a Police Box. These are always a fascinating read and I am pleased in this one to see the plot section reduced rather than giving a blow-by-blow account of the story.
Once opened the contents slide out of the outer box as one connected piece. The cardboard backdrop has a plastic tray taped into it with The Doctor sitting in a further individual figure tray. He is tied into the packaging with both the paper string ties and some clear elasticated ties. The TARDIS is then plugged into the tray top and bottom.
You will need to carefully work your way around all the fastenings to release the sets and to protect the card back if you intend on keeping this. The TARDIS is the hardest to remove as there are some screws holding it to the cardboard and there is also a clear strap inserted through the opening doors, which is as usual a pain to remove.
The backdrop piece is designed to recreate part of the Totters Lane junkyard from 1963 with some steps in the background, a few pillars, and a dummy leaning up on one side. As it is brown cardboard on the other side it is not something you could immediately put on display - but it has potential.
The First Doctor figure is the same as was released in 2010 with the original TARDIS set. He features a softer plastic black overcoat, striped scarf, and checked trousers. The trousers have been repainted for this release in a brown rather than the original grey. The visible bow tie is also much darker.
The head sculpt is also the same with his Astrakhan hat, but compared with the original release the skin tone is very pale - almost deathly. The 2010 version was much healthier in colour, almost too tanned so there is a place somewhere between the two that would be perfect.
The paintwork on the Doctor is neat where it has been applied with the check on the trouser done really well considering the scale, and the stripes on the scarf neat and tidy. The facial features are also applied neatly and the hair is given a two-tone grey finish to add definition and depth.
The Doctor has no accessories, missing the walking cane he was packed with in the original release. His hand is still shaped to hold it.
Articulation is the basic configuration we are used to with the Character Who figures utilising a pinned system on the knees and elbows and simply plugged in pegs on the other joints allowing for rotation only. The Doctor has 16 points of articulation allowing for some movement in the arms, neck, and waist and some level of leg positioning although with no ankle articulation any wider stances end up looking unnatural with the feet splayed to the side.
The joints are all secure within their own design and recent quality concerns over the bicep swivels do not seem to be evident on this release and there is no visible gap, wobble, or weakness at this position on the arm.
Moving on to the TARDIS and the set still uses the original TARDIS moulding which then allows for varying roof and base configurations. The 1963 TARDIS has a higher roof mould and a varying light to the other models. The original 2010 release was quite a bright and clean blue, whereas this one is much more worn and weathered and very much more in keeping with how we would have found it in 1963 had the show been in colour.
The Police Box wording is added on the top rail and round each side, with the front telephone panel being painted in an off white and with the lettering in place that gives the instructions on how to use the box and how to phone the Police. The weathered and battered look even extends to a partially worn off St. Johns Ambulance decal on the front which I thought was a fault at first, but is purposely applied this way to match the original prop - great attention to detail!
As all the TARDIS are built on the original mould that would have included lights and sounds, the rear of the TARDIS still has a fixed-in battery cover (screw has been removed) and the holes of the old speaker. The packaging carries some small print to confirm this release is non-electronic but I would imagine some people will still seek out the on switch having seen these?
The doors on the TARDIS both open and you start with the right-hand door that pushes back on a spring until it clicks into place in the open position. This can then be left as it is, or the left-hand door opened in the same way. The interior of the box is plain and in the blue plastic the piece is cast out of. This is the way all the TARDIS have been released and is crying out for a cardboard interior insert as we have seen on the New Who releases?
To release the doors you pull the left one close, and then to save trapped fingers there is a spring release button on the base for the right door that releases the catch and lets it spring back to the close position.
As a set, and still at the £19.99 price point, the First Doctor and TARDIS is a brilliant addition to the line and ticks both boxes in terms of re-releasing a hard to find set from over 10-years ago for new collectors, while being different enough in execution so not to devalue the original.
The Doctor is a touch pale and needs his walking stick, but these are my only two gripes about the set itself. Even the articulation, rudimentary as it is, doesn't bother me. The Who line has never been about great articulation and I am pleased still that new releases remain consistent with figures released some 12-14 years ago now.
The one issue with this set is its scarcity. I do a lot of travelling in my main job and tried plenty of B&M's and saw this set only once which I purchased for my son. The other sets of the time were in more plentiful supply but this one was must have been produced in much smaller numbers when you consider how hard it was to find and the relatively small number on eBay now driving the prices up and up. Perhaps there is a further shipment to come (I am an optimist) and if you are lucky enough to come across this at retail then well done, and don't hesitate in getting it bought!
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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...