2019 see's the biggest ever range of 5 inch Doctor Who figures as B&M Stores exclusives, and also includes the first collaboration with Big Finish to produce three Doctor & Dalek 2-packs based on the Big Finish audio series. In this review we will look at one of the three 3-packs, the Two Doctors set based on the 1985 story.
Packaging 3/5
Our Two Doctor set uses the 2019 design with blue box background with cut in silver panels featuring a line drawing of the TARDIS. The Who logo is the new series 2018 one, but tweaked to a silver colour to match the box design.
The three figures are visible in the window, and unlike the Cyberman set, the figures are arranged so that they run shortest to tallest and are all fully visible in the sloping window. The box is titled The Two Doctors set and the character names are slotted into a circular inset at the top right - oddly the wrong way round to the order they appear in the package.
"Includes The Second Doctor, Perpugilliam Brown and Group Marshall Strike"
The left side spine is cut panel with the who logo at the top in a blue background and the set name at the bottom, also in blue. Through the middle is the silver insert and TARDIS illustration. The other spine on the right carries the same header and images of the three figures as well as a repeat of the character names.
The back of the box is quite plain once you look past the headers and figure images (the same ones from the side spine). There is no background text about the story or characters. Why this has been omitted from the 3-packs when so much depth and detail is included on the TARDIS and Dalek sets from the same line is unclear and frankly a bit disappointing.
The figures are accessed via the top or bottom flap and sit in a plastic tray with various elasticated ties holding them in. This tray then sits in a nondescript cardboard sleeve with a grey panel design.
Paint & Sculpt 3/5
We will go through the set in the order in which they are packed, starting with Perpugilliam Brown - or Peri to her friends. This is Peri as seen in The Two Doctors and uses the existing Peri figure. That means we get a pretty good likeness to Nicola Bryant, although we now get a painted band across her forehead to match the one she wears on screen.
The shirt is not quite right to the Two Doctors outfit as it carries no real pattern - as seen in the episode - but instead some gold streaks across a pink base. It is also full length and not cut and tied at the waist. The arms have been adjusted from the original figure with new forearms to try and recreate the sleeves being rolled up. Someone obviously got the measurements wrong here and the new parts extend Peri's arms far too far and leave her looking quite odd.
When I first saw the 2nd Doctor from the set I felt doing him as an Androgam was a missed opportunity to give us a normal but older 2nd Doctor - however, I had hoped they had gone and resculpted the head with the big bushy Androgum eyebrows and slicked back hair. Sadly they haven't and have just painted red eye brows on the existing Troughton sculpt.
While I appreciate the need for these sets to be kitbashed and repaints, if you can't do the Androgum head with or without the top hat, then the figure should have simply been the older 2nd Doctor - after all the outfit is pretty well done with the right colour bow tie and a good attempt at the checked trousers.
While Peri just looks odd, and the Doctor is a little disappointing, Field Marshall Strike does live up to expectations. As far as I can tell we have a brand new head sculpt for Strike and the body is then based on the original Linx figure but with the armour removed from the elbow and knees.
Everything on Strike, and the other figures, is well painted with no obvious splodges or bleeding between parts.
Accessories 2/5
There is no real consistency this year with accessories in the three packs. In previous years we have had nothing - and yet this year we have been getting some accessories, but not perhaps everything we would expect.
In the Two Doctor set we get Strike's helmet as the sole accessory. This works well enough, slotting into the neck rings to create a good seal.
As Strike uses the Sontaran Baton and has the holster on his hip, we might have expected that to be included considering it is packed in the Sontaran 3-pack - but sadly not. The Doctor is also devoid of his flute that used to be a staple with all 2nd Doctor releases.
Articulation 3/5
Articulation on the Character Options who figures has remained constant across the years since their debut in 2006. While there are more modern ways of jointing figures, keeping them the same does allow for consistency in looks across the line that is no entering its 13th year.
Each of the three figures has the same 16 point of articulation setup.
Head : neck rotation
Body : waist rotation
Arms : rotating shoulder, bicep swivel, single joint elbow, wrist swivel
Legs : T-Joint hip, thigh swivel, single joint knee
You wont get much in the way of posing out of any of these figures, maybe some gesturing with the hands or a wider stance. They all do stand well enough and most of the joints are tight - although watch the bicep swivel which can pop out when moved.
Summary
This three pack follows the repack/tweak/repaint rules that Character and B&M have laid down over the past few years - and even though we get a new head sculpt for Strike, it feels like better options and decisions were missed.
Why they messed with Peri's arms is a mystery, the rest of the shirt isn't screen accurate so they could have left them alone rather than leaving her looking like Elastigirl. The 2nd Doctor could have been a more desirable older Patrick Troughton from the story and not the Androgum. And Strike should have got some accessories.
All that being said, we have three new(ish) classic Who figures from a 1985 multi-doctor story and all bundled up at a cost that equates to less than £7 a figure. I score the Two Doctors Collectors Set a run of the mill 3 out of 5.
