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Review: Celebrate a new Doctor by owning the first two Whos
At the start of the year, producers of the wildly popular TV show Doctor Who announced that David Tennant, one of the most beloved actors to play the role of the Doctor since the show started in 1963, would be replaced by unknown Matt Smith, the youngest actor to take the role so far. Tennant will meet his end as the Doctor in a special episode to be released later this year. Smith will take over in a regular season in 2010.
Perhaps one of the best ways to hail the arrival of the newbie is to collect two oldies—the first and second Doctors, played by William Hartnell in 1963 and Patrick Troughton in 1966.
These Doctors have been commemorated in the form of action figures before, but never so perfectly. In two Comic-Con Exclusive packs, Character Options and Underground Toys have released the first Doctor with one of the nastier villains he's ever faced—a Dalek. And not just any Dalek. This one is accurately painted to portray the colors used in the then-black-and-white TV show—black, silver and sky blue—and includes a special radar dish on his back.
Hartnell's Doc is wearing his checked pants with his topcoat, vest and necktie. Gorgeously painted, even the rims of his eyelids are pink, making him look tired and haggard—which he was. He comes equipped with his rough-hewn cane.
Troughton, looking ever like one of the Marx brothers in his tightly checked pants and long coat, comes with his recorder, which he often played to help him think. He comes with a fantastic depiction of one of the original, classic Cybermen, a villain Doctor Who has faced many times and will no doubt face again.
If that's not cool enough, special limited editions of these sets exist painted in gray tones in homage to the black-and-white origins of the TV show. Only 1,250 of each B&W set were made.
So in time to see the 10th Doctor become the 11th Doctor, get the first and second now while you can! And don't worry about them being Comic-Con exclusives. They're available in plenty of specialty stores, and easily available online.
By drwhat at 8:34 AM ON 08/17/09
Must have 8th doctor !
By danjack at 9:09 AM ON 08/17/09
These aren't just awesome, they're magnificent! I'm getting one!
By Exile at 9:40 AM ON 08/17/09
Bring on the Seventh Doctor!!!!
By divephotog at 10:34 AM ON 08/17/09
Forget the ation figures, what about spooling those old episodes from them to DVD finally, instead of select few choices? That would be something worth investing in, and give a few hundred more hours of pleasure than these figurines. - KH
By zosolias at 10:34 AM ON 08/17/09
In the fourth paragraph, I think you meant William Hartnell...
By Photoboy at 12:00 PM ON 08/17/09
That's a nice Cyberman figure. Now if they'd only do my favourite '80s version of that monster.
It would be fun to see a Sixth Doctor figure too, although he would be a bitch to paint!
By ianr at 2:06 PM ON 08/17/09
hey there! Actually the sixth dr has been produced. In fact only doctors 7 and 8 are not yet made
By jbhypno at 4:29 PM ON 08/17/09
Most of the older episodes from the first 2 doctors were lost in a purge of the BBC archives. There are some capaigns to find recorded copies of these episodes but many of them may never been seen in their complete form again.
By Chayne Lightning at 11:31 PM ON 08/18/09
OK -
All the surviving "orphan" episodes (the 1st and 2nd stories that are not complete because of the 108 lost episodes) have been released in a complete set.
DOctors 3-6 have all already been released as well as Docs 9 and 10 by Character Options. I hear 7 and 8 are on the way.
By SeanHuxter at 8:37 PM ON 08/20/09
Colin Baker's Doc (the sixth) is indeed produced, and is pretty good. But better is the Comic-Con exclusive of him wearing his teal-blue coat from the web episode "Real Time". It's the same sculpt, but the coat doesn't make you want to rip your eyes out. In fact it's quite sharp, and if he had worn that one in the show (and had some good writers) he would have been a far more successful Doctor.
That's probably why he's such a successful Post-Doctor, being reconsidered as a very good incarnation thanks to the Big Finish audio dramas. That, and his renewed interest in fan cons. He's now one of the bigger fan favorites.
Good on him too, because he's a wonderful fellow.
Sean.
By Redfern at 4:08 PM ON 10/30/09
The ones depicted here are the prototypes (since the do not have the joints), but having purchased the figures last summer, I can assure fans the mass produced figures look just as good as the static statuettes.
If someone had stated as recently as 3 years ago we'd have the opportunity to purchase "near museum quality" recreations of the earliest Doctors, I would have replied, "Character Options doesn't even have a license for the "classic" series!" Rarely have I been so pleased to be proven wrong!
Sincerely,
Bill
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Redfern:
The ones depicted here are the prototypes (since the do not have the joints), but having purchased the figures last...More »