Dalektable collectibles
Doctor Who action figures have proved hugely popular, even attracting the attention of serious collectors. While we look forward to the arrival of a new Doctor next year (as well as some new figures), Sebastian Hamilton, from Doctor Who Figures Online, looks back over the short but colourful history of these much sought-after figures…
For those interested in action figures, the Doctor Who range is one of the most fascinating to study. Whenever I talk to a collector of other action figures about them, they are always surprised at the detail and quality that you get for your £7.99.
However, it is a range that has never become all that well known in serious collector circles. Part of the reason for this is the fact that these figures are made by a toy company and firmly aimed at the child market, and collectors have not been as involved in the character selection or figure-making process as, for example, collectors of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer range of figures were.
Despite this, an active collecting community has sprung up, and within it there have been friendships and arguments, highs and lows, periods of saving wisely and periods of splurging in every store.
The figures first started being produced in 2005 with a ‘Dalek Battle Pack’, two remote control Daleks and either the 9th Doctor (Christopher Eccleston) or Rose Tyler (Billie Piper).
However, it wasn’t until 2006, just as Series 2 of the new Doctor Who was hitting our screens, that they became well known. Wave 1, consisting of six individually-packed figures, sold out across the board, and it was at this point that stockists started to realise the potential of the range. By the end of the year, more and more figures were being released.
As the popularity of the figures intensified towards the middle of 2007, they became increasingly difficult to get hold of. Gone were the days of popping into Toys ’R’ Us and finding what you wanted, or even ringing your favourite specialist shop and ordering.
Collectors started using forums and websites in order to share information about the figures, and you had to be constantly checking for updates online. ‘Laszlo is in stock over at The Entertainer!’ Within an hour he had sold out.
It was often necessary to take a gamble by striking fast and risking that a figure would fall in price. Laszlo turned out to be a poor bet and immediately became a ‘peg warmer’, sitting on every shelf in every store for months. On the other hand, some figures that were ignored at first later became incredibly difficult to get hold of. It was around this time that the original Lady Cassandra and Sycorax Leader were going for as much as £150-£200 on eBay. Within a few months, however, Character Options re-released these two for their usual price.
The most significant year for collectors was 2008, with over 60 new figures being produced – that’s more than one every six days! Probably the biggest story, even making it into some newspapers at the time, were the San Diego Comic Convention exclusive figures.
There were a limited amount of 9th Doctors with green tops and the 5th Doctor with celery on his lapel, released only at the convention, and it was a rush over the internet to try to convince friendly people attending to buy them for you.
Another major release in 2008 was the Classic Figures Wave 1, consisting of 3 classic Doctors and several classic monsters. These were a massive hit and very difficult to find (especially the poor old short-packed Colin Baker). The only fly in the ointment was an oversight on the part of Character Options, which saw a lack of the trademark celery on the 5th Doctor’s lapel.
This wave also introduced the concept of ‘build-a-figure’ to Doctor Who collectors; when you bought the whole of Wave 1 you could put the special bonus pieces together to build the menacing K1 Robot.
Adding to the success story of 2008 was ScifiCollector’s release of the Torchwood figures. These were aimed more at the collector’s market and included ‘Gwen Cooper’, who won the award for sexiest figure yet!
Unfortunately, 2009 has turned out to be a turbulent year. Warnings had come that, due to the television break for Doctor Who, there would be less figures produced this year, so people were very surprised to see a new wave of Classic Cybermen and a new wave of normal Doctor Who figures hitting shelves in Argos in the first month of the year.
This was followed by a wave made entirely of re-releases that, when bought, gave you pieces to make a new, exclusive, build-a-figure Vespiform, a move which caused consternation amongst the collecting community. Character Options then announced that there would be absolutely no new figures this year except for new classic figures exclusive to the convention again (though handily made available at Forbidden Planet).
To try to fill the void, collectors have turned to the customised market. A large trade has sprung up on eBay, where even the simplest of head swaps can now fetch anywhere from £20-£50 and more detailed figures have demanded even higher prices.
Looking ahead, Wave 2 of the Torchwood figures has launched and Wave 3 will follow if it is well received. Character Options has also renewed rights for next year and will be releasing a new Doctor Who wave to coincide with Matt Smith’s first year in the role.
Whatever the future holds, the past has given so many surprises that Doctor Who figure collectors are ready for anything. It’s a fascinating range with a large collecting community, and I have a feeling that even if we never saw a new figure produced, you couldn’t take that community away.
Sebastian Hamilton is editor of Doctor Who Figures Online.
