River Song and Pandorica Chair - Figure Review - By Ryan Wigley

Evening all! This week, we'll take a look at one of the most divided sets of 2011, the San Diego Comic Con exclusive River Song figure complete with Pandorica chair.

First of all, let's start with River Song. Now, when Underground Toys first released the image of this, there was a divided opinion, some loved it, some hated it and some just couldn't care less or were reserving judgement. I'll be the first to admit I detested the set. Love River Song and Alex Kingston to bits, but good God not that set! The hair is a mile above the forehead and the likeness is terrible.

Fast forward two months and my birthday has just gone and one of my presents is this set! Looking at the figure in the box alone, I can tell the face has been painted perfectly, eyebrows done perfectly and the hair is pretty much perfect. So I take the figure out of the packaging and having not seen any images bar the promotional pictures beforehand, I'm well and truly shocked! It's great.

Anyway, back to the review. River's articulation is great, bar the lack of thigh articulation, I appreciate the fact River has a holster on her right leg means she wouldn't have any, but it would have been nice. Fairly new to the range is ball joints in the shoulder, which I love, a great addition! Looking at other lines, it can be very hit or miss, with the arms sticking out a fair bit, but it's done right in the Doctor Who line and I'm happy. Other than that, the head can't really move due to the sheepskin jacket, the elbows and knees bend and the boots swivel 360 degrees. Not a great deal of articulation, but it works.

The detailing on this figure is great! You may know that just after this set made its way to the UK, Character Options released a jacketless variant in the second wave of Series 6 figures (with the figure labelled as "Series 5 River Song"), I do own that figure, and I have to say it isn't a patch on this. Yes, you can move the belt, but the figure doesn't really do it for me compared to this variant. As I said, the main difference is the sheepskin jacket, which is a lovely addition, but what lets the figure down is the fact that the shirt and belt is a separate piece, just a flimsy bit of plastic, which I have to say is the negative of the figure. However, other than that slight niggle the figure is fabulous! 100% accurate and despite my original complaints, the headsculpt is spot on, just a bad bit of quality control on this product with badly applied paint and hair. My advice is to look for this figure in store because you want a lightly painted face that maintains the detail without it looking waxy and hair that doesn't hover above River's head.

I'm aware the Wave 2 River figure was revised and extra curls were added to the hair to disguise the massive gap. In my opinion, it makes it look worse and I'm glad the Pandorica set wasn't revised.

River has just the one accessory, her gun. Lovely little piece and unlike a lot of figures, it fits in the holster perfectly. I would've liked to see her scanner released with the figure, but you can't have everything.

Overall, the River figure is surprisingly impressive, bar the flimsy piece in between the jacket. I would have liked to have seen the Wave 2 figure with a jacket on it, but I can't help but feel it'd look a tad too big. I can't stress how great the head is, I do prefer the head released with the Astronaut River, but can't justify buying two new figures just to slap that head on the Pandorica Opens/Big Bang version!


Swiftly moving on to the Pandorica Chair. Yes, it is compatible with the Collect-And-Build Pandorica wave from late 2010/early 2011. I don't actually own and of the Pandorica wave figures, so I can't tell you how well it works, but based on images it looks great, especially with the moulded walls released in America!

The chair is of course designed to seat the Doctor. As you can see in the image above, it works really well, but I've seen a few people not place the figure on the chair properly, so it looks like he's hovering. I am surprised we didn't see a variant or re-release of the Doctor figure in this set, but at £22.99, it would have been taking the piss a little. After all, the big selling point of this set was River and she did remain exclusive to the set for a short period of time.

There isn't much to say about the Pandorica chair, it's just a lump of grey plastic! It's really nice, don't get me wrong, but there isn't a great deal to it. Sadly the paint applied is Matt like so it scratches and marks easily, however it is a permanent display piece for me so doesn't prove a massive problem. The lights on the chair and done with stickers and the ones on the floor are carefully painted. They do look a bit like the Turkish eye, but they're great!

The chair does have some moving bits, the handcuffs on it clip into place, as do the shoulder and waist things, meaning there is no escape for the Doctor it seems...

Overall, the chair is great, a lovely little display piece and looks even better with a small light inside and the Pandorica pieces in place!

Many have asked me would I prefer an Amy or a Rory figure with the set rather than River Song. I actually wouldn't have minded either three, would have still bought the set. It would have made some sense to put a Roman Rory figure in the set and keep River exclusive to Wave 2, but I'm not overly fussed, happy with the figure and happy with the set!

I'd personally give the set a 9/10, the quality control deducts a point from it. Now, it hasn't affected me seriously, but there is still elements of it in my set.

Thanks for reading, feel free to comment and I shall see you next time!

BifBangPow! Fourth Doctor Retro Figure by Ryan Wigley

Hello again and a Happy New Year! Yes, it has been a while, but the Frontier in Space team is back, and with a bang!

It's Friday the 6th January 2012 and today I'm going to take a look at the new line of retro figures created and produced by BiffBangPow!

Now, I must admit myself that the first promotional images of the line looked dreadful, absolutely ghastly. Actually, it wasn't until Jon (http://jonwesleyhuff.com/) posted his excellent pictures on Gallifrey Base of the products that the line begun to appeal to myself and others. It is worth noting that Jon has kindly allowed us to use his fabulous images for this review. Thanks Jon! Anyway, now to kick start this review!

Firstly, we shall start off with the figures articulation. Head spins around 360 degrees, along with the hands. The elbows and knees bend, and I'm not quite sure what to make of the arms! They're attached to the body simply by a metal hook and some elastic band, which severely limits articulation. Now, I normally wouldn't mind, but the fact that the right arm wasn't even attached when I received the figure earlier today! However, it was sorted out pretty quickly and I don't have anymore problems.

Next the costume. Consists of the leather coudroy jacket, trousers, shirt, waistcoat, green tie, long stripy scarf and I suppose the floppy hat and shoes! Now I love the coudroy jacket, not quite sure what the material is, but it feels a bit like suede. Unfortunately, the jacket appears to have stained the scarf, shirt and cheek a tiny bit, but it isn't noticeable. It seems the tie wrap around the neck of the figure when packaged has taken most of the dye on it, so that's fine. The trousers and shirt are just pretty plain, nothing exceptional, but still nice, it's worth noting the waistcoat is attached to the shirt, and isn't a separate piece. The tie is however, and is just a piece of elastic with material dangling down, nothing much but doesn't take away from the effect. The Fourth Doctor's shoes are removable and made out of plastic, they don't slip off easily, but if you do decide to take them off, they go back of straight away.

You may have noticed I left the scarf until last, as I've decided to tie it in with accessories, and goodness me, it's wonderful! Just a piece of coloured material folded together and stitched with tassels on the end, sounds boring but it really is great! Because of this, you can either go with the early Fourth Doctor era and have the scarf looped around the neck once, or replicate the Season 14/15 promo poster and have one end of the scarf over the shoulder, or even have it in a Season 17 style. Along with his scarf, the Fourth Doctor comes packed with his famous floppy hat! Mixed reviews about this, as BifBangPow! have elected to have sculpted hair rather than rooted hair, meaning the hat has had to be sculpted around the hair. Sadly, it just doesn't work. The hat just looks oversized and massive, and if I am honest it looks more like Indiana Jones's fedora than the floppy hat the Fourth Doctor often wore. I am expecting a hatted variant of this figure in the future, possibly from stories like The Pyramids of Mars or The Seeds of Doom. Along with the scarf and hat is the good Doctor's trusty gadget - The Sonic Screwdriver! I have been trying to steer away with comparisons to Character Options's 5" figure line, but due to the slightly larger scale, more details are allowed, and the Sonic Screwdriver has these extra details. From the bigger, "bullet" style emitter to the dent on the handle like the prop. Now of course, this cannot be done on Character's products, but at a larger scale it works well with BifBangPow!'s attempt. If I was to add one more accessory, it would be the jelly babies, something that is a neglected in a lot of Fourth Doctor figures!

I have been overly positive of this figure and for good reasons, this line has completely changed my view on "doll" type items, with my major gripe being the articulation, but I think it is down to the fact that the sculpt used is what is typically used across other Mego and BifBangPow! styled products.

Now, these aren't perfect, but who honestly expects them to be? They're snazzy and funky retro products, reminiscent of the Denys Fisher figures of the 70's and 80's, but brought more to the modern day. As you can see above, there is more to the wave than the Fourth Doctor, along with him are other famous baddies from his era - Field Major Styre (The Sontaran Experiment), Cyber Leader (Revenge of the Cybermen) and The Master (The Deadly Assassin), and that is just Wave 1! Wave 2 is on the way in Spring, with the Doctor's feisty companion, Leela, and more baddies - Sutekh (The Pyramids of Mars), Morbius (The Brain of Morbius) and Scaroth (City of Death).

BifBangPow! don't only have the Fourth Doctor license, they have the entire of Classic Doctor Who and NuWho! Who knows what Wave 3 will bring? The Tenth Doctor, Harry Sullivan, Omega and Raston Warrior Robot perhaps?

To finish off, a thoroughly recommended figure from a thoroughly recommended line. If this isn't enough to turn you into a doll/action figure type fan, then I don't know what will! Overall, I'd give this figure a well earned 9/10, not perfect as I have said, with the articulation and hat letting it down mainly, but not enough to deduct a mark each. Each figure is only limited to 3,000 pieces each (Mine was 2245), so grab 'em while you can!

Many thanks for reading and all images are courtesy of Jon (http://jonwesleyhuff.com/)! We hope to see you again for another review in the near future!

Paradise Towers DVD Review by William Young

Paradise Towers

When I bought this on DVD last week, I must admit I had never actually watched it before, and I didn't have much hope as to what to expect, based on what others had said previously. However, like a lot of other Doctor Who Fans out there, I aim to try to watch all of the Doctor Who Adventures at some point in the proceedings, so saw no reason not to simply give it a try, especially considering I have always enjoyed the seventh doctor's adventures anyway. Even though the plot line looked a bit silly and unbelievable and of course the inclusion of Mel, dare I say it, I am actually quite glad I did decide to try it, as there was actually something appealing about it.

Following Mel’s request for a bit of a swim, The Doctor takes her to Paradise Towers, which is renowned for its pool. However, upon arrival things are not as they should be, the Towers are in a state of advanced decrepitude and the humans have split themselves into competing and mutually hostile groups, and the residents have turned to cannibalism in order to survive! The remaining young girls have formed themselves into gangs, called the Kangs, who are donated by the colour's blue and red, with the yellows having all been un-dead, as well as the caretakers, whose sole job appears to be hunting the Kangs.

Even though this was the first time I had watched this story, I was already familiar with a lot of the seventh doctor's previous adventures and it's fair to say that something felt as though it was missing from this story, possibly down to the lack of humour and general charisma that we associate him with now, which may have been down to this being only his second adventure during his time playing Doctor Who, and he was still getting familiar with the role. When it comes to Mel, she still seems just as irritating and pretty helpless in dire situations as ever, but like most other fans out there, I was never particularly fond of Mel anyway, so wasn't particularly surprised really. A highlight for me was probably Pex, as I liked how he was the most human and likeable of the characters, and you really felt for him through the entire story (in particular towards the end). One thing that did seem a bit odd was the way the Kangs speak though, which may have worked with in the likes of A Clockwork Orange, but here it just sounded a little silly.

When it comes to the special effects, I think it's fair to say that they have always been very basic and some what restricted when it comes to a lot of the classic episodes out there, which is obviously more down to the severe lack of budget we are now used to now-a-days. This is particularly noticeable towards the end, when we witness the inevitable boss battle, and you see no real immediate danger due to the slowness of the monsters themselves. The sound effects weren't much better either, as everything seemed to be really basic and slightly repetitive at times, and it's quite clear that with a bit more funding that the episode would have looked a lot bigger better to finance the special effects a bit more.

When it comes the extras, we have the usual deleted scenes and odd commentaries, that never really serve as much of a selling point, which is often the case with most Doctor Who DVD's, but there are still a few interesting features for you to enjoy.

Overall, I found this an average story, and a lot better than I had initially thought it was going to be, which just proves that just because someone else thinks something isn't worth watching, doesn't mean you won't like it instead, and consisting of only four episodes, it never appears to outstay it's welcome.

Character Building: Time of the Angels mini set by William Young

Doctor Who: Time of the Angels mini set

The Doctor Who: The Time of Angels Mini Set allows you to recreate scenes from (Doctor Who) Series 5: Episode 4, where we witnessed The Doctor and Amy along with River Song, hunting for a Solitary Angel but discovered an Army of Angels waiting for them!

This highly detailed construction play set includes a fully articulated Weeping Angel Micro-Figure. (Doctor and Amy figures are not included). However, you can always try to get some more Angels with the blind bags if you want to turn them into an Army.

It consists of 68 pieces and, as you can tell from the picture above, the figures themselves are understandably not very detailed, but they are probably 'cute' enough to make you forget all about that and still find them relatively nice to display anyway.

Overall, I found this a relatively good Set, and it is probably the easiest to assemble out of the three sets, and should only take about 10 minutes to assemble, because of the large chunks of pre-built rock, which means you only really need to build the arch and it's platform. I think it's a MUST for any fellow Lego/Doctor Who Fan, and at the small sum of just £9.99 you can't really go wrong either.

Spearhead from Space - DVD Review by Phil Bernard

Spearhead From Space marked huge changes to Doctor Who. It gave us a new leading man, and new companion, the return of the Brigadier, and perhaps the most significantly, it was shown in colour for the first time. The story gives us the first appearance of the Autons, those sinister window-shop dummies that made so many kids too terrified to go shopping. The show started a very famous era in the show’s history. It gave us UNIT, and a resounding change to the series format with the Doctor being exiled to Earth in Patrick Troughton’s last story The War Games.
The production team, Peter Bryant and Derrick Sherwin, thought this would help stretch the show’s meagre budget, however Terrance Dicks and producer Barry Letts were unconvinced this would work from an artistic point of view. How wrong they were. Robert Holmes’ story starts with the Nestene Consciousness’ attempt to take over the planet by taking the form of the superbly sinister mannequins which are creepy enough without the murderous intent.

Holmes’ story is remarkable, not just for the storyline, but also the wonderful characters. As he would prove further with stories like Talons of Weng Chiang, Holmes’ characters are second to none. The dynamic of the new series cast is established very early on with wonderful scenes, like for instance, the scene where the Doctor attempts to escape in his TARDIS, only to emerge a minute later surrounded by smoke. His embarrassed face is frowned upon by the Brigadier. Pertwee’s Doctor is less straight laced as he would later become, from him singing in the shower (where he reveals an intriguing tattoo…), it is great fun to watch his escape from the hospital and chase the ambulance in a wheelchair!

Spearhead’s original release had a modest amount of special features (or VAT) for the time; however this re-release does the story justice. Down to Earth, the release’s primary feature includes a wonderful 20 minute interview with Jon from 1994 where he discusses his casting with great humour. Derrick Sherwin also provides a new commentary along with Terrance Dicks, though I prefer the original with Nicholas Courtney and Caroline John. It’s clear from the commentary that he had very fond memories of working on the show. All in all, Spearhead From Space is a wonderful release which kicked off the most remarkable era of Who, and possibly my favourite. Definitely not one to miss.

The Impossible Planet [6.1] - Episode Review by Chris Kerr

Series 6 couldn't come quick enough, eh? We sit there for four months on end, then, in March, a few trailers pop up. Then, the Internet goes into overload. Before you know it, WHAM! Doctor Who Online breaks it's 'Most Users Online' record just because people want to discuss a one minute-odd trailer. Isn't that magnificent?
We're 'rewarded' for our patience by the reveal of a 'Two Parter' opening the series.
And, the series opens with a bit of a romp; the 'Naked' Doctor underneath a Woman's skirt! Cheeky cheeky! Meanwhile, Mr and Mrs Williams [And 'Ze Bump'!] are casually in their home watching the Doctor dance on TV. And they say Children are attention-seekers?! Blimey!
The next section takes place on the banks of Lake Silencio [What a coincidence, eh?] where the TARDIS Trio, joined by the ever-so-secretive River Song, are enjoying a wonderful picnic. There's beautiful cliffs to either end of them, there's the turquoise sea ahead of, there's a NASA Apollo Astronaut coming out of the water, there's...Wait...A NASA Apollo Astronaut? Coming out of the water?! That can't be right! Popping a Malteaser in my mouth, the eager fan in me nearly chokes on it when the Astronaut zaps the Doctor. And I mean very nearly! The sheer emotion in the Companions' acting was so intense! River's, "NOOOO!" and Amy's squeaky, "Doctor!" aswell as Rory's, "He can't be!" If people don't class that as great acting, I don't think they'll ever see 'Great Acting' in their life!
Heading to 1969, the year the Apollo 11 lands on The Moon, the TARDIS Crew [Joined by the miraculous return of a Younger Doctor!] all encounter a mysterious figure in a Black Suit. Amy witnesses one in a toilet, River sees one in underground Tunnels as does Rory. President Milhouse Nixon seems very calm about having a mysterious man in his Oval Office [Yes, Oval Office, Doctor. NOT the Oblong Room!] which made me feel quite sceptical about that scene. I felt as if they never put much thought into it. Unless he was so desperate to get rid of the Little Girl who keeps phoning him.
When Rory and River discovered the NegaTARDIS from the Lodger, I think I squealed [As well as nearly choking on ANOTHER Malteaser!] with excitement. Because, it opens up the possibility that the Silents were in Aickman Road. It explains why the people lured off the street were killed with Blue Electricity, wouldn't it? And, I always wondered why, when they got zapped, the camera moved from the 'murderer's POV'.
And, to top it all off, we get Amy Pond grasping the unconcious Canton's revolver and aims it at the approaching Astronaut. 'Will she shoot it?' I thought. Then, on the reveal of it being the Little Girl [Who didn't/doesn't appear to be 'there', as she keeps saying 'Help Me!'] I was certain she wouldn't shoot her. But, on the "What are doing?" "Saving your life" exchange, my heart sunk. Literally, it sunk. I felt sick on how emotional that scene was; the slow-motion effect, the echoing stomping of the Astronaut, the poor Girl's pleas for help and Amy shooting her.
Oh.My.God.

10/10 for me as the acting in this was so emotional, so intense, so 'on-the-edge-of-your-seat' that I was in tears of sorrow, joy, fear and excitement.
Doctor Who has certainly stepped up from the past 5 years!

Doctor Who: Character Building Mini Figures

As you all will now, Character Options have now released the Character Building line, which is proving to be very successful! We thought it may be handy to know the ratio and rareness of the Doctor Who line, so you know just how rare your figures are!

Eleventh Doctor [Jacketed and red shirt - Common] 8:36
Cyberman [Common] 5:36
Dalek Drone [Common] 5:36
Dalek Strategist [Uncommon] 3:36
Amy Pond [Uncommon] 4:36
Weeping Angel [Screaming - Uncommon] 4:36
Silurian General Restac [Uncommon] 3:36
Smiler [Uncommon] 2:36
Eleventh Doctor [Jacketless and blue shirt - Rare] 1:36
Weeping Angel [Serene - Rare] 1:36

The Character Building mini figures are available to buy for just £1.99 each from all good toy retailers.

http://www.characterbuilding.eu/

Character Building Website [www.characterbuilding.eu]

Character Options have now added a site dedicated to their Character Building range, this covers both their Doctor Who and HM Armed Forces line.

On the site, you can be in with the chance of winning some excellent goodies and catching up on the latest releases!

Check it out at http://www.characterbuilding.eu/

Doctor Who: Character Building - The TARDIS Mini Set by Will Young

Now, as a few of you will already be aware, I am a MASSIVE Lego Fan and of course a HUGE Doctor Who Fan too, and as soon as this little gem caught my eye, and I couldn't wait for them to be released!

The Doctor Who TARDIS Mini Set allows you to build your very own TARDIS and re-create adventures in time and space with the Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond. The TARDIS, is the Doctor's vehicle and home that can take him to any place and any time. The Set itself includes a fully constructible TARDIS, as well as a fully articulated Eleventh Doctor and Amy Pond Micro-Figure. 

I am sure that everyone will probably try to compare this to 'normal' Lego, and the two are actually compatible with one another, which is also rather handy too. However, it's a bit 'chalk and cheese' if you ask me and I would keep them separate from one another

It consists of 53 pieces and, as you can tell from the picture above, the figures themselves are understandably not very detailed as this is building blocks we are dealing with and they obviously won't have the same human characteristics that some Toys/Figures are able to have, but they are probably 'cute' enough to make you forget all about that and still find them relatively nice to display anyway. However, I believe that they have at least made a good attempt when it comes to details such as the outfits etc, so we can't complain too much!

Overall, I found this a relatively good Set, and it's not too taxing to construct either, the hardest part is probably applying the stickers. I would say about 15-20 minutes would be about right. I think it's a MUST for any fellow Lego/Doctor Who Fan, and at the small sum of just £9.99 you can't really go wrong either.

Doctor Who : Character Building - Dalek Progenitor Room Mini Set by Will Young

Now, as a few of you will already be aware, I am a MASSIVE Lego Fan and of course a HUGE Doctor Who Fan too, and as soon as this little gem caught my eye, and I couldn't wait for it to be released!

The Doctor Who Dalek Progenitor Room Mini Set, allows you to join the Doctor on the Dalek Spaceship where you can help the Doctor save the day and finally defeat his oldest enemy. The set itself includes a highly detailed construction base, as well as a Dalek: The Supreme, micro-figure. 

I am sure that everyone will probably try to compare this to 'normal' Lego, and the two are actually compatible with one another, which is also rather handy too. However, it's a bit 'chalk and cheese' if you ask me and I would keep them separate from one another

It consists of 188 pieces and, the figures themselves are highly detailed, especially when it comes to The Supreme Dalek Figure.

Overall, I found this a relatively good Set, and I preferred it to the previous TARDIS Mini Set and again, it's not too taxing to construct either, the hardest part is probably applying the stickers. I would say about 15-20 minutes would be about right. I think it's a MUST for any fellow Lego/Doctor Who Fan, and at the small sum of just £9.99 you can't really go wrong either!

The Time Warrior Set - Forbidden Planet - [1/6/11]

The Time Warrior Set
Forbidden Planet Exclusive

Journalist Sarah Jane Smith covertly gains access to a research centre where top scientists are being held in protective custody whilst UNIT investigates the disappearance of a number of their colleagues. The missing scientists have been kidnapped by a Sontaran, Linx, and taken back to medieval England, where they are working under hypnosis to repair his crashed spaceship.

The Third Doctor follows in the TARDIS, and Sarah Jane stows away. In return for shelter, Linx has provided a robber baron called Irongron with anachronistically advanced weapons to use in attacks on neighbouring castles.

The Doctor helps Sir Edward of Wessex to repel one such attack, then he and Sarah Jane conspire to drug the food in Irongron's kitchens so that the weapons can be removed while the men are unconscious. Aided by one of the kidnapped scientists, Rubeish, he then sends the others back to the 20th Century using Linx's primitive time travel equipment.

Linx shoots Irongron down and gets ready to leave in his repaired ship. Hal, one of Sir Edward's archers, fires an arrow into the vulnerable probic vent at the back of his neck, killing him. The Doctor, Sarah Jane and Hal escape just before the ship explodes, destroying the castle.

In this exclusive set we present the Classic Sontaran: Commander Linx and his iconic Sontaran space ship along with the Third Doctor in Green Jacket and Sonic Screwdriver.

Contents :
1 x Third Doctor in Green Jacket action figure and Sonic Screwdriver
1 x Sontaran Commander Linx action figure with helmet and gun
1 x Sontaran Ship


The Time Warrior Set is released on 1st June 2011, priced £34.99.


Pre-Order the set from Forbidden Planet International now!

The Time Monster Set - Forbidden Planet - [19/6/11]

The Time Monster Set
Forbidden Planet Exclusive

The Master, back on Earth has constructed a device to gain control over Kronos, a creature from outside of the time vortex. He uses the device but it proves dangerously unstable. The Third Doctor arrives and shuts down experiment but the Master reactivates it, using it to ensnare a High Priest of the lost city of Atlantis, and then to attack UNIT forces.

The Master takes travels back to Atlantis in his TARDIS, now in the guise of an advanced computer bank, to steal the sacred Crystal of Kronos with which he hopes to dominate Kronos. The Doctor follows in his TARDIS with Jo Grant but can’t prevent his enemy destroying Atlantis.

Escaping in their TARDIS’s the Doctor and the Master confront each other within the time vortex where the Doctor threatens to 'time ram' the Master’s TARDIS, a huge explosion caused by two or more TARDISes trying to materialise in the same place in Space and Time. The Doctor cannot bring himself do it, but Jo operates the controls and the two TARDIS’s collide.

Instead of the expected explosion both TARDISes reappear in a strange void. The ‘time ram’ energy has released Kronos, who agrees to return the Doctor and Jo to Earth but, plans to destroy the Master. The Doctor intervenes and pleads for mercy on the Master’s behalf ensuring he too goes free.

Contents:

1 x The Master action figure
1 x Crystal of Kronos fragment accessory
1 x The Doctor's time sensor device accessory
1 x Master's TARDIS as a computer bank
1 x Master's TCE accessory

The Time Monster Set is released on 19th June 2011, priced £19.99.

Pre-Order this set from Forbidden Planet International now!

Series 6, Wave 1 Figures

2011 5" Action Figures - Wave 1

Recreate scenes from Doctor Who with these incredibly detailed fully articulated 5-inch action figures. Characters include the Eleventh Doctor and key villains from the hit TV show. Styles may vary. One supplied. For ages 5 years and over.

Wave includes the following figures:

- Nephew Ood
- Doctor in Stetson
- Amelia Pond
- Silent (Mouth Open)
- Silent (Mouth Closed)

+ The 2011 5" Action Figures - Wave 1 are released on 16th June 2011, priced £9.99 each.

Pre-Order these figures from Forbidden Planet International for just £8.99

Obituary: Elisabeth Sladen 1948 - 2011

It is with deep regret that we have to inform you of the untimely death of Elisabeth Sladen.

Lis, who is best known for her role as Sarah Jane Smith alongside seven incarnations of the Doctor on screen. Lis made her first appearance as Sarah Jane in the 1973/74 story The Time Warrior alongside Jon Pertwee's Doctor, she stayed in the role until 1976, then alongside Tom Baker's fourth incarnation. Elisabeth returned to Doctor Who in the shows twentieth anniversary story The Five Doctors, then she made another appearance in 2006's School Reunion with David Tennant's Doctor, Billie Piper's Rose Tyler and John Leeson's K9 Mk III. After her amazing performance in School Reunion, Lis was asked to return again, this time in her own show, the Sarah Jane Adventures, this went onto be a hit and four series later, the Doctor has made two appearances in SJA (David Tennant and Matt Smith). Sarah Jane Adventures is CBBC's top show and has earnt the channel its highest ratings. Lis had her own spin-off pilot in 1981 called K9 and Company, which sadly proved unsuccessful. In 2009, Elisabeth was voted Best Companion in a Doctor Who Magazine Poll.

Lis died of cancer earlier today, she leaves her husband, Brian Miler, and daughter Sadie. Frontier in Space wishes to extend it's sympathies to Lis' close friends and family.

The BBC have issued a statement.

BBC Statement:

It is with much sadness that we can announce Elisabeth Sladen, the much-loved actress best known for her role as Sarah Jane Smith in Doctor Who and CBBC’s The Sarah Jane Adventures, passed away this morning. She was 63.

Lis first appeared as Sarah Jane in Doctor Who in 1973 alongside the Third Doctor Jon Pertwee and stayed for three and half seasons working alongside Jon and the Fourth Doctor Tom Baker. She returned to the role on numerous occasions over the years and, in 2007, was given her own spin-off series on CBBC - The Sarah Jane Adventures - where she would appear alongside new Doctors David Tennant and Matt Smith.

The Sarah Jane Adventures brought Lis a whole new generation of fans who grew up to love her alien-busting adventures. The series was hugely popular with fans young and old and won this year’s RTS Award for best children’s drama.

Controller of CBBC Damian Kavanagh said tonight: “I’m deeply saddened and shocked by the news of Lis’ untimely death. Lis brought joy, excitement and a sense of wonder to her many fans in her role as Sarah Jane Smith. She was adored by our young audience and I know all of them will miss her as much as I will.”

The creator of The Sarah Jane Adventures Russell T Davies said: “I absolutely loved Lis. She was funny and cheeky and clever and just simply wonderful. The universe was lucky to have Sarah Jane Smith; the world was lucky to have Lis.”

Steven Moffat, Doctor Who’s Lead Writer and Executive Producer said: "’Never meet your heroes’ wise people say. They weren't thinking of Lis Sladen.

“Sarah Jane Smith was everybody's hero when I was younger, and as brave and funny and brilliant as people only ever are in stories. But many years later, when I met the real Sarah-Jane - Lis Sladen herself - she was exactly as any child ever have wanted her to be. Kind and gentle and clever; and a ferociously talented actress, of course, but in that perfectly English unassuming way.

“There are a blessed few who can carry a whole television show on their talent and charisma - but I can't think of one other who's done it quite so politely. I once showed my son Joshua an old episode of Doctor Who, in which Lis appeared. "But that's Sarah Jane," he said, confused "In old Doctor Who. From years ago. How come she always look exactly the same?" It's not a comfort today, of course, but children will still be saying that fifty years from now.”

Keith Jones, Director, BBC Cymru Wales, said: "The Sarah Jane Adventures has been one of the most successful children's programmes on television in recent years - and without Elisabeth Sladen it would not have happened. A brilliant presence on screen and on set, she brought the excitement and energy of the Doctor Who family of programmes, of which we are very proud at BBC Wales, to a whole new generation. She will be missed by all at BBC Wales who worked with her."

Roger Carey, who represented Lis for many years, said. “She was not just a client, but a dear friend. She was so positive about life and her natural energy was intoxicating. She couldn’t believe her luck when her career was resurrected in her own series.”

Lis had been suffering from cancer. She leaves behind a husband, actor Brian Miller, and her daughter, Sadie.



Although unconfirmed, it is likely that Series 5 of Sarah Jane Adventures will be shown in dedication of Lis.

Elisabeth Sladen 1948 - 2011

“The universe has to move forward. Pain and loss, they define us as much as happiness or love. Whether it’s a world, or a relationship… Everything has its time. And everything ends.”
— Sarah Jane Smith - Doctor Who: School Reunion

The Eleventh Hour Review by Christopher Kerr [Part 1]

*Seeker, I shall PM you part 2 later.I need to log off now.

To be fair, folks, these reviews will ask more questions than Series 5 answered.

[The Eleventh Hour (1/13)]
We are introduced to Series 5 by a, let's face it, rather comical 'prequel'; the Doctor hanging onto the edge of the TARDIS, screwdriver in mouth, TARDIS flying without a pilot...Now, I'm amazed hardly anyone has brought up these questions: Why is he hanging out of the TARDIS and why is it flying 'itself'? Hmm...Interesting.
Crash-landing in a beautiful garden, surrounding a big house (Perhaps too big...), the newly regenerated Eleventh Doctor emerges from his damaged TARDIS.I often wondered: why hasn't this happened before? Every regeneration has been a straight-forward morph into the next doctor but Ten into Eleven was quite dramatic and violent.Quite a coincidence that Amelia prayed for 'Santa' to come and fix her crack.
After spitting out beans, scoffing on yoghurt, gagging at bacon and settling for fish fingers and custard, the pair eventually investigate Amelia's crack in the wall.Someone clearly doesn't want anyone to go near it, as the Doctor is shot by a blast of energy.On examining the crack, the Doctor discovers it's 'two parts of time and space that should never have touched'. Now, what 'parts of time and space that should never have touched' is he on about? There's too many possibilities! After promising Amelia to return in a minute, the Doctor returns to her 12 years later.Wow! It's bad when it's a one year gap ala Aliens Of London but 12 years? Blimey!

The Claws of Axos DVD Review by Christopher Kerr

My first ever DVD review will be the first ever DVD I bought; the Claws Of Axos.

[Cover]

It is quite obvious where Clayton Hickman got the inspiration for the Golden cover; the Golden Axons themselves.But, a part of me would oddly prefer to see this cover with a fire or something in the background.I also would've liked an arrangement of Pertwee in the centre, an Axon Man's face on the left, Axon monster on the right, Axos Eye at the top and Master at the bottom.Reason being there is quite alot of moments where the Axos head floats around in a circle.The back? Quite basic really.Promo images.I'd expected more.But, then again, perhaps I expect too much from the Merchandise.

[Story]
The Claws Of Axos [A.k.a The Vampire From Space] would really make a great modern day story.I can really see Modern Day UNIT fighting these golden baddies; guns ablazing 'n' all.I feel a lot of Pertwee's era scarily focuses on Present Day events; famine, pollution, greedy governments etc.Claws Of Axos shows how scary the Government would snap up an unknown alien substance; perhaps too quickly.I find it quite ironic that the Doctor stops the missiles from destroying Axos yet is shocked when Axos turns out to be evil and in it for it's own gain.Now, is that shock or guilt? Personally, I think it's guilt.For a full two episodes the Axons played nicely.And then: WHAM! You're suddenly tied up in Axos' claws.
The return of the Master, if I'm honest, wasn't as 'in your face' as it should be.I especially liked the Master/Brig conversation at the end of Part 3.Both men on an equal par: Witty, wary of the other side and prepared to take risks.But, I was shocked that the Brigadier would let the Doctor die to save the World.So much for 'Old Friends'; he was prepared to murder him! We got a few hypnosis moments from the Master which was nice.But when he emerged from Axos and murdered that soldier? I actually laughed.A huge alien ship lands in the middle of the country side and there's only one soldier.Pa-lease!
Nice little alliance between the Doctor and the Master; friends once more but not long enough.And, after Axos is stuck in a time-loop [time-loop time-loop] he flees again.Oh well.You win some, you loose some.If you compare Pertwee's reaction to Delgado fleeing and Tennant's reaction to Simm's return in The End Of Time, you certainly see a huge contrast; the latter Doctor is shocked and horrified but Pertwee acted as if Delgado was a little boy running away from his Dad's hand!

[Extras]
Commentary: I loved this commentary very much but there was room for improvement.Katy and Richard had a good banter, but I felt Barry was quite quiet.That is understandable though.Commentaries are a good extra, but, if I'm honest, I only watch 'returning' stories or 'Regeneration' commentaries now.Planet Of The Spiders is a real gem, which I shall review later.

R.S.C-The Axon Legacy: The Claws Of Axos was originally in black and white?! Really?! I assumed that from Spearhead onwards that everything was in colour.Well, they've certainly done a great job in restoring it.I just hope Ambassadors lives up to it's 'sister story'.

Production Subtitles: I have a 'religion' of watching a new DVD in original form, then with commentary and then with Production Subtitles.The subtitles are nothing special, really.But, I did notice a error: When the Third Doctor is talking to Axos in Episode 3, Axos says 'Lies are useless, timelord!' yet the subtitles [At least on mine!] say 'Your lies are useless, timelord!'.


Overall, Claws is a Golden 9/10; based on plot-line, extras, and the cover!

Revelation of the Daleks Collectors Set by Gareth Thomas

Action Figure Collectors Set: Revelation Of The Daleks [5/4/11]
Reviewing Character Options Sixth Doctor with Davros, Necros Dalek & Skaro Dalek

OK, starting with the Sixth Doctor Colin Baker in blue cloak, The Revelation Set Sixth Doctor figure is the same as the first carded collect and build figure from 2008 that went onto be re-released with the Stealth Cyberman last year. With this variant, the figure has the beautiful removeable cloak which comes off easily. No Sonic Lance in this release but the figure is wonderfully accurate, the only downside I have found is the cloak causes a slight inbalance which is easily rectified by some re-posturing.

We move on to The Revelation Davros, ok for those people that might have missed it the microphone is now on the opposite side which is a nice touch as its totally screen correct, the control panel buttons have been painted differently, Davros still has the reveal panel from Resurrection and includes a swappable hand, the hand simply pulls out with a little effort and you can attach a blood soaked stump.

Next we have the Skaro Dalek, at first glance this is very similar to the Resurrection Dalek release but look closer and you will find subtle differences, the first being a slightly darker paint job you will also find the base is double tiered the mesh has silver highlighting and the eye rings are of a different arrangement.

Saving the best till last we have the Necros Dalek, this Dalek is one of the more unique models in its white, gold and black colour scheme, this Dalek again has a double tiered base but differ's as it is split into half black and then half white. not totally screen accurate as their should be a noticable gap between main body and dome section also the base configuration is wrong but on the whole character options have done incredibly well.

Overall, the set is excellent, it is a nice set to play with or display, obviously some will moan about the repetitive Dalek/Davros releases but you can't knock the effort that has been put into developing and releasing the classic Dalek range, and personally I love the range.
I would give the Revelation Of The Daleks collectors set 8/10.

By Gareth Thomas

Leaked Yeti Prototype

Right guys, this isn't something the Frontier in Space team would normally do, but as it's such an exciting leak, it's worthy of our reviewing space!

Leaked prototype Yeti figure from the Second Doctor story 'The Web of Fear.'

Presumably, this figure will be similar to the previously released Axon figure.

Hopefully, this will be released shortly, or even as an SDCC release. Maybe with a Jamie or even a Second Doctor in furry coat! Who knows? Only time will tell!

Frontier in Space.

'Crash Set' by Ryan Wigley

In today's review, I shall be reviewing the Crash set released in 2010, to mark the arrival of Matt Smith as the Eleventh Incarnation of the Doctor. As we get closer and closer to the 23rd of April, it seems like the perfect time to go back a year and have a look at this set.

The set contains the Eleventh Doctor in his tweed jacket, red shirt and bow tie as seen in the majority of Series 5 and the 'Raggedy' Doctor in his battered regeneration clothes from David Tennants Tenth Doctor.

I'll start of with what is considered the least popular of the set, the Raggedy Doctor. Basically, this figure is the Doctor as seen in the majority of The Eleventh Hour, in his past incarnations worn out brown pinstripe suit. The level of detail on this figure is great, not the best, but certainly not the worst of Character Options highly regarded figure line. Detail has been covered down to the last rip and crease on the shirt. The articulation is slightly below Characters usual standard, 360 degrees head, bicep and arms, elbow goes up and down as normal, but there is a lack of articulation in the thighs, this is due to the fact that the legs are used from the Tenth Doctor figures, which sadly has basic articulation that CO released back in the figures launch in 2005. To be honest, there isn't much to say about this figure, it's a nice addition and beyond this set, we would never have seen it in a normal wave, which is unfortunate as I would have rather had Amy Pond in her Police Uniform (which has since been released in the Pandorica figure was and in the Christmas Adventure set). That's not to say the figure is rubbish as that is far from the truth, it is definately a nice addition to the set, but sadly a not much sought after figure, which is disappointing because had it been the Amy figure mentioned above, it probably would have made collectors buy both the normal set and the Toys R Us set that will be mentioned later. Overall, I'd give the figure a 6/10. An average figure that is quite nice, just not amazing or has a special space cleared for in any collection.

Now, moving onto the other figure in this set, the Eleventh Doctor in his red shirt, bow tie and tweed jacket from the end of The Eleventh Hour and the majority of Series 5. The detail on this figure is superb, like the Raggedy Doctor figure and the Regenerated Eleventh Doctor before it, the head is still the same. Nothing wrong with that as the likeness is brilliant. Believe it or not, the prototype figure had the floppy hair at the front to the side, similar to the Eleventh Doctor with Fez from the Pandorica wave. It was an interesting sculpt, and a head I'd like to see on future figures to add a bit of variation. The tweed effect on the jacket is remarkable, unlike the figure released late last year which had the Doctor based on Series 6, with awful red stripes on the jacket. Although, Character did use the same jacket, they ruined it with the red stripes on it, but that's for another review. The tweed is on scale with the Fourth Doctor figure from The Seeds of Doom in terms of detail. The shirt is great, the stripes are applied well, it looks almost as if they've been printed on it's that great! The bow tie is to scale, unlike other figure lines which have huge ties and dickie bows that just ruin the figure. The articulation is the norm from Charactet, the same as the Raggedy Doctor figure, but with thigh articulation. This figure, unlike the other has an accessory and that is the Sonic Screwdriver, it's odd that the prongs on it are sculpted to be open, which makes me think we could well see a closed variant along the line. The Sonic also has it's own special hole on the TARDIS playset for it to go on, which is nice. The hands on the figure are different to those of other Doctors, usually, the hands are sculpted downwards so that the Sonic faces down when in the figures hand, it's not like that on this figure, the Sonic is straight.
Toys R Us released an exclusive variant of this figure, with blue shirt and tie rather than the normal red. This was never mentioned by Character and only noticed when people started to pick these up on the afternoon The Eleventh Hour was first broadcast. I do love a good exclusive, and I prefer the blue variant, but unfortunately my local Toys R Us was being refurbished, meaning that they only got a few of the red variants. Now, my TRU is now plagued with them. This doesn't mean the figures didn't sell well, the set went down a storm and at least two re-stocks happened, it was unfortunate that when the third re-stock happened, Wave 1 had been announced and the difference between a shirt is not noticeable to the casual buyer that is in a rush. I give this figure a 9/10.

Overall, the set is excellent, the Raggedy Doctors playability is lost due to it being only in The Ekeventh Hour, similar to the Fez Doctor. The normal Eleventh Doctor is as expected, the star of the set, having both figures side by side show that there is a considerable height difference between the two, due to the Tenth Doctor legs being re-used. I would have been grateful had the Tenth Doctors Sonic been included in this set as I find it's the one that I lose the most. An overall score is a 8/10.

Feel free to comment about this review and what you thought of the set.

Silurian General Restac and Warrior Alaya Figure Review by Ryan Wigley

In this review, I shall be reviewing the Silurian General Restac and Warrior Alya figures from the Series 5 Wave 1G figures by Character Options. Both Silurians featured in the two parter 'The Hungry Earth' and 'Cold Blood.'

Starting off with Restac. Restac was the General of the Silurians and also Commander in the Silurian Military. The articulation on this figure is just below the usual standard. Head turns 360 degrees, bicep articulation, bends at the elbow, hands to a swivel. Also, knees bend and the boots turn 360 degrees. Everything bar the articulation at the thigh. Detail on this figure is superb as are most of Character's products. The face is detailed down to the last scale, Restac has brownish marks on her face unlike Alaya and these have been done well. One thing missing is the scar down her left eye. It's not the end of the world, but would have been nice with it.

The clothes on Restac are different to Alaya's and normal Warriors. Restac has a red coat on top of normal Silurian armour. Character have done a new sculpt for this rather than putting a red coat on top of an Alaya figure. The armour is sculpted onto the coat rather than being in separate pieces. Restac, like the warriors wore gloves, which help for the figure when holding a gun.

As said above, Restac comes with a gun, the one that she shoots Rory with at the end of Cold Blood, if memory serves correctly. The detail on the gun is great, done to replicate what is shown in the episode. CO could have easily just made the sculpt and paint it silver and not add all of the markings, but Character have gone that extra mike as usual and added the markings. It proves that Character Options stand out from the crowd. You'll rarely fond this sort of thing with Hasbro, who's detail to figures is appalling compared to CO.

There is a few paint marks on this figure, but barely noticeable unless inspected closely. I'd give this figure a well earned 8/10. I wasn't a particular fan of these Silurians and much preferred the ones from 'Warriors of the Deep' but it's a great figure nontheless. One thing lacking is the scar. Although not shown in the episode, it would have been nice if Restac came with the mask, as she looks great with it on.


Moving onto Alaya now. Alaya is a Silurian Warrior and is twin sisters with Restac. As both Silurians are twin sisters, both were played by the same actress, Neve McIntosh, so both figures are similar.

Alaya has the same articulation as Restac, which is slightly under Character Options normal standard. The head sculpt is similar, but without the brownish markings that Restac has. Also, both of my figures have a slightly different face colour.'I think this is due to production as my other Alaya has the same face colour as Restac.

The armour detailing on the figure is great, one of mine is slightly sloppy paintwork on the back, bit good otherwise. Pretty much everything has been covered on this figure due to the Restac figure Because they are so alike.

Alaya has 3 accessories, one is the gun, but the other two are the shackles and mask. I think the mask is great, the detail that has gone into it is superb and it looks fantastic when on the fire. The shackle is OK, not my favourite, but it's nice enough. The shackle fits around the Amy figure, so it might be useful in dioramas or figure stories.

Overall, I'd give the figure a 7/10, in my opinion, it's not as good as Restac and the hands are poor for holding the gun.

I hope you enjoyed this review, feel free to comment and give feedback!