Hello!
It's been a while since my last blog post but I couldn't keep quiet about the figures that have just been announced. It's been 5 months since our last figure announcement - the spectacular Warriors of the Deep CO Online exclusive - yet it's been a long 8 months since we've seen new Doctor Who figure sets on the shelves of B&M.
On to the sets themselves that have just been announced - what we have here is what many people would agree is one of the most underwhelming waves we have had for years. With what appears to be no new moulding, this would be the first wave since 2018, with essentially pure rereleases. Before reflecting on what this wave could mean for the future of the line, let's take a look at what's about to hit the shelves!
History of the Daleks set #9 - 'Planet of the Daleks' set 2 (2 pack)
Here we have the Black and Gold Supreme Dalek previously seen back in 2008's Daleks Collectors Set #1 and never again since, making it a highly sought-after figure. Alongside it, we have the never-seen-before 'Invisible Dalek' - the first example of a transparent Dalek in the 5" range. The closest we've come to it beforehand was the Light-wave Dalek from the 2013 Toys R Us range, brought out to coincide with the 50th anniversary; however, that Dalek figure was half painted, and only the lower half was transparent. Below, you can see a comparison of the 2 figures, courtesy of the Doctor Who site. Overall, this set looks to be the standout favourite of the wave for many, featuring a brand new variant and another Dalek that fans have been clamouring to have rereleased for years.
History of the Daleks set #10 - 'Death to the Daleks' (2 pack)
This set features 2 rereleased Daleks in the sleek black and silver colour scheme, as seen on-screen. The first Dalek has a machine gun arm and orange dome lights, as previously seen in a 2009 Forbidden Planet exclusive twin pack with a 3rd Doctor figure as he appeared in the episode. The second Dalek in this set is a standard Dalek with its usual exterminator weapon and clear dome lights, previously released only as an SFX Dalek. As these two have also never had a rerelease before, and since the Dalek sets always go quickly, this one will likely do well too.
The Eighth Doctor set (3 pack)
Moving on to the 3 packs, things become somewhat more underwhelming. Given recent years have given us new head sculpts, the prospect of an 8th Doctor set led to much speculation we'd be seeing some characters from extended media such as the Big Finish audios if The TV Movie proved to be out of the question due to rights issues. As audio companions are never seen on-screen there's also more scope for artistic license with the body sculpts, making them a shoo-in for reusing the Primeval moulds. However, whilst many hoped for the likes of Charley Pollard, Lucie Miller or Liv Chenka, some joked about the possibility of having a set of 3 McGann variants.
Ironically, it's not a joke anymore. The Eighth Doctor set is exactly what it says on the tin. We have a trio of plastic Eighth Doctors in their three iconic costume variants as seen in The TV Movie, 'Night of the Doctor' and Big Finish's 'Dark Eyes' series, albeit with updated paint applications. Whilst this set offers nothing exactly new, this set offers an opportunity for collectors to get their hands on figures that are still sought-after and somewhat hard to find, and the slight tweaks to the paint apps look so crisp and vibrant that some might be persuaded to get this set even if they already have the original releases.
The Tenth Doctor set (3 pack)
This set was perhaps the one that people were most anticipating prior to its release. The Tenth Doctor era was pretty well covered for the most part, but the few gaps it had left much room for speculation. One Tenth Doctor variant many hoped for was one with updated articulation points after some prototypes surfaced on eBay last year. Having seen one in hand, I was especially excited at the prospect of this.
However, in a set of 3 Tennant variants, we somehow managed to miss this. Instead, we see a straight rerelease of 2 previous sculpts - the Tenth Doctor in his blue suit both with and without a coat. The main selling point on this is that it's a 'slightly brighter blue' and (inaccurately) without pinstripes as it was always previously released, in order to appear as Tennant did in 'The Wedding of Sarah Jane Smith'. This could have been more accurate still if they had used the spiky-haired head, seen from series 3 onwards rather than the original series 2 sculpt.
Moving on to the third figure in the set, we have the Tenth Doctor in a shirt and tie, somewhat loosely based on a cover from the Tenth Doctor's Titan Comic range, reusing the series 2 Tennant head on the Raggedy Doctor body sculpt from the Eleventh Hour crash set released in 2010. Whilst technically a new variant in itself, it does feel like an odd choice to kitbash a variant that has never been properly seen outside of one photoshopped comic cover (pictured below).
Ultimately of all the sets, I'd expect this to be the one that pegwarms if any of them do, not because the new series doesn't sell but because, whilst David Tennant's popularity cannot be denied, cheap 10th Doctor figures are incredibly easy to come by and I'm not sure how many casual buyers would be tempted to buy a set of David Tennants with no one/nothing else to display them with. However, that said, these new colour variants do look rather nice together and accompanied with a new variant there will be enough to warrant some buying it, but unfortunately, I know at least some won't mind missing out on this one, unless maybe they end up on clearance.
What does this mean for the future of the line?
First, as a disclaimer, I want to emphasise that I have no inside knowledge of what is to come and make no claim to knowing the ins and outs of everything behind the scenes. Everything beyond this point is merely speculation.
Now we know another wave is due before the end of the year and I'll make a separate post on my predictions for that. I want to focus my speculation here solely on the impact this wave could have.
If we reflect on the last few years, some have argued that we've seen something of a decline in the last few figure releases. Indeed we did seem to reach a peak in 2020 with three 3-packs, two Dalek twin packs and a TARDIS set, and now we have a wave with only two 3-packs and two Dalek twin packs, all with less new tooling and a higher price.
So why have we reached this point? In 2020, we were at the height of the pandemic and obviously, we are still feeling its after effects. Moreover, 2020's companion sets gave us Sarah Jane Smith, both Romana I and Romana II, Sergeant Benton and Captain Yates for the first time. After the release of some of the most beloved characters in the show's history it's somewhat unsurprising that when we received two new Cyber Androids and a Davison rerelease the following year, it would feel like a step down.
It's important to note that whilst we may have seen less recently, we are still getting new figures. Last year gave us Ian Chesterton, Sensorites, Voord, the Second Doctor in fur coat, 2 new 1960s TARDISes and a Raston Warrior Robot (as well as those Cyber Androids) for the very first time. This year has already given us brand new 80s Silurians and we still have more to come.
Whilst some are concerned that these sets may linger on the shelves, it's worth noting that money will likely have been saved on the lack of new tooling as well as the shared use of moulds for multiple variants, which must also have saved on production costs. I believe we are due to hear about one more CO online exclusive too before the end of the year (though don't quote me on that haha) so it is worth noting that perhaps any budget saved on these sets has been put into these. Moreover, whilst this wave could be a sign of things to come in the next one, it could also be that money has been saved here to go into the second wave too.
In essence, I wouldn't panic just yet - we can't get the characters we want the most every time because it simply costs too much for a budget line like B&M, which makes those online exclusives affordable for us. And who knows what CO have in store for the 60th anniversary next year? Maybe they've been saving up for something special...
Until next time...
Charlie
For more info, check out the Doctor Who site's extensive merchandise page which is regularly updated: Doctor Who Toys and Merchandise Guide (thedoctorwhosite.co.uk)
With thanks to Home (doctorwhofigures.com) and doctorwhotoys.net for references