Following on from the SDCC Regenerated 5th Doctor figure comes a 4th Doctor in the same costume, exclusive to Forbidden Planet.

Appearing as he did in 'Warriors Gate', collectors have been delighted to note the different facial/hair sculpt, representing Tom Baker's difference in appearance in later episodes.

Packaged with K9, the total cost is only £19.99 - which does seem fair for an exclusive figure. A welcome Tom Baker variation, and one for 4th Doctor fans to enjoy.

If you are pre-ordering the set from Forbidden Planet, please use one of the following links as it supports the site without costing you a penny:

Forbidden Planet.co.uk: http://www.forbiddenplanet.co.uk/affiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=339
Forbidden Planet.com: http://forbiddenplanet.com/?affid=drwhofigures

Thank you!

Having been previewed at the SDCC, the 3rd Doctors Sonic Screwdriver is now up for pre order from Forbidden Planet.

It comes with a 'Pop Up' feature and sounds, and should make a really nice piece. We’ll give it a full review when it is released.

If you are pre-ordering the set from Forbidden Planet, please use one of the following links as it supports the site without costing you a penny:

Forbidden Planet.co.uk: http://www.forbiddenplanet.co.uk/affiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=339
Forbidden Planet.com: http://forbiddenplanet.com/?affid=drwhofigures

Thank you!

The August update for our Customisation Database is complete, meaning you can now browse through images of a whole host of fantastic new custom figures.

You can see the updated Database here: http://www.drwhofigures.co.uk/content/view/155/240/

Want to see your figures featured in future updates? Drop an email to the usual address, or PM Chandra on the forum.

If you are pre-ordering the set from Forbidden Planet, please use one of the following links as it supports the site without costing you a penny:

Forbidden Planet.co.uk: http://www.forbiddenplanet.co.uk/affiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=339
Forbidden Planet.com: http://forbiddenplanet.com/?affid=drwhofigures

Thank you!

Coming close to Malibu Stacy-esque "but he's got a new hat!!!" changes, three bizarre tweaked releases have just been announced on Forbidden Planet.

There's an Ironside Dalek (this time with covers over the 'ear lights'), Bracewell (with a gloved hand), and (perhaps most interesting) a 'Looped' Angel, which is meant to represent the Angel coming out of the television in 'Time of the Angels', and therefore is see-through.

These releases seem odd perhaps, but in a way they're all nice tweaks – and, many agree, better than just re-releasing an existing figure with a new accessory. However the 'see through' nature of the new Angel has led many people to really express disappointment that we never saw the heavily rumoured 'holographic' 9th Doctor.

Obviously aimed at ‘completionist’ collectors only really, they're only available from Forbidden Planet:

If you are pre-ordering the set from Forbidden Planet, please use one of the following links as it supports the site without costing you a penny:

Forbidden Planet.co.uk: http://www.forbiddenplanet.co.uk/affiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=339
Forbidden Planet.com: http://forbiddenplanet.com/?affid=drwhofigures

Thank you!

One of the most eagerly anticipated figures has now been released - alongside one of the... Best looking?!

I am talking of the newly released Roger Delgado figure, packaged with a brilliant Axon.

Perhaps an Axon seems a strange choice - but it is not all that odd considering the persistent rumours of a Krynoid figure coming out sometime this year according to some sources (famously the Krynoid and Axon monsters were made from same costume, just in different colours).

The Axon is an excellent figure, and enormous at that, while the Delgado figure certainly lives up to expectations. It's an excellent likeness of one of the most popular Masters, and it's great to see him in his 'boiler suit' costume - some had worried that he would also end up in the recycled Simm suit, as the Ainley Master did.

For £24.99 this is a fantastic set, you can't really go wrong. Definitely one to get.

If you are pre-ordering the set from Forbidden Planet, please use one of the following links as it supports the site without costing you a penny:

Forbidden Planet.co.uk: http://www.forbiddenplanet.co.uk/affiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=339
Forbidden Planet.com: http://forbiddenplanet.com/?affid=drwhofigures

Thank you!

Scificollector take no breaks! Holidaying in Marrakesh the Boss spotted, bartered for, and bought a case of Fez’s (is that Fezs?!) today - just like the 11th Doctors!

These are obviously genuine – 100% fur felt – not a dress up toy, yet the price is only £14.99 (inc. P&P)!!

Predictions before Series 5 were high that bow ties would be the new high-fashion item thanks to the 11th Doctor, but Fezs are fast becoming the essential fan item instead, so here’s a chance to get one that makes everyone else jealous – without hurting your bank account!

They are available in small, medium and large – place all your orders here: http://shop.scificollectorshop.co.uk/epages/es105345.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es105345_shop/Products/doctor-who-matt-smith-fez/SubProducts/doctor-who-matt-smith-fez-medium

Bought one? Why not email us a photo of you wearing it and we’ll put it up on the site?...!

Exciting news about the Dalek figures has arrived!

Firstly, after lots of worry, Forbidden Planet and Underground Toys have announced we will get a chance to buy the 11th Doctor and Dalek Scientist pack! They both will be selling limited quantities from the 18th August so get your wallet ready because they're sure to sell out quickly! No other information is currently known but we can expect them to sell the set at RRP, £24.99.

Also, a Dalek Strategist has been announced, and this too is set for release on the 18th.

It's at the regular price of £8.99 RRP and instead of being part of a new wave, is simply being introduced into Wave 1 re-releases, though possibly replacing the Drone. It's also been announced that more characters will continue to be released into the existing wave, though not until later in the year.

If you are ordering either of these Dalek products (or infact anything else) from Forbidden Planet, please use our affiliate links in the side bar as it helps support the site without costing you another penny!

You're probably already aware that the new 2010 TARDIS Playset is in the recent Argos catalogue. It costs £39.99 and at Argos, comes with an exclusive figure which looks to be the damaged Cyberman from The Pandorica Opens.

However, the set is unfortunately not yet out, despite being in the catalogue. The set is now available for pre-order from both Forbidden Planets where the release date is set to be 26th September. So, you should see this set begin to appear, including in Argos, around late September/early October. So, it should be out just in time to put on your Christmas list!

If you are pre-ordering the set from Forbidden Planet, please use one of the following links as it supports the site without costing you a penny:

Forbidden Planet.co.uk: http://www.forbiddenplanet.co.uk/affiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=339
Forbidden Planet.com: http://forbiddenplanet.com/?affid=drwhofigures

After stages of worry and concern, we can finally breath a sigh of relief (though the same can't be said for our wallets!) as the 2010 SDCC Classic Exclusives are now available to order from both Forbidden Planets here in the UK.

Sadly, it seems the Eleventh Doctor and Dalek Scientist pack will remain exclusive, by BBC America's wishes. However, we could get a Blue Shirt Jacketless Doctor one day and all of the new Daleks may be released together in a boxset at some stage so there's still hope!

In regards to the Classics, they are available for the regular exclusives price; £14.99 for the Regeneration Peter and £24.99 for the Planet of Fire Twinset containing the Doctor and the Master. Both releases are expected on the 1st of August.

If you’re ordering these lovely figures, please use one of these links as it supports this site without costing you a penny!

Forbidden Planet.co.uk: http://www.forbiddenplanet.co.uk/affiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=339
Forbidden Planet.com: http://forbiddenplanet.com/?affid=drwhofigures

We’ve launched a brand new look!

A complete redesign, we’ve moved away from the basic template we’ve used since we started in 2007 and have embraced the TARDIS.

With a changing top banner (go on – refresh the page!), a wider middle section, a completely redesigned homepage hub, and lots of other changes besides it’s all part of our aim to keep up to date at all times.

Our CUSTOMISATION DATABASE has undergone a redesign as well, with a reordering of sections, the creation of ‘Archive’ pages and the first of our now Monthly updates. Special thanks go to Chandra for his hard work that made it possible, and you can view the section here: http://www.drwhofigures.co.uk/content/view/155/240/

We’ve also shifted some of our focus onto our ‘WAVE PAGES’. As individual reviews are difficult to keep up with (though just hold on – more on them in a few weeks!) our Wave Pages easily list all the photos in a wave (be it an official wave – like ‘Series 5 Wave 1’ or ‘1st Doctor and TARDIS’), their contents, where to find them and a short review of the whole wave.

These pages will be checked at least every three days to ensure that they are always up to date.

So this is just the beginning – a lovely new canvas and the sign of new additions to it being seen already – but there’s so much more to come! Keep checking back!

As part of our new look (see: http://www.drwhofigures.co.uk/content/view/443/44/) we would really be incredibly grateful if you could consider support us by buying things through our links to other websites.

You will find the links on the homepage, the right hand banner of every other page on the main site, and at the top of the forum. These links will take you through to amazon.co.uk, ebay.co.uk, forbiddenplanet.co.uk and forbiddenplanet.com (any other sites you regularly buy through? Let us know!).

Buying through these links will not cost you a penny extra. In fact there’s no difference for you whatsoever, you can just shop like normal. But when you go through our links we get a small percentage of whatever you buy.

So if you want to support DWFO that’s one of the best ways to do it! I really does make a difference, and will hopefully mean further big expansion in the future!

Thank you very much indeed!

News is spreading of new Tesco exclusive 3-Packs of figures. Speculation began after a new listing appeared on the Tesco website showing a number of different figures in the photo: http://direct.tesco.com/StockWatch/default.aspx?r=209-8773.

Some worries have been expressed over the fact that the last Tesco boxsets were almost impossible to get hold of for many, and those that did find them often couldn’t buy them because of a database problem within Tesco!

The following packaging details are COMPLETELY UNCONFIRMED. They have appeared on another website apparently from someone within Tesco. If true, the most exciting prospect is certainly the new Series 4 Rose sculpt. But again – these are UNCONFIRMED.

SET A - Series 1
Sycorax Leader (With Whip/Staff) - The Christmas Invasion
Auton (Grey Suit) - Rose
Graske (With Blaster) - Attack Of The Graske [new figure to doctor who range]

SET B - Series 2
Sarah Jane Smith - School Reunion
Possessed Toby Zed - The Satan Pit
10th Doctor (In 3D Glasses) - Doomsday [new sculpt on the the 10th doctor's head/hair]

SET C - Series 3
Bannakaffalatta (With EMP Device) - Voyage Of The Damned
Ancient Doctor (With Sonic Screwdriver) - Last Of The Time Lords
Dalek - Daleks In Manhattan [not pictured in Tesco product image]
SET D - Series 4
Sontaran General Staal (With Cane) - The Poison Sky
25 Baby Adipose - Partners In Crime
Rose Tyler - The Stolen Earth [totally new series 4 sculpt, not pictured in Tesco product image]

With just a week to go before Argos release their new catalogue we are pleased to report what are APPARENTLY (UNCONFIRMED – though likely) the new listing numbers.

Many rumours suggested that the Flight Control TARDIS would be a special pack including the Stone Dalek – but this is apparently not to be the case now.

The TARDIS playset is also given a code. Whether this will be immediately available, and whether we will see better photographs, is completely unknown.

Again – these are unconfirmed, but highly likely to be correct.

Flight Control Tardis 388/3530
Series 5 figures 388/3509
Infra-red Battle RC Dalek 388/3516
Sonic Screwdriver projector 388/4924
Tardis playset (yes you read right!) 388/5370
13 inch RC Dalek Drone 388/5387

The new Doctor has a new TARDIS!

A new TARDIS playset has been announced, though it is fair to say that the reception it has received has not been brilliant overall so far.

Pictures were released, and a video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6ggyZD2s7Q) was uploaded to the internet, apparently of the TARDIS playset at Toy Fairs. However many have expressed concern that it is not a particularly ‘realistic’ TARDIS. Although not in scale, and not completely accurate (for obvious reasons), the magic of the last TARDIS playset was the fact that it did feel realistic.

Some have suggested that this is a prototype, which would seem reasonable. Therefore improvements may be made. However the person who originally posted the photographs on the internet has made clear that, apparently, the final release will not include lights or sounds this time.

We will keep you fully informed...!

Underground Toys have officially announced two new SDCC exclusive sets to go alongside the ‘Unjacketed 11th Doctor and Orange Strategist Dalek’.

The ‘Regenerated 5th Doctor’ and ‘5th Doctor (with hat) and Master from Planet of Fire’ sets will only be available at the SDCC.

In the UK it is almost 100% certain that neither of the Forbidden Planets will have any stock of these figures officially, unlike last year.

However the .com website at least has pledged that a buyer will try and pick them up some, and Scificollector.co.uk is apparently attempting to get hold of some too, suggesting that many specialist shops will try and get stock in. These will be in extremely limited supply. Keep an eye on our Twitter feed (http://www.twitter.com/dwfo) - especially after the SDCC - as they are going to sell out very fast, maybe before we even get a news story up about it!!

The best chance of getting hold of the figures, however, is through ‘Bob’ – a friend of this site who is attending the SDCC and will, once again, kindly be getting hold of figures for people.

Full information can be found on the Wave Page: Doctor Who SDCC Figures 2010 Wave Page. BUT YOU ONLY HAVE UNTIL THE 19TH TO PLACE YOUR ORDER WITH HIM!!

The Unearthly Child 1st Doctor and his TARDIS are to be released in a special exclusive boxset – already up for preorder on Forbidden Planet.

The set looks great, but great disappointment is being expressed that the Unearthly Child Doctor has been packaged with it again when many collectors had already paid an inflated price for the exclusive figure before.

Here at Doctor Who Figures Online we will be announcing something very shortly now that we hope might start to resolve this situation and make things better both for collectors and CO/Underground Toys/Forbidden Planet.

If you are buying this set please use either of these links as it supports this site without costing a penny more. Thank you!

ForbiddenPlanet.com link
ForbiddenPlanet.co.uk link

Underground Toys, the American company that CO allows to make exclusives, have announced the first SDCC figure.

The Eleventh Doctor (without his jacket) will be packaged with the Orange Scientist Dalek.

However rumours are abound that further SDCC exclusives will be announced soon, and both Forbidden Planet websites have announced that, currently, they have no plans to stock these figures in bulk unless they are offered them before the Convention...

We will ensure that any website user who wants to get hold of these figures will be able to, and more information will be released in the next few days. So keep checking back!

CO have announced that they will be re-releasing the Screaming Angel (now to be packaged as ‘Regenerated Angel’ opposite their ‘Regenerating Angel’).

The Screaming Angel will appear in the Batch B of Wave 1, due to be received by shops in the next few weeks.

For full Batch details, and more information, see the Series 5 Wave 1 Wave Page.

A hugely exciting set has just been confirmed by CO – the 11 Doctor Set.

Priced just at an incredible £50 the set features all eleven incarnations of the Doctor, many in brand new or repainted costumes from previous releases.

The full contents are:

-1st Doctor (Includes stick)
-2nd Doctor (features darker blue shirt than the first 2nd Doctor figure, plus a black tie and striped scarf. Includes recorder accessory)
-3rd Doctor (repainted version of the Sea Devil 3rd Doctor with green jacket and orange cape. Includes Sonic Screwdriver)
-4th Doctor (Seeds of Doom costume, almost certainly with a removable head. Repainted version of the Pyramids of Mars figure but with a red necktie, light blue suit and multicoloured shoes. The hat is also on the serious head. Includes Sonic Screwdriver.)
-5th Doctor ('Time Crash' release. Includes Sonic Screwdriver and possibly a cricket ball.)
-6th Doctor ('Terror of the Vervoids' costume. Includes Sonic Screwdriver.)
-7th Doctor (Hatless version of the TARDIS 7th Doctor. Includes Sonic Screwdriver.)
-8th Doctor (Includes Sonic Screwdriver)
-9th Doctor (Red T-Shirt. Includes Sonic Screwdriver)
-10th Doctor (New variant with long coat and red sneakers plus glasses. Includes sonic screwdriver.)
-11th Doctor (Red version. Includes Sonic Screwdriver.)

This set has already been well received and will be generally available around August time.

For more photographs and full details see the 11 Doctors Set Wave Page.

Following on from our story about the RC Daleks we bring further news of the sets.

Instead of being packed together the two remote control Daleks (Blue Strategist – running on a frequency of 40MHz - and Red Drone – running on 27MHz) will now be available separately, priced at £14.99 each. The different frequencies allow you to battle two Daleks against each other.

CO has also announced a new remote control Ironside Dalek (almost certainly running at 27MHz) which you can battle against whichever Dalek runs on the opposite frequency (which, if the Ironside is 27MHz, would be the Blue Strategist).

These fully functional radio controlled Daleks have full 360 degree movement control and a built-in infrared combat system which allows you to use two Daleks to battle against each other. Features also include flashing lights, speech, a poseable gun and arm. Infrared battle with two Daleks requires two Daleks of different control frequencies (27 MHz & 40 MHz). Requires 6 x AAA batteries each.

For more photographs and full details see the RC Daleks Wave Page.

Character Options have announced a new remote control Dalek battle pack, due for release later this year. The image released so far shows the new red and blue Daleks, however there may be other battlepacks with different colour Daleks to come – after all, some have already suggested that Mr. Moffat’s inspiration behind the rainbow Daleks was to sell more toys!

The TARDIS playset will also be revealed later this year – with images probably hitting us at the end of the summer (about when the battle packs are released) and the playset being released in time for the Christmas lists.

Finally a 13” Remote Controlled Drone Dalek has also been confirmed – set to be released later in the year.

EXTERMINATE!

Big surprise today as a new wave of figures we were told nothing about has appeared on the high street!

That's right! This new wave is supposedly exclusive to B&M stores and contains re-releases of the following figures:

Cyber Leader (different from the Battlepack - doesn't come with removable chest plate or EMP bomb)
Wrecked Cyberman (the old Destroyed cybbie)
Judoon Captain
Dalek (Caan)
General Staal
Sycorax Warrior

Big deal right? They're re-releases! Yes, but these figures only cost an incredible £3.99 each so it's perfect for getting any figures you haven't got or want doubles of, especially that previously rare Cyberleader. [HIGHLIGHT FOLLOWING FOR SLIGHT SPOILER] With the Cybermen confirmed to be in the Series 5 finale, you might want to hurry to get the Cybermen before they're all taken!

So, get down to your local B&M store now to get some incredible bargains from the brand new "1-2-3-4 Baddies Wave"!

Picture and all info courtesy of parisclub

Your Matt Smith figure is eagerly awaiting his TARDIS, perhaps looking out of place as he borrows Tennant's? Well thankfully, not for much longer. Because the official Series Five Flight Control TARDIS is on the way!

Due for release on the 4th of July, this brilliant TARDIS is priced at a very reasonable £14.99. With 8 motion-activated sound effects, flashing TARDIS lantern, opening front doors and telephone door, this is a must have! The only issue some has raised is that the interior picture perhaps doesn't line up with how the TARDIS actually looks. It is of course in scale with the 5" Doctor Who figure range and could be "VWORP VWORP"ing it's way to your home in just over a month! Why not pre-order now to ensure you don't miss out?

- http://www.forbiddenplanet.co.uk/affiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=339
- http://forbiddenplanet.com/59561-doctor-who-flight-controlled-tardis/?affid=drwhofigures

With the series well underway, Series 5 Wave 1 has already been announced! There are some predictable ones, some surprises, and NO re-releases (apart from The Doctor - but he doesn't really count as it's inevitable)! Here’s the full list for you to make your own opinion:

Amy Pond

Her face has already been seen, but now we can see the whole figure.

Bracewell

One several people had predicted, with a removable shirt to reveal the mechanics inside him.

Ironside Dalek

Luckily this has been released as a single figure, to allow for some good army building.

Hawthorn

Probably the most random of the Wave – fans of the Demon Headmaster will be pleased. Expect him to play every ‘mysterious man’ in comics for years to come...!

Red Drone Dalek

The first of the new Daleks – allowing for early army building before the inevitable box set...

Cracked Angel

A really nice figure, making a good change to the other angels.

Peter Winder

A slightly random choice, but still a nice figure and will look good flanking Hawthorn.

The Doctor (in red bow tie)

The only re-release, but rather inevitable.

The figures are all being discussed in our series 5 section: http://drwhofigures.co.uk/forum/viewforum.php?f=45

And if you’re ordering them please use one of these links, as it supports this site without costing you a penny!
- http://www.forbiddenplanet.co.uk/affiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=339
- http://forbiddenplanet.com/?affid=drwhofigures

Sporting what looks to be her ‘Victory of the Daleks’ costume (a good choice most agree – more general than others), the Daily Star (inevitably...!) chose to focus on the ‘boob job’ on the figure. Let's just hope that the hair (which will likely be in two parts like the Donna figure) will look natural. The Daily Star also talk to Matt Smith about his figure.

You can run out and buy a copy, but here’s the article to read:

This is because I am currently working on a massive project for my company. Unfortunately this massive project is also one that is extremely urgent – and literally every day counts.

It is a long-running project, but I hope to return it to a normal schedule within a week or two. From then on I will be running the sites again as normal alongside the project.

This project is potentially a big success for my company, and if it works out as I hope then I will be able to channel much more time and resources into all my websites in the long run.

On www.62westwallabystreet.co.uk The Aardmag will return with a bumper issue in a few weeks, however we have some exciting content to come before that. We are also working on some other very exciting exclusive projects behind the scenes.

Meanwhile on www.drwhofigures.co.uk there are some really exciting new projects in the background, and the site will enter ‘V4’ officially soon. Fans will also be interested in a new website we are working on, due to be announced on April 1st...

Visitors to both websites will be pleased to know that our ‘review-a-day’ scheme will run with great strength for weeks (potentially Months) to come.

So please just hold on – in the long run the websites will be improved by this wait. Until then please accept our apologies and I hope you can still enjoy the vast array of content we have on offer already!

Seventh Doctor Figures

Although in scale with Character Options these twin packs will be made by Underground Toys. The following images are most likely not finalised prototypes; they are simply an idea of what UT hopes to produce later in the year as exclusives.

For now they are two Seventh Doctor packs, one coming with a ‘Rememberance of the Daleks’ Imperial Dalek and one with a Classic Series TARDIS:

End of Time Figures - new photos

The Master has come under some slight criticism already, but The Narrator/High President/Rassilon has been praised highly. Click the photos to view them in their full size.

Click to enlarge front cover

Looking back at 2009

We last wrote a Monthly roundup just before the 3rd Doctor figures were released, and you might remember that we suggested it might be the ‘light at the end of the tunnel’ – that things were about to change.

SDCC brought us boxsets and figures galore, more than we could possibly have imagined, and just as the New Year closed we had news of new CO regular figures.

All in all I think 2009, we can agree, was not quite the drought collectors had feared, but it wasn’t everything we wanted either!

We had a 2009 figures poll on the forum and the results are very interesting – some extremely close, some easily won. Our thanks go to DoctorWhoDave for organising it, and you can see the results in full here: http://drwhofigures.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=72445#p72445

Looking to 2010

So what does 2010 hold? Well with the sheer weight of rumours flying about everywhere I think it best to simply sit back and wait personally – when there are so many rumours some are bound to be true, but we must be wary of talking ourselves into corners.

I have heard several people holding back from buying figures because they heard a rumour that they were being released again etc. This, although possibly true, is a dangerous practice. If figures don’t sell they won’t be re-released, if they do sell then they may well be re-released. It’s Catch 22 for collectors in many ways, but I think it better to buy the figures and ensure you have them than hold back and worry that we might get them again if you can afford to get them all.

There are so many unanswered questions, but from what I’ve seen it’s going to be huge fun to simply hear the answers – so sit back and just take it in is my advice.

To read our thoughts on all the new Who products at Toy Fair 2010 see here: http://www.drwhofigures.co.uk/content/view/396/44/

So far in 2010...

Already 2010 has proved busy – the Classic Wave 2 figures and End of Time (well, some of them) figures hit Argos stores with their new catalogue on Saturday 23rd. Already the quality of all the figures is being hugely appreciated and hailed as some of CO’s best work.

We hope to have full reviews and pictures up soon (and will be catching up with all figures that we have missed as well), but in the meantime it’s well worth getting out and picking up a few!

DWFO Updates

As far as DWFO is concerned there’s lots coming soon so stay tuned! New Timeslip episodes! New reviews! Competitions! Updates to our (hugely popular and wonderfully friendly!) forum!

The best place to keep checking, to make sure you don’t miss a single update, is this page: http://drwhofigures.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2641

Conclusion

See you all again soon – with hopefully more detail!

Perhaps Who fans should be worried about the fact that only about 3 stands in the whole place had any Doctor Who products on them?... Actually I think not. The one thing I really picked up was the real emphasis on quality that the BBC is pushing, and the real belief the BBC has that Doctor Who will return bigger and better than ever.

For the BBC this isn’t Series 5. For simplicity it’s not even Series 1. It’s Series 11.1 – the first series with the Eleventh Doctor. It’s a new start for the brand just like in 2005, but this time they can have even more confidence that it will work and that there will be viewers out there.

So then – what were these three stands? Well Character Options was the first, and the one most of you will be interested in, but I’m afraid it’s all so hush-hush I can reveal nothing (sorry!). However there is still exciting news from the two other stands...

Imagination Games

Doctor Who + Boardgames = A bit boring to be honest. That’s been the general equation since 2005 I think we can all agree.

However I have hope that Imagination Games will change this. I can’t tell you much because frankly there’s not much to tell, the front of the boxes is about all that’s been developed so far I think, but I can tell you that I spoke to the Managing Director of the company about them and what he said gave me a lot of confidence.

He himself said that most board games so far have been disappointing for fans, and haven’t gripped the general gamers market either. They are developing two games, one designed for the whole family and one for younger people to play with friends, with fans in mind in the hope that they can produce something very special but also very fun. I know most game companies would have this aim, but he said it straight off and with conviction – so there’s some real hope there.

Watch this space...

Wow! Stuff

I know ‘Wow! Stuff’ for their Wallace and Gromit products and, without a doubt, their strongest asset is the time and imagination they put into developing products.

So imagine my surprise when I saw a whole load of Doctor Who stuff from them as well! No pictures are allowed I’m afraid, but they had a whole range of pieces – some more impressive than others.

Some of the interesting-but-not-essential items included a hologram machine that creates an image of the Dalek Supreme you can see but not touch (very cool effect – though perhaps not essential!), a Cyberman head that uses the well-known optical effect of eyes that follow you around the room, a TARDIS money holder (roll up a £5 in a plastic TARDIS keyring), and a sounds keyring.

Some of their more impressive items include a Davros Plasma Ball (!) an Adipose stress ball, a Sonic Screwdriver pen, a Sonic Screwdriver lifesize model which includes screwdriver attachments and K9 and Dalek desk patrollers - they glide around but won’t fall off a surface or hit any items. The Dalek one was not on display however... I wonder why not...

Just one note about these however – they’re very early prototypes and I would not be at all surprised if we don’t see them all go into shops.

Conclusion

Doctor Who will return bigger and better than ever – and secrets are everywhere – but if there’s one thing I took from the day it was immense hope. Don’t be worried – the quality all round is looking excellent – so just get excited and start saving up madly!!!

Hardly any new releases then loads of Forbidden Planet ones, and now the whole panic of an out of the blue scale change! What will happen next?

Right now the only two definite things:

1. You will always have more Daleks than you know what to do with
2. Character Options are probably going to surprise you with a lot of special edition figures to buy in a short amount of time.

First of all guess how many shelves full of Daleks I now own... 2 - yes 2 - full shelves of Daleks. Yes they are all wonderfully sculpted and brilliantly painted, but boy do they take up a lot of space!... That’s my minor rant out of the way now.

...But back to about the main focus of the Doctor Who Figures community - scale.

At the minute there are many rumours around the "net" (more specifically a well known Dr Who Toys website which, although a great resource, sometimes gets things a bit wrong. Murder Mystery Gift Set anyone?) and although it’s easy to say "pah – it’s a load of rubbish”, it’s also easy to think "well what if it is true?"...

And it might be, but I certainly hope not. We all know what we think of Character's previous decisions - we can only hope.

But to end on a lighter note, two words: Jon Pertwee, yay! I can see Paul and Sylvester just round the corner, then we can all make comics called the 10 doctors...

Doctor Who Figures Online is pleased to announce that the Timesquad figures section is now completely up to date with reviews and images of every figure, so click here to read reviews of every Timesquad figure!

Do you keep up to date with figure news? Are you good at writing news stories? If so you could be just what I’m looking for!

I’m looking for someone to be chief reporter for the website, writing a story for each piece of news. The full logistics of the position will be decided based on who gets the job but you won’t have to write every story by any means – I’ll be writing them as well and will still remain Editor, you’ll just have to send them over to me so I can put the stories up.

We’re looking for someone able to get facts across well, take stories from elsewhere and use information from them when appropriate and, if possible, someone with a bit of a sense of humour – after all, we are toy collectors! This will help ensure the website is constantly up to date and working as best it can.

If you’re interested in the position please send me an email ( ) with a bit of information about who you are and why you think you should take the position – plus feel free to ask any further questions if you have any – and please attach a news story that you have written based on the figures. Most text stories are about 200-400 words in length so try to aim for about that. You don’t need to be a member of our forum to take this position.

The deadline for applications is 10:00pm GMT at the end of Wednesday 2nd September. I look forward to hearing from you!

At £15 it’s a lot again, but remember that if we didn’t have these exclusives we wouldn’t have any figures at all! The fact we can buy him also squashes the small rumour that it was to be a US exclusive.

And the pictures there look nothing less than absolutely stunning. What a superb figure!

This is also a timely reminder that we are, once again, in full support of fp.com and there is no reason at all to suggest that they will be later than fp.co.uk this time.

If you want to buy him please consider using these links as it also helps this site without costing you a penny. Anything else you buy also contributes a small amount to us:

Forbiddenplanet.com: http://forbiddenplanet.com/42311-doctor-who-action-figures-6th-doctor-caves-of-androzani/?affid=DWFO
Forbiddenplanet.co.uk: http://www.forbiddenplanet.co.uk/affiliate/idevaffiliate.php?id=339

This is something we hope to do with every range so if you have any thoughts or feedback please do get in touch.

So pop on over and see what our reviews make of the new Torchwood figures, can Tosh really be the sexiest figure ever?!...

Torchwood action figures/toys Range Page

As you might know my life plan for now is to be self-employed probably for at least a year, I’m in the lucky position that I can try things out for at least that long and don’t need to make that much money as I don’t have too many living costs. This does mean though that I can’t sit back and things have to be taken seriously.

Basically the site is at a crossroads, one way continues as always – updates won’t be that regular (almost no reviews for a year now!), the site will plod along alright for now. However I can see some dark endings to that, if something else came up that ate at my time but was necessary then the site could feasibly be forced to close down. I could hand it over to someone else or something, but the inner workings are so built around what I know and how I work that it would be a huge job for anyone to take on.

Luckily the other path is a bit brighter! If I can make a business that involves the site then I will be able to spend a lot more time on it, indeed I’ll be forced to. Reviews will have to be up quickly, images will be taken, the site will work more like clockwork and responses to messages should be quicker – usually within 24-48 hours maximum.

I can’t make a business from just one site of course, which is why my Wallace and Gromit site is currently undergoing massive redevelopment too (ideas for that welcome!). If I can get the two working very well, hopefully by the end of this year, I can then start work on a further idea I’m currently developing that, for now, remains confidential. However it’s likely to be a website at least, and could be much more wide-ranging and popular in subject.

It’s a very tricky task to make good money from a website, which is why just one site could never really do it, but adding lots of little bits together, with a huge amount of work, could produce results. It’s very cloudy because it’s almost impossible to predict what can happen with a site, it needs patience and time which is why I will give it at least a year most likely.

So that’s why you’re seeing the beginning of selective advertising, this will change and move about over time so I can reach the perfect situation of providing you with interesting links (don’t be afraid to click them! They won’t bite!), you with a better site and a situation which doesn’t affect your enjoyment of the website at all.

I need to work hand in hand with you at every stage of this process, so if you have any thoughts on it at all, ideas and comments good and bad, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. At no stage do I want your experience to be adversely affected. Just remember, for example, a website with no adverts might not be as good as a website with some adverts with regular updates too!

As I implement new ideas and update areas I’ll be posting here for your feedback, first one coming very soon indeed... (in fact it’s already here but no one appears to have noticed!)

Please do get in touch with any thoughts – I hope this clarifies the situation. Any questions just ask away!

Apparently there was simply a delay with the stockists, as originally given as the reason, and in this situation there was nothing they could do. It’s worth remembering that fp.co.uk did get their stock early as well, so the gap is greater.

I’m assured that the stock has arrived with them in the warehouse today and have been fast tracked through, hopefully all being sent out tonight. So hopefully we should possibly see it arriving by the end of the week.

They stress that there was no connection between the delay and the fact that these had been SDCC exclusives.

So for the future there is no reason other than luck which would suggest fp.com orders will be slower. I therefore find no reason to advise you don’t use them in the future. I’m pleased to once again support them as a good place to get your figures.

It’s a great day for many figure collectors. After, for some, 50 years of waiting we finally have the 1st and 2nd Doctor figures, in colour and in black and white, alongside the ‘Real Time’ 6th Doctor.

Or, at least, we do if we ordered from forbiddenplanet.co.uk. Those who ordered from forbiddenplanet.com, expecting the same deal as from .co.uk, will instead have to wait at least another week – something they failed to mention until today.

Being extremely vague they say ‘there has been a delay and they won’t be dispatched until the 31st.’ Well that’s wonderful isn’t it? Your editor was one of those poor people who just missed off one character in his address bar and doomed himself to another week of waiting so, instead of the promised reviews and pictures I would have had up tomorrow I am limited to reporting on this story. And, with the lack of any real evidence or explanation, it falls to me to speculate.

The 31st is a week away, that’s a very long delay indeed – especially when .co.uk had theirs last week. However for those who know the detail of the SDCC it’s an important date. The 1st is usually when most companies are allowed to sell their exclusives – a rule laid down by Underground Toys in America. Therefore those companies who have taken preorders would probably be sending them out on, yes, the 31st. If this is the reason for the ‘delay’, and with no other evidence it seems likely, then .com has known for the beginning that ordering from them would mean another week of waiting. It also means they are now lying on the telephone to customers.

For the future it would also seem to suggest that they won’t perhaps have other exclusives at the same time as .co.uk, so I for one will be cancelling my exclusives order placed last week with .com and reorder with .co.uk.

Of course this is just speculation and, I stress, not to be taken as hard fact. We’re not a tabloid newspaper here. But until they start giving a better explanation than ‘a delay’ I think it’s the best reason we have.

The SDCC Jack is available for £14.99 generally (see other thread) or for £29.99 signed by Gareth David Lloyd - aka Ianto. ONLY 24 ARE AVALIABLE! SO BE VERY, VERY QUICK IF YOU WANT ONE!

Just see here.

And, if you can, please put 'As recommended by drwhofigures.co.uk' in the comments box. Thanks!

The accessories are:

-4th Doctor's interchangeable head -Pyramids of Mars jar -Device to go inside the jar -Corpse Marker interchangeable hand for the Robot -Sticks for the Robot (presumably - as there is no marking on his chest)

A shame for some army builders, though remember that all the figures (except the 4th Doctor) are army builders so, if you can afford it, you could buy several.

However some rumours are circulating that the regenerated 6th Doctor will be a US exclusive. This seems unlikely though as that would suggest an SDCC exclusive, unlikely to be revealed a year in advance. However we’ll be keeping a close eye on this and all other news.

Limited numbers of the SDCC Torchwood Jack are now available on scificollector.co.uk - just click here. The price is £14.99

PLUS: Signed normal Ianto for £19.95 and signed limited edition Ianto in Series 1 packaging is £24.95. These two are post free. Find them here and here.

If you can please say 'As recommended by drwhofigures.co.uk' in the comments box. Thanks!

Therefore you will have to pay the full £25 each, which does seem like a very large amount.

Other information, such as when we can expect them, is not provided on the site - however an August release with the other boxsets is likely now.

Not one but two glorious Jon Pertwee figures to make the man himself proud. I was never privileged enough to meet him, but having heard him talk so many times on the radio and television I know he would have been delighted with these.

The cape on the Sea Devil version of The Doctor looks removable, if you wanted to take it off or put it on the other one for whatever reason.

Plus, of course, a brand new Dalek and – very excitingly – a repainted Sea Devil. This responds to some slight criticism of the old version of the figure.

Overall this is going to be highly sought after and a superb addition to any collection.

Spotted at the SDCC (see the Patrick Troughton figure appearing in the bottom left!) this is the Regenerated 6th Doctor – as seen in ‘The Caves of Androzani’. There have been some excellent customisations of this figure before, and I’m sure it’s a great surprise to many.

It takes us up to 3 6th Doctors, not bad for the shortpacked figure of Wave 1!

It is unclear whether or not this will be an exclusive/in limited numbers, but time will tell. Stay tuned for more SDCC news as it happens – some hopes are pinned on seeing the Jon Pertwee figure possibly tonight... And with this week, who knows!

And typical – you wait a whole year then four come along at once!

This morning three new boxsets have been revealed at the SDCC, two so far appearing with pictures on Forbidden Planet. FP are saying it's an early August release, though they are sometimes wrong. They are the Dalek Collector’s Set #2, the 4th Doctor boxset, and two 3rd Doctor boxsets. These are their contents:

Dalek Collector’s Set #2 - £19.99
-Saucer Pilot Dalek from ‘Dalek Invasion of Earth’
-Emperor’s Guard Dalek from ‘Evil of the Daleks’
-Supreme Dalek from ‘Day of the Daleks’

4th Doctor boxset - £29.99
-A Mummy from ‘Pyramids of Mars’ with canopic jar accessory
-New Voc robot from ‘The Robots of Death’
-Suicide Daleks from ‘Destiny of the Daleks’ (1979).
-4th Doctor (unknown if he has interchangeable heads, but likely)

3rd Doctor – The Sea Devils
-3rd Doctor with removable cloak and sonic screwdriver, as seen in ‘The Sea Devils’
-A Sea Devil

3rd Doctor – Death to the Daleks
-3rd Doctor with blue jacket as seen in ‘Death to the Daleks’
-A Dalek from ‘Death to the Daleks’

The 3rd Doctor’s sets are going to be exclusive to Forbidden Planet, it is not clear whether the others are - though they are described as being in ‘limited number’s?

Very exciting news – but I hope you’ve been saving up!

Click any image to enlarge

If you want to stay even more in touch with Customisations don’t forget to check out our Customisation Thread in the forum – and our eBay Customisation thread, updated daily.

None of this could be done without DoctorWhoDave though, so many, many thanks go to him for his hard work.

His latest piece is ‘The Girl in the Fireplace’, and click the link below to read a full behind-the-scenes piece on how the photo was made.

Expect to see lots more of CJ’s work on drwhofigures.co.uk over the coming Months!

Click the photo to view the behind-the-scenes piece.

THE DOCTOR (Both coat and suit) - Great, as he's the main character
ROSE AND K9 - Good choice of companions
SLITHEEN, SYCORAX AND CASSANDRA - Popular monsters
MOXX - The first pegwarmer

Quite a good choice of figures then. But remember, if this was a smaller company we would probably only have the Doctor and a few good monsters. So it's really worth the pegwarmers.

And Laszlo is quite good!

With just a few exceptions there are not many missing figures that cannot be explained. However you do wonder why a Jenny can’t be released when a River Song can, a character that has about the same amount of importance as Jenny but actually less scope for adventures possibly! Were it the case they she was simply the Vashta Nerada costume with her head I could understand it, a cheap way to make more money, but they did go that extra mile with an all-new sculpt.

I think though that both Laszlo and, in the same way, Brannigan can be explained away by being exciting sounding characters (“a pig man!”) (“a cat man!”), but not as memorable after their episodes. The biggest mistake was releasing Laszlo on his own and making the Pig Slave the boxset exclusive. Had they swapped them around we would have a very good figure in Laszlo and an army-builder in the Pig Slave. Then even someone like Grandma Connolly, admittedly an odd choice, has a purpose because a Wire figure is a good idea, but they need something to go with it. A simple faceless Grandma is not that big a draw, but a swappable face allows us to ‘let the wire feed on her.’ Maybe just too many were made.

Another issue of course is that there are actually very few figures we don’t want to see! Take the Torchwood range, there are so many! Bilis Manger, PC Andy, Rhys, Sleeper Agents, etc... The list could go on and on. Somewhere the line has to be drawn or we would be flooded by figures. I think Wave 1 of the Classics handled this very well with a fair range of figures from ages and a good number of Doctors. We got three popular Doctors, aliens that were obvious choices (Sea Devils, Zygons, Sandminer Robots) and then something more unseal in the form of Mr Sin and Weng Chiang. A great mix. The Torchwood theme of two team members, an obvious alien or person (Weevil and John) and a less obvious one (Lisa and Blowfish) also emulates this.

So I think the issue is a complex one that comes down to balance as well as factors like exclusivity and numbers produced. But at the very basic level CO have handled this balance, on the whole, very well. We can never be completely happy, there are either too few or too many, but in general we’ve done alright!

Character Options history with character selection has been a mixed one. More often than not they hit the nail on the head with an impressive array of figures including many characters and monsters that sell well and are popular with the fan base, as well as with the general public - such as the Weeping Angels and the Empress of the Racnoss. However sometimes CO gets it a bit wrong, either releasing figures that leave the fan-base and the general public scratching their heads thinking “What?” and end up stuck on the shelf, or not releasing figures of certain characters that would likely sell like hot cakes.

Firstly let’s look at some of the figures that have been released that seem, on reflection, a bit of an odd choice. For me the figure that defines this is Laszlo. Firstly he was not really a significant or popular character which meant the general public were often not interested in buying him. Second he was not an army building figure and did not come with an accessory so collectors only often got one just for the sake of completion and even that was only after the price had been dropped drastically. In essence Laszlo defined the term “peg warmer” as he just didn’t sell and was left cluttering up shelves across the country. Another example of a figure that felt like an odd choice is Grandma Connolly, who was bundled in with two versions of The Wire and a head swap feature where she could have a normal or blank faced head. When the first details of this figure surfaced many fans believed it was nothing more than a crazy rumour and were surprised when it was released.

The thing that makes the release of figures such as Laszlo and Grandma Connolly even stranger is the absence of figures for some popular characters. Obviously in some circumstances there are legitimate reasons that certain characters may not be released. One is the permission for the image rights for a character is withheld the person who played or owns the character (this is rumoured to be the case for The Abzorbaloff and an updated Rose figure). Another reason may be that the figure cannot be realistically made due to issues such as size or complexity, which is likely for characters such as The Beast and the Dalek Emperor. However that still leaves some popular characters absence unexplained like Jenny the Doctor’s Daughter and Roboforms to name a few which many fans seem to want and would probably sell well among both fans and the general public if released.

When CO chooses which characters to release as figures often they get it right, despite some odd choices now and again and missing some popular characters like Jenny. It’s fun whenever that odd little surprise release that no one expected appears but disappointing when a good choice of character fails to materialise. Overall though I think CO does a solid job of picking which characters and creatures to make from the history of a show with as many memorable creations as Doctor Who.

This debated issue has been chosen as the second in our series of debates. You can read our arguments so far and, if you want to have a say, either respond on our forum or write an argument like the ones below and send it to for consideration.

Archive:
- Debate 1: Articulation v. Detail

Got an idea for the next debate? Write the opening piece, send it to me and I'll consider it and keep it ready!

Gareth David Lloyd (aka Ianto)will be there as will Kai Owen (aka Rhys!). The event will take place in their London Strand store on Saturday 25th of July from 12:30pm.

The perfect chance to meet two big names and get your new Ianto figure signed!

For more information go to: The Scificollector Events Page.

Yes - Wave 2 of the Torchwood figures, for those who preordered, is probably in the post zooming to your house as fast as it can. For those lucky enough to be going to the Scificollector shops some have started to sell them in hand already.

Feedback so far is great, whatever you thought of the early images (and mostly feedback was positive) it seems generally agreed that these are a superb selection of figures.

You can still order Wave 2, perhaps having kept an eye on the relevant threads in our forum to see what people who have them think (links below).

Just pop on over to http://www.scificollector.co.uk to order them! (and if you want their free postage offer, so are looking something to fill the basket up, might I recommend their stamp sheets? Excellent pieces for displaying!)

Our relevant forum threads:
Ianto: http://drwhofigures.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=628
Tosh: http://drwhofigures.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=627
Blowfish: http://drwhofigures.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=624
Captain John: http://drwhofigures.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=626
Packaging: http://drwhofigures.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=2139
Wave as a whole: http://drwhofigures.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=1382

STOP PRESS! Ianto and Rhys attending Scificollector

signing - click here for more.

We haven’t had any new figures in ages, no new Who, pretty much no exciting news. It’s the Wilderness years before 2005 again for figure collectors and Who fans in many ways.

But figure collectors really need not worry. Just sit back and look at what we have to expect:

-Torchwood Wave 2 any day now!
-Exclusive SDCC Captain Jack
-The 1st, 2nd and Real Time 6th Doctors all being released – alongside a new Dalek and Black and White figures for the first time
-As rumours will start to come in for Series 5 surely they will also for next year’s figures?!
-This 3rd Doctor rumour seems interesting!
-I’m sure now that we will see other new CO figures by the end of the year – or at the very least have an important announcement.

And when they all come you know what will happen? We’ll all start moaning about not having enough money! So start preparing and saving everything you can and get ready – the excitement of figure collecting is about to return!

Original story on the exclusive figure: http://www.drwhofigures.co.uk/content/view/362/260/

DON’T WORRY! You can still get hold of the exclusive dark shirted Captain Jack figure!

There are two ways:

-Take your chances with Scificollector
There are likely to be some left over and they hope to sell them, so if you’re quick with them you have an ‘above fair’ chance of getting them I would say. However you will be taking a bit of a gamble and opening up to waiting for eBay etc. if you’re not quick enough. Keep an eye on their mailing list and site, as well as on here, and try to be first. Then you stand a good chance I think.

Or

-Get one from our kind contact at SDCC
As with the Who exclusives honorarydoctor is offering to pick us up some. You will have to pay him BY FRIDAY 11:59PM PST (8am Saturday morning GMT) though. Pricing is based around the Colin Baker figure and, if appropriate, you will receive a refund if the price is lower at the Convention, if he can’t get them, etc… But you are much more likely to get it through him. It will cost you probably about £15 extra I would think, but you get that guarantee. As well as that, if he can't get them at the convention there may be a further option through a contact of his, though you don't have to go with it. His pricing is as follows:

For 1 Exclusive (Colin baker)
$20 (x1) each for a single Colin Baker = $20 for the 1 figure
AUSTRALIA $34.00 Express or $28.00 Priority (6-10 days transit w/ tracking number)
$2.00 for paypal fees
$7.00 to help me offset room/gas costs for storing/transporting the figures.

Putting it at $63.00 (Express) or $57.00 (priority) for the figure (About $75 AUS Dollars or GDP£35 at current exchange rate)

If you want to take advantage of this great chance then you’ll have to PM honorarydoctor or email and let him know.

So if you want to get a complete collection you have two choices open to you. One is cheaper but more of a gamble, the other is more of a guarantee but slightly more expensive. Your choice!

This statement from Scificollector should explain:

"The revised Limited Edition Captain Jack is being launched at Comicon. Any UK availability will be announced once that Exhibition concludes."

My personal speculation on this is that it is somehow related to the worries the BBC can have over selling exclusives outside of scheduled events for some reason.

So DWFO will be doing the best we can to sort something out in advance and I will let you know if we can do anything ASAP to ensure people can get hold of this figure. Obviously this is late notice for the actual event, but we will do everything we can!

Yes – Torchwood Wave 2 comes in new packaging designed to reflect a new style of Torchwood, it’s using the same style of design as other merchandise between the end of series 2 and the start of series 3.

The packaging has received a lot of support, most agreeing it is an improvement on the already good Wave 1 packaging, and even some saying it’s better than the Doctor Who figures packaging. As these are designed by a smaller company that’s another strong feather in the Torchwood ranges hat!

For a larger image see http://www.scificollector.co.uk

Dalek Ship Game:
http://incredibots.com/?robotID=kit102344a0f317b10aa46.54539668

K9 Game 1:
http://incredibots.com/?robotID=kit1023449bac66d440413.67402971

K9 Game 2:
http://incredibots.com/?robotID=kit1023449bcdf9794ef27.59252218

Enjoy!

As seen on http://www.kasterborous.com!

Click to enlarge front cover

Light at the end of the tunnel?

So what does the future in figure collecting hold now? Well Doctor Who Figures Online thinks it holds something very hopeful. Rumours are aplenty of new releases to come this year, and positive things are coming from CO.

The top rumours concern a new 4th Doctor boxset of some description, and Forbidden Planet seem to have confirmed on Twitter that they will have two exclusive 3rd Doctor figures to sell alongside their existing exclusives. This is yet to be confirmed by CO, but it seems highly likely.

With the Torchwood figures coming soon, and with this possibility of more from CO, I think we need to brace ourselves (not to mention our wallets…)

Forbidden Planet Updates

Both Forbidden Planet (.com) and Forbidden Planet International (.co.uk) have released statements to Doctor Who Figures Online. FPI say that any fraud has been third party through their card system, that this is currently under investigation and that it is perfectly safe to order by cheque. They value all customers and wish to solve this soon to ensure customer service is the best it can be.

The .com website reiterated that they were in the clear and that it is perfectly safe to order from them.

Both statements can be found in full here - Forbidden Planet Fraud Updates

Exclusive Torchwood Figures

Ahead of the Torchwood figures Wave 2, exclusive Captain John and Ianto figures were recently released in Wave 1 packaging and individually numbered with only 1000 available each. This makes them highly collectable and the first Torchwood figures to be available outside of a normal wave.

These were available online for a short while and, should more be available after a couple of planned Scificollector events to be held soon, you may be able to get hold of them in Scificollector.co.uk shops.

Character Sales Down

Character Options have announced a loss of 22% in their sales for the six Months up to February 28th compared with the same time last year. Obviously a lot of this is due to the economic crisis and people holding money back, when you’re dealing in millions one range won’t make a particular difference, but what does this mean for Who collectors?

I think there’s nothing to be worried about personally, Character aren’t going to fail from the looks of things – they haven’t got big debts to worry about. Indeed, with rumours now spreading of new figures even this year perhaps they haven’t done as badly as they had feared they might have done? Of course they wouldn’t say that, but I think speculation could fall on that conclusion fairly easily.

For those who understand economics further a full report can be found at http://www.drwhofigures.co.uk/content/view/352/260/

New Micro-Universe Ships

The much-championed Micro-Universe Spaceships have been released again under the guise of Timesquad Spacehips.

They are re-releasing the Slitheen ship and Captain Jack’s Chula War Ship alongside a brand new SS Pentallian Spaceship. Each comes with a random Timesquad figure.

It’s interesting for collectors in another way as well – because CO have always made clear they can’t talk about ideas even if they’ve been decided against in the end because they can make a comeback. I expect they felt the ship range was finished at about this point last year, but now look. It’s a mark of the ever changing world of collecting.

So far these are not available too widely, but they should hit shops Nationwide soon.

Conclusion

There have been a lot of ups and downs recently, but I think overall it’s all looking positive for the future!

Archives

- January - February/March - April - May 2009

The Daleks instantly became an iconic television monster, and it didn’t take long for toy manufacturers to notice their popularity, toys such as the Rolykins Daleks, a small injection-moulded plastic Dalek with a small amount of marble underneath the base, were immensely popular and sold out very quickly. However these weren’t particularly detailed and, to be honest, didn’t do all that much. After the Rolykins Daleks a bigger and more advanced clockwork Dalek, featuring a more realistic movement and a head which rotated left and right when played with was released.

Throughout the history of Doctor Who toys there have been many different merchandise products released such as action figures, board games, books, pens, and the somewhat strange anti-Dalek water pistol. But in the early years of the Doctor Who toys range the products were limited mostly to Dalek related items. That was until a toy company named ‘Denys Fisher’ began to produce a range of action figures which included a Dalek, a Cyberman, the 4th Doctor, Leela, and the Giant Robot from the 4th doctor's story ‘Robot’. Although these figures were well made and posable they weren’t all that detailed (Tom Baker’s action figure was based on another actor!) Then yet another toy company called Dapol produced figures of characters from most of the shows, although these weren’t that well made, posable or detailed and there were many inconsistencies of quality between the figures and their on screen counterparts, such as a green K-9!

But now Character Options action figures are of a much higher quality than almost all the Doctor Who toys that have gone before. Modern Doctor Who action figures are now an almost perfect scaled down replica of there on screen counterpart. Created not only by the skilled sculptors of Designworks Windsor, but also making use of new technology that pushes the boundaries of detail possible on an action figure even further, the level of detail and accuracy increases with each new wave of figures. The future of Doctor Who toys accuracy, level of detail and quality looks extremely bright.

http://www.denofgeek.com/television/251403/doctor_who_top_10_fan_animations.html

So take a break, sit back for a few minutes, and indulge in some fan-made goodness!

Seb

For one, I loved those ships. So detailed, so underrated and so useful in comics! They were the best thing to come from the Micro-Universe range and I was sorry to see them sink with it.

Secondly, they’ve really considered collectors so we don’t have to buy more ships we already have to get any new models or Timesquad figures. Having said that though I would very much like to see the Planet of the Ood Spacecraft released again on its own – as I and many others didn’t get a chance to buy one. And if they’re going to release new ships perhaps exclusive Timesquad figures could work? I’d love to see a few more anyway!

Finally, it spells good news for the future. This is a decision that’s been kept quiet and, at a time when rumours and whispers are spreading about new figures during 2009, perhaps this is a sign CO are going to spend a little more time on Doctor Who than they thought they would? With sales down 22% they still don’t seem too unhappy, and these releases look like testing the water a bit to me, wading in gently before the plunge.

Obviously it would been brilliant to know the future precisely so we can plan – I know some people would be dismayed as they had other plans for their money – but frankly we’re not in the collecting world for an easy ride! This is about taking a gamble on buying Laszlo for £11 when he came out and losing (yes, it did happen to me…) or speculating madly! It’s great, it’s wonderful and I’m overjoyed to think it may continue!

ForbiddenPlanet.com and Forbidden Planet.co.uk are two separate companies.

We were contacted by several of our customers recently with regards to a possible security breach on our website. ForbiddenPlanet.com have conducted a thorough assessment of our website, shopping basket and internal systems and have found no evidence of any security issues. We would like to assure our customers that our site is secure and that their details are at no risk of exposure.

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We treat our customers privacy and security as our top concern and will continue to closely monitor all online transactions for any risk of card fraud.

Should you have any concerns regarding transactions you have placed with us and wish to speak to our team, please visit http://forbiddenplanet.com/Contact.html

But the wonderful ships from the Micro-Universe range are being brought back – with Timesquad figures instead! They are re-releasing the Slitheen ship and Captain Jack’s Chula War Ship alongside a brand new SS Pentalian Spaceship! Each comes with a random Timesquad figure.

This is really positive because collectors can buy new ships without the old ones, and they don’t have to worry about exclusive Timesquad figures either. I’m really hoping for a re-released Planet of the Ood Spaceship myself, I think that’s a strong contender if these do well, but Who knows what else CO had planned that may see the light of day again?

It’s interesting for collectors in another way as well – because CO have always made clear they can’t talk about ideas even if they’ve been decided against in the end because they can come back. I expect they felt the ship range was finished at about this point last year, but now look. It’s a mark of the ever changing world of collecting.

And I can confirm that reviews of each Timesquad figure will be uploaded within a fortnight.

FOR ALL IMAGES SEE HERE: http://www.character-online.com/imagezoom/?ImageId=306623

I think there’s nothing to be worried about personally, Character aren’t going to fail from the looks of things – they haven’t got big debts to worry about. Indeed, rumours are now spreading of new figures even this year so perhaps they haven’t done as badly as they had feared they might have done? Of course they wouldn’t say that, but I think speculation could fall on that conclusion fairly easily.

I think, although this is negative overall, it’s positive for Who collectors because it could be much worse. We don’t need to worry I’d say.

For those who understand economics to a degree, here’s the full report from This link

Group sales in the six-month period, ended February 28th, amounted to £37.8 million, down 22 per cent compared with the same period in 2008 of £48.6 million.

The operating loss was £3.74 million compared to a profit of £3.4 million for the period in 2008. This included a loss of £1.06 million for the debt suffered due to Woolworths going into administration.

Basic loss per share was 8.44 pence per share compared to earnings of 5.51 pence at 2008 half-year point and 12.03 pence at the financial year-ended August 2008.

Cash and cash equivalents amounted to £3.8 million, against £5.4 million year-on-year. The group currently has no borrowings and has unused finance facilities available totalling approximately £5.65 million.

Richard King, chairman commented: “The group has had its share of difficulties which, as anticipated, resulted in a trading loss for the first half of this financial year.

“However, I am pleased to note that, despite the unprecedented economic turmoil, the group is beginning to benefit from its cost control programme and new product ranges coming on stream, both of which provide an improved trading platform.

"Overall, we have renewed confidence for the medium term even though the outlook will remain challenging.”

Summing up trading to date, King continued that the six-month period has already been one of two halves.

The first four months saw the failure of Woolworths, one of Character's key customers and a major toy retailer.

Margins were also adversely impacted by the need for placement of excess stocks to ensure that the Groups cash flow remained in good shape. This situation was further exacerbated by a low consumer confidence in the winter trading period

The impact of adverse currency movements and the higher costs of goods and services out of the Far East also impacted the first four months.

In the last two months of the first half of the current financial year, January and February, Character reported a marked improvement in trading with solid revenues meeting expectations.

The firm has managed to re-align its promotional spend to the revised sales levels and maintained these costs within budget.

Throughout these months, the company also saw a stabilisation of margins, the fluctuations in currency movements normalising and benefits from its cost base reduction programme.

For the future, the group is predicting that subject to a return to a more normal marketplace, acceptable margin levels should be maintained during the second half with a range of product development including the licensed HM Forces range.

King continued: “Whilst we anticipate trading profitably during the remainder of the financial year, we do not expect to recover the losses of the first half, in full."

However, as Matt and Seb have stated, figures such as Sontarans have articulation which affects their detail.

I love a figure that looks life-like but is still decently articulated. An example of this is the [Doctor Who] Captain Jack (in Coat). It is articulated very well and has a good likeness to John Barrowman. With the Sontarans the articulation was too over-the-top and made the figure loose and wonky when stood up.

Articulation has developed since wave X but the detail has always been good if not great, even figures like Lazlo look like their character either by facial features or clothing.

So I'd have to say detail is better.

Timelord6 (edited by Seb)

At a time when people are looking for something to buy these are perfect – just £14.99 each and an excellent investment as they will become highly sought after. The Wave 2 figures will be in different packaging, so that’s another thing that makes these so unique.

And, being in stock now, you’re going to receive them before anyone else gets their Wave 2 figures – perfect for those who cannot wait.

And after these two figures have a mixed reception with their new images I think the new pictures put up today (Captain John - http://shop.scificollectorshop.co.uk/epages/es105345.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es105345_shop/Products/torchwood-action-figures-wave-2-captain-john-hart-limited-edition&ViewAction=ViewProductDetailImage and Ianto - http://shop.scificollectorshop.co.uk/epages/es105345.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es105345_shop/Products/torchwood-action-figures-wave-2-ianto-jones-limited-edition&ViewAction=ViewProductDetailImage) should change all that – they look excellent in their boxes.

We’ll keep this story covered and let you know what people think when they start to arrive.

Captain John - http://shop.scificollectorshop.co.uk/epages/es105345.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es105345_shop/Products/torchwood-action-figures-wave-2-captain-john-hart-limited-edition
Ianto - http://shop.scificollectorshop.co.uk/epages/es105345.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es105345_shop/Products/torchwood-action-figures-wave-2-ianto-jones-limited-edition

I'm the owner of FPI and wanted to take some time to reply to your issues. There have been some problems with credit cards in the past few weeks. This is currently under investigation both by ourselves and external agencies.

We have been told that our online system is working as it should and that the problem lies elsewhere. Due to the circumstances we have been asked not to discuss anything in detail until the case is concluded. I realize that this is distressing for our Customers: as it is for us. I trust that you can show us patience until everything has been resolved. For any of you who feel let down, I apologise wholeheartedly and unreservedly. As you know, FPI has put the Collector first for many years, and will continue to do so. Dr Who Fans are aware that we are taking steps to continue many figure lines, for instance, which might otherwise have ended.

We need your support on projects like this, and we hope that we will have it in future. Our Customer Services will hopefully be able to answer all your questions regarding orders, so please continue to direct them to

Best regards Kenny Penman

It think it's very good that they have acknowedged it and are working to correct it and ensure all customers are happy, but it's not finished yet. Keep paying by cheque is my advice.

I do accept that some figures suffer because of the articulation – but actually I think we’ve got the best we could have. Matt uses Astrid as an example, and it’s true that her balance isn’t great. Had she been left to just stand normally with no articulation anywhere she would indeed stand better and perhaps look better on a shelf. However, she would also then be extremely dull, a statue and not an action figure, so I think we’ve got the best we can have in her.

I also have to take argument with his first example – the Sontarans. I think that this is actually a very good example of articulation and detail coming together. I accept that the balance of a Sontaran is weak, a problem at the hip, and one foot always falls off, but the articulation on this figure allows for some excellent and unusual poses. From a ‘Sontar-ha!’ fist punch to shooting into the air, pretty much anything can be achieved (as long as they don’t overbalance…) However, at the same time, I don’t think people will feel that they have poor amounts of detail – the figures have some excellent sculpting and good paintwork so overall I think these are a positive instance of articulation and detail working together.

Indeed I actually wish to argue that this whole debate of ‘articulation vs. detail’ is really non-existent! People often discuss where priority should be but with modern technology I don’t think it has to be anywhere. We can have both existing alongside each other. An example I wish to use here are the Harry Potter figures (specifically the figure of ‘Harry Potter’ because I only have him so can’t speak for the others.) He is heavily articulated all over, with ball joints at almost every joint to allow for maximum posability. Whilst I would never suggest Doctor Who figures should adopt this, I think it loses a certain charm, the detail of the figure is not hampered at all by the extensive articulation. In fact sometimes the detail of a figure would actually be better served by more articulation – a shoulder ball-jointed Scarecrow would have been much better I feel, and chip would certainly have been much better served by more articulation to heighten the little detail he had. My earlier example of the Sontaran is also a perfect example of this.

However the reason why we don’t have both all the time is because a) they are an old range and the style has to remain the same, we can’t adopt the type of articulation Harry Potter has now for example, and b) the cost factor. I believe there is less articulation in some figures like the Torchwood range because of cost issues, and here again (especially at the present time) CO don’t want to have to spend a lot more on the figures than they have to. One point Matt and I agree on are the Classic figures, though again I feel they are evidence for an argument that doesn’t exist. The 4th Doctor is wonderfully detailed in sculpt and paintwork, and his extensive articulation doesn’t hold him back. Indeed articulation only helps each and every Classic figure, and it is my belief that Weng Chiang would have been better served by even more articulation as well.

So you may think it odd for me to open up a debate on an argument I believe doesn’t even exist, but I know a lot of people see this as a large issue and it seems quite amazing to me that they do!

This is believed at the moment to be down to the articulation and how it affects the modelling and sculpt, as the preliminaries have no articulation.
However, these are action figures, they need articulation! Look at the new [Doctor Who] Jack for instance, he has fantastic and extensive articulation and he is perfectly fine! And the Slitheen also looks very lifelike with the articulation they have!
On the other hand, we have the Adipose and Robot Spiders. They are fantastically detailed but have no articulation at all in them! And these days, CO could easily have put little movements in the adipose, and updated the spiders with articulation, but they didn't, safe in the knowledge they are perfect as they are at the moment.

So, what is the perfect mix?

As previously mentioned, the Adipose and Spiders seem to show that very little articulation is needed to assist detail to a great sculpt, but Chip seems to say otherwise. Chip is a relatively detailed figure which is considered to be one of the worst, and all down to the lack of articulation. However, Astrid isn’t quite fantastic and it doesn’t stand up well, due to the fact it is over-articulated. But they have great sculpts (which are unfortunately ruined by swivel points being used unnecessarily). The Classic figures oppose this argument though, being massively detailed and extensively articulated.

Few would argue with me in saying that the main fault of the articulation affecting the detail would be in the ball joints, as they are just so obvious in the sculpt and detract from the overall look! However, we need articulation AND detail, but if we could only have one, what would it be?

In my personal opinion, I think detail is more important, as I just display my figures. On the other hand, I know some people like to pose their figures and make comics with them, and articulation is key for that as comics would be excruciatingly boring with just one-pose figures, as if the default pose was boring you’d be stuck with it!

In my opinion, I think that the first and foremost priority should be detail for Character, but if possible they should add in as much detail as feasible, without damaging the detail in the arms and legs (such as the Hosts suffered from in my opinion). With the detail that this company offers, I feel that they have every possible reason to do this and make even more top-class figures, such as the series 4 Ood, Davros and the Fifth Doctor!

I think the sentence given is just and fair and I hope it will help to cut down on this issue, especially as people look for new things to buy.

We all know that counterfeit items are often funny and good for a laugh, indeed Matt Groening (creator of The Simpsons) has a large collection of Simpsons fake merchandise himself. However the dirty truth behind many traders tells another, much darker story.

I think we now need to all be sensible on this issue and, in the future, perhaps be less supportive of fake toys than we have all been in the past. I hate to be a killjoy, but it’s the law and, whatever you make of the policing in our country, it’s a serious law at that.

WARNING: Beep is tricky to make, and potentially costly. My Beeps were made through sheer determination and luck mostly, a process of trial and error, and it took me a number of Months until I was happy with them. These are instructions to make them exactly as I did; there are probably far better ways of doing this but the results will be different. This is the closest to get to the Timeslip Beep!

Ingredients

To make one Beep you will need (you will need one of every item with a * by it for each Beep, the rest you can reuse):

• *A large polystyrene ball – about 3.5” across.
• *A small polystyrene ball – about 1.5” across.
• Sculpting knife (or any knife really)
• *Cocktail stick
• Fairly large amounts of moulding material (I used Milliput and ended up using about 2 small boxes for each Beep).
• *A Pentallian Doctor (that’s if you want really good hands!)
• Acrylic paints in a fairly light blue, black, yellow, slightly silvery purple etc… You will mix some of these though, it depends what you have.
• A lot of reference cartoons of Beep the Meep. I recommend buying ‘The Iron Legion’ comic book and scanning/photocopying some of the clearest shots of Beep to use as reference points.
• LOTS of time. This will take a lot of little bits of time, you can’t sit down and do it in one. You will often have to do a bit, leave it and sometimes wait as much as 24 hours before you can come back to it. Make sure everything is dry before starting the next stage. You therefore need things to put his body in to dry it, I recommend a cheap wine glass (I say cheap because it will get smudges of moulding material on it that you can’t clean off)

Instructions

Making both Beeps is very similar, the only difference is sculpting the head. To start off with I set up a stand that allowed me to stick a large pin in the polystyrene ball (held in place by blu tac) so it could hang in the air. Choose where you want the head to be and stick the pin in there. This should give you an indication of where the top and bottom of Beep will be.

To begin with start covering the bottom of Beep with sculpting material starting from the bottom up. Once you have done a small layer all around approximately the bottom quarter of him get a sculpting knife and start making little cuts, just make sure you cut from top to bottom. They should be a few millimetres in length and this is supposed to look like fur. There are other methods of making fur though, so you might prefer one of them. Once you have gone around the whole body making these marks layer another bit around the body higher up, slightly overlapping, and make sure it all blends together neatly. Just one note – leave a circular gap where you want the head to be of about 3” wide. When the whole body is covered in your sculpting material and all of it has the fur effect try ripping tiny bits of moulding material off and carefully blending them onto the body so the texture is more interesting. Once this is all done leave it to set completely before doing anything else.

Now to start on the head. This is difficult to instruct on as it is mainly down to your personal ability to transfer images into sculpting. My basic advice is first cover the head in moulding material (except leaving a gap to put it against the body. The gap should be roughly opposite Beep’s mouth if he is held horizontally. You will have to just do your best with the face, just use lots of little bits of sculpting to carefully build it up. This is where you need the reference pictures most as you will need to keep referring to them and making sure your Beep looks like the cartoon one. Make sure the ears are fairly thick or they will fall down, you may have to lightly hold them in place until they are a little harder. Once you are happy with the face leave it to dry. Be very careful with it though.

To attach the body and head, once both dry, get a cocktail stick and put it through the body and then into the head where you have left the gap. This will provide essential stability, I didn’t do it with the first Beep and he took a long while to get right. Now use substantial amounts of moulding material to form a neck holding them together. Make sure the head is precisely aligned as you want, I did a slight tilt up and to the side for the cute Beep and sitting facing directly forward on the evil one. Make sure to blend the neck into the body and around the head carefully. Before it is dry carefully make lots of fur marks on it, as discussed earlier.

For the hands you have two options – mould them yourself or use the Pentallian Doctor. I bought two from Toys’R’Us in their sale and simply pulled the hands off. You will need some force for this though. Sculpt them onto the body in the same way as the neck, though you don’t need the cocktail stick!

The feet are the most difficult part of the entire sculpt. I had to make many, many feet before they worked. Just make a smooth base and add three large sausages shape to the end and one small sausage shape on the side. Try and bend the toes to look menacing as appropriate, and leave to dry. As I say, this took a long while to perfect. You may have to leave it a day until they are ready so have patience here. Once they are done (be careful not to break his toes off) sculpt them onto the body by blending the sculpting material around the underside of Beep and adding the fur marks. Here it is useful to put the feet on a table and sculpt the body onto them to try and balance him so he can stand up.

And there you have it! A completed Beep body! Now you just have to paint him. Use the blue over the body, though different shades can look good layered around. The feet, hands and inside of the ears should be the silvery-purple. The eyes are completely yellow then, when that’s dry, I recommend using a fine black pen to draw the pupils on. I would very, very carefully trace the shape of the pupils then fill it in. And then you’re done! A finished Beep the Meep!

The ball I used for the main body of Beep

One man who made a living out of selling fake toys, many Doctor Who ones, has recently had his comeuppance however. Malik Aftab Hussain, who traded at the annual Neath Fair, has been jailed for 10 Months and ordered to pay an eye-watering £34,000 under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

When he appeared before Neath magistrates last year, 33-year-old Hussain, of Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, pleaded guilty to 29 offences contravening the Trade Marks Act 1994 and the Consumer Protection Act 1987. The case was transferred to Swansea Crown Court because magistrates felt they had insufficient sentencing powers.

Trading standards officers on patrol at the 2007 Neath Fair became suspicious of the Doctor Who and other toys Hussain was selling when they noticed spelling mistakes and incorrect labels on the packaging. These mistakes are often giveaway signs of fake Doctor Who toys and if you see any do not buy them but inform the authorities as soon as possible.

As seen on http://www.kasterborous.com!

Click to enlarge front cover

Overview

After a fairly quiet few weeks things have recently taken off again in the figure collecting community. For a number of weeks the top stories have revolved around other ranges casting doubts on the future of our figures and special offers, but in the last few days we’ve had stories of fraud and new pictures gearing up to exciting releases instead!

Very exclusive Doctors

To start with however we had the news that the Forbidden Planet Exclusive Classic Doctor packs (that’s the black and white 1st and 2nd Doctors, each packaged with a black and white classic enemy) are to be a run of just 1250 per set. However these are still available on Forbidden Planet (though the 2nd Doctor is running low apparently).

If you are interested in purchasing these, the colour versions of those sets or the Real Time 6th Doctor figure the best advice is to waste no more time and order now as they could sell out very soon indeed. But before you do…

Forbidden Planet Fraud

A story that is still continuing at the moment (you can find the latest updates on it here) concerns worries over orders placed with Forbidden Planet. Several people who had bought things from Forbidden Planet via. their Credit Card (some people had only spent with Forbidden Planet on their card) started to get strange payments referring to companies such as O2, despite the fact that many people had no past business with them at all.

As the story gained interest, more and more people came forward with similar experiences and over the internet there have now been more than 40 cases reported. Of course many may have gone unnoticed or not been reported as well.

Forbidden Planet are looking into it but for now the best advice is not to buy through Credit Card but pay by cheque (information on how to do that can be found on the link for the latest updates above)

Torchwood Wave 2 Images

The final images approved for production of Ianto, Tosh, Blowfish Man and Captain John, making up the Torchwood Wave 2 team, have been released. Reception has been slightly mixed, but mainly because of the quality of photograph and this has been slightly rectified.

Generally feelings are very positive towards these figures and if you are interested I would advise ordering as soon as you can through www.scificollector.co.uk.

The exact date for release is yet to be confirmed, though Doctor Who Figures Online is hoping to have lots more exciting things coming in the run up!

Conclusion

So quite a major story that has yet to be solved and exciting hints at the future on the menu this time. Another roundup will follow in a few weeks, and I expect we’ll have even more surprises then!

Archives

- January - February/March

Reception has been superb for her so far – she’s been called the best of the wave – so get in now with your orders at scificollector.co.uk

Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention.

We will liaise with our card service provider to investigate this matter. In the meantime, please contact your card issuer, tell them that it looks as if your card has been compromised. They will cancel the card, re-credit any fraudulent transactions, and issue you with a new card.

Regarding orders fullfilment: To ease confusion we wanted to clarify that we do not cancel orders unless we are directly instructed by the customer. In the course of every day business we deal with many payment problems, lost cards, outdated cards, stolen cards, bounced cheques, expired cheques, short payments and more. Our policy has always been to contact the customer to ask if they would like to provide another means of payment and not just to cancel orders without consultation. If you have goods on order with us your order is safely held chronologically (first placed first served) - if you ordered product you will get it with the exception of occasional allocations. We just wanted to reasure you that no Doctor Who exclusive orders will not be fulfilled currently. Stock on the 2nd Doctor is running down quickly now though. If you have any worries please contact our telesales - 01621 877222 or

Responses have been slightly mixed, though it is positive to point out that almost all criticism has been directed at the quality of the photograph and not the figure itself. Taking this into consideration the wave is looking very strong indeed, with an interesting mixture of figures, and it is worth also remembering that at this point with Wave 1 concerns were being raised at the pictures, though once the figures were in hand opinion was far more positive.

To ensure you get these figures, and to guarantee delivery as soon as they arrive, you can order them now from Scificollector by follow the link below. These are ones that you do not want to miss!

To order the entire collection: http://shop.scificollectorshop.co.uk/epages/es105345.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es105345_shop/Products/torchwood-action-figures-wave-2

Captain John: http://shop.scificollectorshop.co.uk/epages/es105345.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es105345_shop/Products/torchwood-action-figures-wave-2-captain-john-hart

Ianto: http://shop.scificollectorshop.co.uk/epages/es105345.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es105345_shop/Products/torchwood-action-figures-wave-2-ianto-jones

Blowfish image: http://shop.scificollectorshop.co.uk/epages/es105345.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/es105345_shop

Find it at: http://shop.scificollectorshop.co.uk/epages/es105345.sf

The rest of wave 2’s images will follow over the next few days, and we hope to have them here soon, so keep an eye out and I’ll update whenever they come through!

Note though: apparently the picture doesn't do it quite enough justice. As you can see, the lighting isn't great.

"Hi,

Yes this is possible. Please gives us the following information on a piece of paper and make your cheque payable to Forbidden Planet International or send a postal order.

1) Item code and name.
2) shipping and billing address.

Please not that unless stated otherwise UK shipping is £2.50 for the first item on the order and £1.65 for subsequent items.

The address to send this to is
Forbidden Planet Home Shopping
FREEPOST
Maldon
Essex
CM9 4XD

Thank you."

About 40-50 people so far have come forward (and it can be presumed that many probably haven’t realised or posted on the internet yet) and said that, since late March to April, strange payments have been appearing on their credit cards.

This could be a couple of pennies or pounds, known as ‘tester amounts’ up to larger payments. Many of these have been associated with mobile phone companies, most commonly O2, even if the people receiving the bills have no connection to the companies.

Almost every incident can be partly traced to Forbidden Planet International – that’s the .co.uk website – and it seems an odd coincidence that this is the case. However, so far, no official word has come from FP International. In recent days, however, it seems some payments through the .com website have had problems as well. UPDATE: It is safe to order from the .com website What is more worrying is that fraud is hitting people who ordered as much as two years ago from these companies.

Therefore the best advice is to stay away from these sites, especially if you have a new card, until the problem is cleared, you can check here and I’ll let you know as soon as it is, and if you have bought anything (such as the exclusives…) just go through your bills meticulously and make sure absolutely nothing gets through. If it does contact your bank immediately. UPDATE: We recommend using cheque. See elsewhere on the FPI Fraud Page for more.

Whatever your faith, from Doctor Who Figures Online we wish you a very happy, healthy and peaceful Easter.

We are really on the lookout for mature, interesting comments from older collectors but if you are younger and wish to contribute I won’t stop you. I do just request that you have your work checked by an adult and give a lot of thought to it.

There are two ways opinions could be put forward:

Individual articles

If you just have an opinion on just one issue you can submit an article to be published just on that. An example of this idea in practice can be found on these pages from the BBC (though I don’t expect this length):

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7907888.stm

Regular blog

If you are someone with opinions on many issues of collecting, and perhaps wish to register arguments to coincide with news, this could be the one for you.

You can write regular articles to be published and read. An example of this in action can be found on Nick Robinson’s blog on the BBC:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/nickrobinson

Other information

Length: The length is really up to you, though around 300 words for a regular blog and 500 for an article would be appropriate.

How it will work: Articles will have to be submitted individually to me for upload, blogs will have to be submitted individually for a short while whereupon I may be able to set up a system for you to publish them yourself.

Content: All content, as long as it relates to figure collecting in some way, is allowed. However this is a family friendly website so content should reflect that in tone, language and subject matter.

If you are interested please get in touch via. email: I look forward to receiving your articles!

There is still time to enter – for full information on the competition please see here: http://drwhofigures.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=1817

The B+W variants have now been set with a production run of 1250 of each 2 pack. That's for the world - so in the future these will probably be rare as hens teeth. Make sure you pre-order and don't risk them being sold out prior to arrival. We still have a couple of hundred each left unsold.

This is good for those buying them, ensuring they’re worthwhile and a good investment, but if you haven’t already got them on preorder you had better act fast – these are going to go!

Make sure you check out our forum too – we’ve just upgraded it so DWFOF has gone super-modern! As one member with a rather strange coat remarked ‘Seems like we're entering a new stage of the forum!’...

I’m currently also writing a big piece on the future of the figures range, ripping apart the rumours and presenting the facts. CO hope to work closely with me on it, so just hold on for all that news.

Plus we have a new look news area coming very soon, so check back for that!

Yes – DWFO is going strong!

As seen on http://www.kasterborous.com!

Click to enlarge front cover

Overview

After a very busy January for Doctor Who Figure Collectors the last two Months have been decidedly quiet.

There have not been any new Doctor Who figures announced, and as I will go on to explain we might not see any more this year anyway.

However the latest figures are hitting more and more shops, and there are some good bargains to be had so read on…

Where to buy the figures

The best stores for the new figures are ‘Toys ‘R’ Us’, though Tesco have some good bargain prices at the moment – the brilliant 18” Supreme Dalek is only £25 in some places, and old figures are retailing at only around £3.

Argos stores, the first places to get the new figures, are lagging behind a bit now but stocks are gentley replenishing. Most ASDA stores have a good stock too.

Online Amazon is currently the best place for the new figures, though Forbidden Planet and SciFiCollector.co.uk are still taking preorders for the Forbidden Planet Classic Doctor Exclusive Sets and Torchwood Wave 2 respectively.

Weevil offer

If you’re looking for a top bargain at the moment however SciFiCollector recently released the best one around - you can buy 4 Weevils for just £25, a saving of almost £15 and you get free, fast, postage included with that price.

This is a great chance to army build the exciting new figures. For more information on the offer see here: LINK

Terminator figures and the future

Further doubt has been cast on the future of the figures recently however by the announcement of the new Character Options range of Terminator figures, to tie in with the new film. Many of the products are similar to past Doctor Who ones, voice changer helmets for example, and CO are persistant with their plans not to release more this year (though that isn’t always confirmation, plans have and do change).

However there is still lots to get excited about over for Figure Collectors, especially on Doctor Who Figures Online where we’re still excited about our new look and are currently working on a new news page to tie in with it. I am currently in discussions with Character Options and writing a full report on the future.

Conclusion

That’s all for this update, more figure news coming soon.

You can now buy four Weevils for just £25, that’s a saving of £14.96 and you get FREE, fast, UK delivery.

This is the perfect opportunity to army build these great figures, just go to www.scificollector.co.uk, add 4 Weevils to your basket and when checking out put the code 4WEEVILSFOR25 in the coupon box.

Click here for list - you can email him at if you are interested in any.

NOTE: If you are given a warning message about the file extension not being correct please just open it and it should still work anyway.

Almost every figure is absolutely mint on card and he is open to offers from anyone. All reasonable prices will be considered.

The full list can be found here, you can email him at if you are interested in any.

Please note that featuring it here is a special case, and we can’t do this for everyone.

The new Terminator figures, tying in with the new film, will be released in 3.5, 7 and 10 inch scales. Quite how much they will be in scale with Who figures is therefore debatable, because these could be referring to our 5” and 12” scale but with a different name. There will also be many products similar to our Who ones, for example a voicechanger helmet.

Character’s website proudly proclaims ‘2009 has got lots of Character,’ and they are certainly planning a lot of important products this year. From the new Army figures to Postman Pat, from Scooby Doo to the unbelievably popular High School Musical and Hannah Montana. These new Terminator figures will be available from June time.

But as yet another new range comes in, and with such similar items to our products that I think it is reasonable to assume that the people who have worked on ‘Who’ will be involved with these, does this give weight to the rumour that we will see nothing new this year?

2009 has been an incredibly busy year with new classics, the Vespiform wave, the Cyberwave, the Gelth wave, Time Squad, new ‘role play’ items and more that it astounds me if CO are pulling the plug. Why they haven’t spaced these items out is completely beyond me.

We know a classic wave 2 is prepared, and it seems reasonable that we could have a second Cyberwave, Dalek Collector’s boxset, 123c wave, or figures to tie in with the specials but all noises coming from CO suggest that these are not going to happen.

However we must always look for the positives and I do feel that however popular the Terminator movement is, and whatever you may think of it, Doctor Who will surely be remembered with a lot more fondness. They may dent us, but they will never beat us overall.

Sadly the code for free shipping no longer works, so there is the £5 postage charge, but with CO’s relative reliability this is good news for those who are finding it difficult to get hold of these figures.

LINK: http://www.character-online.com/products/doctor-who-cybermen-men-of-steel-collect-and-build/

Click to enlarge front cover

Overview

Once Christmas is over, figures have all been unwrapped, possibly opened, and certainly been enjoyed, everyone looks to the New Year. What will it hold? Wealth? Health? Happiness? A plentiful supply of new figures?

Well January has been a Month I’m sure no one would have predicted. We’ve had highs, we’ve had lows and the whole future of collecting is shrouded in mystery.

In our first Monthly report we look back over what’s happened. Next Month’s report will be slightly different again, but this should give you an idea of what we’re now offering. It’s a replacement for the Fanzine, I just don’t have the time for that, but you still get a front cover (I love making them!)

Vespiform

The first big news of the year was the Vespiform wave. Re-releasing already released figures with an exclusive build-a-figure was certainly a controversial choice and much anger was sparked – especially when people realised how good the Vespiform actually was!

We’re still working on how people can get around buying the figures on Doctor Who Figures Online, but whatever happens this wave has certainly been the one to receive most anger since the tweaked wave this time last year.

123B – Gelth

Following the Vespiform wave, by only a few days, was the long-awaited 123B wave – also packaged with a build-a-figure, this time being the Gas Gelth. The fact that a number of figures were exactly the same was a bit of a shame, but figures like Jabe, the old and ancient Doctors, and others were welcome additions to the range.

Argos

And less than a few days after seeing the figures the new Argos catalogue came out, with all the new Doctor Who items for sale! People flooded to buy the Vespiform wave, the 123B wave as well as the previously announced Cyberwave, new role play items and the wonderful Time Squad figures.

Stocks sold out fast, and have yet to be replenished, but once again Argos made good sales because of getting in first.

Forbidden Planet Doctors

And then, right at the end of the Month, came what was probably the most exciting news so far. The Forbidden Planet/SDCC exclusives, the 1st Doctor with a classic Dalek, 2nd Doctor with a Cyberman, all of them in black and white and, most unexpected of all, the 6th Doctor in his ‘Real Time’ outfit! Full comments can be found in our news blog, but these certainly suggest a change towards more collectors based figures for the future.

The future…

Of course the whole idea of the future of the figures has been thrown up and down recently too. Shortly after announcing that they are renewing the licence, news comes through that Character Options will have no new Who figures at the big annual Toy Fair. Whether we’ve already seen all that is to come for 2009 I don’t know for sure. I predict we’ll see the Classic Wave 2 released in the Summer time and possibly one or two other specials, but for 2009 I’m very surprised they’ve released so many already and not tried to hold them back a bit.

The site

Of course one thing that will stay through the ups and downs is our site here, and especially with our brand new redesign! Of course this is really February news, but I had been designing it all the way through January. More on how it has been received next Month.

Conclusion of the Month

So it’s actually be one of the most wild Months we’ve had in a long time, but somehow I just don’t feel it’s going to last like this all year… I hope not, I certainly won’t be able to afford keeping up like this!

They had S2, S3 and S4 (up to wave 2) out at £4 each - but many of these are peg warmers.

Micro Ships @ half price
Micro 3-packs @ £2.49

Very little else. Very much a clearance section in Asda's toy aisle at moment - and very mix and match in terms of brands, think they just clearing out after Christmas and then will relaunch with new stocks.

Visited Tesco today. Figures are now back off "clearance" and on sale. Still only had Classics and the S4 wave 2 (not BAF)

Labels are still in place for Cyberman figures etc as reported at the end of last week - but no stocks.

From a 3rd party source. Asda appear to have reduced Classics to £3.98 - chance to pick up some of these you havent got or do some army building if you can find an Asda with them in stock.

Rumour (not confirmed) that Cyber wave has been spotted in some Asda stores over weekend.

So, if it is true, then stocks appear to be landing in the shops this week and likely to turning up in Asda, Argos and Tesco... Which is about time as I really need my last 2 classic cybers as Ive been staring at a loose head and arm for 2-weeks and really need my controller up and being menacing.

Online - no bargains spotted over weekend, and Dalek set is back to £14.99 at Amazon.

I've been involved with this project a bit at FPI and whilst I can't give you any behind the scenes details (as I don't know them) I just wanted to clarify a few things for you on the new Forbidden Planet figures so no-one is guessing about things. These items will be produced for Underground toys USA, who some of you will know are the north American licensee for Doctor Who toys. Underground have previously produced 'exclusive' figures as part of their sales and promotion for the San Diego Comic Convention (SDCC) and these were the selections for this year.

Underground decided, in consultation with Character, that they would make the figures available through the Forbidden Planet stores for outside the USA and Canada, as most people cannot attend SDCC. Of course, because these are being produced in much smaller numbers than the figures that have previously been available through mass market channels, the price per piece significantly increased which is why these figures are a bit more expensive than the normal release figures, although we believe still pretty good value by the standards of where prices are usually pitched for SDCC exclusives (and remember unlike many of those these are ALL new figures).

The black and white option was discussed, and heartily approved by many here at Forbidden Planet. As long term fans of Who we have always wanted to see figures available from the black and white years that capture the TV look more fully than a colour figure could. Of course we know these will be of minority interest to those who just want to complete their colour collections but for the hard core fan and collector we hope these will be welcome. The black and white will be produced in a much lower run but as they are being made at the same time as the colour ones, just with different paint jobs and some small finishes, there was no need to increase the price further on these. The run lengths have not yet been set but you can expect the B&W to be produced at no more than 25% of the colour version. Our supply is liable to allocation by Underground so we don't know exactly how many we will get as they may sell extra well at SDCC thus meaning there will be fewer to go round. To make sure of them you would be best to place your pre-orders online as there is no guarantee that there will be enough produced for a lot of them to make it to our stores at retail level.

NONE of these doctors will appear from Character directly in 2009, although we can't say if they may be used by them later. It could be your only chance to grab these figures but we aren't here to do a hard sell on this as we do not truly know if that will be the case after 2009. If the project is successful, and it is a big undertaking for both Underground and Forbidden Planet there may be the chance that we can do further figures in the future, your support is needed to make that happen. We are thrilled by the interest the figures have already generated and hope you are equally pleased at such a great opportunity to gain 2 terrific new doctors and a great re-interpretation of the 6th Doctor. In the U.S they will be available via Underground at SDCC and possibly through some specialist retailers thereafter.

Yes the Doctors so superbly played by Patrick Troughton and William Hartnell are to be released, they are to come out in special packs apparently exclusive to Forbidden Planet (though this is a debated point) packaged with an old foe each. The 1st Doctor comes with a Dalek from 'The Dalek Invasion of Earth', whilst Patrick Troughton comes with the already released 'Tomb of the Cybermen' Cyberman. However this isn't the only way in which we will see the figures. Special packs are also being released with black and white versions of the figures, to mark the fact that all of their respective stories are in black and white.

Alongside these packs sees a new 6th Doctor figure, Colin Baker, in the blue costume he showed off in 'Real Time' as well as a few covers of books and audios. A most unexpected release, it's a welcome one none the less.

The price is a little more pricey than usual, £25 each for the 1st and 2nd Doctor packs, and £15 for the new Colin, but perhaps this marks the start of something new. All these releases seemed to be geared towards adult collectors with more money and a hunger for variations and unusual things. In a time when the children's market is waning perhaps this is a hint at the future, a more collectors-based future. Personally I'll be pleased, it may cost more but figures like these are worth the money.

The wave is being debated in our forum here: http://www.forbiddenplanet.com/categories/Universe/147/Doctor_Who and each figure has an individual thread for further thoughts. You can preorder them (for July apparently) from Forbidden Planet here:

Thanks to Sec_on_Legs for putting this fantastic image together: