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In 2015, after a couple of years of exile, Character Options, Underground Toys and Toys R Us have joined forces to bring 5 inch Doctor Who figures back to UK toy shelves. As well as stocking the collectors series of boxed figures (alongside Forbidden Planet), Toys R Us have commissioned some blister packed figures which cover series 1 to 8 of the new series. So far, at time of writing, all of these figures have been released previously in the main range that ran from 2005 to 2012. In these "advance" reviews I am using the original release figure to review ahead of these being in store at Toys R Us as of November 2009. Should the repack contain any new features, paint work or articulation then I will amend the reviews accordingly. Our first review takes us back to Series 3 (2007) and the 10th Doctor era. In one of the most frightening adventures of the new series, and one that featured very little of the Doctor, Sally Sparrow found herself up against the terrifying Weeping Angels. Character Options Who figures have never been massively articulated, enough to do a job and keep costs low enough for both collectors and kids. The Weeping Angel contains even less than normal, with the whole bottom section of the figure a static piece. The sculpt on the Angel is a reasonable job to capture the fact that this character is essentially a statue, however the figure is now 8 years old and does sadly looked dated vs the newer releases. The head doesn't really capture the blank terrifying expression of the Angels - although the eyes are nicely done but the nose seems a tad too long and the mouth not quite right. The hair is sculpted well and works round to a bob at the back. The whole head looks like it is on a ball joint, but it is a peg only so only side to side movement can be achieved there is no option to look up and down - and this is a shame as the head could do with being tilted upwards a few more degrees. The arms are articulated at the shoulders, but again on a peg which means they can only move in one direction. A bicep swivel, jointed elbow and rotating wrists does allow you to move the arms to what I would describe as a lunging pose and putting four of then together round a TARDIS in this pose does replicate one of the key scenes from Blink! really well. There is no getting away from the fact the arms are spoiled by the articulation, and for me the figure could have done without the elbow and bicep movement and would have looked better for it. Spinning the Angel round and the two wings are clipped into sockets on the rear of the figure. These sockets are themselves articulated and allow the wings to be flat against the rear of the Angel or swept further back. The waist is a joint of some form as the figure is clearly a top and bottom half - but the joint at the waist allows no movement, and once again I am left thinking "less would have been more" and by removing the joint the figure would have looked much better. Paint application is a flat grey colour all over and over this are some lighter grey dry brushing to bring out the details and fold of the stone statues clothes. The paint could have been neater and a darker wash before the dry brush would have defined the sculpt much more. The figure will always suffer from varying applications of paint and you won't find two Angels identical the same. On some examples (I have four) you will find the arms are a lighter tone of grey, and you will also find plenty of blemishes within the paint where the colours have been sloppily applied. As a choice of re-release, the Weeping Angel does make sense on paper - it is one of the iconic enemies purely from the new series. However, packing a figure with such limited paint and articulation and with a sculpt 8 years old is perhaps not going to win a lot of plaudits. Considering that Toys R Us are going to be charging £14.99 for this, the same as say the brand new 8th Doctor in Collectors boxed packaging, I can see the Angel warming a few pegs in the near future. Even though this figure is 8 years old, I am going to score it as I would a brand new figure and against the other Who figures of 2015. The Angel is OK but suffers from a "not quite right" head sculpt, too much useless and unsightly articulation and a lazy paint job. She scrapes a 2 out of 5 with the articulated wings just saving her from a 1 out of 5 score.

Review : Sarah Jane Smith and K9 Doctor Who 5 inch (Character Options) Wave/Series : Toys R Us, Autumn 2015 releases* Released : November 2015 Price : £14.99 Like all the blister packed 5 inch Doctor Who figures launched at Toys R Us in autumn 2015, Sarah Jane and K9 are a repack of a figure that was originally released in 2008. * It is worth mentioning at this point that although Sarah Jane is on the card-back of the Toys R Us range, she hasn't turned up for sale as yet online or in-store. Her only appearance has been in the US, which is the figure we are reviewing. Please let us know on Facebook if you have found her in the UK. We assume that like the 8th Doctor she will show up soon in Toys R Us stores in the UK. Sarah Jane arrives in the slimmed down blister pack, with the black through to orange star-scape/vortex design that we also see on the boxed collectors version. On the rear is a checklist of the other figures in this blister packed wave. Sarah Jane stands a touch under 5" and that puts her nicely in scale with the 10th Doctor, the Doctor she met in School Reunion (2006) and from which her figures outfit is taken. The facial sculpt, I remember at the time, was a source of much debate with fans. But I personally think it is a good likeness for Elizabeth Sladen, capturing her as she was in 2011 rather than her 1970's more youthful appearance. The hair on the figure is also particularly well done with some depth in the sculpt and a nice fringe made up of some individual strands of hair coming off the main hair piece. The torso is made up of a sculpted under shirt, and on top of this is a rubber coat which is detailed enough to include pockets, buttons, button holes and a couple of straps around the back. The arms also carry the detail with three buttons sculpted at each cuff. The hands also include a ring on each hand, which I always think is a nice detail that could have easily been left off, particularly as I don't remember any rings being major plot devices in the episode. The legs are a sculpted pair of jeans, and unlike the 11th Doctor we reviewed recently, there is a lot more depth in the fabric with folds and ruffles and even the rear pockets sculpted, even though they are mostly hidden by the tails of the coat. The feet are finished with a high heel under the boot cut of the jeans, again another nice detail when it must have been easier to stick a plain flat shoe to finish Sarah's outfit. Paint applications are excellent also. The hair has loads of depth from both a wash and some dry-brushing to bring out some highlights. The face is neatly done but not overly heavy handed, with bright and well positioned eyes and a not overly red lipstick. The coat is quite plain, as is the vest, but the jeans are nicely coloured to give a strong denim look. Sarah Jane comes with 11 points of articulation, a couple less than some of the other figures we have seen from the Dr Who range. The head is pegged, and rotates slightly either side with most movement blocked by the hair. The shoulders are also a peg, which allows for rotating round and no outward movement. There is a bicep swivel, and as they have given Sarah more rounded arms as opposed to the flattened versions we often see, the swivel doesn't detract too much from the look of the arms. The elbows are pinned, and the head of the peg used is visible, but as the coat is a darker colour it isn't as noticeable. The hands are plugged into a hole in the arm, and therefore rotate fully. The hips are jointed to move into a sitting position, but also out to the side to give a wider stance or even put Sarah Jane into the splits. There is no thigh swivel, which is where the figure loses 2 points of articulation vs the 13 we normally see. The knees are pegged like the arms, and here the heads of the pegs are a bit more visible. There is no movement at all on the ankles or feet as these are sculpted into the legs. Sarah doesn't come with any accessories to speak of, nor could she really hold any as both hands are not really designed into a "grip". She does however come with a 5 inch scale K9, so let's have a look at him. K9, like Sarah Jane, was released in 2008. He was at the time also packed with Sarah Jane, but then re-used a number of times in other pack-ins. He also originally came in both "dirty/rusted" and "clean" finishes. K9 stands 2.5" high, and is a decent enough sculpt albeit with a few issues. Starting at the head and they have captured this really well, including the recessed nose laser, the red grilled eyes and the ear radars. The ear radars are a little soft in material, probably so they don't snap easily, but that means they aren't as well defined as they could be. The corrugated neck curves down into the body, and where it meets the body it has K9's multi-coloured collar, although lazily the dog tag has just been painted onto the body rather than physically sculpted. Underneath the neck on the front is handle, and then round the side you have his recessed panel on the right and the embossed K9 wording on the right. On top is a control panel inclusive of a number of buttons, and then the top swoops down to the rear of K9, from which extends another handle and his aerial tail. Sadly the figure was sculpted in two halves and there is an ugly joint right down the middle of the figure. Painting is neat, with a silver metallic finish across the body and then the various detail picked out in colours. The collar and the top control bank are neatly done with crisp greens, blues and reds. K9 has no articulation as such, but does come with two action features. The first is a pull back and go device built into the wheels - this is great fun to watch K9 go shooting off across the floor or the table. The other is a pop off panel which is done by pressing down his top control panel. The panel doesn't pop off with any real force, but it does work and underneath reveals some inner workings of K9, as seen on School Reunion. The insides have quite a lot of detail, considering it is a hidden feature, and is painted predominantly in bronze but with some blue & red paint in places although this seems more daubed on with out much accuracy. K9 isn't perfect, but he is more of an accessory pack in rather than a figure so we can forgive him. Overall this release is still particularly strong. It may have outdated articulation vs newer figure ranges, but it has a neat sculpt and very well done paint applications. The price of £14.99 feels a bit high when you consider that this is the same prices as the boxed collectors figures, but is more palatable considering SJS is a well executed figure and you get K9 included. If you didn't pick up Sarah Jane the first time round, or if you are just starting off a Who collection then I do recommend this release and score her a 4 out of 5 when lined up against her peers in the range..

Review : 11th Doctor in Stetson Doctor Who 5 inch (Character Options) Wave/Series : Toys R Us, Autumn 2015 releases Released : November 2015 Price : £14.99 Originally the 11th Doctor in Stetson was released in 2011 as part of the original 5 inch range of figures from Doctor Who. In November 2015, he was re-released on a revised card back as part of a new wave of figures on sale exclusively at Toys R Us stores. Unlike the "collectors" figures, which come boxed, the more basic range (although they are the same price) come on a carded blister pack. The card follows the basic design principle of the boxed versions, with a dark blue star scape blending down into an orange vortex design. The general Who logo is at the top of the card, with the character name slotted into a small insert at the bottom of the blister itself. On the reverse is a very old school check-list of other figures in this series - including the 10th Doctor, Weeping Angel, Dalek Sec, Rose and Sarah Jane Smith. These new cards remind me of the slimmed down Dapol cards of the 1980's and I wonder if that is deliberate to infuse a bit of nostalgia. The figure itself is identical to the 2011 release. And the fact it is pushing 5 years old does tell. The sculpt is OK and it does look like Matt Smith. The hat does look OK and sits well enough, but up close you can see a visible gap where it is planted onto a peg in the head. The shirt is a very soft sculpt and the bow tie sticks out a little too much. The tweed jacked it nicely textured and comes complete with the leather elbow pads. Trousers are plain, and finish tucked in to the boots which again are a bit soft and undefined - although you can see laces. The figure is neatly painted, but very one dimensionally. The face is neat, with the eyes captured very well. The hat and clothes are simply one colour, not even a feint wash to bring out the texture of the jacket. Neither is there any attempt to colour the buttons on the shirt or the laces on the trousers. Even the belt buckle, which you can see, is left the same dull black as the trousers. Now all that is fine and is what is expected of the 5" Dr Who range, which at its peak was aimed squarely at kids and at a price point of around £7. The price however has now doubled, and these are being touted as collectors pieces - but with no real step up in paint applications, or indeed articulation as you will see shortly. With these all being re-releases and with only one true new figure in the combined carded and boxed ranges, this starts to feel a bit of a con Articulation was starting to improve on the Who range towards the end of its life, although still very basic with pegs and sockets rather than the more recent joints and swivels. But this figure is even a slight step back from that. The pegged head rotates to either side, but has no up and down movement. The shoulders are pegged into the body and can therefore rotate around and above the head - there is no outward joint as has been seen on the more recent Clara and 12th Doctor figures. There is a bicep swivel, but with the arms being flattened to sit next to the body any rotation of the bicep looks odd. The elbows joint by means of a peg, and the head of the peg is quite visible round the side of each arm. The hands are pegged too, so these do rotate The waist is jointed and can rotate to let the Doctor look side to side to a small degree. The hips are on a peg that allows front to back and side to side movement. Some of this movement is blocked by the coat tails, but essentially you can sit the Doctor down, or get him into the splits. Like the biceps, there is a swivel on the thigh, which you will use to turn the feet out slightly to allow the Doctor to stand. The knees are also a pegged joint, but thankfully the peg head is less visible on the black of the trousers. There is no movement at all in the ankles or feet, and although the Doctor does stand pretty well, it's that thigh joint that you will need to twist a little to plan the feet and keep the Doctor upright. The only accessory, not that he needs anything else, is the Sonic Screwdriver. This is neatly done and it fits into the right hand of the figure. It is made of a slightly softer material, but this doesn't really affect it too much and there is probably more paint application on the screwdriver than on any other area of the figure - I count five different colours in a 1.5cm screwdriver. So it's down to the hard bit now, the rating. Had I been scoring this figure in 2011 and at it's £7 price point then I would have been pretty happy and gone a decent 4 out of 5. Sadly, in the last 4-5 years the figures in other ranges have moved on so much that they have left the Dr Who figures far behind. That would have been OK if these Who figures had come in under a tenner, but at £14.99 they are a tad overpriced for what you get. That being said if supporting this first batch means we can get new figures in a future wave then I still urge Who fans to take one for the team and snaffle up a few of these. As it stands, and all things considered, I am going to score Doctor 11 in Stetson a 2 out of 5.

Review : 11th Doctor and Roleplaying Sonic Screwdriver Set Doctor Who 5 inch (Character Options) Wave/Series : Toys R Us / Forbidden Planet International, Autumn 2015 releases Released : November 2015 Price : £24.99 In the Autumn of 2015, a quantity of new 5.5" Doctor Who figures were announced. They were to be sold exclusively in Toys R Us stores, but due to the arrangement with US distributor Underground Toys they were also made available at Forbidden Planet International stores. While most were simple carded or boxed single figure releases, one set which stood out was this collectors set containing an 11th Doctor 5.5" figure and a Roleplaying Sonic Screwdriver toy. The set used the same packaging design ethos as the other releases, but it also took from previous premium sets like the 11 Doctor Set and instead of a prominent front window, it used two front opening flaps to reveal the figure. The front cover is designed to look like the TARDIS so that you are opening the Time Machines door to reveal the contents. The ony other decor is a Doctor Who logo to the bottom left, on top of a blue insert which confirms the contents as "Eleventh Doctor Collectors Figure and Electronic Sonic Screwdriver". On the right flap, just under half way, are the diamond inserts we are familiar with on other releases of the time - and currently on the B&M store 3-packs. The top diamond confirms the full details of the Screwdriver as the "Eleventh Doctor's Sonic Screwdriver with Light and Sound FX". The bottom diamond talks about the figures which are now branded as "5.5" inch scale collector series". The two flaps are secured by means of cicular Velcro tabs. Once open you find the window of the packaging surrounded by a thick black gloss border. Behind this sits the figure and the Screwdriver against a blue clockwork backing card. The right flap on its inner face has an image of the figure while the left has an image of the screwdriver. The flaps are closed easily enough and line up back to the Velcro as required. Back on the front and the base of the cover shows the TARDIS starting to dematerialise, and behind this is the orange/purple nebula background that is consistent with other releases. This design wraps round the two spines with a purple tinge to the left spine and an orange to the right. Both see a repeat of the Dr Who logo the diamond feature details and the blue flash contents. Round the back we find a darker background as the purple and blue shades go to a darker red and almost to black at the rear top with some stars showing through. There is a further Dr Who logo top left with the contents blue flash again to the side of it. Under this is a bio of the Eleventh Doctor and then of his Screwdriver. An image of the figure sits to the side of this, whilst an image of the screwdriver sits underneath. We then move into legal and legislation information. Within this are instructions on how to change the screwdriver batteries. There is a mysterious section covered over in black tape (from the Toys R Us version). This is covering up information about Underground Toys and is not covered if you buy this from Forbidden Planet or US suppliers. The contents slide out via the top or bottom flap of the box. The inner tray sits in a four sided card back which is designed to look like clockwork workings on a blue galactic backdrop. This has been used on all releases in this new branded range since launch - except with Missy who got her own red "baddie" background. The figures are held into the pack by some unsightly paper ties. For a collectors pack with such well designed packaging these should have at least been black, if not clear (or not used at all). They take some work getting out - the best option is probably to snip and pull out gently. Looking first at the figure, and this is a direct repack of the 2011 figure from the "Ganger" series of figures (the ones with all those dodgy plastic face covers). At the time the facial sculpt was head and shoulders above anything else Character had done - and that is still true today. The head is also well painted and the hair is very impressive, hanging over the side of the face and actually looking like it hangs. The coat is textured to represent the tweed the Doctor wears, and there are patches on the elbows. The coat is painted and washed to bring out that texture. The shirt underneath is a rich blue and the bow-tie sits on top. The shirt is a block colour with no detail, ad the same applies to the trousers which are a glossy black and go straight into the shoes which are the same colour. The Doctor comes with his own 5.5" scaled Sonic Screwdriver. Considering the size it is very detailed and you can make out the extended emitor. There are also at least 5 different colourings put onto the sonic from the grey and black of the handle to the bronze and silver of the emiter and the turquoise of the inner workings. The sonic is a little flexible, but at this scale and to fit into the Doctor's hand it does need some give. It fits into the right hand of the Doctor snugly, but can as equally fit into the left hand if you want some variety. As well as an improved sculpt, this Doctor figure also boasted a couple of tweaks in articulation. The head remains the standard peg allowing rotation only. The shoulders are improved as they are now closer to a ball joint so that they rotate and can be extended out to the side. The bicep swivel then allows the arms to rotate - although doing so will ruin the lines of the arms. There is then a basic 90 degree elbow joint and rotating wrists. The legs start with the usual T-joint at the hips, we then have a thigh swivel and knee joint. There is no joint or movement at the ankle as the boots are a sculpted part of the leg. This doesn't thankfully make any difference to the figures stability, and the Doctor stands perfectly well. The Sonic is not the all singing all dancing extending Sonic Screwdriver, it is a repack of the very basic Screwdriver that was sold as part of the budget screwdriver range at £9.99 each. It is solid enough and does have some weight to it. The silver however is very plasticy looking and without the four claws extending the end looks odd with the green bulb pointing through. Checkout the operation of the Screwdriver in our video below Operation of the screwdriver is simple and done via a single switch on the black handle. Pressing once will give one sound, pressing again will alternate to the second sound. While each sound is playing the bulb lights up with a solid light, there is no flashing effects or similar. This two pack is a bit of a tale of two halves. The figure is one of the best produced in the 5.5" line in terms of facial sculpt. With the Eleventh Doctor still holding firm in fan's hearts it is nice to get this back on shelves. The screwdriver however feels more like something you would get on the front of a magazine rather than a collectors item. I would have preferred the more realistic version - even with the sound and lights stripped out so it was a display piece only. The price is also restrictive at £24.99. With the screwdriver usually £9.99 - you are paying £14.99 for the figure, which might have been consistent when the line was relaunched in Toys R Us, but was excessive - and that has been recognised with the current price of £9.99 a figure (2017 12th Doctor figures). I would score the set a 3 out of 5 once you;ve weighed up the RRP vs the figure vs the screwdriver.

Review : Rose and K9 Doctor Who 5 inch (Character Options) Wave/Series : Toys R Us, Autumn 2015 releases Released : November 2015 Price : £14.99 Rose Tyler has had two figures in the 5" Doctor Who range. The first a rather clunky figure based on her series 1 outfit, with very odd elbow joints and fixed position legs. The second, in 2007, was a more refined version from series 2, and it it the re-release of that series 2 figure we are going to look at here. Toys R Us are currently stocking two ranges of Dr Who 5" figures, one of which is a boxed collectors range and the other is a blister carded set of figures. All the figures, regardless of packaging, are £14.99 and in the main they are re-releases of existing figures, or very minor tweaks and repaints. Rose is packed this time round alongside K9, and odd choice as the outfit she is wearing is from New Earth rather than School Reunion. It is also odd that K9 is included in both this set, and the Sarah Jane Smith set from the same wave. Both boxed and carded packaging shares a similar black star scape through to orange vortex design, with a darker star scape back. Rose and K9's character name is inserted into the blister pack at the bottom. Round the back you get a visual check-list of other figures in the range. Out of the box and Rose stands 4 3/4 inches high, putting her shorter than any of the Doctors and the majority of the other female characters we have seen in recent releases. Even though it is pushing 9 years old (yes 9!) the facial sculpt is very good and a strong likeness for Billie Piper. This is further enhanced with one of the best female hair pieces I have seen in recent years, it flows round and frames the face in a bob style and hangs under her chin at the front, while flowing onto the shoulders at the back. Rose's outfit in New Earth is faithfully represented with a multi coloured short sleeved blouse and dark plain trousers. The blouse had a number of panels on it and this is replicated on the figure, with sculpted seams rather than just painted panels. You will also find defined sculpted buttons, and the top section is open and pinned back. The trousers are plain, but that is how they were in the episode. If you look closely you will still find buttons and pockets sculpted at the top front. The trousers finish in a boot cut and under this are sculpted shoes. All of this is perfectly painted. The head sculpt is treated really well with a realistic skin tone, and then a small amount of blush applied to the cheeks. The eyes are bright and painted dead straight without being too thick and cartoonish. The hair has a base colour and at least two shades of wash, and the parting is painted a tad darker still. The blouse has 6 different paint effects to match the various purple shades as well as picking out the buttons in a bronze colour. The trousers are a flat black and the shoes a flat brown. Articulation, as we expect on Who figures, is limited and quite basic. Rose comes with just 7 points of articulation, but I for one am glad as the decision to drop some points means a better looking figure overall. The head is on a peg and rotates slightly to either side before being blocked by the hair piece. The shoulders are also pegged and simply rotate around the body. It is here on the arms that the choice was made to drop bicep swivel, elbow joint and wrist joint. I applaud this as bare skin arms, particularly thinner female ones, are quite often spoiled by big clunky joints - just look at Slave Leia in the Star Wars 6" range. Down to the hips and they are also pegged but then jointed also to move back and forward as well as side to side. This means Rose can sit easily. The knees are jointed with a pin, and the pin is barely noticeable from a distance due to the dark black of the trousers. There is no ankle articulation as the shoes are sculpted into the legs, nor is there any thigh swivel. At this point of the review I am going to look at K9, and as this is the same figure I just reviewed with Sarah Jane I make no apologies for the following cut and paste from that review. K9 was originally released in 2008 as part of Series 2. He packed with Sarah Jane initially, but then re-used a number of times in other pack-ins. Over the years he has buddied up with Rose in packs - coming with both Series 1 and Series 2 Rose and also repacked more recently into the US market on the dark blue classic card. K9 has been released in both "dirty/rusted" and "clean" finishes, and it is the clean version we find here packed with Rose. I have no idea why they didn't differentiate between the Rose and Sarah Jane pack by packing one with the rusty K9? K9 stands 2.5" high, and is a decent enough sculpt albeit with a few issues. Starting at the head and they have captured this really well, including the recessed nose laser, the red grilled eyes and the ear radars. The ear radars are a little soft in material, probably so they don't snap easily, but that means they aren't as well defined as they could be. The corrugated neck curves down into the body, and where it meets the body it has K9's multi-coloured collar, although lazily the dog tag has just been painted onto the body rather than physically sculpted. Underneath the neck on the front is handle, and then round the side you have his recessed panel on the right and the embossed K9 wording on the right. On top is a control panel inclusive of a number of buttons, and then the top swoops down to the rear of K9, from which extends another handle and his aerial tail. Sadly the figure was sculpted in two halves and there is an ugly joint right down the middle of the figure. Painting is neat, with a silver metallic finish across the body and then the various detail picked out in colours. The collar and the top control bank are neatly done with crisp greens, blues and reds. K9 has no articulation as such, but does come with two action features. The first is a pull back and go device built into the wheels - this is great fun to watch K9 go shooting off across the floor or the table. The other is a pop off panel which is done by pressing down his top control panel. The panel doesn't pop off with any real force, but it does work and underneath reveals some inner workings of K9, as seen on School Reunion. The insides have quite a lot of detail, considering it is a hidden feature, and is painted predominantly in bronze but with some blue & red paint in places although this seems more daubed on with out much accuracy. K9 isn't perfect, but he is more of an accessory pack in rather than a figure so we can forgive him. So yes it is another pack in for this range, but like Sarah Jane this is a good repack. Rose may have low articulation, but for a 9 year old sculpt her likeness stands up to a lot of figures we are seeing at present. If we want to bring 5 inch Who back to the market in more depth and attract new fans then Rose shows off what the range can bring in terms of sculpt and hopefully her re-release will generate enough interest for us to see new sculpts later in 2016 and beyond. At £14.99 she is expensive, but the K9 pack in softens that blow. I score Rose 4 out of 5.

Review : Clara Oswald, Purple Dress Doctor Who 5.5" Collectors Range Wave/Series : 2015 Toys R Us / Forbidden Planet release Released : November 2015 The majority of the Doctor Who 5 inch figures that we are seeing in the relaunched Toys R Us / Forbidden Planet range are re-releases or repaints, and although that isn't usually ideal for a collectors range the majority of the boxed collectors figures have been well chosen to compliment what we already have. This release, the purple dress, is actually the first true Clara figure we have had in the larger scale. The original figure of Jenna Coleman was actually the "splinter" character Oswin and was part of the Forbidden Planet (UK) / Underground Toys (US) special box set based on the Impossible Girl. This new figure simply takes the red dress Oswin, removes the belt and repaints the dress blue and the legs to a black. This outfit is therefore not screen accurate, the closest it comes is to dress from Rings of Akhatan or Hide - but lacks the pattern. Clara arrives in the 2015 style collectors box which is decorated in black (top) through to orange (bottom) vortex design, with cutout window to view the figure and character name dropped into a dark blue panel at the bottom left. The right hand side of the box is a wrap around of the perspex window, while the left hand side is designed like a book spine with the Doctor Who logo, the 5.5" badge in its blue diamond and the character name - again in a blue flash panel. Round the back, and the backdrop turns more to a black star-scape and over this is a full size image of the figure. You then get a full three paragraphs of bio and the "run you clever boy" quote. Interestingly, on the Toys R Us version which we are reviewing, the Underground Toys logo has been blacked out with an over-sticker. This indicates that the deal in the UK for Toys R Us is probably direct with Character, whilst the Forbidden Planet sets are with their ongoing partnership with Underground Toys. Once out of the box, Clara is strapped into the usual inner tray with those massively annoying cotton type strands. She comes against the blue clockwork background that has been a theme for all the collectors figures so far, with the exception of Missy who had a red background. Clara comes with no accessories at all, so looks kind of lost in the tray. Clara stands at 5 1/4 inch tall, and therefore scales well against the 12th Doctor figures. Sadly, and I have no idea why there was this running change from 5" to 5.5", she is too tall to line up with older figures - for example standing almost the same height as the 11th Doctor figures, and much taller than other comparable companions like Rose or Sarah Jane. Sculpt is OK, nothing special and nothing compared to higher end figures at 6" or 7" scale. It is a decent enough likeness that you will recognise it as Clara and the body proportions are done well compared to a lot of female characters who are often over exaggerated. There is a lack of texture in the clothing, it would benefit from some additional folds and details like hems and cuffs. The paint applications don't do the sculpt any justice, with thick one tone eye brows, bright red lips and overly heavy handed eye's. There is also a poor quality chalky texture to the skin, which looks rough close up and is already peeling off around the joints. The arms do match the colour of the dress, which is a pleasant surprise considering the dress is done in a rubber finish and quite often where this is used the colour tone's are often mismatched. The tights are a flat black paint and the same colour continues into the shoes, it wouldn't have taken much to shade the shoes differently and colour the laces or lace holes. Articulation on Who figures is about 15 points of articulation, but most of the joints are quite basic compared to ball joints and swivel joints we see on other ranges like the Star Wars Black Series or Marvel Legends. The head is a peg that is meant to rotate to either side, but this movement is locked by the hair. The shoulders have evolved to a swivel and pivot so they do rotate fully round the body but also out to the side to 90 degrees. The bicep swivels are ugly unfortunately, and a weak spot as my lower arm popped out on first twist of this joint. Once rotated they don't line up and look peculiar and to be fair they do nothing to add to the display of the figure. The elbows are a standard joint, and it is here that sadly the chalky paint is flaking badly when the elbow joints are moved. Under the skirt are hip joints which, like the shoulders, should allow the legs to move into a sitting position, but also out to the side into the splits. However, the rubber dress stops all of this movement and you will be restricted to having Clara stood in a neutral pose. There is a thigh swivel, and this is hidden behind the skirts and will come into play when you do try and stand this figure. Knee joints are done via a peg system, which is quite unsightly either side of Clara's knees. The boots do then swivel at the ankles, and you will need this and the thigh swivel to try and get Clara to stand. Clara can stand on her own, but like the Oswin red dress figure she is very delicate to pose and will fall over with a stiff breeze and with no foot pegs included you will likely have to come up with some form of display where Clara is propped up. If you stand back and compare Clara to the Oswin figure, then it is clear that Oswin got the better deal in terms of paint applications. The new Clara's hair is much darker and therefore loses detail. The new Clara's skin is chalkier and the facial features painted in harsher tones than Oswin. Oswin also had that extra decor on the shoes, as well as the belt accessory to break up the outfit. I feel bad for knocking the return of the 5.5" range, but at £15 a figure it will need to raise it's game with either better quality or new sculpts if they want it to survive. Turning out repaints that aren't screen accurate, and with questionable paint applications isn't going to impress collectors or generate sales. Summing all that up, I am going to score Clara a low 2 out of 5. She is not all bad, and within the range itself meets the expectations most fans have come to expect with articulation and sculpt.

Review : Amy Pond, Police Uniform Doctor Who 5 inch (Character Options) Wave/Series : Toys R Us / Forbidden Planet International, Autumn 2015 releases Released : November 2015 Price : £14.99 In late 2015 a number of 5.5" Doctor Who figures returned to store shelves. These were supplied by licence holder Character Online and were exclusive to UK Toys R Us stores. In the main these were repacked figures in new packaging - one a lovely designed box packaging, the other an odd blister pack. Both sets were being sold at £14.99 each. Here we take a look at Amy Pond in her Policewoman outfit from her debut on Doctor Who back in 2010 in The Eleventh Hour. The new boxed packaging does borrow heavily from other boxed figures in the market such as Star Wars Black Series. It is made up of a window that wraps round onto the right spine. The cardboard then is cut out around the window so it is a more interesting shape rather than being a plain square hole. The Doctor Who logo is the 1996 TV Movie logo which is now being used consistently on merchandise. Under this and as an insert on the window is a purple triangle stating these are in the 5.5" inch collector series. At the time of release there were two scales on the market, 3.75" and 5", and this seems an attempt to differentiate the two. The same purple colouring is used in a flash at the base of the box where we find the character name. Again this is followed by the "c" word stating "collector figure". The colouring and background design on these boxed packages start with an almost orange hue that translates as it rises up the box to a pink, then purple and eventually dark blue. Within this are some more diamond shapes and a nebula type star scape. Round the back and we find a more darker colour scheme translating from red to black. We have a full image of the figure alongside a quote from the show. To the other side is a bio of Amy Pond and her travels with the 11th Doctor. Interestingly on the Toys R Us releases you will find a black void at the bottom on both the front and back of the packaging. This is covering up the Underground Toys logo - the US company who at the time funded a lot of releases via the Character licence. The packaging was obviously cheaper to develop as a single box and then cover up the required logo depending if it was a UK or US release. Underground Toys also sold these figures to Forbidden Planet International so as far as I understand you may also get a figure from them bearing the Underground Toys logo. The figure is accessed via the top or bottom flap and slides out in an inner clear tray that itself sits in a three sided cardboard tray. This cardboard tray is what gives the figure the backdrop while in the packaging and is a striking blue design with Gallifreyan iconography as well as more familiar cogs and diamond designs from the show. While Amy is held in place with ties, these aren't the usual twisty-ties and are more a paper based tie which makes them a touch easier to remove and I guess a little better for the environment. Despite its size and relatively low cost, the likeness on the figure is very good and a good likeness to Karen Gillen. Her face does have a kind of startled expression, but everything is painted well with neat eyes, eyebrows and lips. The hair is beautifully done and is flowing down her shoulders with a good wash of darker orange to give it depth. The uniform is quite plain in terms of colour using white for the sleeves and black for the uniform and shoes. There is a simple belt with silver buckle. The other detail are the two "POLICE" decals - one on her back and a smaller one on her chest. Above each of these is some neat chequerboard designs - in blue & white and then in black and white with her neck-tie. This is the same figure as originally released in 2011 as part of the fully fledged range at the time. It has however had a tweak to change the legs to look like they are tights - something that is more screen accurate to the episode. The original figure had skin tone legs with a seam drawn up the back, the new figure legs are now a darker brown with the same seam line in place. Being different factory runs there are also some minor paint variances. The new figure has a slightly paler skin tone and slightly less red in the tone of the lips. The new figure also has a darker blue on the POLICE decals. Articulation has never been a strong point for the Character Doctor Who line, and they are very much only one or two steps from the original articulation we saw in the late 70s and early 80's. Amy has about 14 points of articulation, but each joint is very basic. The head is not a ball joint, but is a peg that slots into the torso. That means it should only rotate within the torso, but Amy can't even do this as the hair holds the head in place. The shoulders are also a rotating joint so they can only rotate in one orientation upwards above the head. To try and give a wider range of movement to the arms you then get a bicep cut which allows the arm to rotate - although doing so ruins the look of the arms. The elbow is then a joint that bends to 90 degrees and there is a huge peg visible in the sleeve of the figure. Amy has a rotating waist joint and then hips that use a similar joint to the shoulders allowing them to swing one way - and that is not too far as the lower skirt holds them back. The skirt does however hide a thigh split which can be rotated to help orientate the feet outwards. The knees bend to 90 degrees with a similar exposed peg at either side of the knee. Despite her slim legs and lacking leg movement, Amy stands pretty well on her own. If you are a collector of Who figures from Character then none of the limitations of this figure should be a surprise to you. The articulation is consistent with other releases going back to its inception in 2006, and while it wont let you do any dynamic posing - it wont spoil the figure when its stood in a neutral pose. The sculpt and paint are very good, and I do like the new packaging boxed design. What is an issue is the price as £14.99 for a basic 5" figure, that has been released a number of years early, does not feel good value for money. If you can get this figure anywhere below £10 then that feels about right, but at the RRP of £15 I can only score Amy a 3 out of 5.

Review : 8th Doctor (Night of the Doctor) Doctor Who 5 inch (Character Options) Wave/Series : Toys R Us / Forbidden Planet International, Autumn 2015 releases Released : November 2015 Price : £14.99 With this exception of one figure, the current Dr Who 5 inch range at Toys R Us has been made up of re-releases and tweaked repaints across both the boxed and blister packed collections. The exception is this figure, that of the 8th Doctor as seen in the 2013 50th Anniversary prequel, Night of the Doctor. This release represents the 4th version (kind of) of the 8th Doctor. We had the original green coat from the 11 Doctor box set, and then a tweak of that to a blue coat in the Dalek 2-pack. The 3rd version was only really a head, and included with the War Doctor figure. It is surprising, as you will see from the gallery and the review to follow, that even with a head from the 50th anniversary - they still went ahead and sculpted a new version for this figure. The Doctor arrives in the boxed packaging, which gives him a more collectors feel vs the blister packed figures we have also seen on Toys R Us pegs. As well as being sold via Toys R Us, these boxed figures are also being sold via Forbidden Planet International as part of their partnership with Underground Toys. The packaging is standard fair for this new boxed range with its black through to orange vortex design around a window through which you can view the figure. Round the back is a large image of the actual figure, and to the left of this is a 4 paragraph bio of the 8th Doctor and talks about his first adventure in San Francisco through to his regeneration in the Time War. If you have purchased from Forbidden Planet, or indeed overseas, then you will find the Underground Toys logo bottom centre next to the Character Options logo and safety/legal notices. If you have bought at Toys R Us then this Underground Toys logo will have been over-stickered with black as the Toys R Us deal is solely with Character. Out of the box, and this is a good looking figure by any standards and shows how strong the Dr Who range could still be in this scale if Character returned to the larger scale en-masse. The Doctor stands 5.5" high, taller than some of the older figures, and representative of this move to calling this a 5.5" range. This makes him a good half inch taller than his younger self from the earlier 5" figures. This doesn't make a massive difference unless you are putting clearly odd sized figures next to each other. The sculpt is one of the strongest I have seen on this scale of figure for a long time. As I said, this is another new sculpt rather than using the existing Paul McGann heads, and it captures his look from Night of the Doctor really well - much better than the lone head that came with the War Doctor. Unlike previous releases, the hair on this also captures his on-screen look really well. The outfit on screen was an evolution of his clothes from the original TV movie, and all of it is represented on the figure. The Doctor is wearing a detailed waistcoat into which is sculpted very crisp button details, and a watch chain snaking away under his coat. Under this is an off white shirt, which has its collars folded outward and under this is a blue scarf. Like most CO coated figures, the coat itself is an additional piece that slots around the sculpted torso. The coat is new also, and is much crisper again on detail than any older coats CO may have done. You can see clear button holes on the collar and then buttons down the front and across the back. The white shirt protrudes from the cuffs of the coat and the hands are sculpted in a gripping position to hold the accessories, we will talk about these a bit later. There is a slung "gun slingers" type belt round The Doctors waist, and then we go down into the trousers which are then tucked into a pair of knee high boots. The trousers aren't massively detailed, but there is a much improved folding of the cloth and matching how natural fabric would behave, even bunching it up where it tucks into the boots. The boots are laced from top to bottom, with each lace sculpted. So big tick for the sculpt. Painting is also excellent. Working back up, the boots are painted a patent leather colour and then dirtied up with a dark wash which picks out the lace detail even more so. The trousers, which on older Who figures would have been plain brown, are really nice with a dark brown base coat and then carefully painted details into the fabric folds - more so than a dry brush even, as though each stroke was done by hand to match the fold of the fabric. The belt is black but with a very neat, and incredibly thin, silver painted buckle. The waistcoat achieves an almost metallic copper look and again is washed to bring out detail and "dirty it up". The shirt, scarf and coat are quite a flat colour but don't really need much else. The head is a flat skin tone with a subdued lip colour and those bright eyes McGann has picked out really neatly. The hair is a dark brown and then like the trousers dry-brushed/painted to bring out the high points and give the hair depth. One niggle here is that around the ears the hair paint doesn't extend far enough and leaves a touch of sculpted hair a skin colour - but it is barely noticeable. By this point articulation is more of a side issue as this figure has ticked all the boxes so far. But it doesn't let you down here either. Granted it's not Marvel Legend or Star Wars Black level of articulation - but it does represent a step on from earlier Who figures. The head remains pegged, and simply rotates. It is a tad tight and I would worry down the road about rubbing paint on the neck, so be careful. The shoulders have been upgraded to ball joint now (hurray) pivot joint so as well as moving his hands round he can also move the arms outwards and then rotate the whole arm rather than relying on that bicep joint to rotate the arm. The bicep twist is still there, not that it is needed, and does still pose a week spot on the figure and the arm can pop out if mishandled (it pops back in easily enough). The elbows remain a pinned joint and the wrists a peg so they rotate. There is a waist joint, and you can move the whole torso separate to the legs to a small degree either side of facing front. The hips move front to back and side to side, although side in particularly is restricted by the coat. There is a thigh swivel - which is a touch too wide for me on one leg. The knee joints, although still pinned, are much better looking, with some thought going behind how the joint looks closed up. The boots rotate just under the knee - and for me I would have taken this ahead of the thigh joint to the stance if needed. Unlike a couple of other Who figures we have reviewed recently, Doctor 8 stands perfectly well. Accessories packed in with the Doctor include the Sonic Screwdriver, the Karn Goblet and the bandoleer he took from the ill fated Cass in the mini-episode. The bandoleer comes already on the figure, but can be easily removed by pointing the right arm up and then bending the elbow. It is sculpted to hang naturally one way up, so make sure you get it right if you are replacing it back on the body. The bandoleer is painted black with silver detail. The Karn Chalice is a pewter coloured cup, with a decent amount of detail sculpted into the base considering it's size. It fits best in the left hand. The sonic is a brand new sculpt also from what I can tell. This is another surprise as I would have assumed this may just have been a tweak from an earlier classic figure. The screwdriver is cast in silver with an insanely small, yet neat, gold ring round the handle and a red emitter at the top. So you can probably tell by now that I am really impressed with this figure. Even at a smaller scale it certainly holds its own against the bigger 6" scales. It has no major flaws, and in fact only scored two minors in the whole review - that of the gap on the thigh joint and the hair paint. The one issue this figure will have, is staying on shelves. It isn't clear if he is packed as a wave, or packed individually, but he will certainly outsell all the other figures by a substantial degree. I score Night of the Doctor 8th Doctor figure a top notch 5 out of 5. Well done Character Buy from TOYS R US (UK) Buy from FORBIDDEN PLANET INT

NECA have finally revealed a first look at their Newborn Alien figure from Alien Resurrection. The Newborn looks to be in larger almost Ultimate packaging, and the tweet accompanying the picture indicates a display stand will be included. We can't wait to see what artwork will adorn this window box release "A belated #facehuggerfriday gives you a look at this long awaited figure’s packaging layout. Bonus adjustable display stand included as well. Resurrection fans rejoice!"

Review : Kyra The Chronicles of Riddick, SOTA Wave/Series : Series 1 (one series only) Released : 2004 Price : N/A 12 years ago Riddick, as played by Vin Diesel, got a follow up to his debut in Pitch Black. The Chronicles of Riddick picked up Riddick's story after his escape in Pitch Black. And like any good Action Movie, a range of figures were released to support the movie. The figures were about 7 inch in scale, and released by SOTA (State of the Art) Toys. SOTA had been making figures for about 4 years at this point, and would go on to be most famous for their Street Fighter and other Capcom licences. The Chronicles of Riddick figures were released as a single wave containing 5 figures. There was also a special exclusive release of Riddick in Necro armour with Hellhound. It has obviously been 12 years since these figures hit shelves, so buying them now is secondary market only and the majority of these now fetch at least double the £20 you would pay for a 7" figure. There are cheaper loose options, which is the route I have gone down, but watch out for missing accessories and some other "issues" which I will discuss over this course of reviews. In this 3rd review of the Riddick figures we take a look at Kyra. All the Riddick figures were presented on a plain trapezoid card back, with blister front containing the figure. The front of the card depicts a monolith of the Necromonger on an orange, fiery sky background. The SOTA Toys logo sits in the top left aside the peg cut out. The blister, also Trapezoid in shape, contains the figure - surrounded by the associated accessories. An insert is placed into the front of each blister containing a head shot of the character on top of the Chronicles of Riddick log. Under this is the character name. Round the back, and all the card backs are identical. The card background continues the Necromonger theme on a fiery orange finish. The films logo sits on top, under which is the statement "Action Figures with 16+ Points of Articulation". Under this is a couple of paragraphs that sets up the plot of the film. Arranged in a V shape under this are the five key figures, with Riddick himself on the point of the V. The special Hellhound set then sits to one side in the bottom right corner as you look. Out of the box, and it is evidently clear that Kyra is going to be suffer from the same sticky issue as the other figures we have reviewed to date. She is actually tacky tot the touch, and was leaving paint smudges on our light tent floor as we were taking the images. Whether or not she will "dry out" remains to be seen. Let's press on though past this issue. Kyra stands 6 3/4 inches tall, so is shorter than the other male figures which does match the actual heights of the actors. The likeness to Alexa Davalos is not bad although it isn't helped by quite a flat paint job. That being said the eyes, eye brows and lips are all painted neatly. The hair is sculpted to hang down at one side and is tied into a pony tail at the back. The hair does benefit from some variation in colouring, with some auburn highlights against the dark brown. Kyra is wearing a relatively plain outfit which starts with a green vest. This is sculpted and includes some ruffles and folds to mimic the behaviour of real cloth. It is spoiled unfortunately with a waist joint that sits around her naval and not at the natural joint of her trousers - an odd choice? Arms are bare skin tone and finish in some nicely detailed arm bracers which are complete with straps and buckles. Bizarrely the joints at the shoulders are not painted leaving two big clear plastic strips very visible. Hands are both sculpted to hold her handguns. These handguns are a nice design and cast in black, silver drybrush has then been added to weather them up. The trousers have loads of detail with a crushed/wet look as though the material has crumpled. There is sculpted stitching front and back, and a number of pockets and pouches. This is all painted brown, but with a darker wash to maximise the depth of the sculpt. Even the zipper is painted a thin line of gold. The boots continue the detail and are a darker tone - but are the stickiest of the painted areas. Articulation is "of the era" and starts with a ball jointed head which can move quite a range. The shoulders, including the odd unpainted part, move out to the side and rotate above the head. There is then a very ugly bicep swivel, which adds very little, and a single jointed elbow. The hands then rotate. I mentioned the odd waist joint in terms of being very high, and it also doesn't really work all that well as it throws off the lines of the body when turned so Kyra starts to look as though she is being chopped in half. Legs are on that T-joint type hip and can move out fully to a splits position and out in front to a sitting pose. Like the arms, the decision has been made to add another swivel on the legs at mid thigh. Knees are single jointed and the ankles are rockers but don't move all to well - maybe due to the sticky paint? It is really sad that Kyra, considering her age, isn't a bad figure in terms of looks. Despite being 12 years old she still holds up with facial sculpt and the detail they have built into her clothes. The thigh and bicep joints are unnecessary, and more so is the waist joint. The big issue remains the sticky plastic/paint which is going to destroy this figure unless you keep her in the packaging or in an air tight display. I give Kyra a 2 out of 5.

Review : Lensing Necro The Chronicles of Riddick, SOTA Wave/Series : Series 1 (one series only) Released : 2004 Price : N/A 12 years ago Riddick, as played by Vin Diesel, got a follow up to his debut in Pitch Black. The Chronicles of Riddick picked up Riddick's story after his escape in Pitch Black. And like any good Action Movie, a range of figures were released to support the movie. The figures were about 7 inch in scale, and released by SOTA (State of the Art) Toys. SOTA had been making figures for about 4 years at this point, and would go on to be most famous for their Street Fighter and other Capcom licences. The Chronicles of Riddick figures were released as a single wave containing 5 figures. There was also a special exclusive release of Riddick in Necro armour with Hellhound. It has obviously been 12 years since these figures hit shelves, so buying them now is secondary market only and the majority of these now fetch at least double the £20 you would pay for a 7" figure. There are cheaper loose options, which is the route I have gone down, but watch out for missing accessories and some other "issues" which I will discuss over this course of reviews. In this 4th review we look at the only non-specific character in the series, that of the Lensing Necro. All the Riddick figures were presented on a plain trapezoid card back, with blister front containing the figure. The front of the card depicts a monolith of the Necromonger on an orange, fiery sky background. The SOTA Toys logo sits in the top left aside the peg cut out. The blister, also Trapezoid in shape, contains the figure - surrounded by the associated accessories. An insert is placed into the front of each blister containing a head shot of the character on top of the Chronicles of Riddick log. Under this is the character name. Round the back, and all the card backs are identical. The card background continues the Necromonger theme on a fiery orange finish. The films logo sits on top, under which is the statement "Action Figures with 16+ Points of Articulation". Under this is a couple of paragraphs that sets up the plot of the film. Arranged in a V shape under this are the five key figures, with Riddick himself on the point of the V. The special Hellhound set then sits to one side in the bottom right corner as you look. The Lensing Necro is the only generic figure in the Riddick range, being based on the general look of the Lensors, the Necromonger "blood hounds" who are used in the movie to hunt the Necromongers prey. It is also the only figure to have revalued over the years, and you will pick one up carded for less than £15 if you shop around (at time of writing). The Lensing Necro frustratingly carries the sticky paint/plastic issue too, although arguably he isn't the worst and it seems to be restricted at this stage to his lower legs. The Lensor stands 7 inches tall, identical to all other male figures, and comes with no packed in accessories of any sort. The head sculpt is immense, and the best of the range. It comprises of a very Freddy Krueger-esque skin texture over which is an intricate mask with circular viewing window. The window is done in a clear plastic, and through this you can see the facial detail of the Lensor which is fully sculpted and painted underneath. Down from the head and the outfit is made up of a dark brown, almost black, jumpsuit. The arms and legs have a "cracked dry earth" type of texture - almost reptilian. There is then a chest piece over the top of this under suit as well as bracers on the forearms and shins. The outfit, when you look closely, has a number of paint applications with washes to bring out the depth of sculpt and then silver details around the feet and hands to weather and highlight the metal parts. Round the back, where you will find some flexible tubes from the head into the back, there is more metal details with two round ports on the middle and lower back. The Lensor's head is articulated on a ball - but will only rotate side to side and only as far as the tubes will allow them. The arms are ball jointed, and sadly are rounded so do look a bit unnatural. These will raise out to the side and rotate fully. The bicep swivel has gone on this figure, but the bicep does still rotate just under the rounded ball of the shoulder - a nicer way to add this movement than a flat cut and a pin. Elbows are a single 90 degree joint, and the hands then rotate on a pin. There is a waist joint, again very high on the body like Kyra, but this time it lines up with the line of the clothing so when rotated (which can be done fully 360 degrees) it doesn't ruin the line or look of the figure. The hip joints are very loose, and like Vaako, the Lensor will slide into the splits and you will find it difficult to stand. The thigh swivel is still there, but isn't as visible due to the dark colour of the legs. the knees are a single joint and the ankles on rockers. This leg articulation, assuming the hips were tight, does allow the Lensor to be posed like we see them on the film - hunched forward. The Lensing Necro has some really really good elements - the head alone is the best bit of sculpting and design I have seen on any of the Riddick figures to date, and certainly stands up with any figure sculpt of today. But then there are bizarre choices like the round ball shoulders. The sticky paint is further frustrating as is the inability, straight out of the box, to stand due to wobbly loose hips. Like many of these Riddick figures there is lots of style, but a real lack of quality and I score the Lensing Necro another 2 out of 5 score.

Review : Riddick (Richard B) The Chronicles of Riddick, SOTA Wave/Series : Series 1 (one series only) Released : 2004 Price : N/A 12 years ago Riddick, as played by Vin Diesel, got a follow up to his debut in Pitch Black. The Chronicles of Riddick picked up Riddick's story after his escape in Pitch Black. And like any good Action Movie, a range of figures were released to support the movie. The figures were about 7 inch in scale, and released by SOTA (State of the Art) Toys. SOTA had been making figures for about 4 years at this point, and would go on to be most famous for their Street Fighter and other Capcom licences. The Chronicles of Riddick figures were released as a single wave containing 5 figures. There was also a special exclusive release of Riddick in Necro armour with Hellhound. It has obviously been 12 years since these figures hit shelves, so buying them now is secondary market only and the majority of these now fetch at least double the £20 you would pay for a 7" figure. There are cheaper loose options, which is the route I have gone down, but watch out for missing accessories and some other "issues" which I will discuss over this course of reviews. In this final review, we take a look at the titular hero himself - Richard B. Riddick, the last of the Furyans. All the Riddick figures were presented on a plain trapezoid card back, with blister front containing the figure. The front of the card depicts a monolith of the Necromonger on an orange, fiery sky background. The SOTA Toys logo sits in the top left aside the peg cut out. The blister, also Trapezoid in shape, contains the figure - surrounded by the associated accessories. An insert is placed into the front of each blister containing a head shot of the character on top of the Chronicles of Riddick log. Under this is the character name. Round the back, and all the card backs are identical. The card background continues the Necromonger theme on a fiery orange finish. The films logo sits on top, under which is the statement "Action Figures with 16+ Points of Articulation". Under this is a couple of paragraphs that sets up the plot of the film. Arranged in a V shape under this are the five key figures, with Riddick himself on the point of the V. The special Hellhound set then sits to one side in the bottom right corner as you look. Out of the pack and Riddick is supplied with his trademark goggles, weapons and a chest strap - as seen in his escape from Crematoria. We were lucky just to find a Riddick at a decent price, and our review figure is missing his weaponry and that chest strap. Riddick stands 7 inches high, and is a superb likeness to Vin Diesel with a really strong sculpt that would stand up today, let alone 12 years ago. Like all the other figures we have looked at in this series, the flesh painting is quite flat but there is a good colouring to the eyes (another Riddick trademark). Like Vaako, the way they have painted his head to look like shaved hair is also a positive. The goggles are well designed, and I didn't actually think they came off when I first got the figure - they fit that well. This tight fit though will take its toll, as you will see on our figure, with damage to the paint on the bridge of the nose and the eyebrows. The torso is made up of a very plain black vest. It does the job, but feels a bit flat in terms of both sculpting and painting. In fact the straps of the vest look just painted onto the chest, rather than sculpted. There is very little definition either in the chest. And yet in direct contrast, the arms are sculpted with plenty of muscle definition and vein details. They finish in leather bracers that are done so that you can even see the straps and buckles. The legs are a textured finish, with almost puffy effect trousers around the thighs at least. As an improvement on the vest, the trousers do hold some sculpted cloth features. They are however painted a plain black and, like the other figures in the range, they are sticky to the touch as a result of the chemicals in the paint/plastic leeching. This sticky finish attracts no end of dust and dirt, so most loose Riddick figures will be in a pretty poor shape. The legs end in a pair of trainer/boots. And these hold more detail than you would expect, with individual sewn panels and two tone paint between black and a khaki green. Articulation is identical to the other figures in the line, starting with a ball jointed head. The shoulders are also ball jointed, and just under this is a bicep swivel. Without any bulkier amour the heads and arms all move fully. The elbows are a single joint and the wrists a simple swivel. The waist is jointed, and the hips are on a two way joint that see's them move out into a splits position or forward to a sitting position. There is a thigh swivel, that is pretty well hidden, but when rotated they throw the lines out on the trousers. Knees are single jointed and the figure ends on a rotating ankle - with a touch of sideways movement. Although Riddick's hips aren't as loose as some, he has an issue with balance in that he is back heavy and will topple backwards at every opportunity unless placed in a hunched forward pose. The solution is to take advantage of the peg holes on the feet (not included on the other figures) and drop him onto a stand - he fits the standard Star Wars ones well enough. The missing strap and weapons are obviously a detraction on my figure, although I think the lack of the chest strapping isn't a huge issue as it means he matches the look he sported for most of the first half of the film up to his incarceration in Crematoria. I will of course continue to look out for a better version. Scoring wise, Riddick himself is at the higher end of these figures. But he is still a figure of huge contrast - with a painted on vest, against really strong sculpted arms. Tighter joints, but overbalanced in terms of getting him to stand up straight. But you can't look past how cool a Riddick/Vin Diesel figure looks - and unless someone else picks up the Riddick licence, these will be the only figures you can own to represent Riddick in a 7" movie collection. I score Richard B. Riddick a 3 out of 5.