Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Sunday, February 20, 2011

Dalek by Proxy


While it's very likely that a Dalek(s) figure is in the works over at Bif Bang Pow, if you can't wait (like me) there is a kind of an affordable fix available in the UK. In 1975, Palitoy released this talking Dalek toy (seen above) which blends in very well in the 8" set. It's a touch shorter than it probably should be but as you can see Brock has his hands full. If you don't care about a broken talk function you can usually get one for under $30, the one i have cost around $26.

 

The Palitoy Dalek was however, not made by Mego but by Japanese toy maker Tomy. Mego made one for Denys Fisher which is hard to find in any condition, it is a little more show accurate but will likely set you back $200 or more.

Monday, February 14, 2011

A Short "Who's Who" of Wave 1

I'm reading some confusion online about some of the character shoices for the series and with a series with a long and confusing history like Doctor Who it's understandable, so I thought it might be useful to provide some insight as to why those are suitable choices for the time. 

One: The Doctor as portrayed by Tom Baker

I can't imagine anybody not recognizing him, yet knowing what Doctor Who is but wave 1 of the new Bif Bang Pow figures starts at his era and only his era. Unlike Character Options, who seem to move around the show's history between waves (which is fine), BBP is sticking to Tom for this wave and that's just dandy.

This is a first Season Tom, the head sculpt seems to emulating the haunting look of the credits and thank God he isn't smiling.









Two: Field Major Styre portrayed by Kevin Lindsay

Styre was the villain in the fourth Doctor's third adventure "The Sontaran Experiment". There is some interesting trivia here, Styre is the only Sontaran to be shown with four fingers (all the others had two) and he's the only one to brandish a pistol. So when you see him in the stores (hopefully soon) he is not a glitch, he is screen accurate.

The Sontarans menaced the fourth Doctor twice, which is two times more than any other Doctor. They're also clones, so Styre is an army builder of sorts.








Three : The Master played by Peter Pratt

This is the figure that seems to cause the most confusion by the mego community as many see it as an odd choice but it's actually quite appropriate.

While most casual fans would expect Roger Delgado as the Master, he passed away before Baker even took the role and while the fourth doctor did clash with Anthony Ainley's Master, it was his final adventure and that Master absolutely belongs to Peter Davison's fifth Doctor.

The Master of the Baker era was this, a decaying half dead corpse who had used up all his regenerations. I've heard some complaints about the head sculpt but honestly, it's accurate to the make up job. The Doctor tangled with this Master twice and by that, this is the Master for the Baker era.






Four : Cyberleader

"Revenge of the Cyberman" was the fifth adventure of the fourth Doctor's first season, it's not exactly a fan favourite (personally I like it) but it marks the only appearance of the Cybermen in the 1970s.

The best thing about BBP releasing the Cyberleader first is it almost guarentees us a regular Cyberman figure in the future it's just too obvious.

Cybermen are traditionally the second fan favourite villain behind the Daleks, so they are logical choice for wave one.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Doctor Who : Wave 1

Bif Bang Pow give us a sneak peak of wave one of Doctor Who: The Doctor, The Master, Cyber Leader and Field Major Styre. Life is good!

Before you say it: Yes, Bif Bang Pow knows Tom's head is a little big, it won't be on the final figure. It's all part of the Mego making process.

Toys for an Unearthly Child




We might as well start at the beginning, Mego never brought these figures to America where the character was then barely known, but lucky UK children were treated to one of the coolest toy lines of the 1970s.

More on the Denys Fisher line here at the Mego Museum.